In article .com,
says...
Greetings Mark,

We've been going up to Desolation Sound almost every summer for the
past 15 years or so. It hasn't changed much at all. The B.C. Parks
system took out the garbage collection barges at Tenedos and Prideaux
Haven. Refuge Cove will take your garbage for a small fee. The
"Cinamon Bun Man" is no longer over at Squirrel Cove. Other than that,
the anchorages haven't changed a bit and it seems to me that they're
becoming less crowded compared to years past. I recall in years past,
getting in a line of boats to fuel up at Refuge Cove where as the past
few years that has not been the case. I think the high price of fuel
has kept a lot of people down in the San Juans. We usually arrive in
the first week of July and in the past couple of years we counted
around five boats at Roscoe Bay in early July where as we have counted
as many as 60 in the past. The anchorages do start to fill up later in
July and into August though.

Oh, well then. We're going the last week of August. We're chartering
a 35' trawler yacht, and we plan on anchoring early, so we shouldn't
have much problem finding a spot. I generally like to cruise at about
half throttle (4-5 knots) and find that fuel consumption goes way down
if I take the time to enjoy the scenery. The wife and kids like to get
ashore for exploring in the afternoon. I find that comfortable cockpit
cushions, a cold drink and a good book are all I need. I do seem to
spend a bunch of time rowing my camera around, though! ;-)
(click around in the 'consulting' tab at www.oes.to, and you'll find
the picture I'm trying to equal or exceed.)

I expect a hefty fuel bill on return to Powell River, but it will be
nothing compared to our June vacation trip. For that one, we're
driving a 6MPG motor home from Oregon to Yosemite. Last year we
drove it to Yellowstone NP (about 2200miles round trip) and gas
was about $3/gallon. Seemed like I dropped a hundred bucks per
day at the gas stations!

It's been a few years since we've been up to the Hole in the Wall area.
We went up into Johnstone Strait one year and experienced a definate
temperature change and turned around and went back to Desolation Sound.
Anyway, I think you'll find it's still a great place to go and that
the swimming holes haven't changed a bit.

Desolation Sound Yacht Charters has some good descriptive info on their
web site. They also noted that the baker in Squirrel Cove retired, then
passed away some years back.


Mark Borgerson