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 2 – Secret Cove (Sunshine Coast) to False Bay (Lasqueti Island)

We awoke to foggy but clearing skies. After stopping briefly for a few provisions, we headed out into the chuck by mid-morning. Another great day for sailing, we hoisted both the jib and the mainsail. Shannon and I practiced our navigation by charting our course and using our hand-held compass to establish fixes of our location, advising the boys when to change course and what our new bearings should be.

Our first destination was Bull Passage between Texada and Lasqueti Islands. The steep cliffs of this throughway eventually brought us to Jedediah Island, where we threw down the anchor, had lunch, then dingied to shore and explored the volcanic rock and warm lagoon.

After swimming and solar bag showers for some off of the stern, up came the anchor and we continued our journey west along the north coast of Lasqueti. The wind was directly in our face, which is not good for sailing unless we were willing to tack (zig-zag) to our destination. Which we were not.

Harden the sails for a close reach. Ease the sails for a broad reach. A beam reach would be ideal. But you can’t sail if the boat is in irons.

About supper time we entered False Bay of Lasqueti Island. Joining the company of about a dozen other boats, we dropped the anchor, poured ourselves some drinks, and enjoyed the sunset.

Day 1 - Vancouver to Secret Cove (Sunshine Coast)

Actually, this was kind of day 2. Yesterday we brought the boat around from its mooring in Ladner to English Bay, arriving just after sunset. Shannon and Shaun hopped aboard with their coolers, bags, and smiles. We anchored just outside of Dog Beach, and slept deeply until boats leaving Vancouver started creating their catamaran-rocking wake, shortly after the sun rose. But officially, we are calling today Day 1, partly because this was the day we departed from “home”, and partly because it is bad nautical superstition to begin a journey on a Friday.

For this trip, we decided to get more boat edumacated while en route. We’ve hired an instructor from Cooper Boating on Granville Island for our first 5 days, to come aboard and fill in the holes of what we don’t know yet. For some of us, the holes are a little bigger than for others.

Halyards and the mainsheet. Furling jibs. Shrouds. Stanchions. Spreaders. Leeward side. Cardinal buoys. Visual fixes. Magnetic variation vs. deviation. Lines. Winch handles. Traveller. Freeboard. Draft. Beam, broad and close reach. Clove hitches. Bowlines. Figure 8 and Stevedore stop knots. And so on.

We started with bright sunny skies in Vancouver, transitioned to gusty 6 knot sailing past Bowen Island and up the Sunshine Coast, and ended our day in the rain in Secret Cove. A very full day, we will all sleep well tonight.