Even more dogzz per nautical mile than usual

July 10th

When boating with A Dog, you get to meet....Dogzz. 

Stunning two year old Maggie stopped to visit Greywolf shortly after we returned by ferry from Alert Bay.  Maybe her Poodle Sense told her that a cousin was on board.

The girls looked very similar, except Maggie was groomed and brushed,
 while Allie was sporting her salt water conditioned kinky curls.

Alas, Molly could not stay…  

You can see that Allie is already back into Hoovering  Mode.

Next stop: (see above)

 Port McNeill and Port Hardy are only 22 miles apart. Most cruising boats would not stop at both towns prior to rounding Cape Caution or heading to Cape Scott to circumnavigate Vancouver Island.  But we had A Reason To Visit.

 

It was not to see the wooden carrot on Port Hardy’s waterfront, although it IS unique.

And it was not to look for The Dogzz and Dog Lovers who provided attention and treats when we stopped last August.

It was not even see if this wonderful kit was still available at "The Source" where we bought our Telus hot spot last year.  
I so regretted not buying it. Only $19.99.

                           It was to visit......

We love Hardy Buoys smoked salmon and look for it in each grocery store we visit on the BC coast.  It occurred to us last year that we were actually IN Port Hardy….

The factory and its outlet store were within walking distance of the marina. (Walking distance is always relative, eh?.)  The Outlet Store was selling ten pound boxes of assorted flavors for $79. ‘End of the season…making room in their freezers.   We found room in our freezer.

Hardy Buoys is a great success story:  in 1994 a sports fisherman, wanting to supplement his utility company income, recognized a need for a seasonal seafood locker for the many sports fishermen who descend on Port Hardy each summer.  Someone suggested adding a smoke house, and demand for their smoked salmons grew rapidly. 

Hardy Buoys now employs 65 people year round (75 in the summer) and is one of the largest employers in Port Hardy, housed in a 50,000 square foot facility.  

Their smoked salmon is sold in stores all across Canada.  But, alas, not is the US of A.

Not only were there no Dogzz on the docks at Quartermaster Marina this year, there were almost no docks on the docks.  The marina seems to be catering to the sports fishing trade.  Fishermen who are paying hundreds of dollars a day to out with a guide don’t really care what the docks look like.

Greywolf will go to the Port Authority docks on her return trip.  

Leaving Port Hardy

After all of the 80-90 weather, we were once again back
into wet weather that made us happy we were no longer sailors.

We left Port Hardy early enough to give Allie plenty of beach play time at Port Alexander, our jumping-off point for rounding Cape Caution the following day. Port Alexander is not a town.  Not even a small one.  It is a well-protected bay with a lovely beach.  A rare combination north of the Gulf Islands.

The RAIN foiled our plans. No dinghy launch.  No beach romp.  Allie pouted when asked to help chart our course for rounding Cape Caution the following day.