Summer 2007 Cruise – Leg 1
|
Date |
False Creek Harbour to Clam Bay, Thetis Island
|
Weather |
|
|
|
Sunny and Hot |
||
|
Leaving the Big City Behind
Traditional Toast to the Start of Anniversary Cruise IV
Kona’s Ready for the Adventure Too
MV Corona Standing By
|
As soon as school was out Rick, Kona and I headed for the
boat in False Creek. The trunk of the car was full of my belongings from
having spent the last six weeks living with my friend, Barb, across the river
in Abbotsford, while Rick had the Sea Foam safely moored out of the river in
False Creek,
When we reached the Sea Foam and checked the weather we
weren’t sure if we would cross the Strait of
The motley crew for the beginning of Anniversary Cruise IV
included my two sons and their first mates and a three month old black
We shoved off at 1730 and the cruise was officially
underway. The conditions were good for
the crossing once we were out of
Other cruising friends of ours aboard the MV Corona and
the MV Osiras were meeting us at our first night’s destination,
I commented several weeks ago to my Captain that a pilot house with state rooms under it was much quieter than ours with the engine right under the floor hatches at our feet. His comment was that he would rather have the engine where he can hear it so if there are any unusual noises he can get to the engine room right away and check it out.
Next thing I knew there was such a noise coming from below me as I sat at the pilot house bench seat. I called to the Captain to come to the wheel house right away. When he did and went into the engine room he discovered a wobbly alternator pulley was making the racket. He attempted to fix it while we idled six miles out into the Straight of Georgia. In the process he dropped an important washer into the bilge and was unable to retrieve it.
By this time our friends aboard the
The Captain then searched through his spare washer and nut box looking for some substitutes and with the help of my sons, Peter and David, found nothing that would fit. They decided to tighten it up as best they could and run it loose and wobbling but the rattling got worse and the pulley got so hot it turned red.
The Captain came up from the engine room with sweat
running down his face and I asked him if he wanted me to call the
The
The
We were towed into
The Captain would look into the problem in the morning and all crew members retired to their bunks after a stressful and exciting evening crossing.
|
||
|
Date |
Weather |
||
|
|
Cloudy with Sunny Breaks |
||
|
Calm Clam Bay the Morning After
Happy Captain Stroking His Engine
Murals in Chemainus
Murals in Chemainus
Captain Osiras on the Drums
Captain Corona - Keyboards and Vocals |
Everything looks better the morning after and when we woke
up, the bay was calm and the sun was shining.
Before breakfast the missing part had been fished out of the bilge and
the alternator was repaired and back to normal. The Captain said it would
work well now but agreed with me that we should not be heading north until we
had secured another alternator as a spare.
He agreed and we determined we would go to
After breakfast the Sea Foam pulled anchored and arrived
at the docks in
We decided to leave the Captain on the Sea Foam and take
the small ferry from
We spent the day poking in and around the shops and before too long the girls in the shore party wished we had left the guys behind because they started to grumble about being bored with shopping.
We returned to the Sea Foam at 1800. The Captain had spent his day preparing all the computer equipment on the boat and was refreshed from the events of last night after a two hour nap. We enjoyed a steak barbeque together, showered and were ready to go to the party at the pub.
The Coral Reefers played all night. The dance floor bounced to “Mustang Sally”, twice.
Party started at 2030 and ended at 0400. |
||
|
Date |
Thetis Island Sail Pass – Circumnavigation of Thetis and Kuper Island – Mark Bay, New Castle Island
|
Weather |
|
|
|
Sunny in the a.m. Cloudy by 1400 |
||
|
Sea Foam Water Balloon Defence Team
Slingshot Vessel Ready to Fire
Corona Attack off our Starboard Side
Double Fisted Warrior
Slow But Speedy Attackers
Pooped Pup |
Happy
At 1300 all the boats began to muster and then we were on
our way. The
The day was perfect and the sun was shining hot. Once around the east side of the island we
ran out of water balloons and many of the smaller boats had pulled up to the
sandy beach near Clam Bay where we anchored last night and enjoyed the
sunshine. The
I made a decision this morning that after the events of
the weekend so far I was not up for another party and the rest of the crew
agreed. We left the
We arrived in
We returned to the Sea Foam and got ready to go to the
Dinghy Dock Pub for dinner. The Dinghy
Dock is the only floating pub in
After the Captain did some trouble shooting he found that the gas had water in it. He traced the source back to a gas dock in False Creek and rather than throw away $50 worth of fuel he decided to just let the big fuel filters in the boat sort it out. He primed the lines and the motor was ready to go. We skipped the ride over to the Dinghy Dock pub and had dinner on the Sea Foam instead.
Everyone was tired from the days festivities and retired by 2330. |
||
|
Date |
|
Weather |
|
|
|
Cloudy, windy by evening with light showers |
||
|
|
Diesel woke us up at 0800 and the day began. After breakfast the crew began to collect
their belongings and prepare for the ferry ride home. We called a taxi company to meet us at the
While he was gone I put things back to right on the Sea Foam after having six passengers onboard a boat that is comfortable with two. When the Captain returned we took our mastiff, Kona, to the island for a walk around the shoreline trail. We returned and took the tender over to the Dinghy Dock Pub and had a delicious dinner of fresh halibut and prawns. While we ate our meal we watched out the open air porch as the wind picked up from the south and started blowing the boats around in the anchorage in front of the pub. When we returned to the Sea Foam the wind was blowing hard but we were nicely tucked in behind the islands and the docks and experienced only a gentle rocking as we laid down to sleep for the night.
For me, it had been an exhausting weekend. |
||
|
Date |
New Castle Island, Mark Bay to Garden Bay, Pender Harbour
|
Weather |
|
|
|
Mostly Sunny with Cloudy Patches |
||
|
Flat Calm Strait of
Leaving
Garden Bay, Catch-Up foreground Sea Foam background
Captain and friends at Garden Bay Pub |
Woke up early and the Captain got on the phone by 1000 to
order the alternator. Rather than wait
for it to arrive in
I took Kona to shore for one last shore duty and the Captain prepared the boat for departure. Once back on board I called our friends, Margot and Bob, who were returning from Desolation Sound, to let them know we would not be staying to meet with them. We would pass them in the Strait of Georgia as they came south to Nanaimo to pick up passengers and we headed north to Pender Harbour to meet with friends, Dianne and Carole in Madeira Park.
Once out in the Strait we were pleased to find a flat calm sea and, although the sky was mostly overcast, the day was warm with a few breaks of sunlight. As we approached the west side of Thormanby Islands the water changed to a two foot chop but we were expecting the tide to turn at 1400 and the flood water would give us a push to arrive at Pender by 1500.
We arrived at
After a delicious meal and pleasant conversation with good friends we returned to the Sea Foam for dessert. The Captain and Kona then returned our guests to Madiera Park docks in the Catch-Up where their car awaited them. Good-byes were exchanged and tentative plans made to meet up again on our return south at the end of August.
After shore duty for Kona the Captain returned to his vessel to find his first mate fast asleep.
|
||
|
Date |
Garden Bay, Pender Harbour to Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island Discovery Island Group
|
Weather |
|
|
July 4th, 2007 |
Clear blue sunny sky Gorgeous Day |
||
|
Leaving
Trusty Seagulls Point Out a Floating Hazard in
Smooth Sailing and Blue Skies Ahead in
at Low Tide
Squirrel Cove
Trail Sign to Van Donop Inlet |
I got up first and took Kona to shore while the Captain
enjoyed another hour of shut eye before departure. On my return we weighed anchor and headed
out of
The weather for today was predicted to be light
northwesterly winds and the morning was gorgeous. As we moved out of
As we approached
We were surprised at how deep it was off the beach and took a mooring buoy in 75 feet of water. We hopped into the Catch-Up with Kona and headed to shore. The tide was rising soon and the boat would be fine left on the beach while we went walking.
We spoke to several beachcombers along the way and one fellow showed us the “mouth” of geoduck (pronounced gooey duck) clams as they protrude through the eel grass at low tide. He pushed on the mouth with the tip of his walking cane and the squirt from the quarter sized mouth opening shot up about three feet into the air! These clams are quite deep under the sand and more difficult to harvest than the shallow lying manilla or razor clams that can be easily “scratched” up using a rake or the edge of an empty clam shell.
We walked along the road frontage where the cabins are and
remarked at how well kept and substantial they are. You can only reach the half moon shaped
island by boat. Many people travel to
After our walk we returned to the Sea Foam and carried on
into Thulin Passage past the
By now I was feeling tired so took myself to the upper bridge for a stretch out on my lawn chair and soaked up the hot rays of the seldom-seen-to-date sunshine. The Captain enjoyed the solitude of his pilot house with tunes from our satellite radio providing suitable entertainment for travel.
Once into Squirrel Cove and anchored I had a hot shower and the Captain had a short nap. It was hot in the anchorage but a slight breeze kept it bearable. We enjoyed a barbeque dinner and checked on the currents for tomorrow’s transit.
We would need to negotiate three sets of narrows tomorrow and the timing has to be carefully calculated to get the most benefit from the currents as well as to avoid any difficult water if the timing is off. The Captain likes the push through Yuculta Rapids as the ebb begins. I would prefer to go through at slack or before to avoid any swirling water. I’m cautious – the Captain is adventurous (or economical with his fuel consumption)!
The Captain took Kona to the head of the trail along the
northeast shoreline for her final evening visit to shore. This trail leads to Van Donop Inlet on the
other side of
It was determined we would have to be underway by 0630. We retired at 2100 after a beautiful day of cruising. |
||
|
Date |
Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island to Douglas Bay, Forward Harbour off Wellbore Channel
|
Weather |
|
|
|
Clear Blue Sky |
||
|
Big Business For Big Fishermen
MV Shaman in Dent Rapids
Scenic View up Frederick Arm
Sea Foam Crew At
Westerlies from Blowing Waves Into
Kona Beachcombing At
|
I woke up with a start, checked the clock and it was already 0630. Captain took Kona to shore while I prepared coffee and breakfast. We were underway at 0700 under a clear blue sky. We turned out of Squirrel Cove into Lewis Channel between Cortes Island and West Redonda Island headed for Yuculta Rapids. I wished we had gotten away earlier but the Captain said not to worry, the current wouldn’t be that bad when we got to Yuculta and Dent Rapids, the first two of four narrows to negotiate today. Here is a comprehensive description of the narrows and rapids in this area as described by Steve and Linda Dashew from onboard the MV Wind Horse. As we approached the narrows the water had not started to whirlpool and the Captain was right, it wasn’t that bad. We arrived one hour past slack which had me worried but the water was not difficult. We had a nice push through as we passed Sonora Island on our port side and Big Bay on our starboard as we moved through Gillard Pass and on through to Dent Rapids.
Sonora Island Resort is at the northern end of Sonora Island and every year we go past the resort has an additional structure added to it. Many hopeful fishers fly in to this resort to catch the big salmon that are reported to frequent this turbulent water. As we motored by, however, all the small Grady White fishing boats were tied to the docks.
As we approached Dent Rapids we had a big yacht coming up on our stern. This Captain panicked, powered up and shot past us between the shore and our boat, casting us around in his wake. This is considered very poor boating manners and good mariners typically do not behave this way.
My Captain was right, the water was not that turbulent even though we were one hour past slack. We had two other narrow channels to negotiate and we had the ebb tide pushing us along. We decided, now that we had passed the two most difficult sections, to reduce speed and just enjoy the beautiful scenery. The longer we delayed the less current would be present in the two narrows to come.
The steep mountains in the area appear to have much more snow on them then they did last year. Maybe it’s just me thinking that because I’m conditioned to hear about snow pack being very high this year causing the Fraser River water levels to rise so high. Whatever the reason, the snow makes for beautiful scenery as we meander slowly through Cordero Channel.
As we passed Shoal Bay we decided we had time to kill so we slowly motored into the bay, anchored and took Kona for a short walk along the beach. There is a gold mine high up the mountain and a billy goat trail leading to it. Last year we climbed the mountain and almost got to the gold mine but were stopped at a summit view about ten minutes short of the mine. The view from this vantage point was spectacular and worth the rough climb to get to it.
After a short stretch of our legs we climbed back into the Catch-Up, pulled up beside the anchored Sea Foam and prepared to pull anchor and carry on through Cordero Channel to our next set of narrows at Greene Point Rapids. By the time we reached this area the current was with us at about 3 knots. We carried on and noticed as we turned into Chancellor Channel that the wind had picked up and was moving up off of Johnstone Strait, and blowing hard off our burgee at the bow of the boat. There was now about a two foot chop with whitecaps as we motored on down Chancellor Channel toward Whirlpood Rapids in Wellbore Channel. As we turned into Wellbore Channel we were out of the wind and Whirlpood Rapids was now almost at slack as we negotiated through the last of the narrows and turned to starboard into Forward Harbour and our anchorage at Douglas Bay.
As we came into the anchorage there were about ten other boats at anchor already. There was lots of room and we dropped anchor close to the beach. We had once, three years ago, anchored in Bessborough Bay, one bay over to the north, and the wind whistled up Sunderland Channel and gave us a rocky night there. This was the first time we had anchored in Douglas Bay in Forward Harbour and we could see it was a much more protected anchorage and very pretty too.
Once anchored and settled we hopped into the Catch-Up and headed for the trail leading through the forest to Bessborough Bay.
We were looking for all manner of household items hanging from the trees to mark the path. This is what we remembered about this trail the last time we had walked it from the Bessborough Bay side. This year there were no such markers, only a few red or blue surveyor tape ribbons to mark the way. Many large trees had blown over during storms and the trail was difficult to follow in places. We met two women coming back from Bessborough Bay and they were happy to see us as they were confused as to what direction to go.
We reached the other side and the wind was blowing and the waves were crashing against the beach. The sun was warm and the scenery was spectacular! Kona enjoyed her tromp through the woods and her beachcombing finds. On our return through the trail we lost the way as well but luckily we could see the boats at anchor through the trees so we could pick our way along until we reached the Catch-Up waiting on the other side.
By the time we reached the Sea Foam many more boats had arrived. There were at least 25 anchors down in the bay now.
The forecast for Johnstone Strait was calling for gale force winds tomorrow so we determined we would stay in this spot one more night and perhaps enjoy a kayak trip to the head of the bay tomorrow. |
||
|
Date |
|
Weather |
|
|
July 6th, 2007 |
Mostly sunny with a few cloudy periods |
||
|
Another Beautiful Morning At Douglas Bay With Mt. Gardiner in the Background
Curve of Time Head of
MV Ch’aak Meeting After Kayak Trip
|
We woke up at 0500, listened to the weather forecast and hear that the gales were still forecasted for Johnstone Strait so we curled up and went back to sleep. We enjoyed a leisurely start to the morning and finally got active around noon.
Rick got the kayaks down off the roof of the pilot house and we got ready to paddle to the head of Forward Harbour. As we were making our preparations, another 40’ Eagle, the MV Ch’aak pulled into the anchorage followed by another boat the MV Nellie.
Rick took off in the Catch-up for a bit to investigate the Whirlpool Rapids outside our anchorage to see how fast the water was running there. On his return he stopped at the Ch’aak and spoke to Leah and Graham from Victoria, B.C. They had owned their Eagle for one year and were enjoying their cruise so far along with friends from the MV Nellie from Oak Harbour, Whidbey Island, Washington. A gathering was suggested for later in the afternoon on our return from our kayak trip.
When Rick returned we climbed into the kayaks and headed for the head of the bay. It was an easy paddle as the wind had picked up and we were able to surf the two foot chop down to the end with little effort.
There was mention in the Waggoner that a family had plans to run a resort at the end of the bay and when we reached the end there was a small dock and two areas where houses were standing. One area had three houses together with two satellites and a wind generator. Further along the shoreline there was a small farmhouse and smaller guest house and a few animal outbuildings. All the buildings were in need of TLC. A sailboat, the SV Black Tip was anchored there with a floating work platform attached to it. There were no humans about.
A large vessel, the MV Curve of Time, was also anchored at the end of the bay. We paddled close to get a picture but no one came out to say hello.
The wind was blowing hard now and as we cross over to the other shoreline the waves coming on our beam were about three footers. The kayaks surprised us again with their stability and ease going through this kind of water. As we got to the other shore line the waves subsided and the going was easier yet.
As we approached the anchorage, Leah and Graham from the MV Ch’aak came on deck and invited us over to see their boat. We paddled home, got some appetizers and wine together and went to visit in the Catch-Up. Also there to join us were Bob and Karen from the MV Nellie. We spent two hours in their company exchanging stories and getting to know each other.
We returned to the Sea Foam, had dinner and retired. Tomorrow would likely be a day to depart as the winds were predicted to ease in Johnstone Strait. |
||
|
Date |
Douglas Bay, Forward Harbour to Double Bay, Hanson Island
|
Weather |
|
|
July 7th, 2007 |
Cloudy with Afternoon Sunny Breaks |
||
|
Fish Farm in Sunderland Channel on Route To
MV Sea Skipper on Route to the Broughtons
We meet the XIV VII around
Cracroft Point
XXIV IV Lands One
Double Bay (Eagle in Foreground)
|
The Captain was up first to make coffee and listen to the weather forecast. Several boats had already left the anchorage for Johnstone Strait after being held up for an extra day waiting to go north. The radio was a good listening post for boaters reporting on the conditions they were experiencing in the Strait as they motored on to their next destination. It all sounded good so we made preparations to get underway.
The crew of the MV Ch’aak buzzed by in their tender to tell us they were moving on to Lagoon Cove and hoped to meet up once again in the future. We said our goodbyes for now and got ready to weigh anchor.
Several boats were also on the move. I said farewell to the Sea Skipper aboard his 25’ C-Dory. He had trailered from Oregon and launched his boat in Bellingham, Washington. He was headed for the Broughtons as well.
As we motored away the MV Ch’aak gave an update on the conditions in the Strait. All would be well for the cruise today. We decided to go straight up the Johnstone Strait, not take the backroad up Havannah Channel, fourteen nautical miles up the way. If the Strait is not favorable many cruisers poke their noses out and travel along the Strait for the short stretch and then go in at Havannah Channel and visit the anchorages in the back road area. Because the conditions were so favorable we decided to go all the way up the Strait which will put us into the Plumper Island by 1500. Our friends, Mark and April, onboard the MV XXIV VII were there and expecting us to arrive today.
We made contact with them on the VHF and they were happy to hear we were approaching. They would fish in Blackfish Sound and meet us at Cracroft Point, just south of Hanson Island on West Cracroft Island. They were hoping to catch a salmon to serve up for supper tonight!
As we approached Robson Bight, the famous whale rubbing beach, we were delighted with the flat calm sea conditions and the added benefit of having an ebb tide with us, giving us a 1.5 knot push along the Strait.
When we reached Cracroft Point, Mark and April and their three guests were fishing along Blackney Passage along the southern shore of Hanson Island. As we slowed down to approach they had a fish on and there was great excitement in the stern of their boat. As we got closer April had the net out and in the water and they pulled a big spring salmon high into the air to show us! We had brought them good luck!
Many photos were taken and then we all moved on to anchor in Big Bay for the night. We took Kona to shore and helped Mark clean his fish on the swim grid of his boat. We then put the head, tail and other parts into our crab trap and took it out between two nearby islands in about 30 feet of water.
We returned to the XXIV VII for a delicious meal of salmon and spent the evening catching up on all our stories. After our supper we watched several home videos of Mark and April’s travels to date and then the Captain of the Sea Foam returned me to my vessel and took Kona to shore for her last time tonight.
The winds were calm and the anchorage was pleasant for the night. |
||
