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Island Dreams No. 922 - Salish Sea Sail

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Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/21/2019 : 18:29:34

Continuing regarding Powell River...

I took a walk along Marine Avenue which seemed like a busy street... plenty of businesses lined both sides of the road.

My first stop was at Marine Traders - a chandler... and that store was packed... something for every boater... I purchased an additional set of shroud flag clips so I could fly the Canadian and American flags... they had a set.

Then, just walking along I noticed this pretty cool mural.

Kinda freeky... But I liked it...

And this...

Yes... that is a kinda full size half-ship mounted on the front wall of the property. The photo does not do it justice.

And then his... a bulletin calling for a youth forum on climate action hosted by the Green Party... count me in... I'm no youth but I believe the recent hotter than ever temps around the world means something is happening.

And a blackberry festival...? I'm convinced - Powell River is a cool town...

And the meat market had a nice vegetable and fruit display out front.

And I had been expecting to see many more cannibas stores but this was the first one...

And a tree trunk size statue on display at the ferry in the marina.

Back to boating...

This beast was berthed near the ramp up to the Coast Guard Station...

She looks like she earned her living...

Oh no... one of our Catalina brothers had to be towed in... hope it not too serious...

And that is all the pictures for Powell River. I liked Powell River. Felt pretty blue collar. Maybe not an excess of money floating around - but everything I noticed struck me in a positive way.

Time to move along...

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Edited by - Carl in LA on 08/21/2019 18:33:09

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/21/2019 : 19:29:31

The day's journey was planned to go to Secret Cove which was some 20 plus miles south along the mainland coast. There were other anchorages and ports in the area so it would be OK if Secret Cove did not have room.

This leg was basically behind Texada Island all the way.

Whatever was happening out on the Straight of Georgia had no impact in here... smooth cruising the whole way...

The picture doesn't tell the story but that is looking back at Jervis Inlet... another huge sound for Pacific Northwest boaters to enjoy.

I noticed this odd strip on Texada Island... then I noticed the chart said underwater cables - ah ha... they had to clear the trees to make way for the power lines...

And the weather was so calm...

And I passed an island with my same last name... Nelson Island.

And this interesting phenomenon... possibly, and apparently, as noted on the chart - this tide line demarkets where the tide coming I from the south and the tide coming from the north meet... if this is true then I was lucky to see it on a calm day so distinctly. Persons with better understanding can correct this thinking if necessary.

Secret Cove... pretty tight back in there... no anchorage area... several marinas, and several homes with private docks... seemed like a very perfect place to have your vacation home.

But... clearly there were no anchorages in Secret Cove so after going all the way in to the fuel dock I topped off the gas and turned around and headed back out.

Edited by - Carl in LA on 08/25/2019 18:29:15

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 08/22/2019 : 05:36:31

Love the canoe stern on "Torhavn"--she should slip through the water like a sailboat!

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

DavidCrosby
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Response Posted - 08/22/2019 : 10:22:48

Carl, great posts. I am enjoying following along on your adventure.

Not to be critical - but one little tidbit I would like to share is proper flag etiquette.

Once cleared into a foreign country (Canada), their flag should be flown at or near the starboard spreader. (Yellow quarantine flag prior to clearing in.)

Your boat's national flag (USA) is flown from the stern.

Any personal flags are flown from port spreader.

David Crosby "Small World"
'02 C250 WK #614

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/22/2019 : 12:03:47

No surprise at the failure to follow protocol...

Another boater mentioned something similar in that he was unable to tell where I was from.

When he said that I thought - well why would I be flying a United States flag in Canada if I was from Canada so the inference would be that I'm from the States...

Should be easy enough to fix...

quote:
Originally posted by DavidCrosby

Carl, great posts. I am enjoying following along on your adventure.

Not to be critical - but one little tidbit I would like to share is proper flag etiquette.

Once cleared into a foreign country (Canada), their flag should be flown at or near the starboard spreader. (Yellow quarantine flag prior to clearing in.)

Your boat's national flag (USA) is flown from the stern.

Any personal flags are flown from port spreader.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/25/2019 : 18:59:52

Navionics and paper charts show Smugglers Cove only a few hundred yards south of Secret Cove.

I made for Smugglers Cove and found the really tight entrance... talk about a protected cove... wow.

The inside of Smugglers Cove is small like the entrance... wonder what the abandoned building used to be?

And it turns out there is a back-lagoon basically beyond the abandoned building. You access this lagoon by going around the channel marker at the left in the previous picture. Very tight to get in - and if you misinterpret the marker your going over those rocks.

A first for me... stern-tie... But in this small anchorage I understand. There are big link chains anchored into the rock along the bank and you tie a line from your stern after anchoring somewhere near the middle. Seems to work fine.

Ok... apparently this region of the Sailish Sea is called the "Sunshine Coast" and apparently this region can have water temperature warmer than the remainder of the region... I believe it... 68-degrees. Many people swimming... (not me, I'm from Texas - if it's not like bath water I'm not interested).

And looking back out I had a new neighbor pull in...

So my afternoon and overnight at Smugglers was a real treat... But when cruising one must keep moving on... tomorrow - Onward to Bowen Island

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/25/2019 : 20:19:57

Bowen Island came highly recommended by Henk so I knew it was not to be missed. Plus - it lies in the shadow of Vancouver making it interesting for additional reasons. Apparently Bowen Island has been a tourist destination for decades. And apparently citizens of Vancouver flock to Bowen to recharge and have recreation on the island.

But you have to get there first.

Another calm start to the day on the water... right after pulling out of Smugglers I went past the south end of Merry Island with its sizeable lighthouse and support buildings.

And I noticed this big boy and his tow headed upstream... don't want to get between those two...

And when you get more southerly you cross the entry to Howe Sound. Yet another huge playground for northwest boaters. Check it out on a map.

A couple things happened passing Howe Sound although there are no pics. First, I noticed three slow moving boats coming northbound. One of the boats I took to be a small Coast Guard type boat... could not identify the others but they were small also...

About this time I had to refuel the little 3-gallon Honda fuel tank... so I wanted to get in behind one of the local islands and out of the boat wakes and wind - which had picked up nicely. So I headed east out of the Straight toward the island...

And then I saw a whale blow... and a moment later I saw the huge floppy fin of a killer whale... and a moment later a second fin. Very cool.

But. I am aware of the rules about staying away from whales... which is smart for a number of reasons. Since I had already broken course and was headed toward the island, I thought the Coast Guard vessel might think that I intentionally was getting close to the orcas for a better look... so I went hard to port getting further out of the orcas path.

By this time the northbound boats had closed enough that I could see the other small boats were whale watching boats. Those passengers got their money's worth... they were following along as the whales were moving north.

A few more moments and I'm behind the island in calm water. I easily refill the Honda tank. Then rather than backing out and going back northbound to round the island I decided to continue south between the neighboring islands... RISKY... shallow... very shallow... not shallow for you east coast guys - but shallow for us west coasters... light green water... sounder showing depths decreasing 12, 11, 10, 9,8,8,8,8,8... whew... that was shallow... But deep enough... and I continued on.

The southern end of Howe Sound is defined by the north side of Bowen Island. But Bowen is a big enough island so I had several miles to travel along its western face... and by then the wind was blowing nicely, generating small-ish wind waves, and big-ish boat wakes made for a rough ride.

Eventually I made it to the southern corner of Bowen Island... home free...

And another couple miles up Queen Charlotte Channel and you're at the entrance to Snug Cove.

Henk had advised to call ahead and make a reservation at the marina which I did... reserved my spot for four nights. Enough time to take care of a broken hearing aid and tour Vancouver. Plus a little flexibility for picking the day to re-cross the Straight of Georgia pending good weather.

More to follow...

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Edited by - Carl in LA on 08/25/2019 20:44:41

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/26/2019 : 10:27:08

As I tied up the lady on the boat next to me in the previous picture asked me where I was from and where I was going so I told her I wanted to see downtown Vancouver. She had the perfect knowledge about what to do to get there - and she wrote the instructions on the note pad - very helpful.

After settling in it was time to go pay for the moorage and see the local sites... there were a few houseboats at this marina.

And... nice design touches with the dinghy as porch roof and anchors cut into the shutters.

At the top of the marina gangway is a small commercial area with a grassy park area... it was not clear to me whether this was a public park or simply a landscaped area of the marina complex.

And a nice gift shop...

Always check the quality of the laundry facilities... very nice.

A nice looking restaurant deck overlooking the park area...

And check the quality of the showers... Pass. Also - we are now in the Boaters Lounge area on the second floor of the marina office...

And it's a perfect lounge...

Ok, that is ten pics so let's upload and start another reply. ..

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/26/2019 : 10:42:39

Great boating art on the lounge walls...

And their collection of fried electrical devices. .. I was surprised to see a VHF radio up there...

And ships models... perfect Boaters Lounge.

After settling in it was a short 1/4 block walk to the store... no problem there. ..

So I was feeling pretty good about this stop at Bowen Island - Thanks Henk for the referral...

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/26/2019 : 11:26:16

Adventures off the boat...

Today was a Friday. On the previous day I had called the local Beltone hearing aid office and asked if I could come in next Friday to have them replace a filter on my left hearing aid. The technician understood my reluctance to make an appointment as I would be using the ferry and bus system to get to the office... no worries - she just said come on in...

So Friday morning I started out to take the 8:30 am ferry. I don't have any knowledge about ferries so I was somewhat caught off guard by the long line of cars lined up for loading onto the ferry... this is something you don't see in Los Angeles...

The ferry terminal at Bowen has this huge platform area... this will come in handy as you will soon see.

Before you can ride the ferry you have to learn how to get on the ferry. .. foot passengers first... all good.

Time to go on board...

And the Queen has her picture up in the passenger area of the ferry. ..

And the passenger area is very comfortable.

And this is how the cars are loaded. ..

Crossing Queen Charlotte Channel only took ten minutes and then we pulled up to the Horseshoe Bay terminal.

And out front of the ferry terminal these two had a fruit stand set up...

No issues with the bus... the 257 was already waiting at the stop steps away from fruit stand. The fare all the way to downtown Vancouver was three dollars. .. sorry - no good pics from the bus - you can never really see out the front.

Ten pics - next post forthcoming. ..

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/26/2019 : 18:23:59

The big city... Vancouver... ok, not really... it's North Vancouver. But it sure looks like the big city to me.

Everything went fine at Beltone. The technician evaluated the left hearing aid and diagnosed that the receiver was bad. She replaced it under warranty. I was impressed... out of town, out of country, no appointment, warranty repair, and in and out in 20-minutes.

Anyway... time to head back to Bowen Island... on the way back to the bus stop I noticed this concrete truck. Double front wheels? We don't have those in LA...???

In any event, the bus ride back was different than the ride in... this buss was packed. Standing room only all the way to Horseshoe Bay.

Off the bus, through the ticket booth, and up to the waiting room and in a few minutes on board... I took a closer look at the marinas in Horseshoe bay... looked fine from way up on the ferry.

What's this? A flyer for yoga in the display case on the ferry? Sunday? On the Bowen Island ferry pier? Ten bucks? I'm in!

(BTW - for those of you who don't, make time to go to a yoga class whenever and where ever you can... yoga is really good for your mind and body. Serious. Please do it)

Tomorrow - Vancouver... the big city.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/26/2019 : 19:00:20

And here I am... downtown Vancouver. A ferry ride and a bus ride was all it took to get to the heart of downtown. The bus route took us across Lions Gate Bridge... a huge long span suspension bridge ceossing Vancouver Harbor. And the most downtown of the downtown zbus stops is Georgia at Granville. This stop also has a subway terminal. Yes, that's a Hudson Bay store in the background... I hope they can withstand the Amazon brick and mortar onslaught.

I started my downtown tour bw walking north on Granville... and in a couple of blocks I noticed this touristy looking building.

Sure enough... it is the Vancouver Lookout. Just what I needed to get the lay of the land in Vancouver. Up at the observation level they had helpful maps so you could identify streets and neighborhoods.

Rail yards and container terminals to the east.

Cruise ship and ferry terminal to the north.

Devonian Harbour and Deadman Island beyond the buildings.

And the mass of Vancouvers high rise downtown to the west. Congratulations to Vancouver for being such a successful city.

Back at ground level I walked past the train terminal.

And then an art-picture as I returned to the bus stop.

Then, after the return bus ride, the channel crossing by ferry, and walking a couple hundred yards - I'm back in my element. A great trip to see a bit of Vancouver.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/26/2019 : 19:32:17

Sunday. And on Bowen Island. Not too shabby. Here are two more houseboats at the marina. I got the impression these were AirBnB type units each boat is a duplex.

Sunday morning yoga class. I was very impressed... there must have been 50 attendees. The class was well suited for a group with different skill levels - mostly relaxing stretching poses. Perfect.

Some of us have to use lists to remember to do everything - even on a Sunday.

As I was totally relaxed from yoga I leisurely took photos of my favorite neighboring boats.

My boat before the 250 was an older model of this sedan trawler... it's a lot of boat.

And this garden... spectacular.

And I found the perfect map to draw the route.

And one last pic from Bowen Island... the Union Steamship Company Marina... a-ok by me.

Next up - crossing the Straight of Georgia.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/26/2019 : 20:41:19

Onward to Nanaimo.

Twenty some odd miles crossing the Straight of Georgia.

Big water, one fellow called it.

Watch it, Henk said.

But, the weather forecast for Monday was as good as could be expected (unless it was raining ). Wind from the southeast five to fifteen... I hoped the 15 would hold off until much later in the day after was already across.

Well... kind of... the wind blew from the southeast all night Sunday night and the leftover chop was nasty. Not dangerous... just continuous two foot wind waves on about a four second period. Rolly, bouncing, moving... and of course the periodic boat wakes.

At least I had mostly a tail wind. And never went over 15 just as forecast. But it never went below ten either... so conditions never smoothed out... rocking and rolling the whole way.

One of the mechanical heroes of this cruise is the Raymarine ST2000 autotiller. That thing has reliably steered the boat for hour after hour... such a helpful device. But... it could not handle the type of rolling induced by the aft quarter wind waves. After watching the poor thing continuously push the tiller 100% starboard and then pull it 100% to port - it dawned on me maybe I should cut this thing some slack and save the gears for conditions better suited to its skills... I felt the housing and sure enough it was hot... I love that thing and no way I'm going to damage it... hand steer baby... all the way across.

Yay for a successful safe crossing. Nanaimo up ahead. And, those last few miles were sailed in the wind shadow of Gabriola Island - and the seas settled down nicely.

And soon enough, tied up on the Nanaimo Public Dock.

By coming back to Nanaimo I had crossed my wake on this cruise. It would be a more relaxing return trip back to Anacortes. I wanted to slow down, so I took I the sights along the Nanaimo waterfront.

Mexican food on the docks...

Unusual topics for signs at the public dock office...

A big-time compass rose inlay on the sidewalk...

And what would this blog/post be without shower pics at the Port of Nanaimo... a little tight but they got the job done.

Somebody's Honda chopper...

And I guess you might call it a promenade?

Ok enough posting for the day, best to all...

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/27/2019 : 12:59:52

Continuing from the walk along the Nanaimo waterfront...

Not too far past the promonade there is a park. Nice park with a tidal pool.

And this odd statue... wondered who this could be... some pirate maybe?

At least there is a plaque to tell you the name of the person me moralized by statue.

The park has several cool pieces of public art.

And after another quarter mile we come to the end of the park region.

Beyond the park the shoreline is developed with nice condos. The waterside is developed with numerous marinas.

Walking back through the park I noticed this fellow - sacked out... Opiods?

At this time I had a fortuitous chance meeting that altered my near future in a very good way.

I had tuckered-out from the walk and took a spot on the park bench. A fellow walking by asked me a question about the area that I could not answer - he deduced that I was not from around here and asked if was cruising which of course I told him yes. He was about to continue on his way when I noticed he had on a short sleeve Stuart Island t-shirt. I told him hold on a second and dug into my backpack and pulled out my long sleeve Stuart Island t-shirt. We chatted about the treasure chest containing the t-shirts back on Stuart Island and he mentioned he had met the lady that operates the t-shirt business. Pretty cool.

He asked where I was headed and told him the next stop was Chemainus, then Ganges, then Stuart Island again on my way back to Anacortes. During this conversation he suggested I should visit Montague Harbour.

He mentioned that he was cruising in a 43 foot Tollycraft and he pointed out his 12-foot dinghy tied up at the dock. We concluded out talk and he introduced himself as Greg as he continued on his walk.

I was intreagued... so upon return to the boat I took a look at the chart.

On a bigger scale chart I could see that going to Montague Harbour would be more beneficial that trying to go to Ganges again. No backtracking to cruise out of Ganges and aligning myself for an easy cruise down Swanson Channel headed straight for Stuart Island.

So I was pretty happy about all this in my second visit to Nanaimo...

Grocery store run, Nanaimo Harbour Chandler run for additional chart, topped off fuel, and received a tip on another cruising destination.

And I didn't even tell you about my visit the previous evening with the "Retired Viking". The captain of the boat across feom me the previous evening was a friendly fellow and we started a conversation about my transit through Dodd Narrows on the coming Thursday morning.

He said he had been through Dodd Narrows many times and simply said wit til slack and go through. Furthermore, he said even if you screw up and go through with too much current you don't generally have a problem as the current does not tend to send you to the bank. Reassuring, but I'll go through at slack just the same.

We went onboard his sleek cruiser and we chatted about his professional fishing career and I brought him up to speed on the phenomenon of college football. Great conversation. His fishing career was perfectly timed... he started just when Canada extended their teratorial rights out to 200-miles offshore. That immediately shut out Japanese fishermen and they beat a path to his door to purchase all the fish he could catch. He talked about he built the business up to be the third largest in BC and he has retired and handed the business off to his sons to continue operation.

Pretty cool.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/27/2019 : 13:15:02

Still in Nanaimo...

And time to meet another fellow... this is Jim.

Jim and his boat snuck into Harbor while I was down below... and when I came up I was in the shadow of this beautiful Ocean Alexander fourty-something foot long trawler. Jim was tying up the boat and I mentioned that his boat was a beauty.

Jim must have noticed my CF numbers on the boat and asked where I was from... I told him Los Angeles. He said they were from Irvine... maybe 50 miles away. Then I told him I keep the boat in San Pedro and the drive through LA from Glendale was killing me. Jim mentioned he had grown-up in Glendale, actually Montrose... whoa... I live in Montrose. I got more specific - where in Montrose? Over by the park... well, I'm not exactly close to the park, but Jim and I kinda looked around and verified that we were in Nanaimo and and had run into each other and happened to have lived, at different times, within a few blocks of each other. Crazy.

More in a moment after a keyboard break...

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/28/2019 : 10:03:09

Jim had an interesting angle on boating... while he lives in Southern California, he keeps his boat here in Nanaimo. And of course all of his boating activities take place here in the Salish Sea.

He has pretty good arguments for doing so.

Southern California is pretty much void of cruising destinations - now some will say I'm crazy for taking that position. There is Catalina Island, the Channel Islands and a few ports stating with Santa Barbara at the north end and San Diego on the southern end. All of the region is open ocean sailing. And when you get to any of these destinations you notice that things are more land based than marine based.

My opinion is recently formed. This cruise in the Salish Sea has been a real eye opener.

So Jim chose to center his boating activities in British Columbia which is not a bad choice.

Making that choice brings a few logistical consequences. They have to get here to do the cruising thing. We agreed that getting to SeaTac from socal was easy. Then, to get to Nanaimo they have to fly again to Vancouver airport, and again on a Kenmore Air float plane. The upside to that route is the float plane dock is the same dock as where he keeps the boat. And provisioning is no issue as the grocery store is a block away from Nanaimo Harbour, as is the chandler, and essentially a whole shopping mall. The fuel dock is right there. So even though you're flying all day, you are deposited practically at your boat.

We talked about the logistics of maintenance and upkeep. Jim employees a marine mechanic to visit the boat once a month to run down a checklist to ensure the vessel is ready to use when he arrives. Jim employees a boat cleaning service for a once a month exterior boat wash. Pretty good plan.

Now some readers may think, well, that's getting pretty expensive to maintain the vessel like that. But keep in mind that Canadian money is only some-odd 85% of the American dollar - so Jim pays significantly less on moorage to begin with and the maintenance activities are also similarly discounted.

I was intreagued. Jim mentioned that berthing in Anacortes was also high on his list for implementing the plan - why? Because there is a shuttle that runs from SeaTac directly to Anacortes - simplifying the commute. Jim noted that the grocery store is super close to the marinas in Anacortes as is a West Marine. Too easy.

But I will say this for Nanaimo - I consider it midway between the northern and southern cruising grounds of the Salish Sea... reducing the amount of cruising transit time going to destinations in either direction.

Something to think about.

Another day coming including my second transit of Dodd Narrows.

While still at Nanaimo I visited with the crew that had sailed in on a Catalina sailboat. I had walked past the boat several times during the day and I liked it more and more on each pass. So I stopped and chatted for a bit.

Turns out the vessel is a 1992 Catalina 28... it looks huge for a 28 foot sailboat. I think he said it has a ten foot beam and it shows. Nice wide side decks for going forward, nice stern step and step-through open stern. And of course Catalina good looks. I asked and the captain said displacement is about 9000lbs. Nice.

They keep the boat at Horseshoe Bay right there in the marina at the ferry terminal.

We also chatted about Dodd Narrows. He explained and clarified my misunderstanding about the Canadian government published slack time for Dodd as well as anywhere else. The government data does not take into consideration daylight savings time... so the Navionics time is the correct time compared to wristwatch time. The clarity was helpful and I gained an hour the next morning for my approach to Dodd at slack tide.

No pictures from my second transit of Dodd Narrows. And its a good thing I gained that extra hour... headwinds all the way from Nanaimo Harbour down to Dodd... all I could make was something in the low four knots per hour - and it's six nautical miles down there.

But get there I did... and it was certainly close to slack when I arrived. As i approached, another bigger sailboat (ar'nt they all bigger) and they were hanging back off to the side testing the current. He went ahead and cruised through with no issues - and so did I a few minutes behind them.

And off I was headed for Chemainus.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/28/2019 : 10:50:36

So what direction am I sailing on my route to Chemainus?

Why directly in the wind of course.

And even better - it's raining. Ahhhh the small sailboat cruising life. For those moments I lusted after another 80 90 horsepower and a diesel heater warming a roomy pilot house... but... such is not the case. Thank you Eddie Bauer foulweather gear.

But patience and geography often conspire to your benefit... after entering the Stuart Channel which tends southwest that southeast breeze that was my enemy earlier became my friend... I think the rain also diminished.

Soon thereafter I arrived at the Chemainus Marina. And it's a very small combination of public dock and private marina... maybe total space for 30 boats... while off the marina I radioed in and requested one night moorage. Dock master radioed back and said he was full and fully reserved - but told me to circle a bit and he would see what he could do to accommodate me.

A few minutes later he radioed back and said he had a spot for me. The dock master was actually on the dock waving and pointing to where he wanted me to go... too easy. As it turned out, he knew that the vessel that had reserved the spot was late getting started on their cruise and in fact they would not make it to Chemainus that day.

And the obligatory shower photo for Chemainus Marina... again - an A-ok shower.

While the marina is small, the docks were great. My half-slip was a little large but no complaints.

The dock master seemed like a cool enough guy... and his cool factor went up when I figured out this was his truck.

My wife had briefed me on Chemainus... she said it was known as a town of murals. It's true - only one block in and I see this. Very nice.

And another...

That second mural was in this alley going up the hill.

Also as seen from the alley were these two backyard shrines. Good job homeowner.

At the top of the hill the alley led to Water Wheel Park.

Hummmmm , I think that makes eleven pictures - I thought there was a ten picture limit per post. All good.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Edited by - Carl in LA on 08/28/2019 10:51:31

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
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Response Posted - 08/28/2019 : 13:57:43

I've always liked the C-28, and agree with a statement I heard that in the 20s, every additional 3' makes a sailboat twice as big! Of course, to trailer it, you'd have to get a Freightliner and a wide load permit for every state (and probably province) you want to transit. But to leave in BC.......

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/28/2019 : 20:25:04

Every boat represents a compromise... the fellow did say they bought it expecting to move up... and that was 14 years ago. Very cool.

quote:
Originally posted by Stinkpotter

I've always liked the C-28, and agree with a statement I heard that in the 20s, every additional 3' makes a sailboat twice as big! Of course, to trailer it, you'd have to get a Freightliner and a wide load permit for every state (and probably province) you want to transit. But to leave in BC.......

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 08/29/2019 : 07:16:14

Continuing in Chemainus...

And sure enough, there is a water wheel in Water Wheel Park.

And in the park parking lot there was a craft fair. Believe me, this is exactly the thin I hope to see while out cruising. How do other people do things. And the farmers market or craft fair is the perfect place to see how things go.

Chemainus has a museum at the park.

Right at the door the curator wanted to make sure you knew you were in Canada.

The museum was not large but it was stuffed with artifacts, displays and noteworthy items.

I learned that Chemainus was started as a logging town.

And sure enough - the patio at the museum overlooked the port which was set up for shipping wood products.

And this fantastic carving at the park entrance.

It had been a long and monumental day... I had passed through Dodd Narrows for the second time. To me, Dodd Narrows represents the gateway to the north. Everything to the north is big water and big deep Sounds... everything to the south are islands, channels, passages and smooth water. And going south represented heading home...

The rain, the headwinds, the exposure, better shut down for the day and as such I headed back to the marina taking a picture of the ferry while walking down the gangway.

Tomorrow - headed to Montague Harbour.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 09/02/2019 : 04:57:27

And so begins the day for cruising to Montague Harbour.

It was a bit dreary out but the wind was from behind me and the current flowing with me. Not bad.

And looking to starboard I noticed this yacht headed south. And I somewhat recognized the shape with its long flat aft deck - and then it dawned on me that I had seen that vessel while berthed at Ladysmith. To me, that was another milestone that I was closing the loop. Not only had I retraced my steps through Nanaimo and Dodd Narrows, now I had seen a vessel that I recognized. Recognizing the vessel made me feel that I had local knowledge which was comforting.

And it was a cool morning - I had to wear the synthetic wool cap that I purchased in Refuge Cove.

In order to cruise from Chemainus to Montague you start south on the Stuart Channel and then turn to port sailing along the north side of Saltspring Island before you turn south again in Trincomali Channel. When I made that turn to port the sail flowed out to starboard and the sun made an interesting sight showing the incorrectly mounted flag.

While headed south on the Trincomali I noticed another favorite boat... the Gemini 105...

Shortly after crossing paths with the Gemini I cruised into Montague Harbour. The picture does not adequately show the number of boats anchored in this larger anchorage.

Another feature that enticed me to go to Montague over Ganges was the fuel dock. And as Chemainus did not have an operational fuel dock it was fantastic that Montegue did. But, those big boats were taking on lots of fuel so I had to wait my turn by circling several loops before they cleared out and I was able to dock and fuel.

After refueling I anchored out a ways from the fuel dock. This picture looking north might give a sense of the scale of Montegue Harbor... it's roomy in there... room for maybe a couple hundred boats at anchor.

A fortuitous and fluky event occurred.

I had a few additional Canadian dollars that I needed to spend and I was curious about the general store at the Montegue Marina so I went ashore to see what there was to see.

At the store I ordered an ice cream cone and figured I could be cleaned out of Canadian money by also purchasing something small so I picked out a package of napkins... I was left with one Canadian dime after paying.

So I'm out on the gangway eating the ice cream cone and I'm tapped on the shoulder... what? It's Greg! Greg who I visited with in Nanaimo and he's the fellow that suggested I visit Montague. Re-meeting Greg was a fluke - if I would have been early or later I would have missed him.

Greg has a lot of local knowledge and advised that I visit the park at the north end of the island.

Greg ask about where I was headed and I told him my next stop would be Stuart Island. We chatted about the two harbors on Stuart Island which includes Prevost to the east and Reid to the west. As I had anchored in Prevost on the outbound leg I said I wanted to visit Reid on the way back. I believe Greg mentioned that he would also be headed to Reid. Greg recommended anchoring about two thirds the way up into Reid on the west side. He mentioned that a nest of Peregrine Falcons was in the area and they were impressive to watch. So not only did I learn about the park at the north end of Montegue I also learned of an incredible reason to go to Reid Harbor on my return trip.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 09/02/2019 : 05:16:14

As I began my dinghy ride to the north end of the harbour I took a picture of the Montegue Harbour Marina and the shore facilities including the General Store and it's neighboring restaurant.

After dinghy cruising through the anchorage I arrived at the dock for access to the park. Yet another really nice dock.

And a very nice park it is. Several campsites, toilets, and a parking lot off to the east.

I took a closer look at the campsites... each campsite had a picnic table and a pedestal on which to set your tent... interesting - guess it beats continuously tearing up the ground with tent stakes.

Walking back to the dock a photo opportunity presented itself...

What a beautiful place Montegue Harbour is...

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 09/02/2019 : 05:57:27

Oh no. It's raining.

No worries. The rain was forecast and I had prepared by mounting the rain shield over the hatch. The forecast indicated the rain would taper off as the morning progressed.

Rain tapering off would also be a good fit as I had to wait until perhaps eleven am to depart for Stuart Island due to the current going in the wrong direction early...

And it was beautiful in the harbour... sunny Thursday afternoon replaced by rainy Friday morning.

Soon enough it was time to haul anchor and get underway.

Heading south out of Montegue you are still in the Trincomali Channel for a couple miles until you clear the Active Pass, after which you bear to starboard a bit and from then on you are on a direct course for Stewart. Be careful... several ferries use Active Pass to go between Vancouver and Victoria.

I believe the picture shows the northern end of North Pender Island.

And to me, it was cold... brrrrrrr... my wife teased me - she said I'm thin blooded. Yeah, maybe...

Progress... after clearing South Pender Island it was crossing Boundary Pass - which I had seen from the lighthouse on Stuart Island. And I recall the tide rips off the lighthouse point. I gave plenty of leeway to the point.

After rounding the point another boat and I clawed our way south along Stuart Island as by now the tide had turned and we were going against almost two knots.

Soon enough I turned the corner and made my way back northbound into Reid Harbor.

On my way up two thirds into the Harbor I passed this interesting vessel... catamaran, aluminum, unstayed masts, and severe damage to that port hull...

And here is Greg's beautiful Tolly... she's a roomy 48-feet.

And what a great cruising day... started rainy, cool-ish, flying along with favorable current, crossing a major straight, grinding against adverse currents, and now anchored in an excellent harbor. Perfect.

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Edited by - Carl in LA on 09/02/2019 18:44:13

Carl in LA
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Response Posted - 09/02/2019 : 19:08:32

So... while visiting with Greg he asked what I was going to do about clearing in to the USA?

I explained that I intended to do walk-up at the Customs dock in Friday Harbor. Greg wasn't so sure that I should wait the additional day. As I had cell service I went ahead and called the customs number from a Google search and I used auto dial. The Customs offer that answered, and apparently knew where I was, explained that I could report to Roche Harbor or Friday Harbor or use the ROAM app... we concluded the phone call.

I told Greg that I would attempt to use the ROAM app even with intermittent cell coverage - and 3G when I did have coverage.

After a couple of attempts and maybe a half hour of downloading the app started. And I did not get past the part where I had to "register" with the government - maybe the first level of federal government? In any event, after registering the Web page threw me back to the app, at which time, I followed the prompts and filled in the requested data... and then the next prompt simply said PROCESSING...

So, no worries, just wait until it quits processing... and with my endless connectivity issues I figured it might be a while.

DING... the next prompt said I needed to be interviewed. What? I put in my hearing aids and clicked the prompt.

Officer Sanchez was apparently using my tablets camera and speakers to conduct the interview. Officer Sanchez first asked that I turn on more lights in the boat so he could around. Really? Then he asked similar questions to the first part of the app. And during the questions I turned the tablet to swi g the tablet camera to show, for example, that I was the only person on board. At the end of the questions the Officer approved my reentry and I received an email as evidence.

Pretty cool app...

The next morning proved to be ideal. Glassy waters and perfect morning sun.

No pictures were taken during a somewhat lengthy dinghy ride to the State Park dock.

At the dock there were maybe four yachts tied up but there was still enough room for a couple dinghies.

From the dock I walked up the somewhat steep gangway.

Up on top there is a kiosk and bulletin board.

The camping area was similar to the grounds at Montague.

And it's a very brief walk to the Prevost Harbor side of the island.

My clumsy attempt at a panorama. Make note of that huge yacht way on the right...

I walked along the one mile trail...

Which offered a couple of vantage points...

And along the way I noticed this unusual tree bark.

And when I got back to the boat I noticed that the big yacht from Prevost side was now on the Reid side...

Catalina 250 - Pretty Good Boat

Edited by - Carl in LA on 09/02/2019 19:49:38

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