Desolation Sound remains a quiet haven in mid-June, before the rush of summer boaters crowd its popular anchorages. The Cortes Island Museum and Misty Isles Adventures offer a Father’s Day cruise to this popular marine park, with a stop in Okeover Inlet for dinner at the Laughing Oyster Restaurant, on June 18.
The tour, with Mike Moore as skipper and guide, winds through the jewel-like islands of Desolation Sound before swinging south into Okeover Inlet. Captain Mike enlivens the journey with stories of the birds, plants, animals, Aboriginal people and settlers of this beautiful stretch of the Sunshine Coast. Mike, who divides his time between interpretive work here and in Antarctica, has decades of experience in this area.
“We’ll see seal haul outs on the smaller islands,” says Mike, and we’ll pass rock art sites, where the Aboriginal people painted abstract images on cliff faces.” There are ample reminders of the settlement era too, adds Mike, on route to one of BC’s finest seafood restaurants. The Laughing Oyster is a hidden gem, famous among yachters.
The cruise fee is $95 per person, with departure at 3:00 p.m. from Cortes Bay, and a return at 10:30 p.m. Those traveling to Cortes will need overnight accommodation and the cost of dinner at Laughing Oyster is extra. Transportation can be provided from the Cortes Ferry to Cortes Bay by donation. For lodging tips, details about this cruise and to REGISTER–call the Cortes Island Museum at 250-935-6340.
Check www.cortesmuseum.com and www.mistyislesadventures.com for more information and more trips offered by Misty Isles and the Cortes Museum.
–by Jeannette Taylor