Day 37 and 38: Family time in Duncan and Port Renfrew, BC

That morning, we woke up at 4 AM. Yes, 4 AM. And 20 min later, we are on the road with Ron and Mike. We stop at Lake Cowichan to meet our Captain of the day, Captain Harold, and his boat. We get some coffee for Red, some hot chocolate for Yellow and some donuts at Tim Horton’s, and we get back on the road. We drive to Port Renfrew, the exact drive that we drove the other way 3 days ago. Before getting there, Yellow takes some pills to strengthen his stomach, always challenged in a shaky environment.

At 6 AM, the boat is on the water, and we take off from the dock. Why? Today, we are going to fish salmon in the Pacific Ocean! There is no fog that morning, and the ocean is very calm. A good sign for Yellow, already wearing a survival suit. The wind is coming from the Island, cold. But then the sun comes out, and the temperature starts rising slowly.

 

We drive the boat to the beginning of the bay, close to Juan de Fuca PP. We start fishing for Spring salmon. After a long wait, Mike finally gets a nice Spring salmon, probably weighing around 25 lbs. After an unfruitful time chasing after another Spring salmon, we get out of the bay in order to catch some Coho salmon. Smaller, but Captain Harold prefers them. The sea is a little bit more agitated in the open water, and the boat is going up and down the waves. Not a big deal, except for Yellow who is very concentrated in order to keep his stomach in order. Fortunately, the Coho salmon are caught pretty fast. Red catches 2 Coho salmons, and Yellow 2 small ones. Once we catch 6 Coho salmon, we decide to go back in the bay to chase the Spring salmon again.

 

The sun is high now, and the temperature is reaching 23°C (73°F), which is very unusual for the area. The fog has been totally inexistent and we can clearly see the Olympic peninsula. Seals and Sea lions are swimming or laying on the beach, some whales are in the bay, as we see them breathing in the distance. The sea is calm otherwise, and Yellow’s stomach is feeling good after lunch. We catch another Coho salmon, a Chum salmon and a small Spring salmon. Some Sea bass are caught and thrown back in the water right away. The big Spring salmon are definitely avoiding us this afternoon. We take advantage of the very quiet afternoon to take some naps on the boat.

 

After almost 8 h on the water, we get back to the dock. As Ron cleans the fish, the birds are fighting for the fish guts. We drive back to Duncan, desperately trying to stay awake. Back home and after a good shower, we have dinner outside again. The dinner features a Coho salmon, different parts seasoned differently with salt and pepper, with curry or with a creamy dill sauce. It’s awesomely delicious.

 

The next day, Ron gives a course on how to prepare salmon for eating or freezing. Yellow tries pretty successfully to follow the instructions with a small Coho salmon. The fish filets are then vacuum sealed for optimized storage.

The rest of the day is pretty relaxed. Yellow rides his bike to town to try to repair the rear tire. At the bike shop, they say that it’s irreparable. Furthermore, impossible to get a rim without ordering it online. That bike is pretty old and the rim dimensions are not standard anymore. Only one solution: hitting the tire on the ground where the rim is bent. After doing that a dozen times, the result is better than forecasted and the bike is declared repaired. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely better than before.

Alex, Ron and Jane’s only child, is coming back from Victoria that evening. So we get to know him while having dinner outside. Some Spring salmon this time is on the menu, along with a lot of other delicious items. We end up around a table, playing cards until midnight. Good times.