The rooster
had one last opportunity to wake me up this trip and I woke up first. The sun
was still deep behind the mountains and the sky was dark with a hint of
color. It was so quiet that we gently
prepared for departure not wanting to disturb the ambiance of the morning. We
didn’t care how cold or how windy it was we were taking her in from the
bridge! 
We had a
strong current running against us and strong winds pushing us, which made for a
slow ride. We had smoothies for breakfast and used the last of the berries that
Wendy and got from Kake. We never did finish the Vodka!
Our cruise
speed was slower than we anticipated which delayed our arrival into the
Campbell River area by 45 minutes. We were expecting to dock at the same marina
that we stopped at on the way up but learned they couldn’t accommodate us. Fortunately,
April Point Resort and Marina on Quadra Island was more than happy to offer us
temporary docking so we could wash the boat.
Like a man
on a mission, Dad tackled washing the outside while I did all the last minute
things in the interior and then we met in the cockpit. Right on schedule we
were finished and we moved the boat over to our friends George and Margery’s
place in Quathiaski Cove. They are currently in Southeast Alaska and they told Dad
he was welcome to leave his boat on their dock. For the last time, I put the
Simbalaut on the dock, scored an 8 (needed coaching).
My original plan
was to purchase a couple of duffle bags when we got to Campbell River so I
could get more of my stuff off the boat. When we changed docks I had to
improvise. I had brought a set of sheets on board, which I needed to take with
me so all 4 of the pillow cases turned into duffle bags complete with zip tags
for ties. Dad let me use his back pack for my laptop.
Satisfied
with our cleaning job, we locked her up and walked up the dock. It was more
than just a little emotional for me walking away and leaving Simby behind. I
watched Dad walk up the steps and then turn around and look over his shoulder,
seems he was feeling some of the same emotions. 
Jo-Ann the
neighbor offered to run us down to the resort, which was really nice because it
saved us time finding a taxi. The Canadian folks are such lovely, kind people. We
had a bite to eat on the deck at April Point, while keeping a watchful eye on
our pile of pillowcases. If someone took them they were going to be sadly
disappointed.
We worked
our way down to the float plane dock with our pillow cases in tow. Just two old
salties in desperate need of haircuts and a manicure, I can’t remember when I
looked this rough. The flight was late so we just stood on the dock, waited and
shared with others our summer adventure.
When the
plane arrived it was half the size of the one that Becca was on – figures. I
had already discussed with Wendy, if they would allow my stuff on that I was
going to send it in my place with Dad and I was going back to the resort for a
spa day. The pilot packed everything in and then told us that we were going to
be picking up two more to go with our four that were already on board.
Dad has flown
several times on Kenmore Airlines so he suggested that he and I take the back
and let the others take the middle seat. They were shoulder to shoulder. We
were all concerned that the doors were going to bust open.
When we
first took off, we had a sad moment when we could see the Simbalaut on the dock
and our shadow in the water. But then
our float plane ride turned magical. The water was a beautiful blue and you
could see all the boats in all our favorite coves along the way. The plane was
really noisy but I had Wendy’s Bose head phones and her iPod. I let Dad use
them for the first leg and then it was my turn. As we crossed back into the US,
one of the Yanni songs that I’ve been listening to all summer started playing and
I pretty much lost it – wow what a summer!
When our
plane finally landed in Kenmore, we were happily greeted by Wendy and Judy….we
were home. Our trip of a life time was over but it will live on in our
memories.
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