Straight of Georgia

We spent our remaining time in the Straight of Georgia, with a view of snow-capped mountains when the fog lifted - and Vancouver in the distance.







Seagulls apparently commute on single-log rafts:















We came back to port via Active Pass, and through the Gulf Islands, which was so gorgeous it was a serious impedement to packing up our gear, as scientists repeatedly wandered off, in search of cameras.






Apart from the (apparent) seacucumber, we also had a sea spider stowaway:

Stuart Channel

This is where we anchored. Having a small team, most of whom were needed for every single deployment and and recovery, we actually did a sane thing; we did not work 24 hour days. It was more like 12 to 16 hours a day. So, we anchored at night.



Despite the pulp and paper mill, and steady signs of industry up-Island, it was beautiful. The tug boats were amazing. I was a bit mystified by the frequency of the ferry. Are there really that many people going from Croton to Vesuvius* (on Saltspring Island)? My friends in Sidney assured me that a lot of people commute for work. They are dismayed BC ferries was privatized; in the Gulf Islands, the ferries are like highways here - the most basic, fundamental means of transportation.















*Everything there has these names from elsewhere: Ganges, Vesuvius, the Trincomali Channel.