A Haunted Anchorage
11 July 2014 | Owen Bay, Sonora Island, BC
Mark
Last night we anchored in Owen Bay on Sonora Island, a haunted little place that always seems to have a bit of a strange energy for me. Back in 1967 some offshore cruisers, recently returned to BC, anchored in the bay and then went exploring the tidal channels between the islands in their dinghy. They were never found. Their overturned dinghy turned up, and their boat remained anchored in the bay. But their bodies are still missing to this day.
We visited here in 2006 just after we got back from our last offshore adventure and the energy was really strong. It was amplified by the empty feeling of the island, with just a few ramshackle buildings, but not a person around.
This year, however, things did feel quite different. The story of the bay still weighed heavily on our mind, and we dropped our anchored in the windy bay with not a little trepidation.
But the island was vibrant this time, with many more cabins built and inhabited year round by those hardy few that choose an alternate lifestyle, off of the grid and away from civilization. People were walking the island trails, and several cruisers were anchored in the bay. The plants even seemed to have a different energy with more berries along the paths than anyone could possibly eat. We gorged on huckleberries, salmonberries, wild raspberries, and thimbleberries, while still leaving more than enough for anyone else!
It felt, this time, like a totally different island. It looked like a different island, and it felt renewed. We can only guess than the positive energy of the new inhabitants has displace whatever was there before.