A Steven King night!

I was sleeping in the boat at Secret Cove when I was startled by some weird growling sound. Wasn't sure whether it was a dream or real. I realized something was in the boat and yelled "get out". It did. On further inspection the animal had got into my garbage and taken out and cleaned up an avocado skin. Also it was eating a couple of dog cookies that I carry around with me and had put on the counter. I look around outside the boat and see a - did you guess it - racoon. They have a reputation for being aggresive around food and probably I startled it. Lorrie, I guess I wasn't snoring. I returned to be with the hatch closed this time. The racoon came back as I could here it walking on the deck of my boat. The marina had not heard of a racoon on the docks before. Here are some pictures from the marina.

July 2nd - Sargeant Bay

I got stir crazy at Gibsons and decided to leave. The warnings were still out but the wind was calm when I got up at 6. The winds started to blow once out in the Strait and the swell were still huge. I was told though that after about 2 hrs the swells will diminish as some islands will start to break the flow. Good advice and I arrived in the bay and anchored out for a couple of nights enjoying the sunshine and warm waters of the bay.

Arrival at Gibsons

Originally I planned to go via Georgia Strait but the swells seemed enormous for this lake sailor and the winds were strong (small craft warning posted), so I went the back way around some islands. Sailed all the way - about 4 hours. I passed a seal lying on some drift wood - reminder to self of have my camera available. I stayed in Gibsons for a few days because of constant small craft warnings. The harbour was busy many people waiting it out.

The boat has been moved

Rudy drove the boat down to the coast on June 26th. The trip was uneventful except for a flat tire on the trailer on the top of the Coquihala Pass. We had a friend Steve driving by on the opposite side of the highway that stopped to give us a hand - nice.



The other picture is looking over the West Vancouver Yacht Club where I have been fortunate in staying at, getting my boat put together, and taking care of last minute details. Can you see my boat? Tomorrow I am off to Gibsons.

Bottom antifouling is nearly complete

The boat now has two coats of Fiberglass Bottomkote Act paint and will get one more. I used this paint because I previously had a Bottomkote paint on the boat, this one is effective in salt water and is multi-seasonal, and it is an ablative paint which means "it washes away with use like a bar of soap constantly exposing fresh and effective biocide and will provide excellent antifouling protection throughout the boating season." Also, because it washes away, the paint does not buildup over time. I'm hoping to get two seasons out of it without taking the boat out of the water, though I will do some swimming/diving to check it out.

Winter has arrived

The present temperature is -6°C
Current: SnowWind: NE at 23 km/hHumidity: 80%

Forcast - cold
Sat-8°C -18°C
Sun-16°C -24°C
Mon-16°C -25°C
Tue-13°C -16°C

No more needs to be said.

Hare or Tortoise

It’s December, it’s cold outside, and I’m thinking about my sailing trip this coming summer. Will I be the Hare or will I be the Tortoise!

Sometimes I think that I want to get in the boat and sail for hours and hours – that would be the Hare. Only stop for the nights and then keep on going. This would result in lots of miles covered and sailing in all sorts of conditions – this I think would be so much fun. The autopilot would become my best friend again. My navigation skills would get well honed and the boat would be well tested. I have no doubts that the boat could handle this. Can I? I would see lots of the coast very quickly and maybe see areas that I would want to go back to for exploration. I might have an inkling to drop into Whidbey Island Race Week to visit some of my friends racing their boats, or attend one of the other regattas that happen around the coast every summer in hope of getting a chance to crew on a race boat. If this was my mode, then circumnavigating Vancouver Island could be a goal to set.

As the Tortoise I would probably stop off at anchorages for days on end to explore, swim, read, and relax. With some luck I might catch a salmon for dinner, or maybe I’ll get a crab trap and do some crabbing. The dingy will be great for checking out the tidal pools and maybe I’ll get some good wildlife shots with my camera. I then might sail to a Marina for a few days in one of the many coastal towns to socialize and enjoy the amenities of the town such as eating out at a nice restaurant or visiting book stores. Then off to another anchorage, or a new town, four hours sailing away, for more of the same. How much of this can I do before I get bored? Some cruisers say you can spend two weeks in Desolation Sound without staying at the same place more than two nights and the scenery is incredible. If this is my mode, then I may never get out of the inside passage this summer, and that too would be good.

Sitting at the computer this evening I cannot say which way the trip will unfold. When I feel more adventuresome (dare I say macho), I’m thinking of the circumnavigation of Vancouver Island. When I’m enjoying a glass of wine contemplating about life, the thought of sitting in my boat in a quite anchorage seems quite appealing. The Hare or the Tortoise – what do you think?