Asunto

Drift racing around Saltspring

We took the ‘Mothership’ Asunto across to Saltspring Friday morning along with Ben, Kolby’s fellow racemate. All seemed great as we left the dock…. then just as we were coming under the Granville St Bridge….. Silence.
Kolby ‘we lost the engine. You two unfurl the genoa’
Kristine looks around ‘there isn’t much wind… How about I get the dinghy ready?’
Thinking we may have run out of diesel Kolby tries to solve the problem as we drift though False Creek. The engine would start, but then stall under load. Finally we killed the starter battery and we went to plan B: Otto drives the boat. Ben and Kristine lash Otto to the starboard stern and Kristine drives. We are underway. We make our way to the fuel dock and we nailed the docking. Looked like we had practise this for years!
By the time we had filled the diesel tanks Kolby had solved the problem. The bleed screw on the filter housing was slightly open. Problem solved and the engine ran as per usual and we were off. After we rounded Pt. Grey we had a great sail over to Porlier Pass. Ben hand steered the whole way and learned just how different a 50′ boat handles compared to the J29 he usually sails. Kolby and the rest of the crew reunited in Ganges aboard Rhumb Line, a J29 that Kolby races every Wednesday and Thursday evening in English Bay. With a brand new main and experienced crew, Rhumb Line was ready for a great race.

The Round Saltspring Race 2013 started at 10 am. Boats have to circumnavigate Saltspring in less than 24 hours. Typically this isn’t a problem. And this year looked like it promised to be a good race. There was a perfect 15 knots at the start line and boats quickly made there way out of Ganges Harbour. The wind held all the way up island, and back down to Samson Narrows. By 3pm Rhumb Line was through Samson Narrows and starting the home stretch. Back in Ganges, Kristine was busy perusing the market and ok with not being sailing when random rainstorms came down and she could just duck into shops. At 7:30pm some of the first boats crossed the finish line and Kristine was hopeful that Rhumb Line would make it in before dark. By 9pm there were no more boats in sight; only a dozen or so boats had finished. Kristine went to bed expecting a midnight wake up for a pick up. She woke up in daylight slightly disorientated it was 5:30 am and the fleet of 50 or so boats are on the horizon. By 7am most of the sails seem, if not farther away, then more lateral and no where near closer to the finish line. By 9 am the wind picks up from the NE and Rhumb Line crosses the finish, second boat of the morning.

We finished off the weekend with family on Gabriola Island and came home under sail into English Bay.

Posted on May 24, 2013

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August long weekend in May

We left Friday night at 7. Motored to Gambier in the sun. Watched it set as we anchored.

The rest of the weekend was glorious. Sunshine and temperatures in the mid 20s. Saturday we hiked and played with the paddle board and took a part the diesel heater (can’t all be fun and games!)

Sunday was even warmer! We left mid morning for Bowen Island, dropped the anchor in Marion Bay and headed for Killarney Lake. Only there was a slight catch! literally! Our anchor was really hard to bring up. We had to drive forward and sideways and backwards before it finally came free. When we got it to the surface we had over 20 feet of 1.5 inch steel cable on the anchor. Halkett Bay has a long logging history and the bottom is littered with debris. Lucky for us we brought some of this relic to the surface, rather than having to leave our anchor on the bottom! On route Kolby’s parents called. They were taking their little Ranger Tug out and we planned to meet up later. The lake was lovely. So lovely in fact we both went swimming, something neither of us had done in that lake before! The water wasn’t even very cold, although the little one growing in Kristine objected and gave her a big kick! Later that afternoon it was still so hot on the water we jumped in the ocean! In May! Imagine that!

By the time we got home at 6 it felt like we have returned from an August long weekend. Except it was only May 5.

Posted on May 11, 2013

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The Places We Went

Ours was a 15 day journey covering 362 nautical miles which saw us from our dock at False Creek, to Desolation Sound, north to Helmklen Island in Johnstone Straight and back south through the Octopus Islands to Rebecca Spit and home along the east shore of Vancouver Island.

2012 Route

1) Copeland Islands: arrived midmorning after our overnight passage. Spent the day recovering, reading and exploring the islands. Copelands are beautiful low lying islands with lots of nooks to explore on foot or by boat. They make a great stopping point before Desolation, but most boat motor right past them!

2) Neville Islet, Malaspina Inlet: this was our first venture into Malaspina Inlet. While the warm waters of Grace Harbour provide a popular anchorage, there are many nooks to drop the hook in total isolation. We anchored behind Neville Islet and enjoyed a peaceful evening in solitude.

3) Welsh Cove, West Redona Island: our favorite Desolation anchorage, for it’s warm waters and little islands to explore. We stayed here for two nights, so that we would have the day for swimming, exploring Pendrell Sound and finishing up some boat chores. We stern tie to the same island with the Walsh Cove park sign and enjoy the afternoon sun to the last drop.

4) Teakerne Arm, West Redona Island: After stopping by Refuge Harbour for fuel and ice cream cones, we anchored on the northern shore of Teakerne Arm. With its steep shorelines it can be hard to find a place to drop the hook. We stern tied broadside to the wind (it was very tricky), which died down around 4pm, so he headed for a swim and wash in Cassell Lake.

5) Dent Island Resort, Little Dent Island: We had planned to anchor in Leask Cove to explore the creek and the homestead, but found a new resort and dock taking up the bay. Instead we crossed Bute Inlet, dropped hook at Moh Creek and waited for slack at Aaron Rapids to spend the night at Dent Island Resort. Except we didn’t go to the resort but anchored in the rocky bay in front of it and sung with the current through Canoe Pass. It was a noisy night with the chain frequently dragging along the bottom. There were also millions of hungry mosquitoes…

6) North Cove, Helmkeln Island: As we had the morning to wait for slack tide, we took Otto over to Big Bay and hike around Eagle Lake, which was the start of the cold cloudy weather. Everything had changed at Big Bay since I was there last (about 10 years ago). It made me sad. The huge Sonora Resort across the channel really changed the feeling of the place. We headed up Cordero Channel, through the Blind Channel Rapids an hour past slack, and into Johnstone Straight were we sailed downwind to North Cove on Helmkeln Island. Loving the remote, northern feel of the island we stayed for two nights. We had the cove to ourselves and the anchor held firm in mud when the winds pick up to 18 knots early in the morning of our departure.

7) Cameloen Harbour, Sonora Island: heading back south, our first stop was off Tully Island, Cameleon Harbour. We had a lot of fun exploring the bays around Nodales Channel in Otto. The weather was still overcast, but not as cold as up north. We anchored in 60 feet over a rocky bottom. After dragging the anchor a ways, she caught suddenly and held fast. No luck crabbing hear, but the best prawn haul near the fish farm.

8 ) Octopus Island Marine Park, Quadra Island: Octopus Islands is a popular cruising destination, and we shared it with at least 20 other boats. Luckily there is lots of space and different places to anchor so that it doesn’t feel too crowded. It is also the location of the hike to the clear waters of Newton Lake. The sun came out for us here (finally)! Quiet anchorage in mud. Evidence of red rock crabs but none in our traps!

9) Rebecca Spit, Quadra Island: Another one of our favorites, for the great views across Georgia Strait, warm water and lovely beach. We anchored in 60 feet and soaked in the sun. Otto took us for an ice cream in Hariot Bay.

10) Sandy Island: A newly discovered treasure for us, off the southern sandbars or Comox. We will defiantly return here. Good anchorage in 50 feet in mud, but completely open to southeast winds. Finally we caught to eating crabs off the one of the mud falts ( red rock and an ancient Dungeness). Traversed all across this unique island, with lots to look at along the way.

11) Taylor Bay, Gabriola Island: Put in a long day to travel from Sandy Island to Taylor Bay, especially with 20 knots on the bow and a messy 2 foot swell. Taylor Bay is our last stop before we are home and we enjoyed the Saturday Market, and visiting with Kolby’s parents.