Desolation Sound

Our first stop in Desolation Sound was Melanie Cove in Prideaux Haven.
All of the cruising guides say it is one of the most spectacular
anchorages around, but clouds obscured most of the mountains while we
were there so we will spend another night there in a few days.

Last night we were in Roscoe Bay. There was a nice hike to the top of
a mountain where we got great views towards Sarah Point, Lund, and
Powell River. After we hiked we jumped in the nearby lake to clean up
and cool off. Roscoe Bay is unique because it has a huge population of
jellyfish that somehow avoid getting swept out of the cove on ebb tides.

This morning we came to the Toba Wildernest Resort which really isn't
much. The have showers, water, and a dock, but that's about it. They
generate all their electricity by a homemade hydro generator which is
interesting. The attached picture is from the dock.

Tomorrow we are heading to Walsh Cove to see some petroglyphs, then
Pendrell Sound the next day for "the warmest saltwater north of
Mexico", and Refuge Cove for ice and supplies the next day. After that
we will anchor in Prideaux Haven for the last night before heading
south to Pender Harbour to meet Peter.

Lund

We arrived in Lund yesterday afternoon to find very crowded docks.  We had the choice of either rafting four deep in the inner docks or tying up directly to the breakwater dock and dinghying ashore.  We chose to tie up to the breakwater.  Lund has been a pleasant surprise.  The town is small but very nice.  Most of the buildings are either new or recently renovated.  There are a couple of restaurants and a great bakery.  It seems very similar to Roche Harbor but without all of the really big yachts.

Last night I turned on the heater to dry out a towel.  Soon after I turned it on, we began to smell burnt kerosene in the cabin and lots of smoke was coming out of the exhaust vent.  The stove shut itself down and indicated an overheat.  I restarted it several times to no avail and was getting frustrated at the prospect of not having a stove or heater for the rest of the trip.  Eventually I noticed that there were air bubbles in the fuel line.  I pushed the fuel intake to the bottom of the tank, primed the stove, and restarted, and it seems to be working fine now.  Let's hope.

Today we will probably head to Prideaux Haven in Desolation Sound.  Right now it is overcast with light rain, hopefully it won't last long.  I have no idea if cell service will be available in Desolation Sound, so this may be the last update for a while, but you can always see where we are on SPOT.

Pictures from Princess Louisa

Princess Louisa Inlet

Since Sunday morning we have been in Princess Louisa Inlet with no
cell service. So far it has been the most spectacular spot, with 4000
foot cliffs and mountains surrounding the dock and waterfalls all
around.

Yesterday we hiked to the Trappers Cabin. The trail was well marked
but rugged and slippery. We made it up in 1:15 and it took a little
less time coming down.

I saw the second other C-Dory of the trip, Frequent Sea. There were
quite a few other boats at the dock, and a lot of them were American.

We are now anchored in Ballet Bay and are planning on heading to
Desolation Sound tomorrow.

Sent from my iPhone

Egmont Public Wharf

We arrived midday Friday at the Egmont Public Wharf. Most of the day was uneventful; we cleaned the boat a bit and walked around the village (as they call it). After dinner we walked to Skookumchuck Rapids where we got to see he kayakers play in the current and waves.

Kayaker in Skookumchuck Rapids

The first incident at the Public Wharf had to do with the Inlet Raider, a large landing craft that came in to drop a crew member off to pick up groceries. Rather than coming into the dock at a moderate speed, the captain came into the dock at several knots, slamming the engines into reverse at the last possible moment. This created not only a lot of noise and smoke from the engines, but uncomfortable waves throughout the marina.

The next incident involved a shrimping boat that came in around 8:30 in the evening. One of the deckhands quickly hopped off and pulled out a pack of what looked like cigarettes. I was doing the dishes outside and he asked if I "wanted to blaze." I politely declined. I guess some things are more acceptable in Canada than in the US...

There's an old sea shanty that asks, "What do you do with a drunken sailor?" Well, we were faced with just such a conundrum tonight. An older gentleman pulled into the wharf aboard a beat-up 13 ft motor boat and asked for us to tie him up. He was slurring his words and it quickly became clear that he was drunk. Minding his manners, he quickly offered up his half empty bottle of vodka. He was momentarily disappointed at our refusal to partake before staggering up the wharf knocking on the docked fishing boats - apparently looking for drinking parters. When the prawners returned to their boat, we let them know about this drunk gentleman. The captain quickly said, "Oh yeah, Uncle Lucy. Totally harmless." Apparently he is a regular around here.

Other than this excitement there really isn't too much to report. Everything has gone smoothly so far. We have found that running between 1800 and 2200 rpm is very comfortable. Most of our days have been fairly short (less than 15 nautical miles) and moving slowly allows us to save fuel and pay more attention to the scenery.

Here are a few pictures of the trip so far:

Secret Cove

Blind Bay

Harmony Islands

Anchored in the Harmony Islands

Leaving the Harmony Islands

Blind Bay and The Harmony Islands

After Pender Harbour we headed for Blind Bay. The wind was fairly
strong and we had 2-3 foot following seas, but the boat handled
perfectly. We found it more comfortable to run at 17 knots than 6
knots since it was easier to hold a course and the boat pounded very
little.

There were only two other boats in the cove and one kayaker camped at
the park. We rowed over and talked with him for a while. He has been
out for 17 days so far, but because of poor weather has only had 6
paddling days. He was hoping to make today the 7th and we helped him
move his gear down the beach before we left this morning. In January
he had surgery to repair a couple of herniated disks in his back and
he said he was skiing by March and now on a several month long kayak
trip.

The weather was pretty bad all day yesterday, with winds gusting
around 30 and times of rain. Luckily it calmed down by bedtime.

Today we moved on to the Harmony Islands. So far this has been the
best spot yet. Surrounding the boat are 1500 foot tall, very steep
mountains with higher, snow-covered peaks in the distance. There are
no other boats around. All I can hear right now are some birds and the
roar of a distant waterfall. The weather has been perfect today, lots
of sun and not much wind.

Sent from my iPhone

Anchored in Pender Harbour

We are safely at anchor in Garden Bay. Last night we stayed at Secret
Cove. We anchored about 30 feet from shore and ran a stern tie around
a tree.

Everything went well with that and most of the trip today except we
lost the cushion for the dinghy. We followed the track on the
chartplotter back a little ways and say the cushion bobbing close to
shore, so Sam M. took the dinghy over to pick it up.

Smooth sailing in the Strait of Georgia

After hearing a favorable 4:00 forecast and looking out to a calm
Strait of Georgia we decided to head across. So far so good, it has
been as calm we could hope for. Our destination is Secret Cove, we'll
send an OK on SPOT when we get there.

Still in Nanaimo

We are still in Nanaimo waiting for better weather.  Last night the wind died in the evening and when we walked over to see the Strait it looked calm, so if the same holds for tonight we may go across this evening or early tomorrow morning.

Looking across the Strait of Georgia yesterday evening.

We are anchored off Newcastle Island.  There is a large park ashore with lots of walking to do, so there is plenty of area to explore while we wait.  I am writing this from a cafe in Nanaimo.  We tied the anchor off to the dinghy this morning and came over to the marina for showers and to walk around a bit.

Looking at Nanaimo from the park last night.

Luckily Whiskey Golf is inactive until Friday, so whenever the winds subside we will be able to head straight across.

Nanaimo

We arrived in  Nanaimo at about one o'clock and fueled up.  The boat took 104 liters for a total of $160.  We came through Dodd Narrows just after the max ebb (5.7 knots) but the boat handled fine.  A large sailboat coming through behind us got spun around sideways, but corrected and avoided hitting anything.

Coming into Nanaimo we had the roughest conditions so far.  I'd estimate 3 footers with some slightly larger coming in off the Strait of Georgia.  

We will definitely be waiting for better weather before crossing.  Right now it is mostly sunny and around 65 degrees but there is quite a bit of wind.  Great sailing weather, but not so good for a small powerboat.  

So far everything has gone well.  We have been towing the dinghy which has worked perfectly.  It is much easier to tow than to lift onto the top of the cabin and it has towed fine up to 20 knots and through some nasty waves.  

We are planning on anchoring nearby tonight, and perhaps longer, if the weather does not cooperate.

A picture from Wallace Island

Sent from my iPhone

Wallace Island

We are docked for the night at the government float at Wallace Island.
Just down the dock from us is a pilot for Mike Wiegle's helicopter
pilot and his family as well as a sea plane pilot and another couple.
The weather has been great so far with sun in the afternoon. Hopefully
the winds will stay fairly calm for the next few days and the Strait
of Georgia crossing.

Sent from my iPhone

Anchor Light Fixed

A quick stop at Active Pass and a new lightbulb and the anchor light
is working again. Strange that the first only lasted 2 nights. The
entrance to Active Pass was made complicated by a strong tide and
standing waves, but the C-Dory handled well.

What happened to the anchor light?

Earlier this afternoon I installed the anchor light and turned it on.
Nothing happened. We are on a buoy tonight in Bedwell Harbor so we
don't need the light, but we will be stopping tomorrow at Active Pass
Auto & Marine to figure out the problem. Otherwise everything is going
well.

Sent from my iPhone

Bedwell Harbour

We have arrived safely in Bedwell Harbour. Customs clearance was
simple and over the phone; nobody ever came to the boat. The most
difficult part was fending off a 55 foot steel sailboat from crushing
another sailboat at the dock.

Underway!

We are finally off, destination Bedwell Harbor. I'll send an update
when we arrive. Above is a picture of the boat we followed out of
Swinomish Channel. A bit bigger than us, eh?

SPOT Messenger

The SPOT Messenger will provide near real time position updates via
the link on the upper right of this page. The SPOT works via
satellite, so even when we are beyond the range of cell phones
position updates can be sent. When underway, updates will be sent
every 10 minutes.

Sent from my iPhone

Blogging from iPhone

This is my first attempt to blog from my iPhone. I will be relying on
it for connections when I am not at a marina with wifi, which will be
most of the time. Above is a picture of my home for a month.