Union Steamship Marina is a lovely small place in Snug Cove on Bowen Island in Howe Sound, British Columbia. We arrived Wednesday after a 43 nm cruise from Blaine. The cove is an offshoot of the larger Mannion Bay and is quite picturesque, with the nicely kept marina, ferry landing, shops and restaurants. (And where much of Virgin River is filmed.)

We were here once before, in 2018, with a group of Ranger Tug owners. The weather was shite, and after a rough ride we all tucked in and then got “stuck” here for a few days instead of the planned one overnight. What a place to get stuck! Here is a photo of the six of us having dinner seven years ago:

The place seems to have grown since we were here. There’s a pub we don’t remember, as well as a distillery and more shops.

We got the bikes out and took a ride out past Killarney Lake to Grafton Bay, then back through Artisan Market to the boat. Very lush and lovely island! Quite hilly.

We lunched at Doc Morgan’s Pub and spent some time on some boat tasks. (Bilgy smell, where do you come from?)

We left bright and early (7am) this morning. Apparently, a film crew came in yesterday for a new Netflix show, so it may be a good time to get out.

Our original plan was to check out Smuggler Cove, where we haven’t been before, but once we got out on the water the cruising conditions were optimal – smooth glassy water and blue sky – so we’ve decided to keep going. We’re now headed to kalpilin. (Pender Harbour – name changed in 2023 to reflect First Nation language, culture and heritage.) We hope to anchor in Garden Bay, rather than stay at the Madeira Park Wharf dock, which is where we’ve stayed in the past.

Wednesday, I saw a humpback right in front of us, and today we saw two.