I had mixed emotions about leaving Bootleg.  I do love prawns.  But, before pulling the anchor this morning,  I spotted a loon, some robins, a heron, and a couple of minks who were dashing along the shore, looking for cover from possible attacks by eagles, and hoping to find some low tide goodies.  This is their best chance of finding delicacies that won’t be available again until the next Spring Tide, which is 2 weeks from now.  If I’d been in my kayak I would have been able to get some great photos.  Oh, well, maybe I’ll see minks at Booker Lagoon.

A marine layer settled in during the night, so the sunshine is gone.  However, the seas are calm, and there isn’t any fog, so we have a pleasant trip.  Just outside Cullen Harbour, the rocks were covered with seals and sea lions. 

 

 

 

 

 

We were a bit early for slack at Booker Passage, so we anchored, waiting for the current to slow a bit.  After about 30 minutes, the current had slowed enough for us to get through the narrows without too much excitement. 

To our dismay, someone had already set a prawn trap in the lagoon.  When I spotted a sailboat in one of the nearby coves, I figured it probably belonged to the sailboat. Al wasn’t so sure and wanted to check it out to see if it belonged to a commercial prawner.  With the binoculars I was able to make out the name “Dilligar,” written on the buoy,  with a phone number below.  It was definitely a private trap.

We’d no sooner passed the buoy when I spotted the line from the buoy floating on top of the water.  Not a good sign.  You’re supposed to put a lead weight on the line to prevent it from floating where it could be picked up in a prop.  I said, “Watch out, I see the line floating.”  About that time we heard the “thunk.”  I thought, “Well the line cutters will cut it free from the props.”  But then the buoy started following us.  “So much for line cutters,” I thought.  It was obvious that we were still attached to the trap.  We also had vibration.  Al tried reversing the engines, but still the buoy followed us.  Now, I could see people from the sailboat getting into their inflatable and heading toward us.  They pulled alongside and Al put the engines in neutral while he talked to them.  Al explained that we were at least 20 feet from the buoy when we passed it, and that the polypropylene line on the buoy had been floating on the surface of the water, which it shouldn’t have been if he was properly weighted.  He then explained how to properly set a trap.  I don’t think the guy appreciated the instruction, because the next thing I heard was Al telling the guy, “It isn’t helpful to use that kind of language.”  Eventually, the fellow finished venting his anger and left. 

We headed for our usual anchoring spot in the North side of the lagoon.  We hadn’t gone far, when I noticed that the buoy wasn’t following us any more.  Apparently the line cutters cut the line all right, but the line then snagged on our rudders.  Luckily, the buoy eventually floated free, probably while Al had his little chat.