Summer Vacation 2009

June 26^th	Victoria Plan Arrive in Victoria before 1500hrs. 24 nm Reality Sidney to Port Renfrew 110 nm	Pt Atkinson		Baines Channel			0800	22	+
Friday		0323	3.1		+-		0900	23	-
		0759	3.9		1005	- 4.4	1000	24	-
		1455	0.7	1400	1645	+ 4.0	1100	25	-
		2213	4.8	2030	0000	- 3.8	1200	26	-
							1300	27	-
				Sidney Channel			1400	28	-
					1102	-1.7	1500	1	+
				1513	1930	2.0	1600	2	+
							1700	3	+

0600hrs Coming out of the channel. There is a fish boat ahead leaving the harbour, otherwise quiet. I got up this morning at 0430hrs and took Trixi for one more walk, then a bowl of cereal for breakfast and off to the marina on foot to get on the road. Last night we had Marc & Pam over for late drinks after having dinner at the newly re-opened Stonehouse Pub. They had both been on the east coast last week for business and we hadn’t seen them for a while. My head’s a bit thick this morning. The fresh air is refreshing. We even have a north-easterly wind blowing out of the harbour this morning. Aiming to reach Sooke today and if the wind is too string at Race Passage, back to Victoria then.

0630hrs The spinnaker is up! It took a bit of work but the wind is just right. It’s mostly cloudy this morning with a promise of sunshine today (according to the weather people).

0700hrs The wind has died (typical) and I’m back under power, motoring at 5.5 knots in Sidney Channel, 2200 rpm. Let’s find out if the transmission seal is really fixed or not! The current is with me but not all that strong yet. I should explain the transmission seal. It’s been leaking out of the forward seal since last spring. I’ve had the engine out three times this year to take the transmission over to Gartside to have the seal “fixed”. I think he’s got it right this time! I’m hopeful anyway! The last time I brought it in was two weeks ago after our trip to San Juan Island. He put the transmission under pressure and found that the rubber seated seal walked out of the seat allowing the oil to escape into the engine. The new seal is metal backed.

0842hrs I’m just abeam of Ten Mile Point approaching Baines Channel. GPS says we’re going 7.4 knots so the current has changed in my favour. No wind to speak of, lots of turbulent water ahead. It’s still cloudy but sun is trying to get out. Reset the trip odometer on the instruments, it will be short 10 nm.

0915hrs Out past Gonzalies Point, out of Enterprise Channel. I can’t see Race Rocks 10.8 nm away. I’m still doing 6.5 knots over the bottom with the left over current. It’s absolutely flat out, not a ripple in the water. The Olympic Mountains are hidden by low clouds and mist. The sun is out and it’s nice and warm. Natasha managed to top out at 7.5 knots through Baines Channel with the current.

1000hrs The sun is out and it’s cold but warm. I’m about 2 nm in front of Victoria, decked out in my thermals and sweaters. It will get colder as I get closer to Race Passage, which I can now see. The clouds have all cleared and I have about a five knot wind on the nose, just a ripple on the water. No other pleasure boats in sight, just a few commercial crabbers and the Coho went by a while ago. It looks good to get through Race. About an hour away yet. It should be a five knot current with me when we get there.

1051hrs In Race Passage doing 8.1 knots. Pretty flat yet, just a ripple on the water from the five knot westerly breeze. It looks absolutely flat ahead. Sooke Harbour is about five miles ahead.

1200hrs I’m abeam of Sooke, riding up and down some pretty substantial swells already! Surprised they’re in this far from the Pacific! There is just a ripple on the water and a bunch of trailerable fish boats along the shore. I’m still powering with about 8 knots over the bottom. The maximum speed Natasha got through Race was 11 knots in some pretty turbulent water! I’m set to continue to Port Renfrew 33nm away. I don’t expect to get there until about 1800hrs, perhaps 1900, depending on what the wind does and how long the current lasts in our favor. It’s supposed to change at about 1600hrs to a big flood. Although sunny overhead, it’s hazy ahead so I can’t see Neah Bay yet. If the wind get’s stronger on the nose I’ll just turn and run back into Sooke. Last weather report had Sherringham at west 6 knots. The prediction is for 15 – 20 knots early this afternoon. That against the big ebb may cause some pretty rough seas! Clouds and showers by Saturday night! The wind is supposed to stay from the west for the next few days.

1325hrs. Still 23.5 nm from Port Renfrew, abeam of Sherringham Point. The wind is about 10 knots on the nose and there’s about a 2 ft chop riding on the swells. A few trailerable fish boats along the shore. I managed to contact Carey on the cell phone (who knew that I would get a signal out here!) to let her know about going for Port Renfrew. No boats ahead except freighters in mid channel.

1440hrs I’m at Jordan River and the tide has definitely turned against me. I’m under four knots against the current and wind. Clear skies and 15 knots of wind against. I’m up along the shore (very noticeable water color coming out of the Jordan River) trying to get out of the current against. At least the current is with the wind and so it’s still flat enough to continue.

1500hrs I believe I’m off French Beach, San Simon Point. The wind has eased somewhat, the surface chop has diminished a bit. I’m still at 4 knots over the bottom although I have cranked the engine up to 2400 rpm from 2200. Natasha is going through the water at about 5.5 – 5.7 knots with 16.3 nm to go. I should be there about 1900hrs. That should take about 4 hrs. I still have a long way to go.

1720hrs Off Sombrio Point. The sun is starting to fade towards the west. The sky is still clear. Not another boat in sight. I’m still 7.2 nm away from the entrance to Port San Juan. There is still a lot of current against and some of the swells are getting high enough that I’m looking up at them as they approach. The wind is remaining a constant 10 – 12 knots over the bow. The weather forecast for tomorrow morning is good, light winds from the west, so I think I’ll go into Port San Juan and stay the night.

1800hrs Well, that was a pretty ugly 37 minutes! I’m just around the corner of Sombrio Point, corkscrewing over the chop and swells. I don’t know how strong the current was at that point but it’s taken a long, long time to get past the point. I’m still 6.8 nm from Port San Juan and down to 3 knots most of the time in big chop and swells. It must be a strong flood around the point. I don’t know how I could have avoided that unless I went way off shore. Marc just left a message wondering how the first day had gone. I’m still getting cell phone connections out here. I texted him back and then phoned Carey while I was at it. The Ron called as well. A busy little time.

1915hrs Turning the corner at San Juan Point, into Port San Juan! The wind is purely westerly and I have the jib out! I finally have some speed on again, power sailing at 6 knots. Three boats fishing out here, the waves are still quite big, lots of white water on the rocks.

1950hrs The anchor is down just behind the so-called launch ramp at Port Renfrew. The wind is still blowing about 10 knots and it’s a bit rolly in here, but enough is enough. Time for a break, and tidy up the boat. The so-called “public wharf” is no longer “public”, it looks like it’s been taken over by some fishing company. The docks look like they’re in rough shape and were bouncing enough that I wouldn’t want to tie up to them anyway. There is a 35 – 37 ft sailboat anchored off the wharf and I’m by myself in behind here. Time for some dinner. The trip odometer says 59.9nm (plus the 10 miles before I reset).

Sailing 1 hrs

Powering 13 hrs

Propane 1 hrs

Distance 69.9

Fuel

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June 27^th	Sooke or Barkley Sound Plan Weather considerations, leave early, ebb until about 1700hrs. 18 nm to Sooke or 89 nm to Dodger Channel Reality Port Renfrew to Dodger Channel 36 nm	Pt Atkinson		Race Rocks
Saturday		0428	2.7		0046	- 5.1	0400	16	-
		0911	3.6	0459	0608	+0.5	0500	17	+
		1541	1.2	0717	1121	- 4.9	0600	18	+
		2249	4.8	1506	1852	+4.9	0700	19	+
							0800	20	+
		Victoria		Juan De Fuca East			0900	22	-
					0107	- 1.7	1000	23	-
					0649	*	1100	24	-
					1259	- 2.9	1200	25	-
				1642	1926	+2.0	1300	26	-
							1400	27	-
				Juan De Fuca West
					0618
					1206	-1.7
				1553	1840	+1.1
				2126

0500hrs I’m on the road already. The alarm went off at 0430 this morning and actually woke me up! I took one of the nausea pills last night to make sure I could get to sleep in the rolly anchorage. It actually calm down quite a bit and it was flat out this morning. I slept in the main cabin last night, nice and warm after the heater was on and the lasagna came out of the oven. But I was tired and by 2130hrs I was in bed and asleep very shortly thereafter. This morning it looks good for the trip up to Barkley. The wind is supposed to stay light out here with the clouds moving in this afternoon and evening showers. It’s part cloudy this morning with the sun still below the horizon, jet contrails up high in the sky in the sun already. I’m headed for the entrance to Port San Juan. It looks like the other sailboat is also getting ready to leave, he’s got his steaming lights on. The tide is dropping all morning so the current should be with me. It’s already blowing 19 knots from the west at Race Rocks. Good decision yesterday! 35 miles to go today!

0530hrs Abeam of Owen Point, coming out of Port San Juan. Lots of floating kelp beds around along with crab pot buoys. I have to pay attention. It’s daylight but no sun yet. It’s flat out with a low SW swell, lower than yesterday. The odometer reads 63.4. The sailboat following us is about ½ mile back.

0550hrs The sun just popped up over the hills, a lovely morning. There is a very light NE wind over the starboard quarter. About for commercial freighters out in the channel.

0730hrs Off Carmanh Point with light winds from the starboard quarter and low swells from the southwest. I can still get cell phone coverage out here! I called Carey this morning, she’d been up since 0430 (on a Saturday morning!) and took Trixi for a walk. Not even a long distance charge! It’s partially cloudy this morning with some scattered low hanging clouds. Mostly clear behind me.

0900hrs Off Tsusiate Falls, about a mile off shore. There is a whale spouting near the beach just like last time here (1991). There are also a few trailerable fish boats out here, I wonder where they launch? It’s got to be out of Bamfield or somewhere close to that. The seas have calmed a bit, the swells having gone down considerably since 0800hrs when it got rough. A passing sailboat headed east along with a power boat (trawler) about an hour ago. A few hikers along the west coast trail. 13.4 nm from Cape Beale. It’s almost completely cloudy now with high thin clouds. The sun’s heat is still getting through, most welcome.

1015hrs Abeam of Pachena Point, Cape Beale is now visible along with Seabird Rocks. It’s completely overcast now with low threatening clouds. Astern I can still see the band of sunshine. I may be getting rain earlier than the weather people think.

1115hrs Almost abeam of Cape Beale! It’s starting to drizzle! I’m decked out in rain gear and its’ grey all around. There are a few fishing boats out here.

1215hrs Anchored in Dodger Channel with one power boat in the rain. Very low tide and all the rocks are very visible. Nice not to be rocking any more! I let everyone know by text message that I had rounded Cape Beale and Carey phone right back, not realizing that it was a text message. Marc is doing trim at Bobby’s house in the sunshine. Ena has no idea where I am. Time to clean up a bit. The odometer says 100 nm (+10).

1700hrs Its’ still raining outside but reasonably warm. The tide has really come up and covered a lot of the rocks. I may have to move further into the anchorage if this rocking keeps up. After cleaning up a bit upon arrival I lay down on the settee with my most recent book and promptly fell asleep for two hours! I must have been tired. Since I woke up at 1500 I’ve been catching up with this log, transcribing from the voice recorder. Just discovered that I didn’t take my battery charger for the Nikon. I guess Carey will have to bring it out.

2030hrs The boat is rocking gently as the swells filter into Dodger Channel. The clouds are low, a mist hangs silently on the trees. A very light breeze from the southwest has the boat aimed into the low waves. It’s still drizzling, but it’s nice and warm and, with the new clear cover for the hatch, it’s still nice and bright in here. Dinner of steak and macaroni salad was very tasty about an hour ago. Even cleaned up the dishes. Now I’m sitting back with a glass of wine and updating the log while a CD plays. Early this evening I figured we were too close to the reef along the shore and so raised anchor and motored out to the western anchorage (which is empty). A bit more of a swell out there so I came back in and anchored closer to the power boat but further from the reef. I have 150 ft of rode out in 30 ft of water with good sticky mud at the bottom (lots of evidence when I hauled the anchor out). The rain is supposed to stop some time overnight or tomorrow morning, bringing a NW wind with it. We’ll see. I heard the weather report at 1700hrs and it was blowing NW 25 at Sherringham this afternoon, 19 at Race Rocks. Good thing I timed it just right (and got lucky!).

Sailing 0 hrs

Powering 7.25 hrs

Propane 2.5 hrs

Distance 40.1

Fuel

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June 28^th	Barkley Sound Plan Weather considerations, leave early, ebb until about 1730hrs 71 nm to Dodger Channel Reality Sail over to Bamfield public docks 3 nm	Pt Atkinson		Race Rocks
Sunday		0531	2.3		0137	- 5.1	0530	16	-
		1036	3.4	0542	0719	+1.1	0630	17	+
		1628	1.8	0856	1236	- 3.9	0730	18	+
		2324	4.7	1605	1942	+4.1	0830	19	+
				2205			0930	20	+
							1030	22	-
		Victoria		Juan De Fuca East			1130	23	-
					0201	-2.0	1230	24	-
					0813	*	1330	25	-
					1401	-1.9	1430	26	-
				1730	2010	+1.5
				Juan De Fuca West
					0119	-1.8
				0556	0725	+0.3
				0856	1309	-1.4
				1653	1929	+0.8

2230hrs Already! It’s been an interesting and active day. I’m sitting at the public dock in Bamfield, the canvas is in the hatch to keep the cool air out. It’s warm in here without the heater going tonight but it’s cooling off rapidly outside. There is still a bit of activity on the docks as late fishermen come in off the water, but it’s been pretty quiet at the docks during the day. However, to start at the beginning of the day…..

The sky through the open hatch and windows was clear at first light this morning after a bit of a fitful sleep. It got cold last night, about 8c (48F) in the cabin this morning! I guess the comforter fell off a few times last night and I got cold enough to wake up and pull it back on. A very quiet night with not a sound outside. There was a bit of a swell that rocked the boat gently all night. It didn’t bother me at all and I was up before the sun cleared the trees to the east. I wiped all the dew (and left over rain) off the deck, clearing the salt spray at the same time. Emptied the dinghy of about an inch of water, must have rained for a while after I went to bed. The kettle was on and, as the sun crept over the trees, I sat with my coffee enjoying the quiet melody of the morning. The power boat was gone so I was all alone, watching the crows and eagles. Beds of kelp drifted by in the current of the falling tide. There wasn’t a whisper of a breeze and I thought it would be a good idea to go for a row before that started (as always, around 1000 hrs when the weather is good here). Had a long row out to the western end of the bay and watched the swells crash against the rocks. I took lots of photos under a clear blue sky. Back at the boat by 0900hrs and I made an egg sandwich for breakfast and called Carey on the cel. She had been up since 0500hrs, walking Trixi and now doing laundry. She couldn’t sleep last night either.

Just as clockwork, the wind started to blow around 0930hrs while I was reading a couple of magazines. I wanted to wax the cabin top again but didn’t bring any rags!! I did manage to find the Nikon battery charger and Carey’s boots, items that I couldn’t find yesterday. Around noon Nicky called to announce that they had bought a townhouse on Lynden Drive in Ladner, 1600 sq ft on three floors. Possession date of August 1st and they plan to move in by the 15^th. The place needs some renovation before they move, painting and new carpets. I volunteered my time for the painting the first week of August. That should be interesting! Of course I called Carey to discuss. She’s a bit more concerned about their ability to pay than I am.

About 1415hrs the wind was up to about 20 knots with gusts at 25 and Natasha was skating around the anchor pretty good. I’d been tanning in behind the dodger and the sun was certainly warm enough, the wind a bit cool. I let out another 50 ft of rode so a total of 180ft were out in 20 ft of water. Lots of room, why not! But the chop in the bay was getting distinctly uncomfortable. The waves were coming the length of Dodger Channel from the west and with the rising tide, the reefs to the west would soon be submerged. I figured that it would continue to be uncomfortable with a pretty good expectation that it was going to get worse before it got better. Time to move! And that was a bit of a challenge single handed. All 180 ft of rode had to be pulled up against the wind. At least it was gusting so I managed to pull it up between the howls. Once out of the bay I rolled out the jib and we were off at hull speed at about 1430hrs. Only 2 5 nm to the entrance to Bamfield, about 5 to Robbers Passage and the Port Alberni Yacht Club. I opted for Bamfield to top up the fuel tank (bouncing on empty!) and sailed into the harbour in about 45 minutes only to find the fuel dock closed. I couldn’t read the sign for details and I’ll find out tomorrow if it’s just for Sunday or if there is a problem. Over to the Public Wharf at Bamfield West, lots of room to tie up. Then it was off for the 20 minute hike over to Brady’s Beach. Just as beautiful as I remember it, sandy beaches, rocky spires and blue water under the clear blue sky. I took lots of photos. No boats out sailing and very few people on the beach for a Sunday. I called Carey from the beach.

The tail back seemed shorter than I remembered, going to the far end of the trail to the boardwalk in front of the “town”. Not much action on a Sunday and not many people around. The docks are getting a bit more decrepit although there are tended flower boxes all along the boardwalk. I was back to the boat in time for a nice hot shower out of the sun shower bag. Felt oh-so-good to be clean again! A rum & coke soon followed with some snacks and by then it was 1900hrs already. I wanted to get back to Brady Beach for sunset at 2115hrs. Lots of time, just that the day seemed to have gone so quickly. On my way again at 2000hrs, cameras and flashlight in my backpack. The sunset was very pretty but not outstanding. The clear skies did not lend any color to the sunset although the scenery was spectacular. Back to the boat in the fading light by 2215hrs.

As here I sit at 2300hrs listening to Sirius radio (pops) with a glass of 05 Lemberger / Merlot and some chocolate. I seemed to have missed dinner tonight……

Some guy just came into the dock with what looks like about a 45 – 50 ft sailboat with bow thruster (that’s what I heard running). I gave him a hand into the dock in the dark. He says he came in from Victoria today, against 30 knots of wind. It looks like the boat could take it!

Sailing 1 hrs

Powering .5 hrs

Propane 0 hrs

Distance 3

Fuel

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June 29^th	Turtle Island Plan Sail to the Turtle Island anchorage Reality Go get fuel at Ucluelet and then to Turtle Island	Tofino
Monday		0638	2.7
		1239	1.1
		1909	3.3

0800hrs Pulling away from the dock at Bamfield! It’s a beautiful calm morning with crystal clear skies and a warm sun. I’m headed for Turtle Island today and, if the wind isn’t too strong, may just take a run into Ucluelet to top up the fuel tank and get some ice. We’ll see what the weather does. It’s the usual prediction of 15 – 20 knots from the NW. So far there isn’t a ripple in the water here.

Had a very good night’s sleep last night waking up to the sound of outboard engines being lit up with the fishing charter companies at first light. I managed to go back to sleep until about 0630hrs. Not bad for me! Got up and dried the dew out of the cockpit while the guy in the Hylas 54 next door prepared to get ready to go as well. He’s singlehanded as well, powered up from Victoria yesterday against what he said was bad conditions, slowed him down to 3 knots at times with solid water over the bow. Obviously he didn’t check the weather or tide conditions before he left! He says he’s done it six times now! Nice to have that big a boat to bull your way through!

Anyway, it was off to the fuel dock in the dinghy to find that they’re out of business! The other fuel dock only carries gas, no diesel. So I’ll have to go to Ucluelet at one point before heading up to Tofino. The fuel gauge is bouncing off empty.

0830hrs Sailing in very light NW winds, hardly a ripple on the water with clear blue skies all around. It looks like a bit of a fog bank out to the west.

0915hrs About half way across Trevor Channel and, right on time, the wind has picked up from the NW, and Natasha is now scaring the hell out of 4.5 knots. The swells are about 1 meter. The wind is about 5 – 7 knots and if the west coast is true to form, it should be up to about 10 – 15 in no time.

0930hrs As predicted, it’s about 12 knots across the deck and I’m all decked out in my sailing gear, it’s a cold wind. The choice now is to go to Ucluelet today and then perhaps back to Turtle Island this afternoon?

0950hrs Sailing between Village Reef and Effingham Island, out of the swells and still trucking along at 5 knots. Obviously headed to Ucluelet with the wind from the SW. In this channel we’re actually reaching, not on a hard tack. Looks like a fog bank hanging over Ucluelet. The weather reports are about two hours behind and useless.

1000hrs The wind just evaporated and I’m under power off the west end of Effingham Island. There is a narrow channel ahead with lots of rocks and reefs. Time for a banana and granola bar for breakfast. There is a wind line ahead.

1030hrs Powered into the wind line and now sailing again, hard on the wind towards the rocks and reefs in Coaster Channel. Thank heavens for the GPS chart plotter, it makes life so much less stressful! A few kayakers off to starboard.

1050hrs Out into the open again, sailing hard on the wind towards Ucluelet.

1100hrs I’m 4.7 nm from the entrance to Ucluelet, hard on the wind that’s back up to 12 knots across the deck. Two sailboats ahead and to starboard, powering into the wind.

1130hrs Tacked away from the shore and finally onto a starboard tack. It will take a few to get there.

1230hrs The engine is just on as I sailed into Ucluelet harbour with the steamer Francis Barkley coming up behind me. A great sail hard on the wind, some pretty big swells coming in off Aphrodite Point.

1300hrs Powering half way back out of Ucluelet under power with fuel, ice and water.

1310hrs Sailing off the wind as I leave Ucluelet, the wind is picking up from the NW. I will be gibing downwind to Turtle Island. The weather report is stating the swells are 2.1 meters (7 ft).

1500hrs The motor just came on behind the Turtle Island. I took the sails down and I’ll power through the narrow channel. A fabulous downwind sail under sunny skies with whitecaps doting the blue water. This is what west coast sailing is supposed to be about!

1515hrs The anchor is down in 30 ft of water with lots of room to swing, I let out 180 ft of rode! There are only three other boats in here, well scattered in this large anchorage. It’s time to clean up the boat and then have a drink! It’s been a long day without breakfast or lunch!

2240hrs Writing the log book inside as the sky gets dark. Dusk has long since come and gone but the western sky is still silhouetted against the trees on Turtle Island. The wind finally died about 2030hrs and it’s absolutely calm in here now. The furnace is on and the window is in the hatchway, it’s cool out tonight. My face is on fire so maybe I should let some cool air in. The satellite radio is playing some jazz and it’s very quiet out. To go back to this afternoon…..

After I organized the boat back to anchor status it was time for a bag of chips and a rum & coke! That went down very nicely. The sun was out but there was a cold 15 – 20 knot breeze blowing through the anchorage from the northwest. Very nice behind the dodger, not so nice on deck. I read my book for a while and then went out on a tour in the dinghy. The Yamaha started on the first pull, not bad for having been stored since last summer! Hat, sweater, jacket, life jacket, cameras and I was ready to go! I’d forgotten how big this bay was and how many small islets and channels there were! Kayakers and canoes everywhere with some large parties on some of the beaches (not parties as in carousing, just large groups). By 1830hrs the wind was starting to ease somewhat and I decided on an actual “dinner”, port chop, pasta in a tomato sauce and a red pepper with garlic. I got the BBQ going and started cooking and frying. Red wine too, of course. It tasted very good as the sun eased lower in the northwest sky. By 2030hrs the wind was completely gone and stillness settled over the bay. Absolute silence! Half a moon high in the eastern sky, the sun not yet near the horizon. But it was getting cool out. By 2100hrs I had moved indoors and lit the furnace, catching up on the log.

Sailing 4.25 hrs

Powering 1.5hrs

Propane 2.5 hrs

Distance 29

Fuel 54 litres

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June 30^th	Turtle Island Plan Stay in the Turtle Island anchorage Reality Stay in the Turtle Island anchorage	Tofino
Tuesday		0755	8.2
		1334	4.3
		2001	10.5

1530hrs Sitting in my shorts (sweatshirt still on) in the cockpit as I update the log. A perfect day so far! I had a very good night’s sleep in the main cabin with the hatch open to the moon and stars. Very quiet. I even managed to sleep in until 0730hrs this morning! Hard to believe! I woke up to a buzzing sound in the cabin and when I opened my eyes there was a hummingbird exploring the cabin! I didn’t move a muscle and watched it go from countertop to window to ceiling, hovering motionless and then darting elsewhere. Neat! Where is the camera when you need it! When I got up the sun was already well above the horizon in a clear blue sky. Not a ripple on the water, not a sound except the birds in the trees. A perfect morning! I wiped down the deck to get yesterday’s salt spray off, then made up a cup of coffee. Nothing was stirring in the bay. The humming bird (or birds) came back time and time again to hover over the sailcover and stern of the boat. I’m going to have to get a feeder that we can put up. After coffee I decided to clean off the waterline before the water got too choppy. The wind was predicted to be 20+ knots this afternoon. A quick scrub down got rid of all debris of the bootstripe and fouling paint at the waterline. A whisper of a breeze started up as I prepared breakfast. Once that was cleaned up I completed a bunch of long delayed rope work that I had been thinking about for months. I marked the spinnaker lines and down-haul for gibing marks, the spinnaker halyard for a full hoist (can never see the top of the spinnaker when hoisting), and the topping lift for proper set, all with seizing line. That went very well and was quickly finished. I don’t know why I waited so long! Then, before the wind really picked up, I put a coat of wax on the cabin top and filled up the shower bag. I had been listening to the weather channel and Amphrodite Point as well as Cape Beale were fogged in. And looking to the west I could see a thick bank of fog just outside the harbour, waiting to drift in. I grabbed the camera and went out for a quick ride to capture some shots in case it rolled in. Back to the boat and I started an earnest effort to clean up the interior of all of last year’s dust and debris. And there was lots! There is still lots to do but I had a good start. By 1315 I’d had enough and it looked to nice out to carry on. Back in the dinghy and, while the diesel recharged the laptop, cell phone and video cameras, I went exploring. Very pretty with all the channels and little nooks to get into. The strong winds held off and the kayakers were everywhere. One large group came through with what was obviously a tour guide. He was speaking in English and the interpreter was translating into German as he was speaking. And he never quit talking as they paddled through! There must have been 15 in the group. I returned to the boat and found that I’d been gone for 1 ½ hours! Didn’t seem that long! Time to get into a new book and a can of coke. A perfect afternoon. The wind is just now beginning to get brisk in the gusts but it’s not nearly as cold as it was yesterday. The fog bank as dissipated. And it’s almost 1600hrs already!

2130hrs Already! Again! How time flies when life is so good! I’m sitting in the cockpit with a blanket over my legs and a sweatshirt, no jacket yet. The wind died about an hour ago and it’s still very pleasant out. Dire Straits is on the CD and the moon is chasing the sun. Not a sound in the bay, it looks like everyone has gone to bed!

This afternoon turned out to be about as perfect as it could possibly be. The fog held off and the wind turned warm! It never got up to yesterday’s gusts and it just wasn’t cold. I started a new book while the lazy afternoon wore on. Had a shower about 1630hrs and continued to clean up the inside of the boat. Getting there. Fixed the squeaking shower grate so that should be much quieter now. Then I went for a row to get some exercise and ended up speaking to an older gentleman on a Cape Dory 24 power boat from San Diego. They, of course, had trailered it up and launched at Port Alberni. They were headed to Ucluelet tomorrow and eventually Tofino and then up to Friendly Cove. Ambitious in a small boat! He hadn’t done that before so had some questions. Of course, he used to own a Catalina 36 and sailed it from San Diego to the South Pacific so he’s been around some! Then it was back to the boat for “dinner” of cheese, pate and crackers. A glass of 06 Zin as accompaniment as the sun fell towards the trees. Ron called to find out where I was and what arrangements Carey had made for Trixi. We had some discussion and it looks like they will pick her and Trixi up on Saturday morning and take her to the bus station. Carey called about half an hour later and, as it was her last day at Sidney Casuals, she and the gang went for dinner. She had just got home. She’ll be calling Ron.

Plans for tomorrow? Not sure yet. What I am sure about is that the weather forecast changes from day to day and they haven’t been right yet. As usual they are calling for a gale warning for Vancouver Island south, just like today. That didn’t happen. No mention of the fog we had today either. So we’ll see what happens tomorrow morning. Dependant upon the weather in the morning, the forecast and sea conditions when I leave here around 0900hrs (I hope) I will get to either Ucluelet, Effingham Island or Tofino. It’s already Wednesday so I need to start making my way north again. A day in Effingham would be interesting, but only if the fog doesn’t roll in like today. We’ll see in the morning.

It’s a perfect evening although there are some high clouds drifting in from the west. Suddenly too. It would be great if a SE or SW wind came in for tomorrow, reaching for Tofino.

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Distance 0

Fuel 0 litres

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July 1^st	Tofino? Plan Get to Tofino (26 nm) or Ucluelet (7 nm) or Effingham Island (6nm). Reality Out into the deep and back to Ucluelet	Tofino
Wednesday		0304	3.0
		0917	8.2
		1436	5.2
		2055	10.5

0830hrs The power is on, the anchor is up, I’m on my way out of the Turtle Island anchorage after a very pleasant stay. The sun is warm in a clear sky and there’s just a hint of a breeze rippling the still waters. What a morning! The humming birds were around again this morning but not in the cabin. I woke up at first light and grabbed my camera, put it on my chest and waited, dozing off more than once. I could hear them buzzing around the boom and backstay but they never got close enough to photograph. I finally got up at around 0700hrs to wipe the heavy dew off the decks. Getting to be a ritual! The coffee and honey cake was a good breakfast while I listened to the crackle of the weather report. Very light winds along the shore but a 3 ft rough chop with SW swell at Amphrodite Point doesn’t sound all that promising! It’s blowing 25+ NW off shore (gale warning). We’ll go see what it’s like. There are three hummingbirds hovering around the spreaders!

1005hrs Abeam of Amphrodite Point still motoring. There has been no wind! The swells look pretty impressive crashing into the rocks along the shore. I’m into the 2 meter waves already. 18.5 nm to go to Lenard Island, maintaining 5 knots over the ground.

1035hrs Change of plan, I’m headed back to Ucluelet or Effingham, whatever the case may be. There is at least a four foot chop on top of the SW swells, not pleasant in any way. I’ve just about buried the bow in a couple of the waves and then launched off others, crashing into the troughs. I really don’t want to do this for three and a half hours! There’s no wind out here. I have three days to get to Tofino yet.

1115hrs Into the harbour at Ucluelet, into flat water. I decided here instead of Effingham. Effingham is another 9 miles to the southeast that I would have to cover again tomorrow. I’ll stay here today.

1125hrs Natasha is tied up at the last spot on “E” dock facing the condos across the water. It’s warm in here, time to take some layers off and get into shorts.

2010hrs Sitting at the dock in the Ucluelet harbour, sipping on wine and munching on chocolate. It’s still very warm out and I shouldn’t have put my sweatshirt back on! It’s been a wonderful day in beautiful country although perhaps not the most beautiful town! The docks are full tonight, the fishing fleet is in (I don’t know if they go out anymore!) and quite a few cruisers in a split between power and sail. It’s pretty quiet on the docks tonight. After arrival this afternoon I walked up to the harbour master’s office and paid my $22 for the dock space (right at the end of “E” dock, perfect!) and $5 for wi-fi. He asked if I wanted to go to town as he was headed that way anyway so I grabbed the ride (about 1 km) to “town”. The town had a July 1^st celebration going on with a singer, face painting, free hot dogs and cake. It was pleasant although not really well attended (maybe I was early). I walked over to the Co-Op and picked up some steaks for tonight, some potato salad and buns and a few other items, then walked back to the boat. A very pleasant afternoon of a slight breeze under sunny skies and 23C while I read a book. Boats came and went, people walked the docks. I went for a walk to take some photos and explored the Canadian Princess at the head of the dock. I would have stayed for a beer on the forward deck but I hate to drink alone (another sip of wine please). The afternoon whiled away as the tide rose to cover the mud flats. It’s a perfect evening. I checked my messages and there’s nothing there that needs my immediate attention. The weather forecast is for showers by Tuesday. We’ll see. The forecast for tomorrow is light winds in the morning (although it’s still blowing hard off shore) and increasing to a gale warning in the afternoon, just like every other day this week. The alarm will be set for 0430 and on the road by 0500hrs if the lighthouse reports are reasonable. The swell will always be there, it’s the chop from the off shore winds that will dictate going or staying. Today was reported as “3 ft rough with a 2.2 meter (8 ft) SW swell, no wind”. Not pleasant!

2215hrs Just back from town to watch the fireworks display. Kind of unique. They’re firing them off the fantail of a classic wooden cruiser. Obviously not really enough room so they fire off a bunch, then there’s a long delay while they recharge all the containers, then fire off a bunch again. There’s a cheer and boat horns after every bunch. Probably about 50 people down there to watch on a perfect evening. They’re still at it as I can hear them from here. Small town at it’s best.

Sailing 0 hrs

Powering 3 hrs

Propane 0 hrs

Distance 16.9

Fuel 0 litres

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July 2^nd	Tofino? Plan Get to Tofino (22 nm) Reality Get to Tofino and past to Quait Bay.	Tofino
Thursday		0408	2.6
		1033	8.2
		1542	5.6
		2149	10.5

0450hrs Quietly away from the dock as dawn breaks over Ucluelet. The only sounds are the diesel and eagles calling. A couple of fishermen are preparing boats at the Canadian Princess. The skies are clear, heavy dew on the decks. I can hear the surf crashing against the shore on the outside. I’ve taken my medicine, the weather channel is reporting 2 ft chop on a low southwesterly swell, but that’s at 2200hrs last night!

0530hrs Off Amphrodite Point in generally the same conditions as yesterday. But I’m prepared today! Onward, through the waves! It’s going to be ugly. The latest lighthouse conditions at 0440 report one foot chop on a low southwest swell. 18.6 nm to go!

0600hrs A second sunrise as the sun reappears from behind a mountain to the east of Ucluelet. 15 nm to go. Not a ripple on the water. It’s not a southwesterly swell, it’s more like a westerly, just off the port side bow, a bit more comfortable than yesterday. I’m looking up at some of these larger swells.

0700hrs The C-Dory just past me to starboard, headed to Tofino. The chop has subsided somewhat and we have a ½ to ¾ knot current with us which is pretty apparent as we dodge all the crab trap floats out here. There is a mist along what should be Long Beach to starboard. I’m 9 nm from Lenard Island.

0800hrs Still 3.7 nm from Lenard Island, just off Gowland Rocks. It’s sunny and warm with the sun up. Carey says that it’s supposed to reach 27C at home today. The swells have not diminished but the chop isn’t so bad anymore. Saw a couple of whale spouts, one so close off the bow that I could smell the air (foul, rotten fish smell). Of course, every time the whales spout I can’t get the camera ready in time, I have to hang on with one hand to keep from getting thrown about in the cockpit with the waves. A very light NW wind. Oh, and there’s the usual gale warning out.

0820hrs For some reason the seas have become much steeper and shorter. There is a real risk of the bow burying itself in one of these! It must be the current against the swell as I approach Lenard Island. I’m doing 6.5 over the bottom, about 4.5 through the water.

0838hrs Just as suddenly I’m in almost flat water! I’m behind the protection of Lenard Island and the water ahead is flat. Kind of hard to believe that it was so rough just a half mile back. Time to get out of some of these cloths as it’s now quite warm out. Now to decide where to go today.

1032hrs I’m about ¼ mile from the narrow entrance to Quait Bay. It’s been motor all the way with not a ripple on the water, shallow water too! I had to adjust the depth alarm from 20 ft to 10 ft as it was going off way too often. I’d forgotten how shallow many of these passes are. I’m going into Quait Bay for at least the night. A couple of fish farms on the approach.

1045hrs The anchor is down in 30 ft of water, it’s warm out. Time for shorts and maybe a nap! There is a floating resort in here and a couple of floats at the end of the bay. I’m real tired, probably the energy it took to drive here combined with the medication (and lack of sleep!).

2020hrs A very relaxing afternoon. A nice breeze just ripples the water of the bay as the sun is settling into the hills to the west. The sun is still about a ½ hour from setting and it’s cooling off nicely. A rather odd observation considering I’m out on the “wet” coast! Waiting for it to cool off!? The temperature hit 25C (77F) today inside the cabin. A very warm day that saw me probably get a bit burned. When I arrived this morning it was already warm. After organizing the boat for anchor I laid down on the settee inside and dozed off for a couple of hours! It was after noon before I was woken by the sounds of a power boat accelerating. It looks like he came from the lodge and was having a look up the inlet and then leaving when he hit the gas and woke me up. A nice little nap. But not a whole lot of energy to do much today, probably the medication. I read a couple of magazines and drank a bunch of Coke as the afternoon whiled away, tanning in the cockpit while swatting at the big black flies with the electronic wand. It works pretty good seeing as how the black flies bite! Went for row around the bay (had to return when I noticed that the nav lights from this morning were still on!). and explored the derelict floats and boats at the end of the bay, along with Quatsino Resort floating buildings. And the generator next to the falls. A very nice anchorage and no-one has come in, I’m alone here tonight. The resort looks almost deserted although there was one boatload leaving as I was rowing around. It’s going to be an early night tonight me thinks. Probably go into Tofino tomorrow to do some maintenance. Hopefully there will be a bit of a breeze so I can sail the 9.8 miles. It would be nice to do some sailing. Just noticed the moon has popped up over the trees astern.

Sailing 0 hrs

Powering 6hrs

Propane 0 hrs

Distance 34.4

Fuel 0 litres

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July 3^rd	Tofino Plan Get to Tofino (8.9) Reality Tofino	Tofino
Friday		0408	2.6
		1033	8.2
		1542	5.6
		2149	10.5

1030hrs The anchor is up and Natasha is motoring towards the entrance to Quait Bay. It’s another beautiful morning with just the start of a ripple in the water. I was watching the entrance to the harbour, waiting to see a ripple outside and there it was, time to go sailing. Up came the anchor and I’m underway. It’s only about 8.9 nm in a straight line but we can’t use that straight line, a couple of islands in the way. Had a great night’s sleep last night and didn’t wake up until 0700hrs this morning. Those pills really do work for 24 hrs.

1045hrs A nice northwesterly at about 5 knots, the engine is off and I’m sailing hard on the wind. Ripples in the water with a darker wind line ahead.

1150hrs Coming up on Robert Point on Morsby Island. The wind is picking up nicely, dodging crab traps through the shallow water. There appears to be a one knot current against.

1250hrs In Haynen Channel looking at the main street of Tofino which is only about 1 nm away. The wind has become very light after a very pleasant sail to windward. After the last entry the wind picked up somewhat to about 12 – 15 knots across the deck. I tightened everything up and the boat sailed very nicely hands off. No swell of any kind and no real chop, just ripples. I have a barge coming up behind me and now Natasha is down to less than two knots.

1300hrs Power is back on, no wind, lots of boat traffic. I’m 1.2 nm from the dock.

1330hrs Tied up at the dock at Tofino. Crowded! I got the last slip at the end of the finger facing east, right next to Equus from Bamfield again. It’s sunny and hot, time to get into shorts.

2030 hrs The moon just rose over the trees to the east, the sun has yet to set to the west. It’s been a hot afternoon and I’m just into my jeans and sweatshirt after spending most of the day in shorts and a t-shirt. A small group of kids on the foredeck of a boat tied up near me are being very energetic, noisy as only young kids can. There is still a very light breeze from the west but the true westerlies never did show up today.

I had a chat with Matt, the guy who owns Equus, the Hylas 54 tied up next door. Nice enough guy. He obviously has buckets of money as he’s talking about all the work he has had done on the boat since he bought it in Florida last year. Now his guests have arrived and they are all off to dinner somewhere I would guess.

I spent the afternoon doing a number of things including shopping and carrying heavy things to the boat. I picked up juices and water for Carey along with beer, cider and Baileys. All heavy in a back pack. I’ll do the rest tomorrow when Carey arrives. Showers and laundry first thing in the morning at the top of the dock. Organize the boat and then wait for Carey’s arrival at 1420hrs. The weather forecast doesn’t look good past Sunday (typical!). It’s supposed to get cloudy with showers through the week.

Sailing 2.25 hrs

Powering .5hrs

Propane 0 hrs

Distance 8

Fuel 0 litres

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July 4^rd	Tofino Plan Stay in Tofino Reality Tofino	Tofino
Saturday Carey Arrives		0556	2.0
		1226	8.9
		1735	5.6
		2328	10.8

0830hrs Thick fog this morning but it’s already burning off and the sun is making a re-appearance. The laundry is all done and the shower was great. Even breakfast is out of the way, a bacon & egg burrito at about the only place that was open this early. A few minor clean-ups this morning yet and then off to the Co-Op for some more groceries. Carey will be in at 1420hrs.

1330hrs I’m all ready and now just waiting for the bus to arrive. I’ve been to the Co-Op about four times as well as the liquor store and hardware store. Loaded up all the “heavy” stuff like juices, pop, beer & cider for the hot days, a few more “staples” etc. A lot of walking in this heat with a fully loaded back pack. I walked over to the fuel dock as well for two bags and a block of ice as our supply is getting a bit low. Finally, into town now and I’ll wait for the bus at 1430hrs. There is a market place in town in the park. I’ll go check it out.

1800hrs Carey showed up right on time on the Tofino Bus, not the Greyhound like the ticket said. And it was a full bus according to Carey and they had some nice screaming kids on it as well. Down to the boat we went with her very heavy “purse” and then up to the restaurant overlooking the harbour for an early “dinner” or late lunch, your pick, out in the sun on the patio (with a group of chattering Chinese tourists). That was filling enough that we’re still not hungry and probably won’t have anything else tonight. A few cocktails in the cockpit as the sun sets towards the horizon. It’s getting a bit cloudy this evening.

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Distance 0

Fuel 0 litres

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July 5^rd	Tofino Plan Stay in Tofino Reality Bacchante Bay	Tofino
Sunday Carey didn’t want to stay in Tofino.		0640	1.6
		1309	9.2
		1820	5.6
		0011	10.8

0800hrs A good solid night’s sleep, must have been because I just got up and Carey is still asleep. It was almost dark before we crashed last light so it must have been about 2200hrs. The moon was visible through some hazy clouds. It certainly didn’t get cold last night. It’s a very high cloud cover today, we’ll see what the weather brings. It’s going to be showers and groceries today and then we’ll see where we go.

1230hrs Away from the dock, full of water, fuel (19 liters) and ice. We don’t know where we are going yet, but north, probably to that little cove (Bottleneck Cove) we were at 20 years ago. It’s cloudy with a SW breeze over Tofino.

1300hrs Powering past Rassiar Point. We have to make some distance as we have 20+ nm to go today. The wind has died.

1325hrs Sailing again off Dunlop Island, the fishing rod is out, sailing downwind in about 14 ft of water! No fish on the screen.

1347hrs Just about lost the rod over the stern as the hook caught a crab trap buoy. The power is back on as the wind got really light over the stern.

1430hrs Sailing again, we’ve decided to go for Bacchante Bay. We’re abeam of Ahousat with the wind over the port side quarter, from the SW. It looks fairly solid ahead. It’s certainly not cold and it almost looks like the sun is trying to get through to the east of us over the mountains. The fog is rolling in from the west and rising against the mountains.

1600hrs We’re just into Sulfur Pass still sailing downwind into this narrow entrance. There is a canoe abeam of us with a family of four, lots of camping gear and a small triangular sail for running downwind. The wind has been great for the last couple of hours, we’ve been reaching and running wing-on-wing. We’ll see what the anchorage is like in here. There are a number of places we can anchor so we’ll see what it’s like. We may stay here tonight.

1635hrs Idling along in Sulfur Pass. There’s another boat in here, a Catalina 27. The only other boat in here.

1640hrs We’re headed for Bacchante Bay, this anchorage isn’t all that inviting. It’s deep right to the edges and although it looks like somewhere that would be interesting to explore, if it’s going to rain tomorrow as promised, we’re rather be in a place that’s secure. Bacchante Bay is only 2.7 nm away. The power is on.

1700hrs We’re into Bacchante Bay, just like coming into Princess Louisa. Water temperature is 16.9C (62F)! The fish down there must be tropical.

2045hrs Bobbing quietly in Bacchante Bay with soft music on the stereo, a gentle breeze still rippling the water. The cloud cover is low along the mountain tops, very much like Princess Louisa Inlet. We can hear the creek flowing over the rocks astern. There are three other sailboats in here with us, all American. It’s very quiet considering the size of this bay (about the size of Montague). Carey just climbed below to the warmth of the cabin heater. It’s not cold out here, just not warm.

Sailing 4.25 hrs

Powering 1.75 hrs

Propane 1.5 hrs

Distance 22

Fuel 19 litres

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July 6^th	Bacchante Bay Plan Stay Reality Stay	Tofino
Monday		0719	1.6
		1346	9.5
		1900	5.6
		0050	10.8

1300hrs Already! Of course, it’s been a pretty slow morning with the rain continuing. It’s a very light drizzle that just won’t stop! But the clouds are getting lighter!!

This morning we slept in until 0800hrs (for me) and 0945 (for Carey). Two of the other boats raised anchor about 0800hrs just after I got up, the other just after Carey got up. We even had a thunderstorm roll through last night at the darkest part of the night (no idea what time it was). Rained a good part of the night as well, but very quiet in here. So we finally had bacon and eggs for breakfast at about 1100hrs, cleaned up the dishes and started into books and magazines. There is no one else in the bay with us now. We have a bet that says I win if one or more boats come in today. Carey is counting on 0.

1820hrs Showers (not the outside kind, they’ve been ongoing all day!) are done and we feel clean again. The water was just a bit too hot, I filled both thermos bottles and the kettle, then filled the shower bag. Felt good though. It’s been kind of a long afternoon with the rain either falling or threatening. We managed to get out in the dinghy early this afternoon, motored up the creek to as far as we could before a fallen tree blocked our path. Without a high tide the whole creek would be inaccessible by dinghy, just too shallow. Back to the boat just in time to avoid another shower. A bit of reading with the clear hatch in to keep the breeze from swirling into the cabin. Not all that cold but not warm either. Eventually the heat was turned on when the wind started to pick up and we were cold from sitting outside with appetizers about 1600hrs. We watched some short videos and then it was time to prepare for the showers. A large powerboat came in so I won the bet. It’s the same boat that was in Tofino with it’s generator running for hours at a time even though it was plugged in. If it wasn’t for the fact that we’re inside anyway I would be right pissed off about it, the generator is running again and it’s louder than its’ main engines! So we’re the only two boats in here tonight. It’s going to be movie night tonight after our steak dinner which will be coming up soon. It’ll probably be an early night tonight as well, not much to do outside when it’s this cool out. Tomorrow it’s over to Bottleneck Cove although the weather forecast is for still more showers.

Sailing 0 hrs

Powering 0 hrs

Propane 4 hrs

Distance 0

Fuel 0 litres

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July 7^th	Hotsprings Cove Plan Get up to Bottleneck Cove Reality Hotsprings Cove	Tofino
Tuesday		0753	1.3
		1420	9.5
		1937	5.2

0730hrs Awake to another cloudy, wet day. The clouds are cloaking the wet mountain trees almost to the water. Rivulets of moisture slide down the cabin windows as the condensation clears on the inside. I just boiled the kettle for morning coffee and it’s pretty damp in here. Carey is still asleep and it’s quiet outside. Last night we watched the “Other Boleyn Girl” movie on the laptop. Not a bad movie but not the most uplifting, all about the trials and tribulations of King Henry and his wives. The beheading sort of put a damper on it, even though you knew it was coming. Today we’ll head over the Hot Springs Cove I think. No point in going to Bottleneck Cove as it will look the same as this place in the rain.

1100hrs Motoring out in the rain! Again. It’s pretty flat out with a drizzle.

1235hrs Passing Ripplie Cove on Vargas Island, a light rain, waves ahead in Sidney Channel. 2.8 miles to go.

1300hrs Around the point and into Hot Springs Cove after about 20 minutes of fishing with little luck, just a small rock fish that we tossed back. It’s about a 1 ft chop on a 1 meter swell. At least it’s a bit dry finally.

1330hrs Into Hot Springs Cove. Two sail boats anchored along with a large “power boat” that is probably the bed and breakfast place mentioned in the magazine.

1700hrs Sitting inside in the rain! Again! It’s been raining most of the day and doesn’t look like it will let up soon. We had a lucky break in walking up to the hot springs while it wasn’t raining all that hard. It started in earnest again when we got back. Yes, it’s completely boardwalk now, no more path and boardwalk. Lots and lots of steps and stairs. And washrooms at the end along with a bit of a lookout / change room. The pools are so much smaller than we remember them! And access is tougher too. It must be our old age! And lots of people. There were lots going in as we were walking out, don’t know where they’re all going to fit. We’ll go back up there tomorrow night after all the tour boats and floatplanes have left. We passed two couples on our way out that obviously looked like boaters. They must have come from the two boats anchored out, the Islander 28 and what I believe to an older Islander 30. Both dinghies are tied to the dock.

2000hrs Getting ready to watch another DVD movie, Unhitched. It’s still coming down in a very steady, light rain. Hasn’t let up since the last entry. We watched the last group of tourists climb into cruiser suits on the dock, then climb aboard a large inflatable and, with goggles on, head out into the rain back to Tofino. Looked like fun! A large blue fish boat came in as well, tied to the dock and has the engine running still. Probably to keep the ice cold. As we’re unlikely to be sitting in the cockpit to enjoy the evening I don’t think it really matters. So bring out the popcorn, let’s see the movie!

Sailing 0 hrs

Powering 2.5 hrs

Propane 4 hrs

Distance 12.9

Fuel 0 litres

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July 8^th	Hotsprings Cove Plan Stay in Hotsprings Cove Reality Hotsprings Cove	Tofino
Wednesday		0753	1.3
		1420	9.5
		1937	5.2

0810hrs Carey is still asleep and the rain has stopped! It’s still very wet out, but at least it’s stopped falling. I think it rained most of the night that I can recall. There are three very wet dogs laying at the end of the dock, I have no idea where they came from or who they belong to. They look over here occasionally to see if we’re up. The docks are deserted this morning, the large fish boat is gone. I heard it leave some time after first light, don’t know when that was.

The movie was interesting last night. At least it occupied some time and was a diversion from the rain. It was the usual girl-is-marrying-the-wrong-guy-and-his-best-buddy-should-be-marrying-her-etc kind of movie. When we went to bed at about 2130hrs (and it was my first time to sleep up forward) we found we had more than just a few mosquitoes! I had to kill a few so we could get to sleep!

So we’ll be staying here today, getting up to the hot springs late this afternoon to avoid the tour boats and planes. Hopefully the skies lighten up and the afternoon turns pleasant. The rains are supposed to ease this afternoon according to the weather radio. We’ll see.

2230hrs The day is definitely over now. We’re finally inside with the clear cover in the hatch. The lantern is on as is the fireplace. It’s not all that cold outside but it’s very pleasant inside. It’s still very cloud covered outside although there were hints of sun late this afternoon. It may be promising tomorrow. The weather guys are predicting an end to showers tomorrow so that may mean sunshine at one point of another.

Today started slow enough. The weather this morning was showery and a bit cool. I made croissants in the oven that weren’t bad but nothing to write home about, a bit dry. Then it was a game of watching the charter boats come in and disgorge their cargoes of tourists. Carey and I read magazines and books, whiling the time away. The showers came and went, there was a hit of clearing every once in a while. We even had soup for lunch. A few boats came in, two more sailboats and one large power boat with that noisy generator! He’s tied to the dock in front of us. At least the generator is off at the moment. About 1800hrs Carey & I started our walk up to the springs, figuring that almost everyone would be gone by the time we got there. All the tour boat crowds were on their way back to their boats. When we got there we were the only ones there! Wonderful hot water and all the time in the world! The water was hot and although there wasn’t much of a sunset, at least it didn’t rain on us. Wonderful hot water! We got back to the boat about 2015hrs and had chicken on a stick for dinner, we weren’t that hungry anyway. Now it’s almost bed time.

Sailing 0 hrs

Powering 0 hrs

Propane .5 hrs

Distance 0

Fuel 0 litres

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July 9^th	Sulphur Passage Plan Sail over to Sulphur Passage Reality Sulphur Passage	Tofino
Thursday		0204	10.8
		0854	1.6
		1522	9.8
		2052	4.9

0800hrs A beautiful sunny morning with the sun just about to clear the trees to the east of us and finally hit the boat. A few clouds along the mountain top, crystal clear waters with not a ripple. The kettle is on the boil, Carey is still asleep, as is the rest of the dock.

1030hrs Pulling out of Hot Springs Cove with nary a breeze on the water and sun beaming down. It’s been a very pretty morning so far. I walked up to the dock to wait for the sun to reach the boat to take a few photos and a white float plane landed. I had to hurry back to the boat as the hatch was open and they would be looking right into the boat, not good if Carey got up at the same time! A couple got out of the float plane, she in a white top that was stretched way too tight over an ample pair, along with a black skirt and office shoes! He had on jeans and runners. Off to the falls they went with instructions from the young pilot to be back by 1300hrs! Eventually the dock awoke and the people from the large power boat came back from the springs in time to fire up their nice generator again. At least it should be the last time we see them. They’re planning on staying up in the Tofino area for a few more weeks as guests come in. I made a very tasty bacon and eggs breakfast that went down very well sitting in the cockpit sun. Then it was get the boat ready and off we go. We’re planning on a bit of fishing just outside the harbour as there is no wind.

1450hrs It took us a while to find a good spot to drop the anchor. A lot of very deep water here.

2130hrs The sun has set to the west over a high mountain just before 2100hrs and suddenly it starts to get cool. We’re out here under our blankets and keeping warm. The sky is finally almost clear and the seals are splashing at a distance as the tide drops. An almost perfect day. After we arrived here it was a pretty lazy afternoon. About 1700hrs I took the dinghy and rowed over to the northern entrance to this passage, intent on doing some serious salmon fishing. After five consecutive rock fish I’d had enough! Rowed back to have a drink ready in the cooler. Nice! A do-nothing evening with not a whole lot left in the lockers for dinner. I prepared my peppers/onions/garlic mix along with some pre-packaged turkey/potatoes that at least filled the spot. A nice salmon would have been preferred! The skies cleared as the evening progressed. We have no idea what the skies will bring tomorrow. At least it was a nice sail today for the 12 miles we covered. The plan for tomorrow is Tofino to pick up some groceries and get some laundry done. That’s about 20 miles so it will be a long day.

Sailing 3 hrs

Powering .5 hrs

Propane 0 hrs

Distance 13.2

Fuel 0 litres

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July 10^th	Tofino Plan Sail to Tofino Reality Tofino	Tofino
Friday Hayden Pass turns to flood at 1000hrs		0241	10.5
		0924	1.6
		1553	9.8
		2131	4.6

1010hrs Motoring out of a beautiful, calm Sulphur Passage. It was a great night’s sleep with the almost full moon that shone into the cabin very early in the morning. Woke up to a sunny, calm morning listening to the seals barking, burping and, presumably, farting on the rocks in the bay. On such a still morning that sound is loud! We finished breakfast a little while ago and are now on the way. There is very little wind reported on the coast just yet with fog at Tofino. It’s a long way and it should be against the wind most of the way.

1210hrs Carey is hauling in the fishing line as the sails come out near Ahousat. Finally the wind has backed to the west from right on the nose (SW) and we can do some sailing. There is a fog bank ahead that we’re likely to encounter so some more layers are coming on.

1230hrs The power is back on. We turned the “corner” to start running mostly downwind and it’s just too light, not enough speed in this thick fog. I was watching a small powerboat fishing near the rock and saw him haul a small salmon in as we sailed by a 100 yards off. Then we heard them shouting and waving their arms. We sailed back to learn that they had run out of fuel! We maneuvered around and gave them our remaining 8 liters of gas for the outboard. They also had some mixed gas for their outboard and with that indicated that they could make it back to Tofino (7 nm away). So off we go again. There is a good 1.5 knot current with us.

1300hrs Trying to sail again, a bit stronger wind over the stern and we’re sailing wing-on-wing as the fog lifts. We can see the channels ahead and Tofino in the distance.

1315hrs Well that didn’t last long, the engine is back on.

1400hrs Tied up Tofino again.

2100hrs Just back from dinner at the Schooner Restaurant. Very tasty dinner although a bit expensive! It’s getting cool out and the heater is on. The sun has set in a haze to the northwest. Boats are still ripping by throwing their wake our way. The price you pay for being at the end of the finger where the view is better!

After we tied up this afternoon we started a load of laundry and then walked up to the Co-Op to fill up the propane bottle. It only had a little left in it (about 1 lb) so it was time. Not bad considering we have used it for two weeks and Dick had Natasha out for a weekend before that. Walked back to find the power boat we helped with the extra fuel tied to the dock. They had managed to power at idle with the main engine almost all the way back in to the fuel dock. I retrieved my fuel tank (not filled) and traded a salmon fillet for the gas. Should be good tomorrow night! Then it was off to do some shopping to stock up for next week. A good load of staples and we’ll get the fresh stuff tomorrow. We sat around in the cockpit with drinks watching the various tour boats come in and unload passengers, fish boats tie up with crews cleaning up (quite a smell!). Then at 1900 we walked up for dinner. And now it’s time to shut down!

Sailing 1 hrs

Powering 3 hrs

Propane .5 hrs

Refill

Distance 19.7

Fuel 0 litres

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July 11^th	Turtle Island Plan Sail outside to Barkley Sound and to Effingham Island Reality Turtle Island Bay	Tofino
Saturday		0320	10.2
		0953	2.3
		1624	9.8
		2213	4.6

1030hrs Just about ready to go, all loaded up with fresh groceries and water. Costs a dollar for 15 minutes of water for the whole dock! And the hose just reaches. The morning fog has lifted but there’s no wind out there yet. And the fog was thick this morning! I got up at 0630hrs to the sound of waves slapping the hull, fishermen on their way to fish. It was daylight but visibility was about 100 yards. The tide is already against us getting out past Lenard Island.

1100hrs Powering out of Tofino in the sunshine towards an ominous fog bank rolling through the channel towards Lenard Island. The current is flooding against us. A large coast Guard vessel is anchored out here and the Higgit RCMP cat just rolled into the harbour. Time to get some sweaters on I think. It’s 20 nm to Amphrodite Point. Not much in the way of wind yet.

1450hrs Finally a wind over the shoulder, three miles from Amphrodite Point which is still hidden in fog. It’s not been a nice trip so far! We got fogged in just after the last entry and haven’t seen anything but fog and seas since. Not much in the way of chop, just a ripple and even glassy smooth at times, but always that rolling swell. I’ve had the main up some of the time when it would stabilize us a bit, but usually there hasn’t been enough wind for that either. The sun is visible and warm, but nothing on the horizon. He had one sailboat, a Hunter 45, motor past us and I took some photos. Called him on the radio and got an e-mail address of pjmilne@telus.net. He told me he had been tracking us from about a mile back so the radar reflector is working. He soon disappeared into the fog ahead. Thank heavens for GPS, this fog is very disorienting.

1515hrs Abeam of Amphrodite Point, we can just make it out in the fog along with the breakers on the rocks. Still sailing, fog horn sounding from the lighthouse. We’re going for Turtle Island, hopefully there is no fog there. I suspect Effingham will be socked right in.

1530hrs In Alpha Passage and suddenly we’re in glorious sunshine with the fog bank behind us. We’re wing-on-wing at 5+ knots headed past the reefs and rocks that guard the entrance to Ucluelet, also clearly visible over the port quarter. Suddenly a great sail. The fishing rod is destined to get into the water. 7 nm to Turtle Island.

1645hrs The engine is on, coming into the Turtle Island bay. It’s been a very interesting sail! Sailing past Ucluelet in a 15 knot westerly breeze was great. We could hear this persistent drumming and thought it was a hidden boat with a boom box or something similar. As we cleared the headland we could see tents up on the beach to port. Through binoculars we could see what looked like a festival of some type. And I recalled reading at a café this morning that there was a music festival on this weekend, I just didn’t study it to figure out where it was. Well, we found it! We were a good two miles off shore in 15+ knots of wind and could hear it clearly! Lots of people and lots of tents. Anyway, as time went by we could see this huge fog bank over the Cape Beale / Bamfield area. And it got larger and closer! But the wind was directly behind us in the sunshine and fog doesn’t move against the wind. Well, it got to us with a 90 degree wind shift. Suddenly from dead astern to a reach over the starboard side in 20+ knots of wind, surfing along at 8 knots on some of the waves! And thick fog again. Again, thank God for GPS or we’d have been in real trouble! We got around the back side of Turtle Island to the entrance and into a bit of protection just as the fog lifted again. Much easier to see where we’re going! Time to get in here.

1715hrs The anchor is down at 33.3 nm and Natasha is all cleaned up, time for a beer! There are four other boats in here, three sail and one small power. The wind has eased considerably and the fog has dissipated. Time to relax!

2245hrs Sitting in the cockpit with glasses of wine as the wind gently swings Natasha at anchor. We think it’s going to be an early evening! We just finished a very tasty dinner of salmon, corn on the cob and baked potato as the sun set behind the trees. We have the stereo on softly to drown out the live bands playing 6 miles away (!?) and the humming birds are visiting us frequently, hovering just over our heads. Too quick for the camera but plenty of time for the eyes. Very pretty birds. Just before dinner we were watching a boat come in, probably about a 35 ft Jeanneau, through the same entrance we had used earlier. I checked the boat out through binoculars and then looked away. Carey continued to watch as they clanged into a rock! I certainly heard it! It was loud. They hovered there for a bit, still adrift, then went out the way they came in. Didn’t look like they were in any hurry and no idea where they would be going at this time of night. The Hunter 45 showed up about 1900hrs and is anchored across the bay, dinghy still on deck. A herring ball just surfaced across the way as well. The sun is now lighting up the small clouds to the east of us with pink trim. It’s starting to get cool out. Almost time to go in.

Sailing 2 hrs

Powering 4 hrs

Propane .hrs

Distance 33.3

Fuel 0 litres

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July 12^th	Port Alberni Yacht Club Plan Sail over to the PAYC Reality PAYC	Tofino
Sunday		0401	9.5
		1025	2.6
		1757	9.8
		2259	4.3

1100hrs Breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon has been cleaned up. Not really a breakfast anymore is it? I didn’t get up until 0830hrs after initially waking up at 0500hrs. The hummingbirds buzzing around the cockpit kept waking me up and they even came into the cabin again, two of them buzzing right over my head stationary for a second or two. I managed to get a photo of one hovering over the galley. Carey reported hearing the rock bands still playing when she woke up this morning at 0500hrs. I could still hear them at 0830 this morning. All is quiet now.

This morning dawned with low clouds and drizzle falling. The drizzle has since dried up but the low clouds persist. The weather forecast calls for more of the same for the next few days. So with that we’ll head over to the Port Alberni Yacht Club and the docks there. Only about 8 miles away in a straight line. All the boats in this anchorage have left with the exception of the Hunter. I’m going to try sailing out of here this morning.

1130hrs We’ve sailed off the anchor and out of the Turtle Island (Joe’s Bay) anchorage in very light SE wind. It’s an 8 nm distance to Robber Passage, in a straight line. Unfortunately, it’s quite the dog-leg getting out of here with islands and rocks all over the entrance.

1430hrs 10.1nm, just drifting into Robber Passage and we can see the PAYC clubhouse and docks from out here. It looks like about six boats in here, not all of them tied to the docks. The fog has lifted and we can actually see again. When we left the anchorage this morning we couldn’t see more than a mile, which made sailing out through all the reefs somewhat interesting. The wind stayed light and went from hard on the nose to straight down wind and everything in between. It’s been a pleasant sail, just not very fast. No rain anyway. Sailed the whole way, we’ll just need to turn on the motor to get to the dock.

2300hrs Back from the “clubhouse”, a few too many to drink and it’s time for bed! A very pleasant visit with Gary Rosa, Ken (and his three sisters), and Tony and his wife over drinks, crab and deserts. This group was putting together a seafood dinner and Carey even had some cooked oysters and crab. We had ribs on the boat for dinner and then went back up to the clubhouse for drinks afterwards. When we arrived this afternoon Gary Rosa was the dock greeter who caught our lines. There was, in fact, no one tied to the guest dock, three boats on the members dock and three boats anchored out. And there was lots of room at the guest dock. We learned that Gary spends his summers here with his boat, the unofficial caretaker. Gail died last year about this time. He spends his winters in a condo in Mexico. Carey & I took the short hike up the trails and had a look around the place. The clubhouse has been expanded and now they have gas fired hot water for actual showers. The resort across the way is now out of business and the generator that ran all the time in 1991 has been quiet for three years. Apparently (according to Gary) the owners there wanted this piece of property so they deliberately set their generator exhaust pointed this way to try and force PAYC out of the bay. That didn’t work. So it’s quiet now. In talking about Bamfield Gary told us that the town is basically dying. Telus cut the cell phone tower out last year (cell coverage is spotty out here and it’s from Ucluelet) and the Bamfield Inn has been closed for years. The one remaining pub/motel is on the east side and just recently re-opened, but without laundry facilities. That’s too bad. Bamfield is a pretty place (in the sun!).

Sailing 3 hrs

Powering 0 hrs

Propane 2.hrs

Distance 10.3

Fuel 0 litres

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July 13^th	Port Alberni Yacht Club Plan Sail over to the PAYC Reality PAYC	Tofino
Monday		0446	9.2
		1059	3.3
		1733	10.2
		2350	4.3

0730hrs It’s quiet out on a cloudy, wet morning. It’s not raining at the moment but it was overnight. Carey is still asleep and my Tim Horton’s coffee smells good. I believe I have a hangover this morning, having difficulty staying focused and vertical. I don’t know what we’re going to do today, stay or go elsewhere. I’ll have to hear the weather report first. We’ll probably go over to Bamfield. It’s not much fun sitting at anchor in the rain.

2200hrs Didn’t go anywhere today, certainly didn’t do that much either. It stayed cloudy all day with hardly a whisper of wind. It stayed reasonably warm so we could sit in the cockpit and read and sleep. We had showers after our bacon & eggs breakfast that we finally finished about 1100hrs. I went for a row around the bay, over to the now abandoned “resort” that according to Gary, has a caretaker in residence with no usable docks and signs warning about a guard dog (no dog though). Over to the open cave and then back to the boat. About 1700hrs happy hour started again but it was a bit too cool to sit outside, so we all moved inside. Carey and I eventually went back to the boat for barbequed chicken for dinner and then back up for the rest of the evening. And thus another day is gone. Tomorrow we’ll head over to Bamfield.

Sailing 0 hrs

Powering 0 hrs

Propane 3.hrs

Distance

Fuel 0 litres

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July 14^th	Bamfield Plan Sail over to Bamfield Reality PAYC	Tofino
Tuesday		0538	8.5
		1136	3.9
		1812	10.2
		0048	3.9

0700hrs Cloudy again this morning with not a hint of a breeze yet. Of course, it’s still early and a bit too early to figure out what the day is going to be like. We’ll see. Going over to Bamfield some time today. It’s only about 5 nm so not a really hard day of sailing. Hopefully we’ll get a bit of a break from this weather so we can hike over to Brady’s Beach some time this afternoon or evening.

2200hrs It’s almost dark out already, the days are getting shorter. We just cleaned up after having Neil and Penny Beswick from Sidney over for wine. We haven’t seen them in years! They’re anchored at the head of the inlet, planning on going to Port Renfrew tomorrow morning. But starting with this morning…..

We had a slow morning (as usual) and after breakfast we said our goodbye’s to Gary & Tony. Everyone else was already gone at 0800hrs for the trip to Port Alberni. By 1030 we eased away from the dock under cloudy skies and hardly a ripple on the water. We carefully & slowly drifted through the narrow passage that leads to Trevor Channel and then put down the fishing gear. Gary had given us a down planer and so out it when with the flasher and green hootchie. We did that for about an hour, trolling at two knots along the island in about 40 ft of water. We could see the fish on the sounder but only caught one rock fish. At least it gave us a chance to charge up the batteries! Then it was off to Bamfield as the wind picked up from the west. Didn’t bother to put the sails up, we were only three miles away. The Nadon (RCMP) boat came out as we were going in. We learned later that they had been here for two days doing “safety checks” and handing out tickets. Nice.

We managed to find a spot on the inside of the same dock I was at a week and a half ago with the two boats that we had first met in Bacchante Bay last week. They are headed out to Victoria at first light tomorrow. Blue Loon also came in later, also headed out at first light. We walked up to the General Store just as the Francis Barkley came to the dock to unload. Interesting to watch all the stuff come off and what was going out. No point in going to the store until they sorted all that out. We also learned from Gary yesterday that the Lady Rose is no longer, too much costs in repairs to make it worth while so the only vessel now is the Francis Barkley. Back to the boat along the board walk and I loaded the motor onto the dinghy and we went over to the Bamfield East. As we came in there were two people just getting into their dinghy, ended up being Neil & Penny Beswick. So we chatted for a bit and invited them on board later in the evening for wine. We were planning on going up to the pub for lunch but it looked pretty decrepit with no-one around. Just next door was a small restaurant and grocery store (also loading stuff from the Francis Barkley). There was a group of 10 with 6 kids just in front of us on the patio, they had just driven up from Lake Cowichan to see the ocean (it’s a two hour drive on a gravel road, and you can’t see the ocean from Bamfield East!) As they didn’t serve liquor on the patio we went inside. It took a while but we had a good lunch and then back to the boat. Up to the grocery store for a bag of ice and two bottles of white wine and then relax in the cockpit with a book. The sun actually almost made it out for about ½ an hour! I’m reading “The Cruel Sea” after not seeing the book for at least 20 years. I’d forgotten how well written it is. We had cheese and crackers for dinner and were just about finished when Neil & Penny showed up. We caught up with each others activities since Neil & I were on the Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club executive back at least 10 years ago. And now it’s almost time for bed. It’s quiet outside and we were just reading through the 1986 log book from the last time we were out here. We even made it to Wouwer Island last time. I’ll have to make a point of getting there again.

Sailing 0 hrs

Powering 1 hrs

Propane 1 hrs

5.2 Distance

Fuel 0 litres

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July 15^th	Bamfield Plan Stay in Bamfield Reality	Tofino
Wednesday		0643	8.2
		1220	4.6
		1858	10.2

0800hrs Sitting in a quiet cabin with my coffee, updating the log from yesterday. Carey is still asleep. All the boats that were going to leave have done so although not exactly at first light. Some of them were not too quiet about it either! And then the fishing crowd started out with their outboards. That’s all over now and it’s quiet again as the thick fog drifts through the docks. Yesterday the forecast was for the possibility of showers this afternoon. We’ll see how that works out. More than likely we’ll stay here today, probably head over to Ucluelet tomorrow for the last two days before Carey goes home on Saturday.

2300hrs Just finished watching “When a Stranger Calls”, a pretty pathetic movie but certainly filled the time. Now it’s time for bed. The fog is so thick we can barely see the glow of lights across the harbour. It’s very quiet. It’s off to Ucluelet tomorrow, but no big hurry.

Today was one of those do-nothing kind of days. Neil & Penny left around 1000hrs as the fog started to lift a bit across the harbour. After a filling breakfast of eggs Benedict which we finally finished about 1100hrs we went for a walk along the boardwalk. Explored the old Bamfield Inn property. The old buildings are slowly deteriorating. Still lots of material there but it would take a fortune to bring it up to date and then run it when there’s not many customers. We returned to the wharf to find two fishing boats from another dock tied up and spreading their nets on the dock. Their own dock was so crowded with junk that they had no room to fix their nets there so they came over here. Not much room to get past them without stepping on the nets. The sun looked like it was going to burn through the fog for a while so off we went to Brady’s Beach. The beach was huge because of the very low tide but the waves were very small, less than 1 meter swells and no wind. The fog had returned and we couldn’t see across Trevor Channel to the Deer Group of islands. It wasn’t cold and there were a number of other people on the beach, just not warm and sunny. We hung out there for a bit and made our way back.

We stopped by the grocery store for a couple of very large ice cream cones that neither of us could finish. Wandered back to the dock to find a Fisheries and Oceans ship docked next to us and the two fish boats rafted up, still working on their nets. A C&C 33 was now docked ahead of us, two guys aboard from Vancouver, no name on the boat. We had watched them power by Brady’s Beach when we were there. We learned later that they had come down from Ucluelet today, headed to Victoria before the weekend. In listening to them talk they had not had a good trip so far. But the boat is a mess as well, not well looked after and certainly not updated. A 32ft Grand Banks also came in, Shani, and squeezed in behind the Fisheries & Oceans ship, just making it. Eventually the Fisheries and Oceans ship look its’ generator and left, quiet returned to the docks. The fishing boats finished loading up the now repaired nets and also left. I finished “The Cruel Sea” and the sun continued to try and shine through the fog. We boiled some water to fill the shower bag and had delicious hot showers around 1700hrs. I listened to the weather in Juan De Fuca strait to see what kind of a trip the four boats had back south. It was blowing 20 knots at Sherringham and Race Rocks, but both obscured by fog. That would not be fun! We watched the usual charter fish boats come in with their catches. Not much luck today for a 10+ hour day on the water. We saw one salmon of about 30 lbs but the rest were very small and few in number. None of the guys looked very happy. A bit of a wind came up here so we had to duck in behind the dodger to stay warm. The volunteer fire department at Bamfield East had their siren come on, for testing or a real fire call I don’t know. It rang for quite a while. The guy in Shani, the trawler on the same dock as us, came running out in his socks, asking if that was a Tsunami warning siren or not! I think we convinced him that it wasn’t. The steaks on the barbeque were very good but for some reason neither of us were very hungry (the oversized cones?). We watched an older couple come in by aluminum car-topper just loaded with stuff. It looked like they had gone shopping big time (Port Alberni maybe?), probably by car from Bamfield East, then load up the boat, then unload it all onto the dock, then up the ramp and finally into the pickup at the head of the dock. Looked very labour intensive and they didn’t sound all that happy about any of it. We heard from Ron & Linda. They were on their back patio in 23C sunshine. We had about 17C! By 2100hrs we decided to go inside to the heated cabin and watch a movie for the evening. And so now it’s time for bed and a hope that tomorrow brings some sun. The weather forecast is for a possibility of showers in the afternoon.

Sailing 0 hrs

Powering 0 hrs

Propane 3 hrs

0 Distance

Fuel 0 litres

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July 16^th	Ucluelet Plan Sail over to Ucluelet, 16 miles Reality	Tofino
Thursday		0152	3.6
		0804	7.9
		1314	5.2
		1951	10.5

0800hrs At about 0730hrs I woke up to see sunshine in the cabin! I had also seen stars earlier in the morning when it was dark, just don’t know what time. But now that I’m up and updating the log book the fog has settled in again. It’s getting thicker as time goes by. The Grand Banks 32 is gone, didn’t even hear it go. All the usual fishing boats are already gone this morning as well. We would like to get out of here by about 1100hrs for the four hour sail across to Ucluelet. Carey should be up shortly although there is no hurry.

0930hrs Powering out of Bamfield under sunny skies and into a huge fog bank ahead. The skies cleared up overhead and it’s nice and sunny, the water like a mirror. The water taxi is skimming by us for another pick-up somewhere. Ahead is a big fog bank that stretches for as far as the eye can see. We haven’t even had breakfast yet! Headed for Satellite Channel. No real hurry to get out of here, just I think Carey wants to get to Ucluelet before there is a chance of real wind over the bow.

1000hrs Just out of Satellite Channel and into Imperial Eagle Channel, flat calm out with a tiny ripple on the water, right on the nose. Visibility is about ½ a mile when it’s good. There are a couple of houses on the island to port, tucked into the trees. It will be about an hour before we see an island again, Effingham.

1015hrs Out into Imperial Eagle Channel, Tofino Coast Guard is working a May-Day off Amphrodite Point, a 20 ft aluminum boat taking on water. No GPS position. It will be a bit of a challenge finding that one in this fog. A number of boats have already responded.

1050hrs Abeam of Effingham Island which we can just pick out of the fog to port along with Village Reef to starboard. Than heavens for GPS and a chart plotter! The Coast Guard RIB Bamfield One just went by again on the way back from the “rescue” which ended up being at Lenard Island, not Amphrodite Point. They found the boat and it’s no longer an issue. The fog lifts and then envelops, very pretty at times, all consuming at others. Somewhat surreal.

1130hrs Just off Clarke Island with ¼ mile visibility, a narrow channel with submerged rocks everywhere. A few kayaks barely visible to port near the island. Purely GPS navigation now. Out into open what soon. Six miles to go.

1230hrs Just into Ucluelet Harbour in the sunshine, the thick fog bank behind us. It’s nice to be in sun and have clear visibility again! We’ll hit the fuel dock first and then go to the wharf. It was a pretty good crossing of the last six miles other than the wind picked up to about 10 knots with whitecaps starting to form. I tightened up the rig and got my rain jacket on, harnesses at the ready, incase we had to start sailing. It was right on the nose and with only 2 miles to go and all the reefs & rocks in the area I wanted to power if I could.

1330hrs The fuel dock was very busy so we skipped that, going straight into the docks and tied up.

2145hrs Just in from a cooling night under a clear sky. Not a cloud visible and the dew is falling. Time to come in from the cold. It’s been a pretty good day once we got here. The sun was warm and the winds almost non-existent. Once tied to the dock we went for a walk to town so that Carey could get the lay of the land, primarily where the bus stop was for Saturday. We dropped by the Information centre in the new building and found that it was at the grocery store on the main street. We walked by the RCMP office and dropped in to say hi to Gaylene, then back down to the boat. I needed to check in with Steve, the warfinger, about where we were docked. He found that it was OK so we went over to the Pacific Princess and sat on the foredeck for a late lunch. The sun and view were wonderful. The food mediocre. Since we had a couple of beer and cider with lunch it was time to have a quick nap back down at the boat. The docks are all full tonight with some of the same boats we’ve seen throughout this trip. We just hung around the boat for the afternoon, went for another walk and found the bus schedule at the grocery store (leave here at 1020 on Saturday and arrive in Victoria at 1530hrs). Had a few drinks and walked the docks as the sun fell behind the mountains to the west. I have a very poor internet connection here but I got that the weather here is supposed to rain tomorrow and Saturday, then be sunny for the next week. Figures! It’s hot and sunny at home. Now It’s just about time for bed. My face is on fire again and we have laundry and groceries to do tomorrow.

Sailing 0 hrs

Powering 3.5 hrs

Propane 0 hrs

19.1 Distance

Fuel 0 litres

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July 17^th	Ucluelet Plan Ucluelet Reality	Tofino
Friday		0301	3.0
		0931	7.9
		1422	5.6
		2050	10.8

0815hrs A beautiful sunny morning, Carey is still asleep. I’ve been up since 0700hrs updating the log and my e-mails from home. Checked the bus schedule and the weather on the net. It’s supposed to be showery today and just cloudy tomorrow, no rain any more. I can hear the fog horn out at Amphrodite Point. It started about 30 minutes ago so I think it’s safe to assume that the fog has rolled back in along the coast. All sorts of boats have already left this morning, headed out to go fishing. All the cruising boats still seem to be here.

2200hrs A busy day although we didn’t do all that much! We’re just inside now after a nice dinner at the Canadian Princess restaurant. Nice place and quiet, but their staff really needs to get organized. We went to the lounge first for a few drinks and they forgot to forward the bill to the restaurant. Oh well, what a shame!

This morning after a champagne breakfast in the sunshine we got the energy up to go and do some laundry, take the garbage out, and then some shopping, loading up the boat for next week. We went down to a small marine store down at the waterfront which caters mostly to fishermen. Lo and behold, a one liter can of Deks Olje! Lots of dust on the can and not a price sticker to be seen. Probably the last one on the coast! They didn’t even have it listed in their pricing guide anymore. Asked for $30.00 and I would have probably paid twice that. Now I have enough of this stuff for at least the next five years! Walked that all back to the boat (more than one walk, and the hills here are murderous!) I asked Steve the warfinger for ice. He showed me some milk cartons full of ice, no block ice. I’ll get more ice at the fuel dock on the way out of town tomorrow. We sat around for a bit and Carey decided to go back to town and I decided to wash the boat down. That all took a while and by then it was happy hour again. Watched boats come and go, made reservations at the Canadian Princess, and had a few drinks. A pretty lazy day although we seemed busy most of the time.

Sailing 0 hrs

Powering 0 hrs

Propane 0 hrs

0 Distance

Fuel 0 litres

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July 18^th	Effingham Island Plan Carey takes the bus home, I go sailing, probably to Effingham Reality Effingham Island	Tofino
Saturday		0301	3.0
		0931	7.9
		1422	5.6
		2050	10.8

0600hrs I think every boat in this harbour is leaving this morning! Literally dozens have rumbled past the stern of our boat, all headed out fishing on a cloudy, foggy morning. It must be a Saturday morning! I’ve been up since 0530hrs, wide awake, nothing much to do except update the log and read a book. Carey wants to wake up at 0800hrs to get ready for the bus at 1020hrs. After a bit of final grocery shopping I’ll go pick up some fuel and ice and then be on my way. I don’t know where just yet, but somewhere. We’ll see what the weather and wind does. The weather information on the internet this morning is for clouds and showers today and tomorrow, improving on Monday for the rest of the week. Yeh, right!

1100hrs Away from the dock, idling towards the fuel dock for diesel and ice while charging the batteries. Carey is safely away on the bus and I have the last minute groceries aboard along with three books from the library here. The skies are cloudy with a few hits of blue, but darker clouds behind me to the west.

1120hrs I’m away from the fuel dock with four blocks of ice and 41.1 liters of fuel. There is a nice westerly breeze over the stern, I’ll have the sails up in no time.

1145hrs Natasha is sailing out of the mouth of Ucluelet harbour with a nice 12 knot wind over the starboard quarter. The skies are still cloudy with the darker clouds to the west and the weather channel is still calling for drizzle this afternoon. There’s hardly a whitecap out here yet and I’ll have to do a bit of gibing down to Clark Island.

1350hrs In behind Clark Island and all of a sudden it’s flat again! The sun is out big time with almost totally clear skies. The wind is gusting from the NW and were on a very broad reach for Effingham, about 2.5 miles away. I sailed past Starlight Reef around 1230 before gibing back into Barkley Sound. Lots of loud sea lions on the rocks, very smelly as well. Fascinating. The wind started picking up again, a solid 15 over the stern and the boat sailed as fast as she could. Very nice although it cooled off quite a bit.

1400hrs Took photos of a sailboat in this bay, sailing hard to windward. Got an email address of cphonson@attbio.com for a boat by the name of Velocity.

1430hrs The anchor is down in Effingham Bay with a sail boat, large power boat and a 30ft Bayliner. It’s deep here, I’m in almost 50 ft of water with 210 ft of rode out. That’ll be fun to haul out tomorrow!

2130hrs Rocking and rolling in the anchorage at Effingham Island as darkness falls. The sun set behind some low clouds to the NW and the wind is slowly easing up. I won’t be going to bed soon anyway, it’s just too rocky in here. It’s still blowing about 10 knots with gust around 15, down from the steady 15 with gusts to 20 from earlier! The rig is still shaking every once in a while and the trees to leeward are still rustling. It’s about a one foot chop with some larger rollers breaking against the rocky shore. Not all that comfortable to say the least.

After the good sail here I settled back to some reading in the sunshine dressed in shorts and a T shirt. I had purchased a Vancouver Sun newspaper this morning and there were all sorts of interesting stories about the Apollo missions to the moon on the 40^th anniversary of the landing. The wind was hovering around 7 – 10 knots, very comfortable. Unfortunately, it’s a very long fetch to Clark Island to the west of this place and it doesn’t provide much protection. As the afternoon progressed the wind picked up and the waves increased. Carey called at about 1630hrs to let me know that she was home and that it was hot, and that the weeds in the back yard were out of control! By that time I was ready to get back into jeans and sweatshirt as the rising wind was cooling things down. About 1800 I rowed into the beach at the head of the bay to take the short hike across to the east side of the Island. The trail (and that’s being generous) is as bad as I remember it! The beach on the east side isn’t as large or as sandy as I remember it either. I met a fellow boater of a Defres 45 by the name of Reel Sketchy at the head of the trail and we hiked it together. Dave and his wife Chris are up from the Oregon coast and spend the summer up here in Barkley Sound. He invited me back to his boat as they wanted to hear all about the marinas in the Sidney area. We hiked back to the dinghies and upon reaching Reel Sketchy found a kayaker in distress. He and his family were a long way from their camping equipment which he believed to be on Clark Island (two miles away to windward). They had gone to a beach just around the corner from us and needed assistance to get their gear from Clark Island for the night. Dave off to help with his inflatable and 20 hp Honda. This was all at about 1930hrs and he just returned (very wet) about 15 minutes ago! I was worried enough that as the sun set, and I hadn’t seen him, I rowed over to see if his wife had heard from him. She had (channel 68) a while ago saying he was on his way back and then lost contact. As I got back to Natasha I could see him with another body on board headed for the beach. Alls well that ends well and I’m sure there will be stories to tell.

2345hrs Almost midnight and the wind has completely died, there is just a bit of a swell left. I took some pills about an hour ago so it’s just about time for bed. The stars are out in all their glory, the milky way very brilliant. There is still a hint of daylight towards the northwest. It should be a good night. I’ve got the mosquito screen in the main hatch. There were a whole lot of mosquitoes on shore earlier and now that the wind has died I suspect they may be headed this way.

Sailing 2.5 hrs

Powering ,5 hrs

Propane 0 hrs

15.9 Distance

Fuel 41.1 litres

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July 19^th	Jaques-Jarvis Lagoon Plan Sail over to Wouwer Island to explore, then over to Jaques-Jarvis Lagoon Reality As above	Tofino
Sunday		0511	1.3
		1148	8.9
		1647	5.6
		2254	11.8

0900hrs Waking up to a cloudy morning with a very light SE breeze rippling the water. The clouds are low, like yesterday morning, and I suspect they may burn off before the day is over. A very solid night’s sleep last night, probably because of the Gravol. I got up at 0700hrs and cleaned up the boat, had coffee and read the “Run Away Jury” book. I’m not sure where I’m going today, if anywhere just yet. I’d like to go over to Wouwer Island which is just around the corner and not recommended for overnight anchorage. I called Carey at 0830 and she and Trixi were still in bed! Everything is fine at home. I think I’m going to go for a row and explore.

1315hrs Motoring out of Effingham Island against a rising NW wind. The wind has arrived, a bit late, but arrived it has. The skies have cleared magically and it’s now a wonderful blue sky with touches of white clouds over the mountains that surround this sound. Earlier when I went for a row I found a very nice kayakers campsite just around the corner on Effingham Island, a gap between two small islands. Very well laid out and clean. There were composting toilets there but I didn’t see any wells.

Dave and Chris aboard Reel Sketchy had me over for tea just before noon after Dave returned from an unsuccessful fishing expedition. He was out there for about three hours! And he has all the right gear in his inflatable. Not that I needed fish anyway.

I learned that the people he assisted last night where two adults and two teens who were camped on Benson Island, about two miles NW across the large open bay. They had all gone kayaking for the day, all down wind, and when it came time to head back to Benson it was simply too rough. Dave took the one guy and two teens (all he could carry) back to Benson where a group was camped out. The group took care of the teens and the one guy came back with Dave to retrieve the last guy. That guy had obtained safety on a sailboat around the corner and so the two of them stayed there for the night aboard the sailboat. Dave was soaked by the time he got back, waves over the bow for two miles in the gathering darkness. Not good planning on the part of the kayakers. Anyway, Dave & Chris live on the coast of Oregon, just south of Newport, and are thinking of mooring their boat in Sidney to avoid the three day slog up the Washington coast every year. They had all sorts of questions about Sidney and the marinas. I finally got out of there a few minutes ago as the wind started to rise. I had 210 ft of rode out, a bit of a pull! I’m off to explore Wouwer Island, about two miles away while I charge the batteries.

1345hrs Anchor is down in a very small nook between Batley and Wouwer Island, 20 ft of water right next to the shore. The wind should keep me clear of the rocks. It’s only temporary as I go take some photos. No one else is here and it’s blowing about 12 – 15 knots. May be a bit of a row!

1445hrs Anchor is back up and I’m sailing away from Wouwer on a down wind run with just the main up so far, going 5.5 knots anyway. Very nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to stay there, especially with a high tide. A good many of the protecting reefs would be covered and the waves would simply roll right over them. I took some photos that should look good. It was simply too far to row over to the sea lion island, too far to windward. And I was somewhat concerned about the boat and the anchor holding. Not a whole lot of help out here on short notice if things go wrong! I’ll go back the same way I got in here through Effingham and then see where the wind blows me. I’d like to see the anchorage at Jarvis Island in behind Turtle Island. It’s only 8 or 9 miles away as the crow flies.

1620hrs Idling into the Jaques – Jarvis Lagoon after a very nice sail from Wouwer Island. Nice steady, strong wind over the port side quarter with low waves as I sailed up through Coaster Channel and past Turtle Island. Beautiful blue skies and blue water, hardly another boat in sight. Where is everyone!? Sailed up into Peacock Channel where the wind became very light, round the top end of Jarvis Island and gibed to bring me back down here. I can still see whitecaps back in Coaster Channel and over Loudoun Channel, it’s still blowing hard from the NW. But here it’s a light breeze and we drifted almost to the entrance before I took down the sails and then started the engine. Humming birds are playing with the sails already. It looks tight ahead and there are lots of rocks on the GPS and in the guide book. Better pay attention!

1614hrs The anchor is down in 20 ft of water in the middle of the bay, all alone! It’s beautiful in here with just a light breeze to push the boat back to set the hook. A couple of kayakers were paddling out of the bay as I was coming in. A very tight entrance! Hard to see the rocks but GPS is just great! Time for a beer!

2100hrs The setting sun has just touched the tops of the trees and is fading, giving up the clear blue sky to dusk. Soft music is play to the company of birds calling and splashing fish on the mirrored water, not a ripple disturbing the smooth surface. The anchorage is still all mine with not a human sound to be heard. The humming birds are still hovering around the boat although that will stop with the setting sun. The wine glass is full. How can this get any better!! It’s been a great day all around, fine sailing and beautiful scenery. I went for a row earlier today after getting here, took some photos, then back to the boat to finish “The Runaway Jury”. Good book with a good ending. The humming birds ended up almost being a distraction. They would come in groups and hover around, inspecting the rigging and canvas. One even went into the cabin and out through the forward hatch! I would put the book down and hope to catch one on film, almost always too late. They disappear the moment you move. So I held the camera for a while, waiting. Managed to get a shot of one just as he landed on the lifeline! Very nice. So tonight I made up my own humming bird feeder for tomorrow. I cleaned out a sunscreen bottle that has a red top, stuffed plastic and a sheet of paper towel into the tip to slow the drip. Then I boiled a can of ginger ale so that it would condense the sweetness. We’ll see how that works tomorrow when I hang it from the back stay. It’s high tide now and almost dark (2140hrs) as I type this in the cockpit. I noticed a mosquito float by. I guess I’ll have to put the netting up again tonight. I want to stay in the cockpit as long as I can stay awake, see the milky way again and see if the space station floats by again.

2150hrs No sooner had I written that than I look up and there it was, going west to east. One rotation is 90 minutes so I should see it again at about 2320hrs. We’ll see if we’re still up then. There are also a few jets up there and you can make out the flashing nav lights and a bit of contrail.

0030hrs And the space station showed up right on time, go figure! I’m just in from a very pleasant evening watching the stars. It’s dark now, but still not as dark as I would have thought. I can still see the outline of the tree tops on the surrounding hills. Certainly not enough to navigate by, but I would have thought it would have been black. I guess the stars are providing enough ambient light. And the stars are out in all their glory tonight! Not a whole lot of satellites either, just a whole lot of stars. The milky way is fabulous, stretching from horizon to horizon. Time to make the bed and then one last look out on deck.

Sailing 1.5 hrs

Powering .5 hrs

Propane 0 hrs

Distance 9.2

Fuel litres

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July 20^th	Jaques-Jarvis Lagoon Plan Stay Reality Stay	Tofino
Monday		0607	0.7
		1239	9.5
		1751	5.2
		2353	12.1

2040hrs What a wonderful day! It’s been hot (27c) with hardly a breeze rippling the water. I now have two power boats in this bay with me, one a cat with three guys, the other a small runabout that’s too far away to see who is on board. I just finished my steak dinner and am sipping on a Jacob’s Creek Shiraz/Cab that isn’t bad at all. The skies are still clear and the sun is climbing up the trees along the eastern shore of this lagoon.

This morning dawned with thick fog settled over the water. I could not see the surrounding shore in any direction, the water like glass. I could hear a fog horn in the distance and the hooting buoy out near Bamfield. Not another sound disturbed the silence. I cleaned up the cabin and wiped the dew off the cockpit cushions. The coffee tasted good as I watch the fog flow about, thinning as the morning drifted by. I fixed up the humming bird feeder and set it up on the backstay. Eventually the fog lifted enough that the birds were back. They certainly examined the feeder in detail, something bright and new. At one point there were four of them around, darting back and forth, twittering away. Breakfast was around 1000 some time as the skies cleared and the sun shone down. I wiped the whole boat down to remove the last of the salt spray as I wanted to do some waxing this afternoon. I went for a long row out into the main channel outside the lagoon. Lots of kayakers coming through in groups of 10 or more, in one entrance and out another. I went out for a row and watched the Francis Barkley rumbled by in the distance against a green backdrop. Very little wind outside and not many boats out cruising about. I cleaned and waxed the cabin house and started on the stainless steel stanchions, but it simply got too hot! The boat “Shani” puttered into the bay. This is the same boat in Bamfield where he thought it was a tsunami warning. They came over and asked if I was staying for the day and then decided there wasn’t enough room for the two of us and so left! Went back to reading in the cockpit for a while. I finished a whole book, not that it was real thick, but read it cover to cover. “The Bleachers” by John Grisham, an entertaining book. The humming birds continued to gather around the boat and at one point one actually landed on the top of the book I was holding, sat there and stared at me for probably 10 seconds (a lifetime in bird time!) and then flew off with his buddies. Fascinating! I dragged out the old charts and calculated my Thursday morning departure and time/distance to Race Rocks and Victoria. I want to get to Race before 1830hrs when the tide turns, the earlier before that the better as a flood tide would keep the seas down if it’s a blistering westerly. If I leave at around 0500hrs from Dodger Channel, or even Bamfield, I should have plenty of time. Tomorrow I’ll simply go for a sail and see where I end up. Useless Inlet sounds interesting. Around 1600hrs I went for another row, not another boat in sight. The tide had fallen and closed of the favorite kayaker entrance/exit and I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a shower on deck instead of getting the inside of the boat wet. That worked very well, I was starting to get very odorous with all the heat! Felt much better and had a cold beer while I watched the birds flittering about. I thought I would get the video camera out, just to see if I could capture one or two. I could hear them coming so turned it on and just pointed it at the dodger and waited. One of them flew right in front of the camera, having a look at the lens from about 2 ft away. Great footage! Then the first of the two power boats came in and anchored, both have been very quiet so far, no generators to listen to. I called Carey just before 1900hrs and it was also hot there, 28c (80F). Marc apparently had a new truck so I text messaged him and he sent me a photo. Then I asked him if I could borrow the truck next week for some gravel work! He replied that I could use plastic buckets and my own 300XZ! Funny! Now the sun is completely gone and the air is cooling off very nicely. With another clear night I wonder if the space station will be around again after dark. Time to check today’s photos.

2300hrs Right on time the space station drifted by overhead, right around 2215hrs. I’ve been working on the log since 2015, my how time flies. Had to get caught up though. Now it’s time to watch the stars, drink some wine, munch on some chocolate and listen to some quiet music (along with the fish splashing).

0015hrs What a gorgeous evening! The stars are out in all their glory (again!) and there is not a sound to be heard. Actually, I can hear the surf breaking on the outer islands, that’s how quiet it is! Stars keep popping up over the trees to the east (and I thing Saturn just showed up) and setting in the west. The space station came racing across the southern sky again, right on schedule, but much lower this time. It disappeared into the earth’s shadow quickly as well. There are too many stars to even begin to count and the milky way is simply light colored clouds across the velvety dome of the sky. Phenomenal! Nothing like the southern coast where city lights pollute the night skies. Reluctantly, it’s time for bed.

Sailing 0 hrs

Powering 0 hrs

Propane 0 hrs

Distance 0

Fuel litres

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July 21^st	Jaques-Jarvis Lagoon Plan Go sailing! Don’t know where just yet. Reality Went sailing, stopped at Turtle Island.	Tofino
Tuesday		0658	0.0
		1325	10.2
		1849	4.6
		0049	12.5

0900hrs It’s already been an adventurous morning! Not a cloud in the sky and no fog or haze. It’s perfect. The two power boats in here last night are both gone, probably first light but I slept through that. The humming birds woke me up at 0700hrs before the sun had cleared the tree tops. Put on a kettle and dried out the cockpit. Then decided to go for a row with my coffee. The tide was 0 this morning at 0700hrs so the mud flats are clearly visible. As are the rocks at the entrance! I rowed out on a mirrored sea, absolute stillness. No current at the entrance, the rocks about a foot above the water. I sat out there for a while, sipping my coffee, taking in the view. I phoned Carey and she reported that it was already 15c (68F) at home, she had just got back from taking Trixi on her walk and was getting ready to go to work. I was startled by what looked like about a 20lb salmon that actually cleared the water about 30 ft in my line of view. Big splash, and not to be seen again. It was so perfect out I decided to row over to the anchorage at Nettle Island, about a mile away. In past Erin island that protects the entrance and it’s a big anchorage. Unfortunately, it’s too deep in the middle with limited water shallow enough for anchorage. Yet, there were no boats in there, not a soul. On the row back a hint of a breeze started up and the current was picking up speed from east to west in the separating channel between Erin Island and Jaques Island. Kind of helpful. And the current was flooding into the Jaques-Jarvis Lagoon at about one knot as well. A lot of water has to pass through this narrow passage. I got back here just a few minutes ago and a light breeze has developed. I have to wait till at least noon before I’ll venture out through the shallow entrance. Then I’ll go sailing for a while, check out the Pinkerton islands and probably go to Useless Inlet for the night. We’ll see.

1020hrs Idling out of the anchorage, the anchor is up (very muddy and stinky!). The tide should be high enough to get out of here now and there is a ripple on the water. Going to go for a sail! The skies are clear, not a cloud to be seen. Lorne just called. He’s at Port Browning with guests aboard who have to go home today because of a fire in Calgary. The toilet overflows and they had to force the through-hull closed to keep from flooding. Now they just use a bucket to flush. Not that I haven’t told him in the past!

1040hrs The main is up and the genoa rolled out, sailing downwind towards the Pinkertons and then perhaps Useless Inlet. It’s a bit of a spotty breeze just yet but I’m in no hurry. I can see westward towards Ucluelet and can see a major fog bank. I’ll be interesting to see if it drifts all the way in here.

1100hrs Sailing towards Hand Island at five knots on a beam reach, nice solid breeze now. Would you believe the weather channel is reporting Juan de Fuca as SE 15 at the moment with fog banks all along the coast? So much for forecasts!

1120hrs At Hand Island in the wind shadow. Nice looking kayakers beach with white sand. A change of plans. I’m going to go over to Bamfield today to prepare for Juan de Fuca tomorrow. With the weather forecast for tomorrow being SW winds changing to NW winds for Vancouver Island south, fog banks burning off near noon, I figure that, with the large afternoon flood, I can easily make Port San Juan before the change at 1800hrs if I leave around 1100hrs. Then on Thursday the same thing, leave Port San Juan at around 1100hrs to get to Victoria about 2000hrs. The current at Race Rocks turns at 1830hrs or thereabouts. I’m just not that interested in sailing in Juan de Fuca all morning in thick fog. So it’s off to Bamfield! Light winds at the moment and we’ll sail through the Pinkerton Islands and have a look.

1310hrs Just turned around near Satellite Channel after a great crossing of Imperial Eagle Channel, hard on the wind with spray across the deck. Beautifully sunny and warm. The fog bank toward Ucluelet is still there but doesn’t seem to be getting any closer. I did manage to sail through the Pinkertons in light winds. A few boats tucked into corners that I could see. Then it was a nice solid breeze in Sechart Channel along the back side of Nettle Island. Approaching Swale Rock I could see more wind ahead blowing up Imperial Eagle Channel. Once around the corner it was time to put a reef in the main and off I went, hard on the wind aiming for Dodger Channel in the Deer Group. The wind headed me a bit so now I’m near Satellite Channel. However, I don’t want to spend the last night on the west coast tied to a dock so I think I’ll sail back over to Turtle Bay. The wind is just too good to miss, a solid 15 knots across the deck, I’m racing along at around 7 knots.

1330hrs Two miles from the east edge of Effingham Island, that was a fast reach back across Imperial Eagle Channel. There is a huge fog bank rolling my way. I suspect it will get to me before we get to Effingham.

1345hrs Between Reef Island and Village Reef and out of the fog bank. Spooky while I was in it, sailing at 6+ knots into a white oblivion. Now everything is visible again and all is right.

1430hrs Just off Turtle Island in sunshine with no wind! The wind evaporated as I got closer. The batteries need charging anyway so I’ll idle towards the entrance.

1500hrs The anchor is down in a “busy” anchorage. There are eight boats in here! Of course, the place is huge but eight boats together just seems crowded. Time to get out of some of these clothes.

1945hrs The clear plastic flap is in the companionway to keep the cool air out of the cabin tonight. A thick fog has settled over the anchorage, not a particularly good evening to be sitting in the cockpit. Time to update the log then and perhaps watch a movie later. The temperature outside is dropping fast.

After getting here this afternoon it was sunny for the longest time. I even got into shorts and t shirt, put two beer in the cooler and relaxed as a multitude of kayakers paddled back and forth through the bay. It seems kind of crowded this time. Not a whole lot of humming birds either. But then they have lots of boats to visit. Gradually the fog started to filter into the entrances and around the east side of the anchorage, still sitting in the sun but suddenly cooler. Back on came the jeans and sweatshirt. I gave Carey a call at about 1845hrs. It’s still hot and sunny at home. The forecast here is for clouds tomorrow morning and then sun in the afternoon. This weather is supposed to hold through the weekend. I had a simple dinner of barbecued chicken and a cheese bun. That’s just finished and I moved inside, getting cold out with a breeze moving the fog around.

Sailing 3 hrs

Powering 0.5 hrs

Propane 0 hrs

Distance 18.0

Fuel litres

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July 22^nd	Barkley Sound to Port Renfrew Leave at 1100hrs from Turtle Island, get to Port Renfrew about 1800hrs 42 miles	Tofino		Juan De Fuca West (Pt Renfrew)
Wednesday		0745	-0.3	1218	1515	+1.5
		1408	10.8	1820	2141	-1.6
		1943	3.9

						1100hrs	Leave
						1230hrs	Cape Beale
						1330hrs	Pachena Point
						1600hrs	Carmanah Point
						1800hrs	Owne Point

0930hrs On a cloudy morning I’ve got the anchor up and idling towards the entrance of an anchorage that looks much different this morning. It looks like someone pulled the plug and all the water has run out! It’s a minus tide this morning and it certainly looks it. All those narrow, shallow passages into this anchorage are now piles of gravel and weeds. There are still three exits but it certainly looks different. A light breeze from the west has just sprung up so I’ll go out and do some sailing. The weather gurus are saying a NW gale warning for Vancouver Island south with light and variable along the coast. Juan de Fuca (west, near Port San Juan) is supposed to get 20 knots from the west this afternoon. Right now the costal light houses have SE east wind in varying degrees. I had a good solid night’s sleep and even managed to sleep in until 0800hrs after seeing the cloud and fog at 0530hrs. The boat has been prepped and we’re ready to rock. The dodger is off and stored in the v-berth. It’s 42 miles away as the crow flies. I wasn’t planning to leave till 1100hrs but if there is a breeze we may as well go for a sail.

1000hrs Out of the anchorage and the power is up to the usual 2300 rpm, not a breeze in sight.

1100hrs Sailing in Hamond Passage along with the power boaters fishing along the shore. Powered all the way across Glen Eagle Channel with no wind, just an ever increasing SW swell. It’s up to 5 – 6 ft now. The wind is from the SE at about 10 – 12 knots, right on the nose. I’ll have to tack between the islands to get clear to Cape Beale.

1200hrs Sailing out past Cape Beale headed out into the open water, hard on the wind, 15 knots across the deck. The swells are now up to 6+ feet, blocking out the horizon when I’m in a trough. It’s interesting that the swells are from the SW and the wind from the SE. On a port tack I’m parallel to the swells, on a starboard tack I have them come under the stern. There is a bit of blue sky around Pachena Point, grey clouds and fog out in the open water, probably about 5 miles out.

1245hrs Time to turn the power on to make some distance. The wind is up to about 18 knots across the deck and right on the nose. I tacked out past Cape Beale and then back in only put me into Pachena Bay and in behind Seabird Rocks, not a good place to be. I’ll power over to Pachena Point and hope that the wind backs over to the SW like it’s supposed to, just so I can sail towards Carmanah Point hard on the wind.

1330hrs Abeam of Pachena Point. The sunny skies are now behind me over Barkley Sound. Ahead only clouds and waves. The wind hasn’t picked up at all but the waves are more jumbled than ever. The main is still up to steady the rolling. The current is now behind me, about 1 – 1 ½ knots. Very helpful!

1400hrs The wind has just died! Only about a five knot breeze with the waves falling to just a ripple on top of the swell. I guess this is part of the “light and variable” that they were talking about! There is a tug and barge headed in the same direction way off to starboard, just visible in the fog.

1440hrs Still 20 miles to go, the water is smooth on top of the swells. In gaps though the mountains I can see sunshine inland.

1600hrs Abeam of Carmanah Point, 12.7 miles to go. A breeze has come up again so the main is back up to steady the boat. The swells have flattened considerably. It’s almost comfortable out here now, just boring. Not much to see, not much to do.

1650hrs Abeam of Cullet Cove and the wind has finally switched to the NW, coming over my left shoulder now. Very light but at least there is hope. About 6 miles to go for Owen Point at Port San Juan.

1700hrs Encountered Orcas headed in the opposite direction. Ran right through the middle of the pod, pretty spread out and moving slowly. I was putting the main up when I saw one way off to starboard and then when I started looking for them they were all around me in a very loose group. Hope I got some good photos.

1730hrs Rounding Owen Point and heading into Port San Juan. The wind has really picked up and the engine is idling now to cool off, the main providing enough power to maintain 5+ knots. A huge dark fog bank is also pursuing me! It looks ugly. As I was approaching Owen Point I could see Orcas broaching. When I got here there appeared to be a group of four young Orcas playing and feeding. They’re headed to joint the main pod now. There is actually sun shining in Port Renfrew at the head of the inlet!

1800hrs The anchor is down in 15 ft of water in the same place as before, just a little further from shore. It’s high tide now and we’re going to lose about 9 ft of water before 0800hrs tomorrow. It’s rock and roll time. The wind is up to about 18 knots and there is a 3 ft chop on top of a low swell. This is not going to be comfortable! There is one other sailboat anchored off the old docks, rocking like I am. I need to get warmed up, everything is damp from the fog and cold air. The sun has disappeared with the fog rolling in. I would love to carry on to Victoria but the tide has turned and it will be very rough (short chop) with the 20 knots of wind against a two knot current.

1945hrs Sitting in the cabin rockin & rollin! It’s going to be a fun night! Good thing I have all the right medications! Actually, it’s not all that bad. It’s blowing about 10 knots, down from the 18 knots when I arrived. The swells are down somewhat and the wind is supposed to taper off towards midnight. If the weather people are right! The heater is on and it’s quite comfortable in here. At least my hands are dry finally. The deck is still very wet and salty. I repaired the furler which was coming loose! The bottom bolt was coming undone! Not good. Noticed it when I unfurled the jib and saw the furling line outside the drum. The drum had rotated. I had to fix that right away so I had auto do the steering while I climbed and slithered to the foredeck to determine the problem. I also had to re-set the boom vang. The bottom mast fitting had slid up the grove. Drilled a hole and put a screw in. The will be very useful tomorrow on the down wind ride in. The forecast for tomorrow is 25 – 30 knots from the west late in the afternoon. Should be good, except for the fog that is also forecast. I have to deflate the dinghy in the morning and see if it will fit into the cabin.

Sailing 2 hrs

Powering 8 hrs

Propane 3 hrs

Distance.50.0

Fuel litres

TOP

July 23^rd	Port San Juan to Victoria Leave at noon to take advantage of the flood tide, time it to get through Race Rocks by 1820 hrs	Pt Atkinson		Race Rocks			0601	22	-/+
Thursday		0107	3.2	0125	0238	+0.9	0701	23	-
		0601	4.3	0405	0823	-6.5	0801	24	-
		1308	0.4	1221	1557	+5.4	0901	25	-
		2019	4.8	1848	2246	-5.1	1001	26	-
							1101	27	-
							1201	28	-
		Tofino		Juan De Fuca East			1308	1	-/+
		0142	3.8	0209	0348	+0.5	1408	2	+
		0828	0.0	0517	1013	-3.7	1508	3	+
		1449	3.4	1353	1656	+3.0	1608	4	+
		2036	1.0	2026	2307	-1.9	1708	5	+
				Juan De Fuca West (Pt Ren)
				0142	0311	+0.3
				0439	0914	-2.2
				1305	1558	+1.4
				1858	2225	-1.7

0800hrs A very quiet night. Well, it could have been riotous but I wouldn’t have noticed! A Gravol on top of the 24 hr anti nausea pill and I was out like a light at about 2130hrs! Woke up this morning to low clouds and drizzle, and a bit of a roll as the boat is beam-on to the swells coming in from the Strait. No wind however. Now there is a bit of blue sky right overhead but I don’t expect that to last very long. It’s blowing 30 knots at Race Rocks already! Should be a good ride to Victoria this afternoon. The tide doesn’t change till noon so I’ll raise the anchor about 1100hrs. The other sailboat is still here as well so I suspect he’s also thinking the same. I made muffins for breakfast this morning. I ate two and the rest are for the long sail in. Finger food! Time to prep the boat, deflate the dinghy and see if it will fit in the main cabin. Lots of time. I’m going to go with full rain gear today, no point in getting wet half way home. I can just pick up the weather forecast out of Victoria, can’t hear Tofino any more. The US weather channel is stuck in a loop with only one weather report, off-shore. I’ll wait for the 1030hrs forecast.

0900hrs The dinghy is deflated and stored below (barely). I’m all set to go. There’s a light breeze coming into Port San Juan so I’ll leave early. If there is a bit of a breeze out there I may as well take advantage of it. The tide doesn’t turn to flood for another three hours. There is a hint of sun above but pretty dark clouds toward the entrance. It’s blowing 18 knots at Race Rocks at the moment. The Forecast is for 10 – 15 at the west entrance with a gale warning for central and eastern ends. They’re expecting 35 knots late this afternoon at Race Rocks. I’ve got all my rain gear on (for drizzle as well as spray, if I get that kind of wind!).

0930hrs Out past San Juan Point, and there’s no wind, 0, ziltch. There is fog out here, visibility is about a mile, I can see Owen Point through the haze. May as well power for a while, no point in going back in. The current will be against me for a few hours.

1000hrs I have about 1 – 1.5 knots against us. Not a whisper of a breeze with about six foot swells coming up directly behind Natasha. It’s not all that uncomfortable. There’s still a gale warning for central and eastern Juan de Fuca. I guess I’ll have to power up to the wind. There’s a trawler type power boat headed west passing me.

1100hrs Coming up on Sombrio Point. Taking advantage of the back eddy along the coast leading up to the point, up to 7 knots over the bottom. The fog has dissipated and I can see the Olympic mountains on the American side. There is just a hint of a breeze coming up behind from the west.

1145hrs The spinnaker is up! The current is still against me (about 1 knot) but there is enough of a breeze to sail by. The skies are clearing to the south east over Sooke.

1250hrs Not a perfect spinnaker Gibe but damn close to it. Up near the traffic channel for deep sea vessels. Now headed towards Sooke which is still a long way away. Going about 7 knots over the bottom, the tide has changed. The sky is still clearing ahead. There is a sailboat along the shore near San Simon Point, also going south. He was probably always there but just put up the main so I saw him. I’m probably 4 miles off shore. He may be the same boat that was in Port San Juan last night, he left just before me and I haven’t seen him since. The wind is relatively light but I’m cruising along at 6+ knots through the water, almost 7 over the bottom. Nice not to have to worry about the dinghy. Much quieter too.

1320hrs Abeam of Jordan River, can’t see all that much. Blowing 18 knots at Sherringham which is just ahead. Just topped 8 knots on GPS, averaging 7 knots over the bottom. About 6.5 through the water, very few whitecaps, not really straining at all. Wait till this thing has to come down, probably within the hour the way the wind is picking up.

1400hrs A picture perfect take-down! We’re off Point-No-Point with the wind increasing and white caps popping up everywhere. Not a hitch in the takedown. The jib is pulling and I’m going to have to gibe downwind. It’s about 10 knots across the deck so 15 – 18 true. The sun is out from behind the clouds and the water is blue. Perfect! The other sailboat is still astern and to port, only the jib up at the moment.

1440hrs Otter point, just took the main down, going with the jib only. There are whitecaps everywhere and it was time to take some sail down.

1500hrs Headed back out into the strait with full main again. The wind is lightening, hopefully I don’t have to put the spinnaker back up again.

1515hrs All the way back out to the shipping lane and gibed again, now headed back towards Race Rocks. Topping 10 knots on GPS, surfing down some of the larger waves. Some of the wind waves are combining with the swell and looking quite awesome under blue skies and sunshine.

1630hrs Through Race Rocks with lots of current! Running straight downwind wing-on-wing in light winds. Of course, the current offsets the wind but I believe the wind to be quite light at the moment. There are whitecaps ahead where the current dissipates through the passage. I can see Victoria and there are a couple of cruise ships in harbour. The wind is supposed to pick up this afternoon but it looks pretty mild so far, hardly a ripple. The swells are finally gone!

1800hrs In past the breakwater, lots of wind still pushing me along under cloudy skies, rain threatening. The jib has been furled after gibing down from Race Rocks. For a while there I was thinking about taking down the main and going just with the jib. The wind really picked up after Race Rocks, a good solid 15 knots over the stern, us doing 6+ most of the time. Unfortunately, it was dead down wind so we started to run wing-on-wing and threw in the occasional gibe. Whitecaps everywhere. But it’s still a long 9 nm from Race Rocks to Odgen Point when you’re tired and just want to get there. I’ll drop the main once I’m into the harbour where the water is a bit flatter.

1830hrs Tied up at the Empress under cloudy skies. I even got “blue lighted” by a Transport Canada RIB for having my mainsail up! I didn’t want to drop it outside the harbour because of the sea conditions and then when I got close to the sign that said no sailing there was a tour boat under my starboard side so I couldn’t round up into the wind to drop it. I was going to round the corner and get in behind the condos where the wind would be lighter. The engine was warming up anyway. The Transport Canada guy came up and told me to drop the sail (which I rounded up and did) and the told me for next time to drop it outside the harbour. Yeh, right! I wanted to tell him to piss-off but don’t need another lecture. Anyway, I’m tied up. Time to inflate the dinghy after getting it out of the boat, clean up and go get a shower!

2230hrs I’m tired! It’s time to get some sleep! I’ll write some more tomorrow morning.

Sailing 2 hrs

Powering 8 hrs

Propane 0 hrs

Distance.57.5

Fuel litres

TOP

July 24^th & 25^th

Friday & Saturday

Victoria Harbour

A photo collage of what two summer days in Victoria are like.

Carey & Natasha arrive, Linda & Ron visit

End to a picture perfect day

Morning highlights

Waterfront

Breakfast

Undersea Gardens

Street

Entertainers

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July 26^th	Going Home Leave Victoria at about 1400hrs. 24 nm Arrive at about 2000hrs	Pt Atkinson		Baines Channel
Sunday		0446	1.8	0417	0630	+1.8	0446	9	+
		1040	3.6	0845	1221	-2.7	0546	10	+
		1401	2.3	1520	1844	+2.5	0646	11	+
		2226	4.6	2055			0746	12	+
							0846	13	+
							0946	14	+/-
				Sidney Channel			1040	37	-
				0532	1815	+.84	1140	38	-
				1018	1316	-1.0	1240	39	-
				1648	2030	+.87	1340	40	-
							1400	16	+
							1500	17	+
							1600	18	+
							1700	19	+

Its 1300hrs already and we’re on our way out of the harbour. It’s another gorgeous morning with bright sunshine and blue skies. The last day of vacation 2009! As usual I got up at about 0630hrs, just before the 50ft SeaRay next door lit up its two huge diesels to power out of the harbour. Nice and quiet. I took Trixi for a long walk along the Victoria side of the harbour this time. After last night’s thunderstorm everything was very fresh and smelled clean. Not a whole lot of people out and about that early either, usually the dog walkers, joggers and clean-up workers. I bought a Times-Colonist paper from the hotdog stand on the pier and took my time going through all the details. Eventually I wandered back to the boat to find the ladies still in bed! After morning coffee I made up a simple boiled eggs breakfast as the sun started to warm up the day. It looked like it was going to be a hot one! At about 1030hrs I went down and got all the paperwork out of the way for the car rental and then got back in time to see the water ballet of the harbour ferries to the sounds of the Blue Danube waltz. Entertaining as always. Then it was off in the 1912 Mercedes roadster with Natasha in the back seat. This thing is built on a Chevette chassis with not much in the way of suspension left. We toured Dallas Road into Oak Bay and dropped by the marina to feed the seals. Trouble was that there were no seals around. Oh well, maybe next time. Over to Willows Beach and by the office to drop Linda’s sunglasses off for Ron tomorrow. I had Mike take some photos of us in the car, he happened to be at the office after a bike race. Then it was back to downtown Victoria as our two hour limit was close to expiring. Big crowds down on the causeway, not many boats at the floats. Now we’re off and running. Doesn’t look much like wind out there.

1400hrs Under spinnaker into Baines Channel just inside Trial Island. It’s an interesting challenge! While we were motoring over a flat calm sea headed for Enterprise Channel between the Island and Trial Island Carey went below and called my attention to smoke coming out of the engine compartment! Nothing indicated unusual on the instrument panel but I throttled back and went below. I had a look and nothing seemed out of place, everything working as normal. I noticed a loose bolt on the alternator and tightened that up. Everything was working as it should. Back up to speed as we entered Enterprise Channel with the current running with us. Carey had another look below and said the engine was still smoking! I went below again and again didn’t notice a whole lot out of sorts. I was beginning to think she was imagining things and went back up. A few moments latter the engine started sounding real bad and I hurriedly throttled back and turn if off. Now we were drifting in the current in a narrow channel with rocks everywhere. I dove below and opened up the side panel to the engine compartment. Nothing appeared out of place other than what looked like soot covering the engine. I asked Carey to start it up and immediately saw that the exhaust riser was spewing fumes out the top. Shut down! So now we’re sailing. It looks like there is a nice SE breeze in Baines Channel so we’ll get through that with the current. Then we’ll see.

1800hrs The end of the breeze that has carried us all the way to the Sidney waterfront. It’s been a great spinnaker run all the way from Oak Bay in light winds and a favorable current. Quite a few sailboats out as well, sailing in the same direction but with no flying sails. We passed all of them! One 45 ft Hunter ran aground off the southeast end of Sidney Spit in the shallows, dropped all his sails and eventually powered past us. I tired to effect a repair on the exhaust by using a piece of tin from a can and some clamps. When I explored the exhaust riser I found that the whole joint has failed. Nothing that a piece of tin and clamps can do anything about. Now it’s time to strap the dinghy to the port side of the boat and use the 2.5 Yamaha to get us home.

1900hrs That only took an hour, not bad! We’re tied up and Carey, Natasha and Trixi are on foot headed home. It’s still hot out and I’ll get the boat organized and locked up. I still have to take the mainsail down! The motoring home wasn’t all that bad. I stayed in the dinghy to make sure the bow stayed down. We managed to get about 2.5 knots out of the outboard and it was still a bit choppy with the current. Power boats didn’t help much either. I managed to get wet and there’s a good bit of water in the bottom. Once into the marina I changed places with Carey so that she could operate the throttle and I could steer. And thus we made it. Now it’s time to clean up and get home. Tomorrow will be the day to remove the exhaust elbow and get it in for replacement. That and e-mails, gardening and all the other chores awaiting a return to home.

Sailing 4 hrs

Powering 1 hrs

Propane 0 hrs

Distance.25.3

Fuel litres

Monday, July 27^th

So the boat isn’t all cleaned up yet, it’s just too hot down at the marina to work at anything. I have everything off that needs to come off and the dinghy/motor are cleaned up and put away. The exhaust manifold is at the repair shop.

So the holidays lasted one month and covered 512 nautical miles of which 332 were under power. Not exactly the numbers that were expected. The unfortunate non-sailing parts included the return from Tofino to Ucluelet that should have been a down-wind run under sunny skies, not fog and 0 wind. Then the run from Turtle Island to Port San Juan should have been the same, sailing in NW winds and not motoring in fog. But those are the breaks. The sailing, when it happened, was wonderful!