Codville Lagoon

May 17 -

Rendezvous pulled out at 6:45am under clear skies and with smooth water headed to Shearwater. The rest of us are headed to Codville Lagoon today.  

Collier's headed out first and went straight to Codville.   The rest of us headed over to Namu to stop and see what is left of the place.   Nelson's and Miner's saw the first Humpback whale of the trip in route .... One big leap and splash.    No photos however.

Namu - They have put in a couple new docks.  We stopped visited with the caretaker and walked around.   Sad to see what was a large fish cannery many years ago.   It was last used as a cannery in the 80's, until a caretaker failed to winterize it and pipes froze and burst during the winter.   The company chose not to put any money into fixing it the next spring and it has sat slowing falling apart ever since.   Trees have fallen through the roofs of houses, etc...   The current caretakers have been there for 10 years and have planted fruit trees, built greenhouses (full of vegetable plants to live off), and made flower beds along the walkways.   She and her sister build things out of things gathered from the area - wood, shells, broken glass, etc... to sell in their little gift shop.  Some really nice things.   Lots of cribbage boards, bird houses, wind chimes, picture frames, cutting boards, etc...

This is a wind chime that was made out of old glass jug tops

 You can walk around the place but there are area's roped off due two decaying wood making them structurally not safe.  As we headed out for our walk the caretaker suggested walking 20 feet apart on any wood structure, that way 'when someone falls thru you can help them'.    Mary was the only one ... she stepped through some rotted wood.  She apparently got her foot and pant leg wet, but was not hurt.    The place is for sale, comes with over 200 acres.   Michelle suggested that it be purchased by RHYC and we make a northern outstation out of it.  Funny girl.   I will take a fortune to clean it up and make something out it.   A fishing lodge, resort with marina, etc....   so many possibilities, so little money.   

Our visit over we headed out.   I made some ice cream out of  guava and banana for a snack.  The new blender works great for this type of stuff.  Fruit to ice cream in 90 seconds.  This will come in handy throughout the trip.

Codville Lagoon - very protected bay.  It is drizzling.   Nat and Tom being the hunter gatherers amongst us put out the shrimp pots.    It was now time for a walk to the lake.  Linda C. told everyone to wear our boots and that it is a level walk about as long as the one to the beach the other day.    Boy did she have a memory lapse!    She got the muddy part right.   The walk included new boardwalks (two 2 by 10's side by side lengthwise)  followed by muddy patches, hills to climb, roots, wet mossy rocks, etc...   It wasn't that bad but it was not a nice flat trail. 

The lake is Sagar lake, and is quite large.  Looks like a typical Alpine lake with trees all around multiple inlets and one outlet that we saw.   Sandy shoreline with sort of pink/rust colored granular sand; at least at the end we visited.  

Nat had taken his fly rod up and while the rest of us explored he practiced his fly fishing.    Enough fun for one day, turned and headed back down the slippery trail.   Back to the boats .... most of us were soaking wet.  

Maybe should have worn full rain gear.  Oh well we've been wet before and somehow always dry out.    Everyone changed into dry clothes, some took hot showers to warm up, and then we met on Reflections for happy hour with steamed clams and other assorted yummy stuff.  Then off to individual boats for dinner.   After dinner everyone (10 people now) came over to Magic for movie night.   We watched 'Life of Pi'.  None of us had seen it.  Slightly odd movie, but the cinematography and special effects were great.