Amy Marie Visits: Mill Bay and Cowichan Bay

Free Public Pier at Mill Bay
We docked here to get provisions in town

We departed Tod Inlet the morning of June 6th to move northward.  At lunchtime we stopped in Mill Bay, at the Public Dock to eat lunch and provision.  On the walk to town, we passed homes and cottages nestled in the trees with nice views overlooking the bay. After walking less than a kilometer, we reached our destination, a nice shopping center on the left-hand side of the road.  Just about anything you might need was conveniently located in one easy to access location.  It was a cruiser’s dream!


Beth is carrying provisions back to the boat



Amy Marie at the Mill Bay Free Public Dock

 

Our first stop was Subway for lunch.  The menu was all new and quite tasty.  Beth had a salad, and I had a BBQ beef brisket sandwich.  Following lunch, Beth visited the grocery store to replenish our food supplies and I visited the liquor store to replenish our wine supplies.  We try to avoid having glass on board, so we purchase boxed wine.  In Canada, we especially like Jackson-Triggs Chardonnay in 4-liter boxes.  On board we remove the bladder from the box, discard the box, and place the bladder in the ice chest.  We also bought some Root-Beer as it is refreshing with lunch.  For transport, we use back backs that are dry bags.  We have some insulated bags in which we place frozen or cold foods prior to placing the items in the dry bags, which are made of a heavy vinyl material to protect the contents from water as we move groceries back to the boat.


The town of Cowichan Bay

After safely storing our supplies, a course was set for Cowichan Bay.  Our destination was the Cowichan Bay Fishermen's Wharf.  We found dockage on their breakwater/dock for 50 cents/foot, no utilities.  Our solar is sufficient to top off our batteries if we use good judgement in power management.  If we are running during the day, the engine driven alternator replenishes the batteries.  We try to complete tasks that require large amounts of power while we are underway.  Once stopped, we use battery power for the two onboard refrigerators, lights and watching movies (DVDs) on the TV.


Truck were loading seafood direct from the fishing boats



Amy Marie is tied to the breakwater

 If we are on anchor, the solar is sufficient to power the two refrigerators and then we also run the ice maker during the time of maximum solar output, from ~10am to 4pm, if it is sunny.  If overcast, we do not have sufficient solar output to make ice.  In the mornings we turn on the inverter to use a Keurig to make coffee.  Occasionally we also use the inverter to run the microwave or a toaster.  Otherwise, we leave it off as is does have a parasitic current draw when left powered on.  Beth has a battery-operated blender that is recharged via USB to make smoothies.


After docking we walked the town for exercise



There were cute houseboats along the shoreline



Isn't this the cutest little gaff-rigged Schooner you have ever seen!



It was 86 degrees the day we visited.  Time for Ice Cream!

 

Cowichan Bay was a charming little town with a great bakery.  We were told by the locals that there is a bit of a competition between towns to see who can make the best cinnamon rolls.  Cowichan’s True Grains Bakery must be near the top.  We purchased a baguette, a cinnamon roll, a German pretzel, and a raisin bun.  All were terrific.  Beth had to restrain me from returning and making additional purchases.  I should have gone for it!


True Grain is a wonderful bakery in Cowichan.  You simply must visit!



Yes, I left with a bag full of goodies


Next door to the bakery is Leeward Cafe. It is associated with the bakery and features their products




I enjoyed my cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee at the Leeward Cafe.
Beth and I split an egg salad croissant sandwich for breakfast.


The town of Cowichan has a small grocery store with an ATM.  There are also several restaurants in town. We only ate one meal, breakfast, at a café associated with the True Grains Bakery.  We had an egg salad croissant that was delicious.  The croissant was light and not doughy or greasy. Their coffee had a good flavor as well.


Cowichan at sunset



Sunset over Cowichan Bay



Logs are a constant navigation hazard in the Pacific Northwest.  Be Vigilant!

For our next couple of stops we are going to backtrack a bit to Sidney Spit and the town of Sidney.  Was the detour to Cowichan worth it?  In our opinion YES.  The bakery alone was sufficient. Plus, from our vantage point on the dock we could watch a working fishing port in action.  If you are ambling the Gulf Islands, we encourage you to stop and enjoy an overnight stay in Cowichan.  Besides, life doesn't always have to be linear....

June 6-7, 2023

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