Day 31 to Day 37 - Walsh Cove to Ladner (via Cortes Bay, Garden Bay, Secret Cove, Silva Bay, & Ruxton Island)

And now we are back into familiar waters. After leaving Walsh Cove on Redonda we stopped at Refuge Cove, a neat co-op community which serves as the main pit-stop for folks boating in Desolation Sound. Somehow in all of our boating journeys over the last several years we have never stopped here, but now we know it’s a great place with a lot of charm and ample provisions. As we were getting diesel, a local man approached us and told us he had spent several evenings on the boat down in Mexico. Turns out he knew the previous owners, Gary & Judy. This is the first time someone recognized the boat from its previous life, and we all got a kick out of it!

From Refuge Cove we over-nighted in Cortes Bay. Two nights, actually. The next day we headed south and tied up overnight to a dock in Garden Bay, a small bay in Pender Harbour on the Sunshine Coast. From there we headed south and tied up at Secret Cove, also on the Sunshine Coast.

The next morning we headed out west over the Georgia Strait. Knowing there was a strong wind warning, we were excited to get both the geniker and the mainsail (reefed in a bit so it wouldn’t steal all of the wind) up. Unfortunately, with the good winds came some choppy water, and I had my first bout of sea-sickness this whole trip. Not much I could do except lie down and wait until our journey was complete. Thankfully the dried ginger we have on board did take the edge off. Argh, just when I thought I had the whole sea-sickness thing beat!

Our destination had been Ruxton Island, but Cap’n Adam realized as he fired up the motors that during our sail we lost use of one of the motors. Somehow a port-side cable, which enables the motor to go into forward, neutral, or reverse, had stopped engaging. We needed both motors to be able to comfortably get through Gabriola Pass, so we threw down the anchor in Silva Bay to see if it could be fixed. About 6 hours later, after a trip to the local boat yard for a quick welding job and plenty of cursing & head-scratching about how to get the damn thing working, Cap’n Adam jerry-rigged a broom handle to the gear box, and the problem was (sort-of) solved. To be fixed proper at a later date.

The next morning we headed to Ruxton Island, and spent the day relaxing, and dingying, and just enjoying our last day before heading home. And this morning (actually, as I write this) we are headed back across the Georgia Strait to Ladner and our home moorage.

This year’s trip was different from last year’s. The pace was much more laid-back, and we put far less hours on the motors, and we sailed more. Which means we also used way less diesel, and didn’t spend as much $$. We caught up on a lot of sleep, ate a lot of seafood, soaked up a lot of rays, met some other cruisers, and realized how very little we have actually seen of this magnificent coastline.

My highlights this year were:

1) The first 5 days with Shannon, Shawn & Marla – I’ve come to a place where I feel like I actually understand sailing somewhat. As always, it was great to have you guys onboard! Thanks for the laughs and the memories!

2) Our first salmon meal with Mike & Jeannette – ranks in the top 5 meals I’ve had in my entire life

3) Mound and Village Island – what an amazing place, what an amazing couple of days, what a trip.

4) The dancing at Alert Bay – we were invited to dance around the fire with them at the end, and while it may have been the smoke, it was also the emotion of it which made my tears stream and stream and stream...

5) Mondae – little bird, you touched my heart. Bless you.

6) The pink & blue geniker – what a fabulous sail, and a great way to travel!

7) The pod of orcas in Blackfish Sound, the dolphins in Broughton Lagoon, the otters in Pender Harbour, the seal nursery at Polkinghorne Islands, and the momma seal nursing her baby in Blind Channel. Marine mammals pretty much rule.

Now to think about next year’s trip. Back to the Broughtons to see some parts we missed? Go past Cape Caution and hit the mid-coast near Bella Bella? Focus on Desolation Sound and the Discovery Islands? Jervis Inlet & Princess Louisa Inlet? Not sure yet, time will tell.

Thanks for reading the Thunderblog, hope you enjoyed it. Have a safe, happy, healthy Autumn!!

day 35 & 36 – Ruxton Island to Gabriola Island (Lo49°09.0N’L123°41.5’W)

Our 35th day on the boat was a bit of a day for rest. Now that we have a Salty Dog onboard again, we needed to resume our “to land twice a day” duty. We headed over to the cabin after breakfast, and Cap’n Adam decided to stay there and do some light cabin chores while I headed back to the boat to nap, read, and edit videos. But mostly just to be back on the boat. We haven’t spent much time on land for the last few weeks, and now the rocking of the sea seems comfortable to me, rather than nauseating.

We had intended to stay a few days at Ruxton, enjoying the cabin and getting reacquainted with Cap’n Adam’s folks. But, the wind blew up very strong during the night, and Cap’n Adam had to do his first “anchor watch” overnight. We were concerned again about whether the sudden wind might cause the anchor to drag, causing us to smash into the rocks nearby. So, Cap’n Adam kept a watch, constantly assessing whether our position had changed and whether we would need to spring into action, firing up the motors and getting the anchor raised so we could relocate somewhere safer.

Our anchor didn’t drag overnight, but the weather forecast predicted that the wind would be strong for another day and night. Our anchorage in Herring Bay was fairly unprotected from a wind of that direction, and so we decided to move on a bit and head for Silva Bay.

After motoring across Pylades Channel, we passed through Gabriola Passage and then into Silva Bay on Gabriola Island. Silva Bay was, in a nutshell, completely packed with boats. This is a very popular bay for boaters, as it is the first protected bay on the west side of the Georgia Strait (if you leave from Vancouver). Boats were rafted up together 2-3 deep on the dock, so we opted to anchor again, and hoped that the wind would not be as fierce here in Silva Bay as it was last night. If we swung too much on our anchor line, there were all sorts of boats and docks that might get in our way.

Once the anchor was down we had lunch at the pub, spent the rest day wandering around and checking out the weird sandstone formations on the beach, and updating our boat log. But we didn’t want to talk about the fact that tonight was most likely our last night to sleep on the boat this trip. While our Vancouver Island circumnavigation has been a “vacation” of sorts for us, it has also been a test for a potential future lifestyle. And I think we can both see ourselves sleeping many, many more nights onboard down the line…

day 34 – Salt Spring Island to Ruxton Island (Lo49°05.1N’L123°42.8’W)

A sunny morning at Long Harbour on Salt Spring Island. After breakfast we borrowed a couple of bikes from the dock, and rode the 5 km or so into Ganges, the major commercial centre on the island. There were a few provisions that we needed, but most importantly Cap’n Adam needed a bigger wrench. He realized this morning that the rudders were not aligned correctly, which probably explains why the Auto-Pilot seems to be drunk, and gives us reason to believe we weren’t being as fuel efficient as we could have been. In order to fix this, he needed a bigger wrench. It seems hard to believe that with the multitude of tools Cap’n Adam has on board, somehow he doesn’t have the right wrench. But, it was true. So, off we peddled to town.

Back at the boat, we untied about noon and headed north to Ruxton Island. Cap’n Adam’s family has a cabin on this no services, no ferry-access island in the De Courcy Group of islands, just outside of Nanaimo. After leaving Long Harbour we came around Nose Point, then travelled north through Trincomali Channel (just west of Galiano Island) and past Wallace Island, Secretary Islands, Hall Island, Reid Island, and finally Tree Island & Pylades Island. We floated past Naylor bay and waved, then anchored in Herring Bay on the north end of Ruxton. We dinghy’d around to the cabin and were greeted by a border collie wagging very excitedly. Up to the cabin for a round of sparkly wine with Cap’n Adam’s parents to celebrate the rendezvous, a delicious dinner, then an early night back on the boat. With crewmate Salty Dog Louie Bert back on board.