Day 48 July 29 - The VIA is over

We left Sooke at about 07:00 and motored for about 2 hours until we had
Race Rocks in our sights. We put up the jib and main and didn't take
them down until we were opposite Van Isle marina just outside of home
base, Canoe Cove; 8 hours of sailing and 2 hours of motoring for a total
distance of 52 miles.

One strange thing was that by monitoring our speed through the water and
our speed over ground (via the Gps) we found that the predicted currents
were off by at least 2 hours or more; unless we were in some kind of
back eddy.

In any event we had a good day sailing; Sun was out for most of it but
it was still surprisingly cool on the water; i had 4 layers on and my
wool toque ( BUT NO SOCKS).
Passing Race Rocks marked our furthest point south and we began to
travel north again. Discovery Islands just outside of Victoria marked
the point where I was no longer sailing in waters I had never been in
before which made it feel like i was back in home waters. The wind rose
up to about 20 kts as it squeezed between James Island and Sydney island
for our last run before Canoe Cove.

It is good to be back and know that i'm within a few days of being back
in Calgary and seeing Robin and the lads again.

I've organized for a diver( he comes out on Tuesday) to check the
condition of our zincs and bottom paint; i hope that I can defer doing
the bottom painting until September and not have to think about it this
week.

For now it is off for a shower, a HOT shower and then a pub meal and to
bed without worrying about an alarm in the morning!! I looked in the log
, and aside from the cold shower on board in Bamfield, this is my first
hot shower in 16 days... it will feel great.

I plan on posting a final wrap-up later, once all of this has sunk
in,etc. I'll also post a last batch of photo's when I can get to the
internet cafe.

Cheers for now from E dock, slip 74, Canoe Cove, B.C.

Day 47: Penultimate Blog update - Jul.y 28-Friday

Forgive me for the title; i't isn't often one gets to use the word
"penultimate" correctly!

We made it to Sooke from Port Renfrew, total of 40 miles.We were up at
5:30 and had a late getaway of 07:00. The skipper didn't sleep much
after about 03:00 and will be a grumpy puppy again.

Once again, we only finally got enough wind to sail about 2 hours out of
Sooke; we were about 3 miles from Sherringham point and I got onto the
weather report; the lighthouse here was reporting 15 knots of wind yet
we had less than 10!!... we are cursed!!

About 1 hour out of Port Renfrew and the swells diminished and by the
time we were near Sherringham they had disappeared all together. We are
definitely now in civilization: many boats, after lunch there were at
least 6 whale watching boats racing out of the straights, homes built up
all along the coast,etc. The transition is fast; Bamfield feels very
much out of the way and one day later we are in the thick of things.

Today was cool on the water; so much so that for the second day in a row
and for the third time on the whole trip, i've resorted to wearing socks!

Negotiating the entrance to Sooke is a challenge; more so that Walter's
Cove was. There are 2 sets of range markers ( a range marker is 2 marks
that you keep aligned ahead of you so that you know you are on the
proper route); you follow the first set in, which take you close to a
point and when you see the second set you need to make an immediate left
turn. Once we were in, the harbour has a narrow channel despite the
appearance of lots of water. There are new buoys in place that were not
shown on our chart which gave us some momentary grief. We landed at the
marina, not the public dock thinking a shower would be a nice treat. The
wharfinger told us that everything has been torn out while they are
building.... you guessed it.... more time share condo's. they are
everywhere in B.C.!! We went for a walk to "downtown" Sooke, found no
where to eat other than Buffy's Bar. We had a surprisingly good steak
with mashed potatoes and came back to the boat.( and a beer). The wind
is coming up and it was a chilly walk back to the marina.

I also bought a Times Colonist; a number of the stories in the paper had
more meaning given where we have been on this trip.

Number one was the story of a fishing boat that capsized in the Bearing
sea; local B.C. women survived because another crew member gave her his
floation device; he died. This happened during the winter lows that kept
sweeping past the north coast last week.

Number two was the story of an Native chief who died yesterday when his
cedar canoe capsized near Sequim Wash. during the native canoe festival
they have; he was from Gold River but had been raised at Friendly Cove.
Recall that I met a carver/paddler in Zebbalos who was leaving the next
day in a similar canoe to paddle down to this festival.

Number Three is the announcement by the B.C. minister of environment
(Barry Penner) that the government is looking for private companies to
build lodges in some designated B.C. provincial parks. He is quoted as
saying "... The population is getting older and not everyone who stays
in a park wants to sleep on the ground in a tent anymore ". Isn't
that the most asinine thing you have heard????? This is similar to the
same shite that Alberta got into with the development of
Kananskis,etc... the idea that everyone should have access to
everything, regardless of ability is just not right. They are planning
to build lodges at Cape Scott and Assiniboine parks!!... Assiniboine
already has a lodge just outside its border; why do they need
another??? Putting in a lodge in these remote spots will kill the
attraction of them in the first place..yikes, don't get me going on
this. If you feel that this is a dumb idea then please send an email or
letter to the minister.
The skeptic in me wonders who is promoting this and who gets to choose
who is the lucky person that gets the concession to build in these
spots. What happens if they are not successful? Does the government take
them over? Do they just abandon it and let it go to rack and ruin??.....
Other parks marked for similar treatment are Mount Robson, Wells Gray,
Silver Star, Golden Ears and others. Please take the time to send a
letter/email. You can find his coordinates from B.C. government web site.

I recall a few blogs ago saying I didn't miss the paper; I should have
bought a crossword book instead of the paper to get a crossword
puzzle.......

Dock position tonight is N48 21.97/W123 43.68

Tomorrow is another longish day of similar mileage and we are back at
Canoe Cove; not sure if I have a slip since I forgot to call Canoe Cove
and confirm when we would be back so that they could stop renting out
slip!!...

Day 46-we escape Bamfield!

We were away at 06:00 into the fog, dodging the sports fishing fleet.
The weather reports from the adjacent lighthouses had reported 1/8 mile
to zero visibility. However the winds were light, so we took our chance.

Turned on the nav lights, radar and GPS(s) and off we went. The fog had
visibility down to about 1/2 mile at worst and by the time we hit
Carmannah point it was up to 3 miles. The strangest thing was we seemed
to be in the wind equivalent of the Bermuda triangle; everywhere was
reporting strong NW winds; except for Carmannah; we had SE, 10kts right
on our nose and motored the whole way except for about 1 hour; then
outside of Port Renfrew the wind died and we motored in. We could have
tacked against the wind but that could have added hours to our transit
time and put us at risk of being on the water when the late afternoon
gale was to arrive.

Not far north of the entrance to Port Renfrew harbour is where we passed
the latitude of Sidney; so we are now south of where we started and
definitely on the way back to home port.

There is minimal shelter here for anchoring. The small area near the
wharf/pub had 3 boats in it (including Delua). It took us 5 attempts (
yes, down, raise the anchor..which entails me having to jump down the
hatch 3 or 4 times to flake the anchor chain so it doesn't pile up and
jam the winch). There is a lot of rock and kelp on the bottom but we are
finally well set. Anchor was down at 15:30 for a total time today of 9.5
hours and 42 miles
Ralph's suggestion of letting the anchor settle then slowly backing up
to let it sink below the kelp seemed to work. We are not out of the
swell and the boat is rocking enough to generate all the creaks and
groans we hear during a passage. BTW, there is a new creak from the
bulkhead between the skipper's cabin and the galley that is guaranteed
to drive him crazy and ensure he has zero chance of a good sleep. The
gale that is forecasted to blow in this evening along with worries about
anchor dragging should ensure that little sleep is had.

Not even the draw of a pub after 10+ hours in the fog and swells was
enough to overcome the reluctance to go through the dinghy launching
ritual. We had leftover canned ham with curry, rice and left over canned
corn a la Ralph. We are munching our way through the canned stores as
our fresh stuff is finished. Down to our last few pieces of bread but no
signs of scurvy yet!!
Skipper and crew are looking a bit weary and I'm sure there will be no
late night frolicking this evening.

Tomorrow's plan is similar to today: early get away to miss the
afternoon gale and pull into Sooke harbour, hopefully at pub dock but if
not, we'll anchor inside at Sooke Basin.

Fog rolled in here as we started to eat dinner, hopefully it is not too
thick in the morning.
There is nothing to recommend Port Renfrew other than it is the only
bailout between Bamfield and Sooke. Its main claim to fame is that it is
the start of the West Coast hiking trail that finishes at Bamfield.

One day closer to home!
Two more legs (37 miles to Sooke, then 45 miles to Canoe Cove) and the
adventure will be over.

Cheers from Port Renfrew, anchor position is N48 33.36/W124 25.14

Day 43 & 44

July 25th:
So, on the last blog update, I made the mistake of predicting when we'd
be in Port Renfrew! Among the many sailing superstitions, one is that
you should never record in the log before you get there, what your
destination is as it will jinx the trip.The High pressure ridge
didn't/hasn't moved resulting in gales yesterday at Juan De Fuca and
this morning's forecast was for winds to build to gales again, from the
West; Port Renfrew is also not the best anchorage under westerly gales.
The topper was the lighthouse reports for Pachena and Cape Beale giving
ZERO visibility this morning; this is at the entrance to Barkley Sound.
We decided to abort and hang out here for yet another day.

Some unconnected random ramblings follow:

* We ran the engine to charge the battery and found that we didnt'
get any hot water; appeared to be another air lock in the hot
water tank heating circuit which I think I've cleared. it is good
to have a project to do on a layover day!

* The first propane tank ran out on day 42; our average speed (from
the GPS, so it is speed while moving, not total miles per total
hours on the water) is 5.4 kts and our total mileage so far is 748
which will put us close to 900 for the whole trip. From the log,
we have been motoring about 2/3 of time. This is due to the
geography as well as the weather. Exploring the inside sounds and
inlets usually means motoring. The outside passages should be
sailing but we were skunked on some of them. Surprisingly we had
more sailing on the way up than we have had on the "wild west"
portion.

* We launched the dinghy yesterday to avoid taking the water taxi
($5 each way/person) over to East Bamfield. I must say I agree
with the guide books that the preferred side is West Bamfield.
The east side has no sense of a core or being anything other than
dusty roads with lots of boats and trailers parked on them. We
went to the cafe for a SLOW lunch. Only one waitress on and it
was near noon..Breakfast was only served until 11:00; one table of
fishermen asked if they could have breakfast and were told
emphatically NO; then the table beside them was given their order
and it was breakfast... the waitress explained that they had
ordered earlier. The fisherman said, "an hour earlier!?..is that
how long we are going to have to wait for our food?"... .turns out
the other table had called in their order before they showed up.
It always helps to know the rules.

* At the visitor information centre, I learned that the telegraph
terminal building ( which is now the Marine study institute ) was
designed by Rattenbury..he is the same guy who designed the
Victoria Legislative building ( or was it the Empress hotel??...
or both???). The cable was an engineering marvel of its day and
stretched from here to Australia. It was shutdown in 1959. I
wonder what the employees of the station would think of the
internet and sat phones,etc??

* Along the boardwalk here are the "new Tree Top Toilets" built up
the hillside which I've been using for my morning constitutionals.
They are composting toilets, similar to the ones installed at
Pirates Cove Marine Park. "Flushing" consists of dropping in a
handful of woodchips. A unique feature is that they have an
opening window at seat level so that you can watch the harbour
activity while you do your thing.

* The other big event today was "boat day" with the arrival of the
Lady Rose; i was in line for a newspaper at the West Bamfield
general store ( to get a crossword puzzle not the news) but all of
the Times Colonists had been "booked" before they even got
here!....snooze and you loose. I overheard the captain of the Lady
Rose saying how rough it was yesterday and today.

* The coast guard is reporting an overdue kayaker who was supposed
to have rounded Brooks Penn. yesterday; he is 60yrs and by
himself. There has been some nasty weather north of us in the last
few days and I hope he is just hunkered down somewhere with no
means of communication ( maybe he also has a sat. phone!!)

* Bumped into John from Amazing Grace,who moors on E dock in Canoe
Cove where we keep Tatoosh. He has left his boat here in Bamfield
at the public wharf for the summer and has been doing excursions
using Bamfield as a base. This would be a great way for us to get
out to do some kayaking with the lads without having to schedule
an extra week to just move the boat over from Sydney; as well as
exploring south of Brooks without doing the northern section.
* The general store here has liquor, ice cream and a good selection
of real food and good quality produce(no home made pies though).
they also have a book exchange, so I cashed in 6 of the trashy
novels from the ship's library for 3 more equally trashy novels.
* Bamfield is named for the first white resident, William Banfield;
turns out the Post Office misspelled his name and the town became
"BaMfield".
*

I hope that our next update has a new position to report - othewise we
will have to start looking at realestate here.zz

cheers from quiet West Bamfield

Friendly Cove Revisited

Stewart's "taxi" to Tofino awaits as I drive him out to it. The pilot wanted to know if I'd trade him Tatoosh for his airplane, he was tired of the rain and wanted to go to Tahiti. 

Walter's Cove Revisited

This is Ralph's photo of Stewart intently drawing and oblivious to the fact that he will soon be interfering with the docking of the Uchuck III!!! 

Estevan point revisited

Here is a portion of our track from Ralph's chart plotting software taken during our rounding of Estevan Point when we had wind on the nose and current against us. you can see what I meant when I said we were going nowhere fast! 

Adventure cove, near Tofino

 
Somewhere behind me in the woods is the site of Capt'n Gray's fort Defiance which I was unable to locate...probably gobbled up already by the forest.
This was our 3rd sunny day in a row, a record for the trip so far. 

Beach at Gibsons Marine Park

  

My new friend, Jessie

 
I don't think Jessie is for sale, but just about everything else at Ahousat is. 

Ahousat

 
Part of the Ahousat empire that is still for sale; this is the store/motel/cafe portion. 

Friendly Dolphin Cove

 
Somewhere in that small opening is our anchorage. 

Boardwalk messages

 
A calgary connection at Hot Springs cove...many boaters leave their mark behind onthe boardwalk. 

Hot Springs boardwalk

 
This is the boardwalk that goes on and up and down for over 2 km to the hot springs; a work of art. 

Ralph Goes Ashore!!

 
Proof positive that Ralph sometimes leaves the boat and actually walks!! :-) 

Hot Springs Cove

 
Rocks at entrance to Hot Springs Cove (Refuge Cove). 

Annies wheelbarrow

 
This is what she used to haul stuff up the boardwalk, from the beach to the homestead...after having rowed it TO the beach about 4 miles from the harbour entrance... no wonder she wore out 3 husbands!! 

Cabin site

 
This is after 10 years of clearing by Peter; it still looks like the forest could jump in and reclaim it at any moment. 

Annies Cabin

 
A look inside through collapsed wall at Annies' cabin; her hat and coat still hanging on the wall. 

Culturely Modified Tree

 
This tree has had shakes/boards removed as well as bearing scars from bark stripping, all of which happened at least 100 years ago. 

Hesquiat Harbour: Walk of the Ancients

 
One of many old cedars ( more than 1000 yrs?) during the "walk of the ancients" of the tour that I was able to crash; enroute to Cougar Annie's Garden 

Singing Beach

 
A pebble beach on the Pacific side of Friendly Cove; called singing beach by Natives from the sound that the rocks make in the rollers. 

Friendly Cove

 
Here we are anchored in the EXACT spot that Cook and Vancouver had anchored....more or less 

Friendly Cove Church

 
This is a replica of grave marker for one of the chiefs; this is now inside the church. 

Nootka Light House

 
This is the Nootka Lighthouse at Friendly Cove; this is where Stewart gets picked up by float plane. 

Preparing for summer sail to Friendly Cove

 
Stewart gets ready to put on our standard summertime gear for the west coast: note that we have resisted , both of us, putting on socks; after all it IS summertime. 

More summer from WET coast

 
If the sun was out it would be a spectactular view of volcanic mountains with snow on them; as it is...it is RAINING...AGAIN. 

Cedar Canoe

 
This is the canoe I talked about; hand carved over 6 months and is now being paddled to Washington state. 

Finally - a beer!! Zebbalos Hotel

 
A beer at the historic hotel; that is also the shower place and cafe. Showers are a donation to the fire department.