Shawl Bay to Turnbull Cove

Distance traveled:  21.0 miles

Travel time:  2 hrs, 48 mins

Every morning of the summer season, Shawl Bay Marina serves pancake breakfast, free, to moorage residents. The pancakes were good, and all cruisers attended. Shortly after, we said our goodbyes and cast off. Skies were cloudy, but water and wind were calm, so it was a good travel day.

There was very little boat or VHF traffic.

Mid-day we wound our way through the narrow, shallow entrance to Turnbull Cove, a large bay with waters of sufficiently uniform depth (30-50 feet at mid-tide) to anchor almost anywhere except near the hillsides that show evidence of recent landslides, where debris has accumulated that can snag your anchor. The skies cleared, a bit later than usual, but more than welcome after 3 days of drizzle or heavy clouds.

After a late lunch we dropped the dinghy and went across the cove to a trailhead that leads to a large fresh water lake, up and over a ridge from Turnbull Cove. The Forest Service has maintained the trail as well as the lakeside “facilities” which are, in fact, quite nice, if basic.

The trail was steep but easy to follow, rising only 400 feet, then dropping half that to the lake.

The Forest Service has installed logs and a float, with a ladder leading into the water far enough from shore to allow easy swimming without having to traipse over rocks, weeds, mud and more. We’ve met several people who swam here daily in the heat of the summer. We brought swimsuits but decided the temps, both air and water, weren’t sufficiently warm to tempt us. We sat and drank a water bottle instead.

After returning to the boat and grilling dinner, sitting in the wicker chairs on the aft deck was relaxing, and the view at sunset was beautiful. Sunshine helps, but this is gorgeous countryside no matter the weather.