WOOF!

Day 21 we took off early for Russell Island.  Russell is a little island I read about recently in Pacific Yachting.  It sounded great with its beautiful small white shell beaches.  It is fairly new to the provincial park system and we have never been there.  I was super excited to check it out. 

The north side is really the only place to anchor because the ferry traffic on the south side would really rock you.  The north end is fairly well protected and that’s where everyone was anchored.  We got the hook set then made a great lunch.  Off to shore in the dinghy for some beachcombing and hiking on the trails.  Little pockets of white shell beaches (These are called midden beaches.  Its where the first nations people left all there shells after harvesting) surrounded the north end of the island.  We had a great time beachcombing and Ava could not be pulled away from the “treasures” she was finding.

The island has a great loop trail about ¼ mile long.  There is also a house on the island where the original settlers of the island lived.  A hosts living in the house for a week at a time in the summer months are there to tell you all about the history of the island.  When we were there the host was the great granddaughter of the islands owner back in the late 1800’s.  As a child she spent summers living on the island with other family members.  She had all kinds of stories and information on their way of life back then.  It was awesome talking to her.  Julie and Skylar took another quick sprint around the loop while Ava and I played on the beach. 

On our way back to the boat we stopped to say hi to a fellow American Tug owner who just anchored.  He just bought one of only two American Tug 52’s built to date.  This is the largest boat they build and I was hoping to get a look at it.  The owners invited us over after dinner, and we quickly accepted.  We BBQ’d stake and roasted potatoes for an awesome dinner then headed out in the dinghy for some quick fishing before heading to the big boat.  We had a great evening with the new owners and their boat was beautiful.  They had just caught a bunch of prawns that they generously shared with us.  I am defiantly bringing a prawn trap next time we’re in Canada, they were incredible!  The kids had a lot of fun roasting marshmallows on the back of their boat over a propane cooker.  When they were done and the cooker was off but we still smelled propane.  John, the owner of the boat checked the cooker several times making sure it was off, but the smell kept coming.  We traced it down to the BBQ mounted close to the cooker.  After lifting the lid and sniffing inside, it was defiantly coming from that.  The gas had been left on to the BBQ while using it earlier in the day.  John shut the gas off and left the lid open.  I looked away thinking he would just let it air out.  Then the Fire Marshall Bill moment came.  In what I’m sure was a complete lapse in judgment, John decided to use an open flame (AKA a lighter) to check and see if the propane was gone.  All I remember was a huge fireball out of the corner of my eye followed by a loud WOOF and the smell of burning hair permeating the air.  Luckily everyone was OK, although a little freaked out.  Eyebrows are ok, but his hands are silky smooth.