I guess we couldn't stay at Tumbo/Cabbage Islands forever.  There were more islands to explore.  So after breakfast and considerable dilly dallying, we finally got the boat ready to leave and at around 11:30, untied from our mooring buoy. 

Now then... we were technically out in the Strait of Georgia... how do we get back into the protected waters of the Gulf Islands?  The goal was to find a gap that we could safely navigate Kerendi through.  However this is complicated by the fact that the tidal currents usually rip through these gaps at a rather alarming rate.  We had the option of taking the easy (but boring) route of back tracking around the southern end of Saturna Island into  Boundary Pass and then going north through Plumper Sound where the tidal effects would be minimal.  However we opted to be a bit more adventurous and just stay out in the Strait of Georgia until we found an opening and reasonable tidal conditions.  We proceeded north being careful to stay away from the many reefs that lie just off the islands.  I was watching both the chart plotter and the depth gage carefully while also being careful not to miss anything that I could actually see (kelp beds, rock, etc.).   The first opening we tried was a tiny and shallow pass called  Boat Pass.  However everything I read indicated that this was a sketchy access and when we got there we probed around with our depth sounder and I finally chickened out and headed further north.  After a short while we found the opening Robson Channel just north of Samuel Island.  The tidal conditions were perfect so this ended up being an absolute piece of cake to get through.  However I could see how this would be sketchy or impossible had there been any significant current at all.  The water would have just been boiling.  We were very lucky to have favorable tides.  This would have been very inconvenient had things not been in our favor.  When we passed between Samuel Island to the south and Mayne Island to the north, we turned right to head up Navy Channel.  Mission accomplished!  Now... where do we go next?  We proceeded up Navy Channel, crossed Active Pass avoiding the almost constant ferry traffic between the Tswaassen terminal and Swartz Bay, and decided to pull in behind Parker Island to check out Montague Harbor.

Montague was nice... and very protected.  The only problem was that it was also packed with boats.  We even saw a boat that was next to us back at Tumbo.  Those powerboats really do get around.  This boat was called Prime Time and we saw them again a couple times here and there in the Gulf Islands.  Anyway... like I was saying, Montague was packed with boats.  However there was an alternative anchorage suggested on the northern side of the Montague Harbor peninsula however our harbor guide said that it had a sandy bottom and wasn't really suitable for overnighting because it was unprotected from the north and had a sandy bottom.  We decided to try it though and it turned out to be okay.  Actually it was super nice cuz the wind was calm and we had a ring side seat to one of our best sunsets of the trip.  Unfortunately, we were serenaded by some kind of Christian youth group that caterwauled Christian songs into the night.  However aside from that, it was quite a pleasant place to stay.  We spent the rest of the day taking it easy.  The Donna and the boys took the dinghy into shore while I lounged around.  Later, Spencer and I took the dinghy around the peninsula to explore the crowded side of the harbor.  Except for the shore side caterwauling and preaching as the sun was setting (and on into the night), the stop was quite pleasant. 

Close up of the penninsula... we anchored off the beach on the left (more northern side) of the penninsula.  The harbor is on the right and protected from the northerlies.  Spencer and I took the dinghy around the penninsula and stopped on the beach... it was lovely