Groceries and the commercial wharf were a mile away but with a paved path it was easy to bring our purchases back with our folding cart. We could have taken the dinghy, or even the big boat, to the city dock near the business district and got three hours "free parking" while shopping.
The local folks spend a lot of time in the water. Many of these boats, we call dragon boats, ply the channel each day. Great team effort and exercise. In this boatload are breast cancer survivors.
We toured the town museum and learned how extensive the coal mine tunnels were.There were hundreds of mine tunnels under the town, Newcastle Island, the waters between, and for miles out from the island. Some were over 1000 feet deep. (Wouldn't they leak?)
The museum also had a great display on a local fellow who developed the melodic steam whistle that is used on locomotives and the BC ferries and as fog signals. We hadn't realized they had different tones.
Also there was a nice display of local native artifacts that were taken at the time their indian potlatches were banned in the early part of the 19th century.
Across the narrow channel from the yacht club is Newcastle Island which is a provincial park.
Lots of hiking trails there, with remains of the quarrying and coaling industries.
These pictures are remnants from the pulpstone industry on the island. These were used to grind up wood in paper mills.
To cut the stone a cylindrical cutter rotated for 3 hours until a depth of about 5 feet. Then a small blast of gunpowder broke the stone loose. (Can you imagine how many times it didn't come out round?) 
Once a derrick lifted out the rough pulpstone, they were then smoothed on a lathe before being sent to the paper mills.
One of the unique features of the park is the blond raccoons which cannot reproduce the black color. Not albino, just tan. Caught just a glimpse of one on the beach.
This same narrow channel across from the yacht club has a rock in the center of it with some confusing markers that play havoc with visiting boaters if the captain is not paying close attention.
Gone A'Rock
You really, really need to read your charts carefully in the Gulf Islands!
This boat's mishap made the front page of the local paper for two days.It was mostly sunk by the time the rescue workers could tow it to the nearby shipyard. It is a wooden boat and one side was almost completely caved in.
4 other boats also hit the rock that week!
Oregon Rock is it's name ---- looks like it should be named Millionaire Rock (as the shipyard is making million$
