Melanie Cove

Melanie Cove is a tiny cove within in a cove, inside Prideaux Haven in Desolation Sound. We spent four soggy nights nestled in this protected anchorage waiting out a storm that raged in the Strait of Georgia. While we were in Melanie Cove, there was a day when the wind blew at 60 knots out in the Strait and, north of us on the tip of Vancouver Island, the winds were hurricane force. We were all thankful for the protection of our little cove. Though it was rainy we still suited up in our rain gear and went for a hike where it drizzled, then deluged, then rained, followed by more drizzle with a little peek of sunshine and then some sprinkling. We sensed spirits of days past as we walked through the thick, dripping primeval woods and ancient home to the First Nations tribes. Another day we explored a maze of coves in the kayaks (on a triumphant side note here, I managed to help Isaac paddle on this outing!). As we passed a boat and were rolling in the waves of Laura Cove, a couple called out that they hoped we had a warm boat to go back to. Along the way we would hop out of the kayaks to explore the little islets. On one island I had the strangest buzzing surround me as I stepped into the undergrowth. It sounded like an otherworldly bug, muffled but very loud, almost like it was in my head, but then it stung me on the neck, but not intense like normal stings. The boys who were near me did not hear it but Jason who was 100 feet behind me experienced the same otherworldly buzzing. It felt like the fabric of time had a tiny tear in it and just a little bit of the past was leaking through.

Though the rain was heavy during our stay, we had the warmth of our boat and steaming cups of hot cocoa to keep us warm, and board games and books to keep us busy between soaked outings. Along the way, Jason had been reading the book Curve of Time to us. The book follows the journey of Muriel Wiley Blanchett (otherwise known as Capi), an amazing woman who turned the sorrow of the loss of her husband in a boating accident, into endless summer adventures spent with her five children on their 25 foot motor boat Caprice. During the 1920's they spent their summers on the boat exploring every nook and cranny of Desolation Sound and beyond. The adventures they had and the native culture they witnessed were amazing. One of their favorite places was Melanie Cove where they would visit with their friend Old Mike who lived at the head of the inlet in a cabin he had built. He had tons of apple trees which he generously shared with the family. Capi took almost everything and made it with dumplings. In honor of her I made apple dumplings one rainy day. We sat around our steaming bowls of yumminess and imagined the Blanchett family doing the same thing almost 100 years ago.

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