Bellingham to Pender Island (Oh Canada here we come) 5/27/15

Our trip to Alaska is underway and what a start.  We left Bellingham WA in good weather and landed at Pender Island in just 5 short hours.  Clearing into Canada was amazingly easy.  The customs dock was well marked and easy to approach.  A phone call from a dedicated phone at the harbor, about 5 minutes on hold, some basic information and we were assigned a clearance number.





 That's it, were cleared in.  Clearing into Mexico for the first time can take half a day and we have been held at the US Customs dock at San Diego for 3 hours or more a few times.  (That my handwriting on the form)

Pender Island has a hotel and spa next to a national park.  Mooring balls are available, plenty of room to anchor and the dock can accommodate dozens of boats. We anchored in front of the mooring field for a peaceful evening and a dinghy ride around the island.   Green all around with temps in the high 60's.  Cloudy most mornings but sunny in the afternoon.  

Views all around the island are just stunning.  Lots of homes nestled in the trees.  This is the view from the pool at the hotel.  So quiet you can hear a stream running nearby.  Little or no automotive traffic has a great impact on the ambient noise level.  

BOX SCORE 5 Hours 17 Gallons 33 miles   (Lower fuel use as we had favorable currents) 

Next up, Vancouver and the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club.   (Where is my blue blazer??) 

While Mary reads underway, Keela guards...........