We were told by our boating friends, that there is a sealion colony on the outside of Wouwer island, its totally open to the ocean, so we had to be careful.    We headed out in the morning with the dinghy, and the closer we got, the more we could hear them, bellowing, growling. They are on the rocks, on the outside of the island, the rocks are totally barren and very rough, the females were lying down at the waters edge, but near the top of one huge rock was the king of them all, a huge cinnamon colored male, what a fine fellow, he saw us coming, we approached carefully, and he proceeded to work his way to the top of the rock, and there he was, neck outstretched, making himself as tall as possible, letting us know, this was his domain!!!!!                 The longer we stayed, the taller he made himself, while the females eyed us with suspicion , what an incredible place they have to live.   We had to be careful for the waves, as they wrapped themselves around the rocks, and hit the dinghy sideways.  But what a worthwhile place to be, to meet these giant animals in their domain.

i know its a bit odd to be writing about the trip while we are already back, but i know a lot of you are following us, so i need to fill in all the spaces.     We left Tofino on August 31, and headed for Barkley sound, Effingham bay, there was no wind, so, no sailing, swell of 2 metres, and lots of red tide.   Bert tried to catch another salmon, but they were not biting that morning.    Effingham Bay and Effingham island are beautiful, the ocean is very close by, just around the corner but the swell doesnt come into the bay.   We headed out in the dinghy the next morning to tour around the island, and what an incredible thing to do, i was not prepared for the beauty we saw there, the raw wildness, unspoiled as yet.                      The swells ,beating the shore line for years and years , have created art works of immense beauty, rock formations , caves, bridges, huge mounts of boulders, all either polished smooth or , in the case of volcanic rock, rough, black, covered with creatures and kelp. Bert brought his camera, i was so grateful for that, i miss mine so much, but i think the photos came out very well.     We circumnavigated the island, slowly, at every turn there was another artwork, the swell was gentle, here and there are small beaches, yes, full of plastic stuff, the thing is to NOT get used to that, but to keep on trying to clean up if possible and to teach other people.             At one little spot we went ashore, the beach was all sand, driftwood and small rocks, we could see another beach through the woods, and walked there, easily , as the ground was free of plants, covered with many needles and cones, it was like walking on a super luxurious carpet!!!            The giant Sitkas have ferns growing on the branches, up high, they look like the ones you buy here in the fall, tropical ones, amazing to see them growing up high, i have to still find the name for them……..