Day 14 we decided our destination would be Squirrel Cove just a few miles away.  First though, we took a little detour to Teakerne Arm, northeast of Refuge.  Teakerne Arm has a great waterfall at the head of the bay but anchoring there is really tricky.  We wanted to spend the night there but after talking to fellow boaters and reading more it’s not a good idea.  You have to anchor in about 90 feet of water, holding is not good and we heard many people get there anchor stuck on all the cables loggers left in the water long ago.

We decided a pass through to see the falls from the boat would be our best bet.  The falls were really cool but I’m glad we didn’t try and anchor.  While we were at the falls, someone called on the VHF radio looking for a diver to come help free his anchor.  I guess the stories are true!

Back at Squirrel Cove we anchored but no stern tie this time.  It’s a huge anchorage with lots of awesome shoreline and many small islets throughout the bay.  The best part is the reversing rapids where the water flows into and out of a large lagoon.  At low tide the water flows out of the lagoon down hill forming rapids.  At high tide the opposite happens, with the rapids flowing into the lagoon.

Just outside of Squirrel Cove there is a small store and a restaurant.  Not wanting to cook another meal (its been 8 days of every meal on the boat) we took the dinghy to the restaurant for dinner.  It was fantastic food, way better than we expected.

After dinner we took the kayak down the rapids, into the lagoon.  Julie, Skylar and I all took our turn at floating down, then pulling the kayak back on the shoreline for another run. Skylar and I also just floated it in our lifejackets along with some other kids Skylar met. It was a blast!

There was a rope swing into the water right by our boat that at low tide was impossible but now was ready to go.  Skylar begged to go on it with the boy he met and we finally gave in.  It shot them really high in the air, made Julie and I sick every time they launched off it!

Day 13 – Having been out away from garbage, water and power for about a week now, it was time to dispose and replenish.  Our dirty laundry was really starting to stink in the bottom of the closet and the garbage bags in the lazarette (hatch in the stern of the boat) were piling up.  80-degree weather doesn’t help the situation.  There is not much in this area in the way of large marinas or grocery stores but the guidebook says Refuge Cove has what we need.

It was just a short 1.5-hour cruise away so we stayed at Laura Cove all morning swimming and sunning.  We tried another hike but the trail was too overgrown, Ava was up to her ears in ferns and branches and we were being eaten alive by mosquitos.  So we bailed on that trail real quick.

The swimming and warm water in Desolation are awesome but we sure do miss beaches and hiking.  There’s really not much of either, at least not in the area we were in.  With the kids it’s tough not being able to get out for a hike and explore beaches.

Refuge Cove does not take reservations so the drill is to wait your turn just off the docks until someone leaves, then you swoop in and grab the spot.  It took about 15 minutes of waiting but we were lucky enough to get a spot.  This place is old school, but they have just about everything you would need if you are willing to pay.  Ava wanted a small box of Cheerios for 8 bucks; she got them, little spoiled brat.

We were able to stock up on fruits and veggies, get gas for the dinghy, do laundry and most of all get rid of our garbage.  The garbage service there is kind of interesting.  It’s a barge in the water with a guy who lives on a boat tied to the barge.  The barge is piled high with garbage with a sign that says “Dave’s Garbage and Recycling”.  Dave was a very nice guy, although an interesting character.  He loved talking about many things, most of which I didn’t understand but it was mostly – The world will never be the same, it’s a borderless country, what has this country come to, things like that.  He was Awesome!

Another super hot day, 94 again in the boat.  Sleeping sucks!

Day 12 was an early start to catch the high tide out of Roscoe Bay.  A short skip across the pond and we landed in Prideaux Haven.  This bay, or area consisting of Prideaux Haven, Laura Cove and Melanie Cove is what people say is the ultimate Desolation Sound destination.  They are all very close together connected by shallow (dinghy only) waterways and nice lagoons that fill up at high tide with warm water.  Problem is, it seems everyone thinks the same thing because it was jam packed with boats!  Prideaux Haven had so many boats in it (most over 60 feet) we couldn’t find a spot.  Same for Melanie Cove so we crawled into the tricky entrance of Laura Cove and found a great spot to stern tie right next to a fellow Tacoma Yacht Club member.

Exploration by dinghy in this area is super fun.  You can find some little cove, lagoon or waterway and just swim around, jump off rocks or go snorkeling.  That’s exactly what we did after lunch and the water was great.  Its still amazing to us how warm and clear the water is! It was a really hot day so lots of swimming to cool off.  94 degrees in the boat at 9pm!