Chronicle III

Chronicle III
June 21, 2007 Day 25

I do believe this is the Summer Solstice, or something near to it, and here we are in the Far North: latitude: 49 degrees, 40.977 minutes N, longitude: 123 degrees, 24.181 minutes W. You no doubt immediately recognized that position as slip #57 on C dock at Canoe Cove Marina just north of Sidney, BC…about 20 miles north and west of where we were on Day 3. I’m sure there is a story here. Does the fact that this marina is the home of Blackline Marine, the sailboat-rigging component of Canoe Cove Marina and Boatyard give you a clue?

For years, we have defined cruising as “boat repairs in remote places”. We’re going to revise our definition. Times change. “Boat repairs wherever you can find them.” Thank you, boat-repair gods

From our wet-but-nice moorage at Page Point in Ladysmith, Windwalker transited Dodd Narrows once again on June 11th and we tied up at the Nanaimo Yacht Club for Doug’s trek back to Bainbridge via BC Greyhound, the Victoria Clipper, Washington State Ferries, and Kitsap Transit. The “procedure” at Virginia Mason was minimally invasive. (No stitches…’probably could have waited until October). On Wednesday, Doug reversed the transportation order, with Joan and Richard filling in for Kitsap Transit, and cleared Customs with a new regulator in his backpack. On the way North, our engine tachometer had been going wiggy-wiggy, rollicking between 0 and 1800. It was not having fun. A phone call to Mark-the-Engine-Man caused us to order a replacement regulator, which Karl ferried over to Bainbridge and handed off to Doug.

Thursday morning Doug installed the new regulator, tested it’s lights and settings, we topped off our fuel tanks at the gas dock, and pointed Windwalker’s bow toward the Straits of Georgia. Crossing the Straits is the first “marker” on this trip. One look at our still-rollicking tac, and we altered course for the Nanaimo Yacht Club. The tac was still not having fun. The crew, ditto.

A phone call to John Wilton, Windwalker’s good friend on Bainbridge, gave us a starting point for solving the problem. Another phone call to the Harbor Chandler, and Dieter Reeh, a retired marine electrician, appeared. After some trouble-shooting, Doug and Dieter headed out to buy many, many feet of wire. The next day, they bought an oil-sending switch and, finally, a $5.00 in-line fuse and fuse holder, which solved the problem. Dieter was apologetic, but we were delighted to have a happy tac. He put everything back together and left. Doug did some more clean up and turned the key. The engine started, but we had no tac and no alternator output. We were no longer delighted. Check all the systems. Leave messages for Dieter. The next morning, Doug checked the brand new in-line fuse. He replaced it. Dieter called (good timing), and we were able to report that all was well.

Did I mention that it POURED on Saturday morning? Not a notable event, except that it was the start of The Van Isle 360, an around-Vancouver-Island sailboat race that is held every two years. Friday night, we had walked to the boat basin to view the 40-some entrants at the docks, flying their colors. Among them was a sister ship to Windwalker, as well as Icon, a large dark-hulled sloop that is owned by Barbara Robbins’s brother. (At least, we think he still owns it…) At 1030 hours, these sleek vessels were off in a drenching rain with about five knots of wind. Not an auspicious start, but such is the nature of sailing, racing or cruising.

We spent Saturday evening swapping boating stories with Sharon (a retired special ed teacher) and Dick on board Bankruptcy (we didn’t ask), a Catalina 36 out of Anacortes.

Sunday morning Windwalker SAILED across the Straits of Georgia! That is what she does, you know. And she does it very well. At Pender Harbor, (are you tired of hearing that these are all favorite places?) we tied up to the public dock and went for a walk in the spiffy tiny town of Madeira, When we returned to the boat, we noticed fluid dripping down Windwalker’s stern from one of her two hydraulic backstay adjusters.

Have you seen the movie Ground Hog Day? Windwalker keeps seeing Nanaimo and Dodd Narrows over and over again. Her fourth transit through the Narrows early on Tuesday was the beginning of a sunny day of motoring through the Gulf Islands (SOUTH!!!) to Canoe Cove. Brent, an-Authorized- Navtec-Technician quickly measured Windwalker’s leaking cylinder, made a call to the mainland to order parts, and assured us we would be good to go on Wednesday afternoon. As it turns out, Blackline is the largest rigging shop on the west coast. Windwalker was in good hands.

Dinner that night was at the Stone House Pub. ‘Beautiful old house, lovely English gardens, good beer, cheerful waiter, and an interminable wait for our overcooked and incorrect (anyone can confuse chicken with lamb) dinners. The waiter brought a second order of fish, which did not resemble shoe leather, and they “comped” our dinner, but we are not longing to return, which is just as well, since we had to give Blackline Marine more that $1.29.

Sometimes a Girl Just Has to Accessorize….

Brent installed the rebuilt backstay cylinders right on schedule, and we asked if he had time to go up the mast to inspect our steaming light which had ceased working for the third time. That was a mistake. Windwalker started fantasizing about other accessories.

If we had been paying attention, we would have noticed her trying to twist around to admire her shiny black backstay cylinders. When she heard “steaming light that works” she started daydreaming. How charming she would look with a bright steaming light AND a new main halyard! Dare she mention it? The old wire-to-rope halyard had a checkered history (which, of course, had cost money) with Port Townsend rigging. Windwalker was embarrassed by it, it didn’t run through the sheave at the top of the mast easily, and Doug cursed the shackle each time we (he) hoisted the mainsail. A day and a boat-unit or two later, and Windwalker could hardly stand herself: correctly wired steaming and deck lights, rebuilt backstay cylinders, AND an exquisite 10 mm Dyneema Braid (dark) Green with a Wichard 1495 10mm Captive Thimble. The best!

Deciding that we did not want to subject ourselves to Dodd Narrows again, we transited Active Pass at slack water, and sailed up the Straits of Georgia, anchoring at Buccaneer Bay. Saturday afternoon we tied up (again) at the public wharf at Madeira Park. We were sitting in the cockpit early in the afternoon, when a sailboat came in and circled around the crowded docks. “Do you want to raft up?” “No, we’re just searching for an internet connection.” A sign of the times. (Later that night, our computer found a connection wandering free, and we checked e-mails.)

Heard on our VHF radio the same afternoon: All stations, all stations, all stations,. This is Comox Coast Guard Radio, Comox Coast Guard Radio. A Golden Retriever has been rescued in Malaspina Straits. If you are missing your Golden Retriever, please contact this station. Comox out.

We anchored the next night in Squirrel Cove in Desolation Sound and THEN….(drum roll here)…. Yuculta and Dent Rapids. We have navigated these once before, but it was still a mighty effort to make sure we did all the calculations correctly. You have to go through Yuculta about an hour before slack water because Dent “turns” 35 minutes before Yuculta and they are about two miles apart. Coming east, we won’t have the problem. Windwalker was very excited, and pleased that we had read and checked everything so carefully.

Wildlife Report: Do nine eagles circling overhead while were transiting the rapids qualify as report material? ‘The best we can do so far. We spent the night in Chameleon Harbor on Sonora Island and, after listening to a benign weather forecast in the morning, headed out into the Johnston Straits.

Weather: The usual summer weather patterns are high weather systems coming down across the Queen Charlotte Islands, bringing sunshine and with northerly winds rising in the mid-afternoon. We’re assuming that Coastal BC used more than its share of highs in 2006 and is not going to get any in 2007. Or maybe it’s just early.....

Chronicle II

I will try to fix this later - jolie
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Day 5, Friday, June Oneth





Nanaimo Boat Basin We left Ganges early to be at Dodd Narrows (30 miles distant) at slack water. Our early departure meant that we had to avoid the strong currents in Trincomali Channel coming through the various passes from the Straits of Georgia. We always pretend that we can actually estimate the tides and current and use them to our advantage. It is the only way we get Windwalker to agree to long passages under power. Even with her little marinized Kubota tractor engine chugging at top speed, we arrived 40 minutes after the slack. The rule of thumb is that if the current is 1/3 of your hull speed, you’re good to go. The estimated 3-knot current was above our limit, but the pass is very short and the current was with us; Windwalker swept through at the exhilarating (top) speed of 9.3 knots. We were spit out into Northumberland Channel headed for Nanaimo, where we found the boat basin filled with an in-the-water-boat show. The Gods of Moorage must have liked the fact that we have a Canadian boat: we were assigned the last available spot. ‘Filled up on diesel and were happy we only needed 18 gallons at $4.40 a gallon. It won’t get cheaper as we go north.

However, we will be not going north for a few days. Windwalker and crew had a change of plans when Doug returned a phone message from the Winslow Clinic. When he had a mole removed from his back in early May, he told the doctor we were leaving town for four months and he would need to know right away if there was a problem. Three weeks later, someone decided there was a problem. He made an appointment for June 13th. Our house is about three miles from the clinic. Our boat is now about 130 miles from the clinic…. to say nothing of a pesky customs clearance where the US authorities would not allow our six cans of chili back into the country. It seemed logical to head north to Port McNeil on the north end of Vancouver Island where we thought Doug could get transportation to Victoria. After investigating, we discovered that people up-island are not very interested in getting to Victoria and vice versa.

We finally decided to muss around in the Gulf Islands for a week, return to Nanaimo on the 11th, and have Doug take BC Greyhound and the Victoria Clipper back home. It made more sense than Kenmore Air for $616 from Port McNeil, to say nothing of the challenging trip from Kenmore to Bainbridge. While we were still in Nanaimo, we went on an explore to find the bus station which is fittingly housed at the back of an elderly
Windwalker at Montague Marie Park Howard Johnson Motel. No one does elderly motels quite like coastal BC. I think part of the movie Fargo was filmed there. The cast stayed.

So, oh darn. Here we are stuck in one of our favorite areas for a week. We know that you’re reading this hoping for glaciers and polar bears. We will get there…..


Two nights at the Nanaimo Port Authority: showers—10, laundry—10, ice cream--8.9
and then a motor across the bay to anchor off of Newcastle Island Provincial Park. Eventually, Windwalker found her way back through Dodd Narrow (10 minutes before slack water this time) and south to Montague Harbor Marine Park in the Gulf Islands where we looked for the gentleman who had helped with the buoy lasso in Reid Harbor. He must have gone on ahead.

The small marina at the other end of the bay offers ice cream—9.2, and books: The Accidental Airline, the story of the Queen Charlotte Island Airlines made its way onboard.

Thursday, June 7th Underway for Musgrave Landing, a small gov wharf on the southwest side of Saltspring Island. I’m skipping the stories of the 13 other times we’ve been in these places. I know that you have that sock drawer to organize.







The only other boat on the dock at Musgrave was a Great Lakes 32 with an elderly gentleman sitting under the enclosure on the stern. I thought it bordering on rude when he did not offer to take a line (common practice in this part of the world, but not in Alaska, I’m told), but decided that he might be miffed that we were disturbing his solitude. Not the case. He and his equally elderly wife were napping before their departure for their homeport of Sidney. A couple who were staying at one of the houses on the point, came down with their Schnauzer to chat for a while. We put our 25 dollars in the box at the head of the pier and settled down to enjoy the view, the silence, and the clearing skies.

“Look at those two old boats coming around the point. Very unusual. The first one looks like a pirate ship.”

“They have a lot of little orange-clad people on board. ‘Might be a training cruise.”

“It looks like they are coming in here.”

So began our time with Duen, Passing Cloud, and A Fine Madness. The view improved, the silence was replaced with the chatter of kids, and the skies continued to clear. We wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Chronicle I June 1, 2007

Killer whales, an eight-foot inflatable, a 3.5 hp Tohatsu outboard, and two old people. Day 3: Windwalker was on a buoy in Reid Harbor, Stuart Island (in the San Juans) and we decided to take our new motor and almost-new dinghy (Taku and Ratty II, respectively) for an explore. We putzed around the southeast end of the island and then west into Prevost Harbor, enjoying memories. Prevost Harbor is about half way around the six-mile island, so Doug suggested we keep heading west and circumnavigate the island.. My response: Turn Point in my DINGHY??? Turn Point gets it’s name because The Current Turns there. Swirling. Moving quickly. We had been carefully reading the tide and current tables, so we knew there was a very small tidal exchange. My worrisome-don’t-do-anything-fun-or-risky guardian angle told me it would be fine. It was. I took some pictures of the lighthouse. We rounded the point and started heading south. Boats ahead of us bobbing around with people on deck. A small Boston Whaler full of people with huge cameras. What are they watching? What planet am I from?

A pod of 3, 6,…I don’t know…. killer whales surfaced just south of us, close to shore. It is unlawful to come within 1,000 yards of them, but someone forgot to tell the whales. They were closer; MUCH CLOSER. We steered past them and headed out to sea. More whales to the south, heading north. HOW WILL THEY KNOW WE’RE HERE??? You get to imagine Doug’s expression and tone of voice: They’ll hear the motor. Another pod passed, and Doug cut the motor. Taku has a teacup-sized internal gas tank; this is a new experience for us. He had already stopped twice on the explore for lack of nourishment; Doug didn’t want to be without power (such as it is) if we really needed it. So we bobbed and watched and listened. Listening was the best. Killer whales don’t W00SH. They certainly don’t snort. They have their own killer whale sounds that don’t translate. Between listening, watching them breech, and being concerned about one coming up under Ratty II, I didn’t even bother with the camera, or even to try to count them. The pod quickly traveled northwest and we slowly traveled southeast back to Reid Harbor.

That was the most exciting part of our trip so far, so if you have socks to sort, you can check back in a few days. Otherwise, read on…..

Day 1:

We left Eagle Harbor at o’dark hundred on Monday, May 28th headed for Port Townsend, about 3 hours into an outgoing tide. Coming into the boat basin at Port Townsend, Windwalker only had about a foot of water under her not-so-dainty keel at one point. Doug has more gray hair and a clean pair of Levis.

Bill Turner was working on his boat, Ave Maria, in the boatyard at PT, so we walked over to supervise. He took us to meet The Wells Grey and Albert, her skipper and benefactor. The Wells Grey is a former B.C. Department of Forestry vessel what we saw 20 or 30 years ago in Canada and then again in the PT boatyard about 3 years ago. Over the last few years, Albert, her most recent owner, has been lavishing his personal fortune, extensive skill and design talents on this grand vessel; the result is lovely.

Day 2: We left early to avoid the minus tide at the entrance to the boat basin and headed for Reid Harbor where we had planned to meet our Liberty Bay Marina dock-mates Mark, Pam, and Mitzie The Dog on Kittiwake. They were vacationing in the San Juans with their cruising buddies Jackie and Dennis aboard Yachts of Fun, the boat Windwalker share’s her slip with in Poulsbo. So here were all were, a little bit of Kitsap County in the middle of Island County. Only the scenery was better--except for the osprey that had scooped up a little bird and circled and circled and circled over our boats with little bird crying and imploring us to save him. We were distressed that we couldn’t help. Actually, we were irritated that the osprey did not dispatch Little Bird immediately. Mark and I took Mitzie ashore and talked to the owner of a unique east coat lobster boat. Another happily married man whose boat is surely his
mistress.

Day 3: …addendum to first page…

Coming into Reid Harbor, we had another “first”. After +30 years of boating, we’re sill having “firsts”. We were approaching a mooring buoy when a fellow in an inflatable motored over and asked if he could take my line and thread it though the ring on the buoy for me. “Oh no. I would prefer to lean out over the lifeline holding onto the boat hook with the line in my teeth, hook the ring, pull the chain up far enough for me to get the line through the ring, bring the line back to the boat, and secure it around the cleat while we are still moving through the water. Thanks for asking, though.” I accepted his offer; he declined our offer to follow us to Alaska.

Day 4: Leisurely (see DEPARTURE NOTE below) 0930 departure for Bedwell Harbor on South Pender Island to clear customs. Our charting program had been napping on the way to Stuart Island two day before and now decided to go into REM sleep. I had resigned myself to months of paper charts and the hand- held GPS, having forgotten that Doug had Extensive Navy Training. Equipment failure: Open the equipment door and slam it shut. ‘Works fine. Mr. Chart Plotter does not live a drawer, but you get the idea.

DEPARTURE NOTE: “I’ll go forward and slip the line on the buoy.” Unbeknownst to us, the buoy chain had had its way with the mooring line during the night and they were reluctant to part. Ratty and I did what needed to be done. The chain promised to write. Another summer romance brought to an end.

We spent the evening at Ganges on Saltspring Island where we bought legal Canadian fruit and veggies and expensive moorage. Marina shower rating: 3 on a scale of 10. Ganges is still artsy, yuppified and expensive. The tourists love it. We felt right at home.

There seems to be some dealy, doesn't there?

June 13

We're relying on BC snail mail and advertised but apparently non-existant wireless systems at public libraries (Nanaimo) to help us fill this space. Don't give up. Evenutally, stories will appear. J&D and Windwalker