|
| May 12th - 22nd, 2006 |
| Page | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | > | » |
.jpg "After quick shopping in Nanaimo, we are on our way to Port Alberni. Marina where we launch has washrooms, boat launch and that's about it. The guy in charge requests $26 for a privilege to sleep in the boat parked in their parking lot. Zero charge if we launch. Sigh. In the rain, we put up the mast and launch the boat to spend the night at the dock.. It's 9:00 PM. The two sailors are tired, dirty and hungry. First things first...We embark on a search for the swimming pool to take a shower. After 3 misses, we find it and are let inside free of charge. Shower feels like heaven. Afterward, we find a seafood place and have our usual share of shrimp and oysters. It's cold out here on the coast. Calgary is much warmer this year. Shouldn't it be the other way round? There was snow on the mountains when we passed Shuswap area...Unusual.
Next day, Maciek wakes me up at 6:00 am. I want to kill him. He is too excited to sleep. Salty Dogs arrived at 3:00 AM last night, launched the boat and is ready for departure around 8:00. Tide is at the highest ebb, and river is rushing. I can feel and hear it when I am in the boat. Maciek laughs at Salty Dog saying that they are trying to time their sail down the river to be exactly at the worst possible time. They leave one minute past the highest ebb, the boat turns stern to current, they spin around but recover and disappear from view. Wow! I came out on deck and land flat on my butt. Everything was covered with ice! That's the first! We decide to take our time. The river is still rushing, there are plenty of things to do. We throw the lines at about 11:00. This picture shows the dock before our departure.")
.jpg "There is no wind in Alberni Inlet so we motor for a while, then as the thermal starts to build in, motor sail. I manage to have a small nap which helps a bit to recover and not feel like a total wash out. I get up when hell breaks loose and the boat is fighting more than 20 knots of winds right on the nose. Tacking is required, but we slowly make progress and arrive in Limestone Bay around 4:00 PM. There is no sign of Salty Dog as we tie to some floating logs. It's peaceful and quiet here. We raise some toasts with Glayva liquor, have a nice dinner and then get in touch with Tomek on VHF. The guys decide to visit us - they are just around the corner in Bernard's Point. Instead, after they come over, we decide to move the boat to their place. It's a nice and quiet bay with a floating dock anchored in the middle. Perfect! Boys hunt for oysters.")
.jpg "We throw a crab trap but all we find is this fellow. It's a baby.")
.jpg "Bye, bye")
.jpg "The night is cold and I have trouble warming up in my sleeping bag. I want to sail someplace warm! Is that too much to ask? Obviously...It howls overnight but we are snug and secure here. When I wake up at 9:30, the sun is high, the decks are warm. Time to find out where I've put things around the boat so that I don't have to look for stuff anymore. It's very annoying. When I am tired, I organize food around the boat and then forget some details. 'Where is...' starts every second sentence. I don't like this transitional stage of every cruise that challenges my claim to having good memory. We stay on the docks chatting and laughing until 12:00 PM and then sail through Junction passage to Imperial Eagle Channel.")
.JPG "A few pictures from Juan the Fuca taken by Kelly on Seaduction. Lots of traffic!")
.JPG "KellysBarkley (9).JPG")
.JPG "KellysBarkley (11).JPG")
.JPG "KellysBarkley (12).JPG")
.JPG "The crew looks very relaxed here")
.jpg "Winds are light, waves are making me a bit nauseous as I sit inside the boat and type these notes. We are in radio contact with Rick Staple on Nauticare (they are half a day behind us) and Cal, Martin and Kelly on Seaduction (who sailed yesterday into Bamfield). Martin and the rest of the crew cannot stop laughing at Maciek's shenanigans on VHF. They claim he said that his voice was broken in a conversation to Rick. Rick denies but the story has a life of its own now. Maciek get's an Indian name: 'Broken Voice'.
Ah, it is sunny and sailing is awesome! I am missing out! It's gusting to 20 knots; we bounce up and down the waves while tacking towards Robber's Passage. Salty Dog took the long way round and we are alone, gliding silently through the narrow pass. Lot's of rocks here! You have to watch your charts and GPS closely. It's downwind sailing the rest of the way and the waves have diminished. Slowly and gently we enter the narrow channel to Poett Nook. Hakuna Matata and Seaduction are already at the dock. Cal is serving 'Benebrew' on tap (home made Guinness). The regular chats about the events up take a good part of the afternoon. Both Seaduction and Hakuna Matata motored most of the way through Juan the Fuca. Bill and Rob, red eyed after the allnighter, have had some rum already and we feel we need to catch up. It's wonderful to sit on the deck and just enjoy the warmth and sunshine. The marina is under construction, the docks and water stations are new and half done.")
.JPG "KellysBarkley (20).JPG")
.JPG "Class Act")
| Total images: 187 | Last update: 2006-58-10 03:58 | Generated by JAlbum 6.5 & Chameleon skin | Help |
|
| May 12th - 22nd, 2006 |
| Page | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | > | » |
| Total images: 187 | Last update: 2006-58-10 03:58 | Generated by JAlbum 6.5 & Chameleon skin | Help |