Captain George Vancouver didn’t see anything pleasant to the eye in these waters and that’s apparently the reason why this popular destination has such a negative name. The truth is that it is a beautiful sound surrounded by high peaks and the water is the hottest in the area, allowing boaters to swim in the summer reaching over 72º. Everywhere in the vicinity of the sound is considered to be Desolation Sound, including Cortes Bay, although, only the demarcated Sound in the chart is warm enough to swim. We enjoyed a few days at anchor at Laura Cove. We also ran a rope to shore from the stern to allow more boats to anchor. This prevents the boat from swinging the radius of the chain that you have deployed to anchor. After enjoying swimming, with no rush to go back on board, we gave some thought about taking the boat to a warmer destination like Bahamas.

Dent Island didn’t disappoint especially when it came to fishing. Elizabeth caught a nice chinook over 20 pounds by herself.