A very low tide on the evening of December 29th and a lower tide expected for the night of the 30th encouraged us to move on. After Cheerios and rehydration we pulled away from the dock at Conover cove. It was raining when we got up but we managed to wait long enough to elude it for the rest of the day. There was a good wind and within the hour we were sailing at 5-6 knots. Lyle is always pleased to have the sails up and the quiet after the steady drone of the diesel engine is always welcome. The sound of the sea lapping against the hull and the wind in the sails is much more pleasing. We traveled with Ann Aerobic through waters with lots of loose logs afloat. Ann Aerobic anchored in Pirate's Cover and we rafted up to her. The Mayhews and Lyle went walking and I opted to stay aboard, get warm and start some supper. New Year's Eve - December 31 - and we moved the two boats to the floating dock that had been vacated by its occupants. We dinghied ashore on a blustery, rainy day and walked the trails of around DeCourcey and Pirate Cove Marine Park. It was a lovely walk through open arbutus forests. Arbutus comes in so many shapes and sizes and is such a rare tree. We are lucky to have them in such abundance in the Gulf Islands and on Vancouver Island. Pirate's Cove Marine Park has a treasure chest placed by a yacht club, and you can add and take items as you wish. The island was once home to a religious cult called the Brothers XII, and is said to be haunted. The strong blow was washing lots of logs ashore and by the end of the walk the rain had started again. We found shelter under some trees and shared a bag lunch - then hurried back to the shelter of the boats and hung clothes about us to dry. We met a couple in Pirate's Cove aboard the sailing vessel Wendelin, Lodi and Steve. They have plans to sail to the Sea of Cortez in the fall also, after a trip to the Queen Charlottes. We visited with them aboard Ann Aerobic. Lodi has quite a bit of sailing experience and they have been in the Charlotte's before. She shared her recipe for pressure cooker bread. I am anxious to give it a try. It is very nice to socialize aboard Ann Aerobic as the salon area is very spacious. It accommodated the three couples nicely and Monica had Christmas decorations up including a small tree. It was very festive. We shared dinner with Ron and Monica and then played Rummi Kub until it was time to welcome the new year. Ron had some sparklers and we got out on the dock, cracked some champagne, lit the sparklers and wished each other the best. There were some bangs from the shore indicating a few firecrackers had been lit. New Year's Day dawned cold and wet!
Aleydabeth cast off her lines and we pulled away from the dock and backtracked to Dodd Narrows. The rain stayed away until we past Nanaimo, and then we had wind and waves. Gales were forecasted but they never really materialized. We got some good sail, then retreated back to the motor as the seas became choppy and the wind gusty and unpredictable. It wasn't a very comfortable ride! By the time we reached Beachcomber we were cold and wet and ready to return to dock. We had some help from the dock to get Aleydabeth berthed as the wind kept pushing her bow back and forth. I didn't get off the boat and managed to get the bow line and the spring lines to the waiting help, and they got us safely to dock. As Lyle was securing the remaining lines, I stepped off the boat on to a slippery dock. I went forward to check the bow line and ended up slipping right into the water! There was that moment when I knew it was inevitable that I was going in, so I hung on tight to the bow line and hit the drink expecting fierce cold and an inflating life jacket. Neither happened. The life jacket didn't depl0y and I had enough layers of clothing on that the icy water never quite penetrated except in a few spots. I managed to get a leg up on the dock and a surprised Lyle fished me out. So I start 2010 with an unexpected Polar Bear Swim! I hope I end it swimming in warm tropical water. So we say goodbye to 2009 a year of great changes and embracing the good things of a sailing life. We look forward to 2010 and a new decade and Mexico and fair winds! We left Beachcomber late Monday morning and motored to Nanaimo. It was a grey day and uneventful and chilly. Lyle got the genoa out as we neared Nanaimo but there really wasn't enough wind to gain any pull. She looked pretty though! We called Dwight and Mary Ellen as we past Schooner Cove but they never spotted us. We spent the night at the Nanaimo Marina where Lyle changed out the Lowrance chart plotter to see if we could eliminate our problem with losing the depth or sudden losses at chart changes. This happened to us in Malibu Rapids..an inopportune time to lose your chart plotter! We had shore power and a cozy electric heater, so Lark enjoyed a long cozy sleep. On Tuesday morning we arose early to get away before traffic increased in the harbour and we needed to make the tide change at Dodd Narrows. This was the first time I had been aboard when we began in semi-darkness. It was pretty to see the harbour lights and the lights of the city disappear as we set out. Although it was chilly it was a pretty day and the sunrise amongst the gray clouds was beautiful. It reminded me of sunsets I have seen in warmer climates. We made Dodd Narrows in plenty of time but had to wait for about twenty minutes for a huge log boom to come through on a long tow. He moved very slowly. But we came through with no problems. I enjoyed the grays and yellows turning to the light of day. Lyle spotted a small island ahead that looked as though it had palm trees ...maybe that was just wishful thinking and looking forward to our Mexico plans in the fall of 2010. We arrived at our destination Conover Cove on Wallace Island at 11:55 and HUNGRY! We feasted on Ham and eggs and got the diesel heater going in the cabin. I was much happier when my feet unthawed! I recognize the need to buy some good fitting outerwear designed for sailing and keeping dry. Everything that comes out of our clothes lockers are too tight, or too long in the leg. All the remnants of past hiking, climbing and camping days. I had enjoyed Wallace Island at Thanksgiving but Conover Cove has a dock that we could tie up to and when we arrived our friends Ron and Monica were waiting aboard Ann Aerobic, and a couple from Vancouver in a Catalina. After clean up we took a long walk to the other side of Wallace Island where we had seen the inukshuks near the picnic site the last time we visited. They were all gone with the exception of one in a little crevice right on the walking path. It was good excercise after all the Christmas treats and the rain stayed away. We returned to the boats in fading light for happy hour on the dock. John had dinghied over from his anchorage and chatted with us about his adventures living aboard for 14 years. Lyle remembered him and his boat from a Nanaimo anchorage last summer. He told a cautionary tale of falling out of his dinghy without killing the motor. He apparently ended up beneath it and had his face and neck cut up badly by the prop. He did manage to get back into the dinghy and got the assistance of a passing coast guard vessel.
We enjoyed visiting and drinks on the dock then moved inside Aleydabeth for a dinner of appys, swapping yarns and too much wine for Lark, followed by a long sleep. I can't say enough about the diesel heater and how toasty and comfortable it keeps the cabin. Grey Hat - Grey Hair Autumn Sailing We got some good sailing in for a few hours of 7 knots and the sun broke by mid-afternoon. Although after a few hours in the cockpit in October the chill finally works its way through your layers of clothing. We got in to Sidney Harbour around 4:30 pm and made contact with our old friends Peter and Nora who were visiting from Alberta so that Peter could run his first marathon in Victoria. I was sitting on the concrete dock in my portable arm chair reading the newspaper in the fading sun when our friends arrived to join us for dinner at the little pub restaurant that we have frequented many times. Sidney Marina is a lovely spot, well maintained with a nice gift shop and facilities. We enjoyed our Chicken Oscar and Seafood Dishes and had a good visit. Peter's mind was of course locked on the huge challenge lying ahead of him on Sunday morning....his first marathon at 52 years of age. We shared his completion last year of his 1/2 marathon so we had our fingers crossed for him. At that point the furthest he had run was 32 km. We retired early to the warmth of the diesel heater and watched Gladiator cuddled under the blankets in our stateroom. We slept in on Sunday morning and after breakfast at a Sidney coffee shop, we took a double decker bus into Victoria. What a great way to travel....no worries and lots of visibility. The fall day was beautiful, crisp but with sunshine. A good day to run. We met Nora near the finish line about four hours into the race. Peter made it in at about 4:09 as fresh as a 20 year old runner. It was an emotional moment and a wonderful accomplishment for them. I was glad to be able to share such a special achievement. We shopped a little in Victoria then made our way back to Aleydabeth with Nora and Peter, where Lark cooked Thanksgiving dinner aboard. It was our second seasonal celebration because we were aboard Aleydabeth on New Year's Eve 2009, but because of all the power problems at the marina it was a cold night and there were no feasts prepared!!! Thanksgiving was different…we managed a turkey breast with trimmings and wine and tea and pumpkin pie, thanks to shore power, a microwave, and a new heater Lyle purchased for Aleydabeth to use when we have shore power available . There was a long search for a missing onion, which was never located.....(making me a little apprehensive that it may show up in mid-winter - when it may be in a different form). I need to learn to keep my food in groupings that make sense and can be easily retrieved ie: vegetables together in the same dry storage area. We had hoped to sail with Peter and Nora on Monday morning but they chose to stay close to their hotel and get the rest and recuperation time that Peter deserved. In retrospect it wasn't such a bad thing as we were able to get underway for the return journey. There wasn't much wind and ver little sun and we need to make some miles to make the timing of Dodd Narrows and the loss of daylight. Sunday turned out to be a long day of motoring. We cut the motor and drifted just after the Whaleboat Islands waiting for slack. We were grateful that it didn't rain, but we were dressed in wools and windpants to keep warm under the autumn overcast skies. I had a fleece blanket on deck for a while and the hot tea and turkey sandwiches warmed our innards! Lyle chose to go through the Narrows a little early and we had a 3 knot current against us. It managed to move us around a little, but there was no traffic and no wind, so we motored through to Nanaimo and stayed at the marina. By dusk I was quite chilled so we opted for dinner at the Lighthouse Bistro Pub (the Draft is good there too, I hear!)
Tuesday morning we skedaddled and stayed ahead of the rain, past Nanaimo and Schooner Cove and back to the familiar territory of Winchelsea Island. Whiskey Golf (area WG) was active as we went by, and we listened to the radio chatter between the military and a fishing vessel that had wandered into the restricted waters and was ordered out. We ended our journey back at Beachcomber with a visit from Bruce Carr aboard Aleydabeth. We hadn't seen him since spring so we shared a few boating yarns about our summer and his, over a cup of coffee. We unloaded our supplies and scurried up the hill to the truck in the first hard rain we had encountered all weekend. We left the marina with the promise of a topsy turvy night in wind and rain. It was a good Thanksgiving weekend. On Thursday October 8th Lyle sailed singlehandedly from Beachcomber to the Chemainus Marina in the company of Ann Aerobic. It was a work day for me so I caught a ride with a friend after curling, and met him that evening. He had a good day of sailing, ending with a visit and tour of Aleydabeth by his old co-workers and friends from the sawmill. Ron and Monica sailed on to Wallace Island where we were to join them the next day. Friday morning was calm and overcast so we motored over to meet Ann Aerobic at Wallace Island. We found them in Princess Cove so we anchored and stern tied then rafted together. Checking out the anchor What a scenic little spot Ron chose! It was very quiet with room for a number of boats. The colors had gone to fall everywhere and the islands look so different now...more peaceful than in the hard days of sunshine in Desolation Sound. Although we had a day of overcast skies it wasn't too cold and we enjoyed the couple of hours it took to motor over. Wallace Island lies between Saltspring and Galiano, north of Pender in the Gulf Island. This was my first trip by boat to the Gulf Islands and it is indeed a great cruising area. Million dollar homes line the shores of Saltspring and there are some glmpses of beautiful properties and sandy beaches. HIKING ON WALLACE ISLAND We enjoyed sandwiches on deck then dinghied over to a small dinghy wharf, where we tied up and took a walk through an arbutus laden forest. A pretty trail led us to other anchorage coves and an old residentail site that is being restored historically (it had been a little resort retreat for a wealthy family). On the way remnants of an old orchard and a rusted out tractor and harrows and Willys truck reminded us of past farming days. As we strolled in the peace of the fall forest I was reminded of Dad as I often am this time of year, which were the days of his birth and death - "October Man". As I smiled to myself lost in my memories I rounded the corner into the field to be confronted by a "forestry" green "water pump" just like the one I had stood beside while Dad pumped water a dozen times....and the one I got my baby finger caught in....a vivid memory of my father. So as I remember him, I am sure he sees me too...that other dimension just a thin veil beyond us, out of reach on the other side of consciousness. When we reached the building site we found a cabin where visitors have left memorabilia with tokens and names and dates on driftwood, or whatever items they could find. Some were creative and colourful, some like offerings to pirate ghosts! There was a clearing with picnic tables, one that had a puzzle underway, another anchorage and what may have been a smokehouse or cold house of some kind ....the bird life was amazing, and I just sat and reveled in the sounds and the colours. Lyle and I walked back to Aleydabeth and Ron and Monica continued to the other side of the island. I napped then journalled and enjoyed dusk on deck as the shadows lengthened across Princess Cove. Aboard Ann Aerobic we shared a wonderful dinner of steaks and salad and Monica's apple crisp ...a great end to a perfect day (with the exception of the old Russel Crowe movie that Monica and I both promptly fell asleep in). On Saturday morning, under grey and threatening skies, Lyle took Monica and I in the dinghy to see the Inukshuks he and Ron had discovered the night before. They have been constructed along the shores of the island in natural sandstone hollows that are accessible at low tide from the picnic area above. The hollows create natural display cases for the artwork. On our dinghy ride over, we passed two seals lying up on a rock. They watched us carefully but didn't retreat until Lyle slowed and turned toward them; then they plunged into the water. They glanced back at us....I don't think they were pleased to be disturbed.
After a farewell to our friends, we untied and set out for Sidney Harbour to meet Nora and Peter. As summer waned and turned to fall we tried to spend as many sunny weekend days at sail as we could.
Beachcomber Marina is situated well for a quick run out into the Georgia Strait so we did that often. We spent two memorable Sundays with our friends the Mayhews, once hiking on Gerald Island, and a second weekend our friends Jenny and Doug sailed with us and explored Ballenas Island from anchor. It has been an amazing summer filled with grand experiences aboard Aleydabeth. Here are some great pictures of our friends aboard Aleydabeth (Jenny posing in the rigging), and Ann Aerobic (Ron and Monica's beautiful Island Packet) at sail. We got away from Beachcomber in the early afternoon, after stopping in at the curling rink to see the Campbell Family Team curl. They had just knocked us out of the bonspiel the night before, but it was close - we were one down coming home. Michelle, our daughter joined us to curl in our fun summer bonspiel, and to sail with us for a few days.
Lyle had just been home for a few days from his circumnavigation of the island and we welcomed Daryl, Michelle, Ken, and Patsy visiting on Vancouver Island. We were blessed with another sunny sailing day, and Michelle sported a pink sundress and hat on the deck of Aleydabeth. We met Ann Aerobic in Northwest Bay. They had just come back from Jedediah and warned us that it had been busy. We had very comfortable sailing at about 5 knots to the Island, and were surprised at how busy the stern ties were at the cove. After deciding on a spot at the entrance of the anchorage, we got Aleydabeth secured with anchor and stern tie and napped on the deck. We Corona'd and had supper followed by competitive card games of "Hearts". Michelle snuggled down in her forward berth for the night, looking very much like worm in a cocoon inside her sleeping bag. We re-anchored on Monday morning as our skipper was unhappy with the location. We dinghied over to Jedediah Island and noticed the increase in jellyfish since spring, and how dry the island had become since our visit in May. We hiked across the crackling brown grass of the meadow to the old homestead site. When we arrived, a few cautious feral sheep edged near us. We noticed the old fruit trees in the orchard were laden with fruit; and after a firm kick to the trunk apples rained down around us. The sound of the apples hitting the ground brought a number of the sheep down to retrieve a meal from the fruit. They scrambled and fought over the apples Lyle and I noted that a number of the fresh water pockets we had seen before and the little creek that ran through the hay field were completely dry, so I am sure that the sheep were happy for the juicy fruit. Other than the island visitors making it available to them, they would have to wait for it to fall of its own accord. It must be frustrating for them to know it is there and not be able to get it. We also noticed a couple of sheep carcasses that had not been there in May either, so the summer had taken a toll on their flock. We humans, explored, lunched and enjoyed the day. On Tuesday we lifted anchor and headed for home. It was a rough ride back. A few of the powerboats that had been at anchor turned about and returned to the cove. I was uncomfortable at the helm, so we left the piloting to Lyle. We sailed some and motored some and made Beachcomber "quick time" The girls were glad for the quick ride as we had reached the end of my Bonamine stock and we were sharing gravol for the run home. It is always nice to take people out on Aleydabeth and we loved having Michelle to share a few days of sailing with us. I awoke to the slapping of rigging against Gwyneth's mast. The wind had picked up overnight and I was apprehensive about the upcoming sail aboard a smaller sailboat in rough weather.
I boarded just after 9 a.m. and Andy, Danielle and I set off on stormy seas for Ucluelet after fending off Aleydabeth and waving good bye to the crew. It was wet and rainy and I was decked out in all the rain gear I could find....turned out to be a good decision. Gwyneth managed a healthy 6 knots with the wind in her back under sail and we were quite heeled over, enough that skipper spilled some wind to make me feel a little more comfortable. The weather grew increasingly worse and the ocean swells increased to about a meter. The return trip was a lot faster, and we made Ucluelet within a couple of hours, returning through the amazing whaling area that we had come through the day before. She did not disappoint. The weather was secondary to the up close and personal encounters with the Humpbacks. One breached at the bow of the boat and came right out of the water, while another rose beside us, rolled to her side and waved her flipper at us for quite some time. She gave us lovely whale tails as she frolicked around us. It was truly magical. Andy was up on deck trying to snap photographs, but I just gave up and thought I would take mental pictures and not miss a thing! The display was so mesmerizing, we cut the engine and just waited and watched. Zodiacs with tour groups were circling around us trying to get a glimpse. What a day! I was glad to make landfall, and I spent a wet chilly day waiting for Mike to hitchike back to us, and bring the car so I could get home. Lyle and Anthony had the same weather heading to Bamfield, but the wind against them all the way. It was apparently quite a tough day for them. By 10 p.m. I was back in that unreal world of my little condo with my fireplace blazing - the amazing events of the day already fading to memory. Another God given beautiful day...to follow the wet and windy one we had yesterday.
I have never seen nor thought I would ever see whales as I did today. Humpbacks 2 or 3 times around us - one so close he snorted (a kind of whistling exhaling sort of sound) and he rolled and surfaced beside us. I could have hit him with a rock. Then a couple swimming as if performing a synchronized dance for our benefit, their backs surfacing and gliding underwater one immediately behind the other. Then another dived and gave us a classic back out and whale tail finish. It was breathtaking. There was no wind to speak of although we sailed meanderingly for an hour or so listening to the lap of the water aginst the hull. The sun glistened on sea glass water and twinkled as we soaked up the best of the summer day. A three hour motor and sail brought us to Joe's cove in the Broken Islands a haven for kayakers and a national park. We beachcombed and I skippered the dinghy. I noticed that Tony made a hasty exit back to Aleydabeth...(not so good at the tiller stuff....lots of circles!). We had appetizers on Aleydabeth's deck and Andy and Danielle joined us. They played the guitar and we joined in a sing song of favorite folk songs including Plaisir d'amour and Four Strong Winds (Andy relented...he is not an Alberta fan). As I wrote this entry in my journal I listen to Andy playing his harmonica and guitar - Hey Jude- on the deck of Gwyneth. The images of the Broken Islands are beautiful and haunting...little atolls with dark clouds on their shoulders at times or shadows silhouetted aginst sunny or stormy skies. Like handfuls of earth tossed randomly on a welcoming sea, by an all powerful God and placed for the giants of the oceans to swim among. It was a bit of serendipity that I had the opportunity to return to Aleydabeth...Danielle wanted to return, Mike wanted to attend a Victoria wedding, Jenny wanted to run to Tofino with us, Calgary was cold and rainy, Nora had broken her ankle, my grandsons were not in Calgary....and so on Thursday I met Danielle at the ferry and we drove together to Tofino.
We met Gwyneth and Aleydabeth at the government dock in Tofino and got reacquainted over a pub lunch, where poor Jenny locked her keys in the car and awaited rescue by BCAA. After a highway robbery night in a local motel (worth $35 and charged $195!) Tony and I provisioned and Lyle got a part for his alternator welded at a local machine shop. Tofino is sooo touristy....a pretty spot but expensive. We took a short motor to Adventure Cove and anchored. The cove is full of history...a recent archaeological discovery defines this cove as the place where fur trader Robert Gray and his ship and crew of the "Columbia" wintered and built a small schooner called Adventure. They also built a fort called Defiance and burned a first nations village of over 200 residents in 1792. He would later head to Oregon where the Columbia river would be named for his boat. We dinghied ashore and found sketchy evidence of a clearing where some old toppled cedar giants were obviously cleared. A brass plaque marks the cove. After a steak dinner and a relaxing evening we left the cove early in the morning in a receding tide. The bonamine was working so well I was able to cook an eggs and bacon kind of breakfast as we were under way, and clean up the cabin....Wow! We rejoined Gwyneth in the outer harbour of Tofino where we saw humpback whales. The day was foggy and grey to start then turned to mist, then rain, then wind and some large swells. I was a little uneasy, and if I went below it would take me 20-30 minutes to regain my "sea legs"....(the message is don't go below in rough seas!). Tony cheerily let me know that this was the worst weather day they had experienced so far!!! But there I was with nothing between me and Japan. Lark on the ocean....who would have guessed! We travelled for about three hours to Ucluelet. Tony's presence on Aleydabeth is a wonderful and welcome thing. He is a soft spoken, knowledgeable, smart and learned man who has seen much of the world and willingly shares his adventure stories. He is a good complement to Lyle and his presence has removed my anguish over "crewing". I have a lot less concern with a second knowledgeable sailor abord. Lyle and he have long technical discussions and seem to enjoy each other's company and give each other lots of space. What a gift! Danielle and I walked the shops of Ucluelet. It is a pretty town and much less commercial than Tofino. Another great day, and a wonderful dinner aboard. Time to find a pillow. |
AuthorLark Balmer Archives
October 2012
Categories
All
|