macblaze.ca

September 4

We woke up and started to get ready. As per his habit, the boy stayed in bed. This meant I had to retrieve the stern tie myself. Luckily it all went pretty smoothly without any embarrassing slip-ups. We raised anchor and headed out. Dave’s GPS was being finicky getting a signal so we took the lead out the narrow entrance.

An hour or so later we were at Surge Narrows. We had timed it pretty good so I went straight through and hit about 9 knots with the current. Easy-peasy. The wind was coming up so we tried the jib and a few minutes later decided that sailing was possible on a bit of a run. We sailed in variable winds, trying some wing-on-wing and then gybing back and forth trying to make some good time. It was a short run and Dave phoned ahead to Heriot Bay so we had lots of time.

Then we saw the orcas. They were feeding just off the starboard bow. At this point we were thankful for the light winds and sort of just drifted while we watched them circle and thrash in the water. Eventually they moved past us and we watched them for a half an hour or so as they moved off back towards Surge Narrows. Just as we were giving up trying to spot them, a whale watching boat came zooming by headed directly towards them.

Then we dropped the sails and headed the rest of the way down the Sutil Channel. At the end of the channel no less than 4 more high speed boats loaded with paying customers came screaming up the channel in search of those poor orcas. For the first time I felt sorry for them and a bit disdainful of the whale watching industry. A bit hypocritical I know, but 5 boats for barely six whales? Like I said, poor things.

We tied up in Heriot Bay because Dave had given up and ordered a brand new foot pump; our repairs hadn’t worked. Heriot Bay is a lovely hotel and pub with rickety ramshackle docks and one of the highest moorage rates yet. They say all the money goes to dock improvement, which I really hope is the case, but it does seem a bit off to pay such high rates for tippy docks, bad power and only one fresh water outlet. We did however get our propane tank refilled, as it had run out the evening prior. It had lasted just over a month. The old spare with the outdated valve still had propane left so we had just switched over.

 

We headed up the hill to do some shopping. There is a Thrifty’s just up the hill that has great selection and a liquor store. It really is a great stop and of course you can anchor in nearby Rebecca Spit and just dinghy over. We also dumped our garbage and recycling which had been collecting since McNeill.Then we spent a relaxing day and dried out in the sunshine.

We had always intended to make tonight a pub night even if we had followed through on our original plan to anchor out. Turns out there was a band playing and everything. Now we might actually be able to stay late enough to hear them. And it turns out R Shack had met up with old O-dock buddies Paul and Kirsty from Canty, a 34′ Catalina and invited them to join us for pub night as well. It was a party.

They came and gathered us up around 5:30 and we headed up to the pub. The food was great and I chatted to Paul about batteries and power systems. Canty was at anchor so they decided to bail while there was still light, but Leslie, Zak and I hung on with Dave and Margaret to hear the band. They were all old coots and played a great selection of soft rock and oldies. The crowd were mostly locals and regulars and were having a lot of fun. Zak fled after the fourth or fifth tune but we hung on until 10:30 or so. In retrospect I wish we had showed up later and stayed the course. It was a fun evening and it’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed the small town bar atmosphere. Next time.

September 5

The next morning we headed back up the hill for a few last minute purchases. Then I topped up the water tanks and we were good to go. I threw the motor on the dinghy and Zak took off solo to scope out the anchorage while Leslie and I cast off and followed at sailboat speeds.

Canty was anchored at the south end of the spit which was a bit off the beaten track, so we thought we would give it a try. The band of shallow, but not too shallow, water is narrower there so we blew our first anchor attempt. We were set, but I felt our swing would take us too close to shore and the tide was still dropping at least 9 feet by morning. So we tried again and I was pretty happy with it. The winds were SW so we were a bit exposed and it was blowing us onto the shore but they weren’t too strong.

L decided to use up the browning bananas and make banana bread now that we had propane again. Meanwhile R Shack Island showed up and anchored on the far side of Canty even further south down the spit. I dinghy’ed over for a beer and we arranged to meet for a walk later.

Once gathered on shore we walked almost all the way around spit. Zak hung out by the tenders on the beach and carved, while the four of us stretched our legs and enjoyed the terrain. Dave and I bailed as we came back parallel with the dinghies while Les and Margaret headed off for parts unknown. Eventually the intrepid explorers came back and we all took a moment to visit the little bears’ room before heading back to our respective boats. Nice day. I really enjoy the exposed side of Rebecca Spit. The beaches, rocks and monstrous piles of driftwood are so beautiful.

Dinner was Nachos! Then we broke out the Skip Bo and played by candlelight until I begged to be allowed to go to sleep.

September 6

I awoke to a 6 am text from R Shack stating they were aground. I hopped on deck with the binoculars and sure enough they were tilted on their side at a 45° angle. Yikes. Everyone (and everything) was ok and they just had to wait out the tide to refloat the boat. We perked up some real coffee and I grabbed half the loaf of banana bread and took it over to them since their galley was out of commission. I offered to take M back to Never for Ever to clean up but she declined.

In the end, all was well. The Shack regained her proper attitude and no damage was done except maybe for a stiff workout out of the old heart rate. We up anchor’d just a bit after our scheduled time of departure (it was going to be a long day to Texada Island) and were soon motoring out of the bay.

L got two calls on the cell from an Ontario number and the second one left a message stating we should call the credit card company. I called in and turns out L and I’s shared card had been compromised. Either that or I had been buying very expensive shoes online. Anyway they told us to cut up both cards and they would send us out new ones. I told them to send them to the house and we would get them later. Its always so amazing and creepy how they catch these things.

A little while later I spied some whale watching boats on our course. Seems the good luck of Zak was on a streak. He unfortunately was still asleep and we didn’t want to wake him. Sucks to be tired 🙂 We were treated to an extraordinary show with some leaps in the air and two smaller orcas playing. As we floated there with our engines off we could here the killer whales breathes and the sound of the whale watchers lecturing his passengers. It was serene and surreal. On of out best experiences ever. It is hard to imagine that before this trip we had never spotted killer whales in the wild. Now we were up to 40 or 50 whales over 6 different experiences. Absolutely amazing.

After the whales passed us by we fired up the engines again and motored southeast in the calm waters. A little while later Leslie popped her head up and informed the tap had “fallen off.” Huh. We switched off positions and I headed down below. Sure enough the galley sink’s tap had “fallen off.” Turns out the restraining nut on the threaded rod below the tap had worked its way loose and needed to be retightened. I took as much of it apart as I could and tried to WD-40 the rust out as much as I could. Then I reassembled the whole thing and we will wait to the next time it falls off. Boats. What ya gonna do.

I had set up a track with waypoints for fun and we followed the charted course all the way to Sturt Bay on Texada Island. We tied up at the Texada Boat Club which is one of my favourite places. Clean, well maintained, water, 15 amp power and cheap as borscht. The only downside is they don’t take garbage for free and that’s no great trial. There is even a store in nearby Vanada, but we’ve never visited. That’s for a future trip. And I got my favorite stern-in spot by the canopy and flower pots: score!

We opted to walk into town and up the hill to eat at the Texada Hotel. Good friendly service and decent food. And a vital part of the whole ‘small town’ experience. Afterwards we did Skip-Bo 2: the Revenge, and then hit the sack after a long day.

Once again I have been derelict in my record keeping. We are back from the Broughtons and I will likely cease the daily play-by-play with this set (3) of entries. I will try to (restart) regular entries but it will be more motivated by major happenings than by a calendar.

August 31

To remind you, this is the morning after Zak joined in Port McNeill us aboard Never for Ever. We woke up and cast off while Zak was still asleep. He eventually woke up as we approached Alert Bay and got a glimpse of the totem poles through the binoculars but that was it for his cultural introduction to west coast natives. We did try to sail off Cormorant Island but gave up as the winds were going to make an already long day into an impossibly long day.

So we motored along enjoying the scenery. We listened to the whale watching frequency and they were reporting orcas over in Blackfish Sound but we couldn’t spot anything through the gaps in the islands. Then, at the foot of the sound, we spotted a big male exiting Blackney passage. Then we saw 4 more smaller ones following about 100 metres behind. We let R Shack and then shut down the engines and enjoyed as they passed us by. We were between R Shack and the orcas so they didn’t get a very good view.

Just as we were ready to start up again I spotted two more off R Shack‘s bow. I radioed over to look forward and they were treated to two orcas playing and nudging each other literally tens of feet away. Paint me jealous. We think we spotted two more off our port a few minutes later but that might have been two we already had spotted. It didn’t matter; we enjoyed them anyway.

We moved on and were treated to a long motor of fog and rain. We did get the sails out for a bit but the winds died again. The crew insisted they spotted something,maybe a whale but it was never confirmed. We did add a sea lion to the tally in Johnstone Straight just after Growler Cove. He swam along with us for a hundred yards or so before disappearing.

Eventually the sun came out and we turned up into Port Harvey and tied up on the dock. Pau Hana II an old Defever out of LA, greeted us. It seems that had been hearing R Shack Island and Never for Ever chattering on the radio for the last couple of weeks. It’s an interesting way to meet people. You form opinions and paint pictures based on the radio chatter and then try and match them up when you finally spot the boat or meet the people.

I made chicken while Dave and Margaret opted for the Red Shoe restaurant’s pizza night. Then Zak and I battled for cribbage supremacy while Leslie just tried not to get double-skunked. Zak won.

September 1

While we had opted out of pizza night, I did put in an order for cinnamon buns. I wandered up to collect them and chatted with Dave and a couple of other early risers in the restaurant.It seems we had missed an early morning Grizzly (6 a.m.) and then 2 black bears about an hour later. That’ll teach us. I delivered the cinnamon buns and wandered back for free coffee and a bit more chat while L started her day.

Back on the docks I watched Pau Hana II pull their crab trap from the end of the dock. He had caught 5 or so but only two were male and of the proper size. Then i watched him clean and prepare them. His method was a lot like how C does a chicken. He had a cleaver and a hammer and cut them in half length-wise. Then he ripped off the back, scooped out the centre, and ripped the “thigh” and legs from the main torso to cook up later. Still not sure I am ready for the experience yet though.

Eventually we cast off on another cloudy and cool day and motored down Johnstone Strait. This is the most tedious part of the journey and we always seem to be heading into the wind no matter which direction we go.

Fortunately, some god or goddess of the seas took pity on us and sent us a pair of dolphins. These dolphins took a keen interest in us and scooted along side and started playing in our bow wake. They stayed with us for almost 2 hours! They would wander off for 5 or 10 minutes and then we would spot them again zooming along side and heading for the bow. They were so close you could just about touch them. I tried. One particularly curious fellow was as interested in us as we were in him. He would match speeds on the port side of the pulpit and then roll over on his side so he could gaze up at us. He did this again and again much to everyone’s delight. Trust me, there was a lot of giddy giggling going on.

We hit Helkemen Island at pretty much the wrong time and then I made the choice to try the western Current Passage rather than Race Passage. First we had to bang our way through the turbulence where the currents converged, then I had to fight the back eddies and finally, on the other side of the island, we banged into 5–8 foot waves for 5 minutes or so until we were clear of the area. Next time I will read all the advice first rather than trying to interpret the charts myself. At least I didn’t have my main up like R Shack. They had a much bigger fight with both wind and currents making life difficult.

It was a long day. Eventually we turned up Mayne Passage and motored to Blind Channel where we had a reservation. Two powerboats we had left on the dock in Port Harvey were already tied up. Stupid powerboats. We turned down dinner at the restaurant and I made pork chops and orzo. Tomorrow’s agenda is subject to weather and currents; we’d like to go back to Johnstone and come through Upper Rapids to Octopus Islands but the safer bet is back the way we had come up through Dent and Gillard.

September 2

Our 7 am plan turned into a 8 am plan becasue we both needed fuel and they didn’t open until 8. We also had to settle our tab. But at 8 am sharp we paid up and hit the fuel dock and were both on our way not much before 8:30. The weather wasn’t too bad and we felt we had enough time in our pockets to try and make Upper Rapids so we headed back out into Johnstone.

It was slow going. We were bucking the current and not making much more than 3 or 4 knots over ground. It was long, boring and frustrating. And a bit nerve wracking as we had to make slack at Upper Rapids or we would be hooped. The day got a bit better with 2 humpbacks making an appearance off Chatham Point. They were going the other way but we watched the for 4 or 5 minutes before the disappeared up Johnstone Strait.

About this time the currents had finally relented and we started to make good time. We turned into Okisollo Channel with almost an hour in the bag and sighed a sigh of relief.

And then about 3 miles up the channel I spotted a whale watching boat that had come to a stop up ahead of us. Sure enough a pod of orcas was coming straight towards us. I shut down the engine, radioed R Shack and we watched. Unfortunately the 7 or 8 orcas dove about a hundred feet off our bow and didn’t resurface until 100 feet off our stern so we missed the close view. Lucky for D & M, they were behind us and were treated to a way better viewing experience. Having Zak aboard was proving to be mighty lucky. He claims it was the charm he made us, but no kid=no charm so…

After the orcas passed us by we hung around Lower Rapids for a bit. These were easily transited but to hit Upper Rapids at slack we still had to wait around a half an hour so we dawdled. The rapids, in the end, we once again a bit of a non-event, other than the boat ahead of me going too slow for my comfort zone and I felt more comfortable passing him in the narrow channel than I did putzing along at slow speed in the current.

Rapids safely transited, we slowly motored our way down the extremely narrow channel that was the entrance to Octopus Islands and turned into the small cove where we had stern tied last year. It was mostly empty so we picked a tree and dropped anchor, stern pointed towards the shore. Since wrassling the stern tie is a bit of a rite of passage, I sent Zak off in the dinghy with the line and instructions. My last advice was to not forget to hold on to the dinghy’s painter lest it float away as he disembarked. He forgot to hold on to the dinghy’s painter as he disembarked and it floated away as he disembarked. Luckily the rock shelf he had landed on was relatively shallow and he splashed out to retrieve the wayward tender. As I said, a rite of passage. We’ve all done it. At least he didn’t hole the dinghy like I did.

Eventually we got the stern wrestled into place and the line tied off. We were too far away to loop the line back to the boat, so that meant someone would have to retrieve the line via dinghy tomorrow. C’est la vie. It was damn cold and not exactly beautiful out, but Dave joined us for a beer nonetheless and Zak spotted a pair of raccoons scavenging for food along the shore line. Hamburgers were on the menu so I fired up the BBQ and we tried to stay out of the intermittent rain. It was a cold, damp night.

September 3

The next morning was clear but the weather still sucked and everything was damp so Zak and I pulled out the tarp and tried to redirect some of the water when the rain inevitably started up again.

I head over to the Shack to help Dave with his foot pump rebuild. This took most of the day and on the fourth or fifth reassemble we finally got it right. But after the second “successful” rebuild I left Dave to do the actual installation and took Zak out in the dinghy to check him out on the outboard. We zoomed around a bit and practiced landing on the beach. On the way out the entrance to the islands he spotted 4 animals along the water line. Turns out it was a family of river otters (4) who eventually dived in to the water and then — since that didn’t make us leave — scurried up the shore into the trees.

Apparently the weather gods were playing games, because now that the tarp was up the sun was now staying out. So I spent some time reading in sunshine before heading back to the Shack to help with rebuilds 4 and 5. Eventually we got it installed and “working.” Or at least not leaking. Or so we thought.

Then the family loaded up and we went off for a dinghy ride to explore Wyatt Bay. It’s huge and all of it is shallow enough for good anchoring. Definitely a place to try if you don’t want close neighbours. Back at the boat we had BBQ chicken and then played cards. Good day. Good trip so far.