Lunch is in the works as I consider what to write about this anchorage. A lot of nicknames could serve for Curlew Bay. Ravens Roost? Fly Basin? Mamba Midden? Humpback Hideaway?
There is a colony of ravens perched in the trees overlooking the boat that make the most bizarre sounds. They cluck, hoot, whistle and honk at irregular intervals. Even flying, their large wing spans make a louder whooshing sound than most birds I've heard. Quiet these birds are not, but they are entertaining.
The sun is out and so are the flies. We probably shouldn't call this anchorage Fly Basin though because another already exists. We anchored in the official Fly Basin after rounding Cape Caution on our way north. Oddly enough there were no flies in Fly Basin. In these conditions though, I'll bet any anchorage could be counted on for a few flies. We've primarily seen deer flies on this trip. They don't bite unless you ignore them. They also don't die. They have an innate sense of danger that allows them to ignore feints, but disappear at the first hint of real intent. Moreover if you do succeed in striking one, no casual blow will do. You can leave it's guts smeared on the deck and it will still fly away, laughing at you for the mess you have to clean up. That's a fly with an impressive degree of evolutionary complexity.
The name Mamba Midden is a nod to the cruise ships that have sailed by on their way up toward Grenville Channel the last time we anchored here. I was working on something below deck and and I thought I heard music. That's a curious sensation in an anchorage that feels so remote. I couldn't imagine where it would be coming from. Poking my head through the hatch and looking up into the channel I saw what appeared to be a city block floating by the bay entrance. The passengers on the upper deck of that floating fourteen story building sounded like they were having a grand old time.
Then there are the possibilities such as Whale Outlook, Humpback Hideaway, or Breach Bay. We threaded our way out of Ala Passage in the dark today, our second pre-dawn start of the trip, then passed through Principe and Otter Channels, and up through Lewis Passage before turning into Curlew Bay. We saw whales blowing, sounding, and breaching just about the whole way. Their numbers seem to have increased throughout the summer. It would be interesting to know if they are just more active or if we are more in tune with their presence and just notice them more readily. The last time we passed through here, we didn't see any in this area. This time we can even see and hear them out in the channel from our anchorage.
There are so many great names to choose from. Then again, with a halibut taco now in hand, maybe I'll just call it Leftover Lunch Lagoon.
No comments:
Post a Comment