Ocean Falls to Shearwater

Our destination today is Shearwater, but this year's visit would unfold very differently than we had planned.

shearwater in all her glory. Bella Bella in the far distant shore

new signage is everywhere in shearwater.

For several days Karen had been battling what appeared to be an abscess around one of her back molars. A course of antibiotics had done little to improve the situation, and after speaking with her dentist back home, we agreed there was really only one option—she needed to be seen in person.

The question wasn't whether to go.

It was how.

Fortunately, Bella Bella, just across the channel from Shearwater, has scheduled air service to Vancouver. Better yet, wonderful friends in Bellingham immediately volunteered to make the ninety-minute drive north, pick Karen up at the airport, open their home for as long as she needed, and help in any way they could.

a little grocery shopping while we wait for karen’s ride to the bella bella airport

the furel dock at bella bella is now a floating dock

inside the sea bus, waiting to return to shearwater after dropping karen off to at bella bella

Then the cruising community did what it always seems to do.

One conversation led to another until Karen was connected with a fellow cruiser who also happened to be a dentist. Before long she had been introduced to what they jokingly refer to as the "Bellingham Dental Mafia." Within a day she had been examined, referred to an oral surgeon, and scheduled for treatment.

The plan seemed straightforward.

Karen would spend about a week in Bellingham recovering before flying back to Bella Bella.

Of course, this is coastal British Columbia, where airline schedules sometimes feel more like hopeful suggestions than firm commitments.

Back at the docks in Shearwater, stories of cancelled flights and stranded travelers seemed to be circulating daily. Then the call came.

Karen's return flight had been cancelled and rebooked three days later.

Our carefully planned week apart had suddenly become considerably longer.

The timing couldn't have been more frustrating. The weather had finally settled into one of those rare stretches of clear skies and light winds that every cruiser hopes for, yet the explanation from the airline amounted to little more than, "Your flight has been cancelled."

Then, just when we had resigned ourselves to the delay, the story took another turn.

On Sunday morning—the very day Karen had originally been scheduled to return—her phone rang just after stepping out of the shower. A Pacific Coastal representative explained that a seat had unexpectedly become available on her original flight. If she could reach Vancouver Airport within three hours, it was hers.

Without hesitation, our friends sprang into action.

Karen barely had time to finish packing before they were in the car, making the ninety-minute drive to Vancouver and delivering her to the terminal with time to spare.

Sometimes good fortune arrives disguised as good friends.

While Karen was away, I found myself with something most cruisers rarely experience—a full week with nowhere to be and no schedule beyond my own.

Boat projects quickly filled the void.

The biggest was repainting the eyebrow trim above the forward cabin windows, an area that flexes just enough to make paint adhesion a perpetual challenge. Thanks to the unusually cooperative weather, I was able to apply three coats, allowing each one to fully cure before sanding and recoating. Add laundry, a thorough cleaning of OceanFlyer, and the inevitable collection of smaller maintenance jobs, and the week disappeared surprisingly quickly.

you can see the road to the old airport in the distance

Then another unexpected gift arrived.

One afternoon, Mystic Voyager tied up just astern of OceanFlyer. At the helm was author, mariner, and storyteller Clyde Ford.

We first met Clyde years ago in Bellingham through mutual friends in the charter boat community and immediately discovered we enjoyed each other's company. As chance would have it, he too was waiting in Shearwater—his delay caused by a friend flying in from Australia to begin an Inside Passage adventure.

Two bachelors with no schedule and nowhere they had to be proved to be an excellent recipe for conversation.

Evenings were spent over dinner exchanging stories about boats, books, favorite anchorages, old friends, and the remarkable places this cruising life has introduced us to. By the time we solved most of the world's problems each night, it was time to call it a day and do it all again tomorrow.

The week passed much faster than either of us expected.

the economic foundation of shearwater, the fuel dock. you can also fill up your helicopter just behind.

the sea wolf ferry makes a call at shearwater

Cruising has taught us that the most memorable moments are rarely the ones carefully planned on a chart. More often, they grow out of unexpected detours, weather delays, mechanical challenges, or chance encounters with remarkable people.

Karen returned healthy. OceanFlyer was a little better maintained than when she left. And once again, we were reminded that while the scenery may draw us north each year, it's the people we meet along the way who make the journey truly unforgettable.

beautiful sunset from the docks at shearwater