A Pender Harbour sunset looking out to Texada Island.
Last Tuesday was another gift of a day that we gladly accepted as we upped anchor and motored south to Pender Harbour for the 14th Annual Jazz Festival – days ahead of the event but just before the forecasted rain moved into the area on Wednesday and Thursday.
By Friday, the weather had cleared and our friends, Jeff and Karry Bice, arrived from Washington to join us. We celebrated their first night aboard at the Garden Bay Pub where Doc Fingers had everyone singing and dancing with his mix of blues and rock until the early hours of the morning.
It rained overnight, so Saturday's music was moved indoors to the community centre where first up was Wil Campo Y Su Gran Union playing Cuban Sonero – a sort of salsa, Caribbean mix. The band was amazing with a full horn section and the place, packed full of people, was jumping. Next up was Swing Patrol, an excellent 1940s band out of Vancouver – well practised and tight – that had the terrible misfortune of following the lively Wil Campo and was never quite able to get the crowd moving again.
Sunday, Jeff had organized a hotel room for him and Karry and a marina berth for us at the Sunshine Coast Resort so, after breakfast, we moved over to the docks and plugged in to shore power for the second time since leaving Poulsbo in June. That night we went up to the Grasshopper Pub for their BBQ chicken dinner and The Astrid Sars Quintet – one of the few returning acts from last year. We were joined by Bill and Sylvia Emmens, friends of ours aboard the sailboat Salubrious, and, after dinner, Terri and Doug, two Shoal Bay regulars, helped fill the table. The food was good but the band, playing a sultry blend of bossa-nova and jazz, didn't live up to last year's performance making the decision to say an early good-night an easy one. Unfortunately, we also had to say our good-byes to Jeff and Karry who would be leaving in the morning tocatch the ferry from Langdale. We really enjoyed having them aboard and we wished they weren't going so soon – a true sign of excellent guests.
Much like last year, by Monday afternoon Pender Harbour was deserted –a sure sign that the cruising season is quickly coming to an end. However, the rain had cleared leaving us with a sunny sky and warm weather to enjoy but, unfortunately, that'll change soon. There's a large storm headed our way – the first red one of the season – so we'll be leaving tomorrow for Princess Louisa Inlet where we can tie up to the dock and find protection from the incoming weather.
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