As is often the case, little to zero cell coverage and no Wi-Fi at times. Video of moon jellies in Tod Inlet take two:

We finally got into the Sea Life Centre on the Telegraph Harbour Marina dock. It’s a seaquarium and interactive touch tank, run through a collaborative effort between the Thetis Island Nature Conservancy, the marina, and the Ladysmith Maritime Society. It used to be on the dock in Ladysmith. Seems to be a great attraction for locals and visitors alike. The decorator and kelp crabs were cool, as well as this squid egg sac:

We spent the last couple of nights in Nanaimo. If there was ever any dessert on the planet that is possibly just too sweet…it’s a Nanaimo Bar! Delicious…and you gotta love coconut (I do!) but good lord.

We found a place a couple of years ago called McLeans, a specialty food shop. It is now Old City Cheese & Market and is just as good if not a little better. We got some cheese, a delicious freshly-made simple sandwich, some frozen meat pies, and a couple of other yummy food items. I really wanted to buy Haggis but that idea was nixed. (See what I did there?)

Nanaimo Harbour and the Northumberland Channel are very busy areas. Ferries of all sizes and speeds ply these waters, as do commercial fishery boats, tugs, log booms, seaplanes, and pleasure boats.

Dodd Narrows, separating Mudge and Vancouver Islands is just south of Nanaimo. This is a short cut for boaters who don’t want to go all the way around Gabriola Island. It’s less than 500 feet wide and waters can be very turbulent at anything other than slack tide. Timing is crucial, and everyone one is trying to get through, from both directions, at the same time.

We cleared Dodd Narrows on the way up with no problem. The way out was a different story. No problems, just an interesting transit. As we approached, we heard a sècuritè alert on the radio from a tug captain hauling a log boom. By the time we arrived, the boom was on its way in, with two tugs maneuvering it through. We had to wait about 30 minutes and then were able to follow it through.

We’ve been hearing about a new/re-vamped marina in Ladysmith call Mañana. The former Ladysmith community docks, now Oyster Bay Marina, is not accepting transients any more so Mañana it is.

We’re here now and it is definitely spiffy! More about this marina later.