Lund – Riveted

Lund | BC

Laura Domela — Sun, 25 Sep 2016 03:54:43 +0000

Melanie Cove was foggy and rainy in the morning yesterday when we woke up. We didn’t leave until after noon…and since it was later in the day, we decided to stop in Lund and cross the strait on Saturday when the wind was supposed to be light. Plus, we like Lund!

There was room at the end of B dock at the Lund Small Craft Harbour. We settled in, did some work, and then two guys from a nearby sailboat (called “Pony”…its dinghy is called “Dog”) started chatting with Kevin about boats and Lund and stuff. Our default plan had been to walk over to The Boardwalk Restaurant for dinner, but these guys highly recommended a restaurant called Laughing Oyster, about a 15 minute cab ride away. They said we just go up and get the number for Martin’s Taxi off the bulletin board and he’d take us over there. Martin’s Taxi is a 1947 Hudson that was apparently painted up like a taxi for some Hollywood movie, and then he somehow got it, and now he just “gives people rides” in exchange for a donation to the charity his wife volunteers for (the SPCA, I believe).

We made a reservation for 7pm at Laughing Oyster, and then at about 6pm we called Martin, but it turns out Martin was unavailable (apparently very rare). Awwwwww. I called to tell the restaurant and they said “Oh no problem. Martin’s actually having dinner here tonight. Louisa can come pick you up.” (So awesome.)

Here’s the view from our table. That’s the patio seating there, and down from that is the public dock:

Upon arrival, we learned that it was “Beggar’s Banquet” night (or something like that). There was a buffet, and music…the musicians played for their dinner and tips (I think). It was fantastic. The place was totally full (we got the last table), the food was delicious, and the music was great. What a treat! Oh and guess who was sitting at the table just over from us? Martin and his wife…celebrating their 55th anniversary. I’d say that’s a good reason not to be driving the taxi!

It was a lovely night.

This is David Bowes on the left (also the executive chef at Laughing Oyster) and Sam Murrie (I think that’s how his last name was spelled) on the right. They were both very good and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

In the morning we headed up to the harbour office to pay our moorage (about 23 bucks Canadian) and then walked over to Nancy’s Bakery to pick up one of their famous blackberry cinnamon rolls. (This sugar thing is going to have to stop soon.)

Actually, as soon as we went inside I decided I might rather have something savory, and save my cinnamon roll for a later snack, so we both had breakfast and then took a cinnamon roll to go for later. I ordered an omelet with avocado, spinach, and lox:

Kevin had a huevos rancheros with black beans and chorizo:

Both were delicious (and pretty!)

Back down at the harbour…Giderdun II loading a truck carrying lumber:

We decided to go all the way to Nanaimo today…60 nautical miles or so. We figured we had the time and the strait was supposed to be fairly calm (which it was, until it wasn’t):

The wind picked up a bit this afternoon. We had probably 20 knot gusts for a bit and maybe 3ft moderate chop. A wet ride, but not too bad really (especially compared to last year on the same stretch).

We pulled into Nanaimo Harbour and anchored just off of Newcastle Island, then dinghied into the Dinghy Dock Pub for dinner and a pint. Tomorrow I think we’ll aim for Cabbage Island, and then after that…perhaps back to Anacortes!

Airship to Alaska | Day 3 | More from Lund BC

Laura Domela — Tue, 10 May 2016 21:30:25 +0000

Airship Goes to Alaska 2016

I know, I already posted about Lund. Whatever. I think you'll like these extra photos.

We walked over to the Boardwalk Restaurant to check it out and ended up having dinner there. We shared some fish tacos and some fish and chips. Both things were fantastic, but the fish and chips stood out. SUPER yum.

Boardwalk detail:

The "Welcome Pole":

After dinner we headed back to Airship to watch the sunset and chat with neighbors. It's a fun bunch here! Some are on their way to Desolation Sound or the Broughtons, and some are on their way to SE Alaska, like us.

Paul & Janet's S/V Talos IV, in gorgeous sunset light. They're on their way to Glacier Bay…so I'm sure we'll cross paths again!

Tomorrow our thought is to head up to Toba Inlet and maybe stay at the Toba Wildernest Resort. But our plans change all the time, so I guess we won't really know until tomorrow!

Desolation Sound, Lund, and Comox (BC)

Laura Domela — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 00:58:31 +0000

Remember how we were the only boat anchored in Melanie Cove in Desolation Sound? By the time we went to bed there were 11 boats in there. Mid September when we’ve hardly seen another pleasure boat in weeks! Also, when we left the cove at around 8:30am or so, not ONE boat was running its generator. Not one. (This is rare!)

We headed for Lund, around the corner on the mainland, and decided that since the wind was supposed to be very light in the Strait of Georgia, that we’d just stop and visit Lund for an hour or so (instead of staying overnight) and then head on across to Comox.

Lund was cute! We tied up on the hotel dock since it was going to be a short visit, and then headed up to check out the grounds. The Historic Lund Hotel was built in 1905 by Lund’s Swedish founders:

We stopped at Nancy’s Bakery to pick up a couple of their famous blackberry cinnamon buns, and then popped into the general store for a quick browse and to pick up some milk and eggs and spinach.

Also notable about Lund: Lund is at Mile 0 of the 101 highway, at the north end of the Pacific Coastal Route. If you wanted to, you could drive from Lund, BC all the way to Quellon, Chile:

We left Lund and headed across the Strait of Georgia in very calm conditions.

It was foggy for quite a bit of the route (further validating that when there’s fog, there’s calm water). It brightened up a little after a while and we found our way across the Comox Bar with no problem.

Arriving in Comox Harbour:

Seals all lined up on the floats:

New spot:

New view:

There was a shrimp boat bringing “Big Shrimp” in at 6pm, but we found a restaurant we wanted to try so we missed the big shrimp window.

We had dinner up at the Avenue Bistro and it was fantastic. Everything. We started with a martini, and tried the clams, the beef carpaccio, the duck confit pizza, and the pulled pork tacos and everything was delicious and creatively prepared and served. We brought pizza home so we’ll get to try that again tomorrow! I only took a photo of the martini, so here ya go…cheers!

Today’s route from Melanie Cove to Lund to Comox (about 40 nautical miles total):