Sointula and Alert Bay

Checked in with the wharfinger (what they call harbor masters in Canada) this morning after the office opened up at 9am, to pay my dock fee. The fuel truck showed up around 9:15a, and we pulled the fueling hose down to C-Traveler. The nozzle was a little bigger than those on regular station pumps, but still fit in my fuel inlet. Just had to not squeeze the handle all the way to restrict the flow to a normal flow rate. Final price ended up being Can$1.63/liter, and with all the conversions, US$4.44/gal. Best price in Canada, and probably the US! After fueling, I walked into town. If I were to move to Canada, I think Sointula would be one of the first places I looked. Rosanne, if you are reading this, I captured some photos of homes for sale. Lol. Sointula is a quiet, rustic village on Malcolm Island. Founded in 1901 by Finnish settlers seeking to build a utopian community, its name translates to “place of harmony”. Today it is known for its rich history, local art, and abundant marine wildlife. It is home to the Sointula Co-operative Store Association, which was established in 1909 and is one of the oldest Co-ops in BC. In the late 60’s and 70’s, “back to the land” utopians and American draft dodgers moved to Sointula. Although these “hippies” were initially shunned by many traditional residents (and this was not because of politics but rather the hard working Finns felt the incoming outsiders were lazy), older generations eventually recognized that these newcomers shared the very same hopes for an independent, cooperative community as their original Finnish founders. I enjoyed walking around, meeting and talking with a few of the locals, including a retired nurse. She was burned out from Covid deaths as she worked with older patients with Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and the change from a patient care driven business to one money driven. She moved here from a larger city looking for a little peace and tranquility. Sound familiar? I enjoyed seeing the museum and talking with the docents there, learning more about the people of Sointula and its past history. I didn’t notice any First Nation residents, but the docent said there are a few that live here. I only mention that, as many of the communities I’ve been visiting have a vast makeup of First Nation people. I enjoyed lunch at a café near the ferry terminal. Did a little grocery shopping at the Co-op grocery store. (Lettuce salads and chips.) The fuel was from the co-op also. There was still a lot of residential area I didn’t walk to, but I saw the main part of “downtown”. Also found interesting one of the Marine Ways shops. Ship building was also prevalent here at one time. Early this afternoon then, I departed down the Broughton Strait for another 5 miles to Alert Bay. This has one of the best museums for learning about the First Nation peoples and another interesting town to walk through. The harbour has quite the diversity of boats, with little spare room. I was able to dock alongside the seaplane float. Unfortunately, this float is not fully behind the breakwater, and with westerly winds blowing around 15kts, it is a little rolly. I was tired of thejolt each time the end of my dock line was reached, so ended up putting my snubbers on the dock lines. That has helped with the jolt, but I’m still a rockin’. Hopefully the winds will die down over night as they sometimes do! I did walk briefly around town here, and found a pizza and burger place. Another meal I didn’t have to cook and cleanup. Looks like Bill and Mike are in Jennis Bay tonight, just north of Hooper Island. That’s still in the Broughtons, and just north across the Queen Charlotte Strait from where I am.Read more