August 17, 2022
Since we'd abandoned heading back into the City for Mark to get to work, we needed alternate plans. We motored over to Keats and Plumper cove with plans to stay for a few days.
Once we settled on a mooring ball, we decided to take advantage of the heat (because we were still in that heatwave) and the warm water and go for a swim. It wasn't long before we were off to bed for an early morning since Mark would be catching the earliest ferry into the City.
Up early the following day, I dropped Mark off close by the ferry terminal with all his things. We said our goodbyes and I promised to try and keep the boat afloat until he was back the next day. I'm laughing as I write this because before we started sailing, the thought of spending the day and night alone on the boat on anchor was terrifying. But that day, I was excited to have the place to myself, and I had big plans (not really).
First up for the day was getting groceries for the upcoming trip north. After a "solid" (4 hours) of work, I headed across the channel in the dinghy to Gibsons. Once I locked up the dinghy, I started the long (and hot) walk up the hill to the store. At this point, I realized life would be easier if I had waited for Mark so we could share the carrying of the groceries. But I didn't And had to lug a huge backpack full of food for the several kilometres walk through town. Thankfully I could go swimming once I got back.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I swam, paddle boarded, walked the dogs and then sat down on the bow to finish my book and watch the sunset. After a while, I could hear "excuse me! Excuse me! Are you alone" coming from the boat behind me. Turns out I wasn't the only one alone on a boat.
A lovely stranger invited me over for snacks and a drink. Obviously, I accepted. Snacks meant I wouldn't need to make myself dinner. Turns out the stranger is a 60-year-old woman who cruises around on her motor yacht. She was just stopping for the night before heading further north for a couple of weeks.
After some tasty snacks, I returned to the boat to enjoy the rest of the night alone. The boat didn't sink. Success!
I picked up Mark the next day, and we took a last tour around Gibsons to make sure we had all our groceries and things we needed before leaving the following day.
All in all, it was a successful 24 hours, but we were looking forward to officially starting vacation and going where the wind would take us for the next week or so.

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