Back to Bay Fin and Marianne Cove

After we left Killarney for the last time we once again headed back to Bay Fin and Marianne Cove. This has always been one of our favorite spots and one we will keep returning to. One of the attractions of Marianne Cove is that it is adjacent to a trailhead that ascends t the summit of Fraser Bay Hill where you are greeted with a spectacular view of the entrance of Bay Fin, Fraser Bay to the south and McGregor Bay to the north. On this visit to Marianne Cove we decided to make a morning climb to the top so that the sun would be in a better position for photography purposes. The morning was spectacular and the view from the top was breathtaking. The following is what we saw.

As far as climbs go, it’s not long (800 meters or roughly a half mile) and it’s not high (600 feet) but it is very rugged. About half the climb is over rock strewn washes where every step must be carefully planned and the other half is on a primitive trail that seems like it is always on a grade and where the descent is much more difficult. There’s one spot where a ten inch diameter tree is growing in the middle of a three foot crack (long slot created in between rock walls) where you must squeeze around either side to pass. This might be a show stopper for folks with a very large posterior but was “no problemo” for Big Al. The heavily forested trail is marked by red or yellow tape tied around trees and must be followed carefully as it can easily be missed. At the top you can see a portion of Marianne Cove which provides a perspective of the distance and altitude you’ve climbed.

The rest of our time in Marianne Cove was spent relaxing, swimming (70 degrees now), reading, napping, and visiting. In every anchorage or marina you always find other boaters to socialize with. On this visit I ran into a couple who I had met previously when I had our Morgan sailboat. They still have their Morgan and had done some interesting improvements to it. It’s also fun to run into the same people again you met in prior seasons. We always exchange cards and try to keep up.