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July
4th in the year of our computer 2005
Kelly
Girl (KG for short), Brittney and I set off for Oak Harbor at 15:00. We
motored the whole way against the wind and tide. We arrived in Oak Harbor
Lat. 48° 17.15min.W long. 122° 38.33min.W. From the bow of Moorea the
three of us watched a years worth of fireworks, save for this one day our
independence day. What a glorious way to begin our independence from life as
we knew it. Our hours logged on board totaled 6 hours.
July
5th 2005
We
awoke with a little anxiety, because today’s route was taking us through the
cliffs of  Deception Pass. All went well. We timed
the pass for slack water, our boat only goes around 5 knots so we must be
close to slack or the boat could actually be going backwards! The crew of
Moorea met up with my dad, Rutledge a.k.a. “Pop” and his two friends Ray and
Pat. All from Bend, OR. We had caught up with them near a buoy by
Anacortes. We buddy boated with them up to Sucia Isl. The first half of the
day the weather was nice and then it rained the rest. We anchored in 5
fathoms (30 feet) and Pop’s boat, a Catalina 25 named Second Wind rafted up
next to us. The two crews of the boats took shore leave by using the two
dinghies. We explored some of Sucia in the pouring rain. While sleeping
that night the wind piped up and knocked us about but our trusty 45# CQR
anchor held fast. Our Lat. was 48°46.87’N & Long.122°54.36W. The trip
time was just over 11 hours.
July
6th 2005
Second
Wind and Moorea left Echo bay for Bedwell harbor. The harbor has 3 telephones
with a direct line to customs. Ray was a
little apprehensive because he did not have his passport with him. Pop and I
checked into Canada without incident and continued on towards Ganges Harbor
on Saltspring Is. The wind was good so we sailed to and from Bedwell.
In the afternoon the wind clocked around to the N.W. We had a great sail tacking
back and forth all the way to Ganges. We tied up to a public dock and spent 2
nights at $26 a night. Everyone took showers and explored the town. Bought
gifts and had wonderful meals together. One gentleman that we met on the dock
was talking to us about food and eating out. He said that if we ate out that
we would not have to be ”Potwallapers”. When we asked what that was he
replied “Dish Washers”. Pop, Ray, and Pat all came over and played guitar,
harmonica, and sang for KG’s and my 5th anniversary. A night we
will not forget. Our Lat. was 48°51.27’N and 123°29.93’W. From Sucia to
Ganges took 7 hours.
July
8th 2005
Pat
and Ray left us today to head back to the Port of Everett. It rained in the
morning but quit by the  time we left at noon. We set sail with a
double reef and a partially furled jib. As team Moorea headed North the wind
was behind us and we were able to shake out the sails. Sailing at about 30°
off the wind to keep from gibing. KG and I celebrated 5 years of marriage
today. We sure have had a lot of changes together, we remain happy because we
are sharing the experiences together. Pop and Britt have been a pure joy to
have aboard, they will be missed when they go. We anchored in 22 feet of
water and didn’t move at all. Our position was 48°08.08’N and 123°42.91’W.
Total travel time was 7 hours and 20min. from Ganges Harbor to Degnen bay on
Gabriola Isl.
July
9th 2005
Degnen
bay to Mark Bay (Nanaimo) 49°10.79’N Lat. and 123°55.99’W Lon.
Brittney,
Pop, KG and I took a walk to Drumbeg Park on Gabriola Isl. Pop and I talked
about hedge  hogging so we came up with the idea of
hail and hog for today’s busy lifestyle (you had to be there). The park was
full of wildlife/sea life we saw a snake, sea otter, oysters and starfish in
the many tide pools. Returning to Moorea the anchor was weighed for our trip
through Gabriola Passage. The tide is pretty strong in this passage, but our
timing was good and we made it through without incident. After hoisting the
sails Moorea’s bow was headed North. Sailing all the way Nanaimo Harbor. With
the motor running we looked for anchorage at Mark Bay just across from
Downtown Nanaimo. After anchoring in 24 feet in the most crowded anchorage I
have seen, we headed for town for much needed showers. The trip time was 6.5
hours.
July
11th 2005
Nanaimo
to Deep Bay: 49°27.79’N Lat. and 124°44.00’W Lon.
While
in Nanaimo the crew and took many walks. One of which was on Newcastle Isl.
It is a marine park with many hiking trails. On our excursion we discovered
numerous bald eagles, deer and tide pools with  super tiny crabs. After spending the day
and night in Nanaimo KG and I said goodbye to Brittney & Pop. They caught
a bus to Victoria then a ferry to Seattle. From there it is only half
of an hour (without traffic) to Everett where their van is. Pop filled our
diesel tanks. The bill was huge at $72.40. Thanks Pop! The exchange rate at
the time was only 1.15 Canadian for every American buck. KG and I went to a
store for some provisions and purchased charts for the west side of Vancouver
Isl. The cost for the 11 charts was $$220.00, ouch! Upon returning to the
boat we set sail for Deep Bay. We sailed for many hours with “Monty” (our
wind vane) to our next anchorage. Moorea is anchored in 32 feet of water on
the South side of the bay. Total hours logged 9.5. The wind was out of the
S.E. at 15Knots. The temperature was 65°.
July
12th 2005
Deep
Bay to Comox: 49°39.94’N Lat. and 124°55.37’W Lon.
 Weighing anchor at 09:00 KG and I motored
for a bit until the wind came up from astern. After hoisting the sails and
sailing for awhile the wind died. We used “Johnny” our trusty Yanmar engine
the rest of the way. The weather has been mild, mostly cloudy with rain at
times. We are looking forward to some summer weather! This leg took us 4.5
hours. We anchored near the entrance to the marina and rowed ashore. While at
Comox we found internet access and a chandlery. We needed some electrical
connectors to finish hooking up our HAM radio. KG pulled me up in the bosons
chair along the backstay. I connected the tuner wire to place between
the two insulators. We tried the radio but it still didn’t receive or
transmit. During this process the boat was completely trashed, there was so
much stuff pulled out of every locker that you could hardly walk. We stowed
everything again and decided to try the radio another day.
July
14th 2005
Comox
to Campbell River: 50°03.01’N Lat. and 125°13.45’W Lon.
KG
and I motored over the sand bar at Comox. Our chart showed one buoy but there
were  actually 3. We powered all the way to
Campbell River. Upon arriving we tried to tie up for a couple of hours to
call our friends Jen and Tom. At Campbell River there are 3 marinas. We went
into the middle one. The current was very strong. We saw one 40 foot
powerboat munch a dock so we helped him tie up after we got ours secured.
Shortly after that a 46 foot fiberglass powerboat was having difficulties.
They almost hit the stern of our boat! We ran back over to our boat to fend
off the motor yacht. Kelly Girl was yelling at the captain Forward! Forward!
He was side ways in the current between us and a pier. They ended up hitting
the pier and a couple of docks but not us. We left A.S.A.P. and motored to a
nearby spot called Quathiaski Cove. We were sleeping well until about 1-2
A.M. when the wind and tide came up. At one point we were showing 1.5 knots
on the knot meter at anchor. I started the motor and ran it for awhile to
take the strain off of the anchor. Not much sleep that night but we made it
through.
July
15th 2005
Campbell
River to Gowlland Harbor: 50°04.43’N Lat. and 125°13.09’W Lon.
The
next morning we returned to Campbell River for fuel and provisions. I filled
two jerry jugs that  are 5 gallons each. We tied up to dock
#K-19 (it was too short). So off to an adjoining dock that gave us some
space. Jen and Tom arrived at 16:30 we were happy to see them both. After
some more shopping the crew of Moorea set off at 19:00. The tide was with us
so before long we had arrived at Gowlland Harbor. Moorea found herself in a
great bay anchored in 40 feet of water right next to a little uninhabited
island. Dinner was comprised of Excellent burritos and chips. Tom and I each
had one drop of the “Bomb”. The hottest sauce I have ever tried. Judi my
former employer had purchased it for me some years ago and I think it gets
hotter every year! All slept completely through the night with no
interruptions. A very quiet and peaceful bay.
July
16th 2005
Gowlland
Harbor to Cameleon Harbor: 50°20.39’N Lat. and 125°18.16’W Lon.
Morning
brought the sound of a light breeze. After breakfast Tom and I set up “Dux”
our dinghy with  the sail kit. Tom took me for a sail and
then Jen. The wind and current were strong but we were able to make headway.
After getting a little wet we put the tender back on deck. Tom shaved my head
and then his own. This was the first time in my life that I had done that (it
felt weird). To rinse off the hair clippings we both jumped in the water. The
water was tortoise in the shell cold. Jen and Kelly G raised the anchor and
we motored towards Seymour Narrows. Once through the narrowest portion our
sails were raised with a reef in the main and half of the jib furled. The
wind was registering at 20 knots apparent. About 30 minutes later the roller
furling foil twisted 180° and broke from the drum. Tom steered while KG and I
wrestled the jib on to the deck. We traveled the rest of the way to Cameleon
Harbor under power. That evening we ate a wonderful pressure cooked stew.
After dinner Jen beat us all at card game called 313. I think it is her
favorite card game.
July
17th 2005
Cameleon
Harbor to North Cove (Billy Goat Bay): 50°24.24’N Lat. and 125°52.55’W Lon.
The
next morning after another good nights sleep we headed off towards Johnstone
Strait. At one point  we were only moving at 1 knot. The wind,
wave and tide were against us. We went past Billy Goat Bay trying to make it
to Port Neville. The forecast was for gale force winds in the afternoon which
turned out to be correct. After bashing the waves for about an hour we
decided to head back to North Cove. We anchored in 45 feet of water. The bay
is very small and there was already a boat in it, so Tom and I set a line to
the shore to keep us from swinging into them. The wind howled all night so we
didn’t sleep much. In the morning I was surprised to see that we were only 25
feet from shore! Fortunately the shore dropped off quite rapidly because we
still had enough water for Moorea. The trip took 8.5 hours.
July
18th 2005
North
Cove to Port Neville: 50°29.57’N Lat. and 126°05.25’W Lon.
We
weighed anchor @ 08:20 hoping to beat the afternoon gale forecast. The wind
and waves were already waiting for us. Since our roller furling has failed we
have not sailed. Our trusty Yanmar has been our sole source of power. In
order to keep moving forward and maintain steerage our engine was running at
almost max R.P.M.’s. Upon arriving at Port Neville @ 13:20 we tied to a dock
and took a look around. There are no services here but a caretaker filled a 5
gallon jerry jug with water because we were almost out. Tom fed a wild deer
out of his hand while Jen, KG and I watched (too cool). I purchased a Port
Neville Yacht Club hat to help support the maintaining of the historic home
and property. The dock that we tied up to was actually free! We traveled 5
hours total.
July
19th 2005
Port
Neville to Telegraph Cove: 50°32.79’N Lat. and 126°50.00’W Lon.
After
motoring for about an hour and a half we decided to sail. We put a double
reef in the main and our smaller 110% jib. Tacking back and forth right up
Johnstone Straight. After 10 hours and a total of 32 nautical miles we
reached our destination of Telegraph cove. Everyone was pleased to have
reached a place that had showers. No one has had one since Campbell River!
Jen and Tom took us out for dinner at nice restaurant right next to Moorea’s
slip. The Moorage cost $26.00 Canadian (not bad). Our sail today was the best
one thus far.
July
20th 2005
Telegraph
Cove to Port McNeill: 50°35.50’N Lat. and 126°05.23’W Lon.
Jen
and KG prepared us a wonderful omelet while on the way our next stop. After
we arrived Tom and I  washed the boat while the lady’s explored
the town. I ordered a new roller furling from the states that will take 3+
days to arrive and cost over $2500.00 (ouch). So much for the cruising kitty.
KG has E-mailed everyone and we shopped for some groceries. Right now Moorea
finds herself on the hook in the bay because the moorage is $25.00 a night.
As soon as the new furler arrives we will return to the dock to build it. At
this port Jen and Tom left us to return home. They caught a bus from Port
McNeill to Campbell River where their car is. KG and I were so pleased that
they could spend the week with us and we are sad to see them goL.
July
28th 2005
Port
McNeill to Port Hardy: 50°43.48’N Lat. and 126°29.29’W Lon.
Once
we received the new roller furling I went up the mast (for the first time) to
remove the old furler, in order to install the new one. I assembled the new
furler at the dock, which took all day. The  next morning it was ready and I went back
up the mast for the second time (easier than the first) to hook up the new
furling system. KG and I left just before noon from the dock (checkout time).
The time had finally come to move on to the next port. After motoring out of
the bay we raised the sails and sailed all the way to Port Hardy. The wind
was on the nose at 10-15knots. We put the new system to the test right away
because we had entered Queen Charlotte Straight. Everything worked great (the
new furler worked much better than the 23 year old one that broke). Just
before sunset KG saw her first whale! It kept breaching again and again in
the setting sun (beautiful!). Our total ours logged for the day was 9 hours
and 15 minutes. We anchored in 5 Fathoms of water (30 feet) at 22:15.
July
30th 2005
Port
Hardy to Bull Harbor: 50°54.96’N Lat. and 127° 56.18’W Lon.
KG
& I explored Port Hardy, used the internet, changed the oil and walked the
town. Mostly a commercial fishing and processing harbor, after two nights it
was time to move on. While sailing down wind towards Bull Harbor we felt the
first Pacific Ocean swells of our trip. The swells were between 1-2 feet with
a lot of space between them. After anchoring in 5 fathoms with good holding
we noticed a couple of sailboats and 2 fishing boats that shared the harbor
with us. They had a government dock with a sailboat tied to it as well. That
night we didn’t even get off of the boat. During our trip that day it never
stopped raining, we were soaked to the bone. Total traveling time added up to
8 hours and 15 minutes.
July
31st 2005
Bull
Harbor to North Cove (Near Winter Harbor): 50°54.96’N Lat. and 127°56.18’W
Lon.
Moorea
and crew left at 08:00 for the infamous Nahwitti Bar. You have to time your
departure while  the tide is still flooding so that the
Pacific Ocean swell does not appose the current. Otherwise large steep
breaking waves can form. We timed it well and had no problems. While trying
to leave the harbor our path was blocked by dozens of Orcas! We waited for
over 30min. for them to pass. Quite a treat to see so many whales so close.
The visibility was down because again it rained all afternoon. As soon as we
rounded Cape Scott the wind picked up from the North so we sailed the rest of
the way to North Cove, a distance of 60 miles. The ocean swells were tame for
us, the larger ones peaking at approx. 6 feet. Using our radar because the
sun had set helped us to find our anchorage in the dark. There are many rocks
on the charts to look out for so we used our GPS to plot our position every
5-10 minutes. Our anchorage had 2 other boats in it already. Our longest day
yet took us 14 hours and 30 minutes. Both of us were tired and wet, but we
slept great!
August
1st 2005
North
Cove to Battle Bay: 50°07.45’N Lat. and 127°34.52’W Lon.
With
a favorable weather forecast we left at 08:00. The wind came up enough to
sail into the wind all  the way to Brooks Peninsula (the largest
on the West coast!). We motored around it because the wind was down to 3 mph.
But on the other it picked up again and we were able to sail again. At sunset
we found ourselves in Battle Bay. KG and I were doing shifts of 3 hours on
and 3 hours off. That helped to get a break to work on a project or read etc.
It had taken us 13 hours to travel 40 miles. We decided to stay the following
day after 2 long ones. While there we did a lot of beachcombing and dinghy
sailing in our Walker Bay around the islets and rocks.
August
3rd 2005
Battle
Bay to Walter’s Cove: 50°01.58’N Lat. and 127°22.62’W Lon.
At
09:00 KG and raised the anchor and motored for four hours to Walter’s Cove.
While there we met a wonderful couple named Mark and Alex who were also
circumnavigating Vancouver Isl. They were  gracious enough to move their boat and
someone else’s to make room for Moorea. They also loaned us a book on the
West coast of the island, the book is very useful as it shows places to go and
places you shouldn’t. They live in Sydney on the other side of the island and
that is where we will return their book by mail. We were hoping for more
services in Walter’s Cove, but we found no showers, no diesel, and no
laundry. They did have a little store that sold some groceries. On our trip I
had also run out of SUGAR, CANDY my world was closing in on me, but the store
had about an 8 pound bag of juju candy to tide me over for about a week. OH
well, a quaint place with a free dock to tie up to. Our weather had improved
with a high of about 75°.
August
4th 2005
Walter’s
Cove to Dixie Cove (Hohae Isl.): 50°03.21’N Lat. and 127°12.6’W Lon.
KG
and I awoke to find both of our sailboat neighbors gone. We listened to the
N.W. Boaters HAM net  at 08:00 to 08:30 and then we put some
water in our solar power shower and ice chest. We are attempting to wash some
clothes as we have been without any services for over a week. Showers and
clean clothes coming up at Dixie Cove. We anchored in 33 feet of water in pristine
bay with trees that lined the shore all the way down to the water. KG made
her first HAM radio contact! We were listening to some other HAMs talking
about their radios and antennas and KG broke in and they heard us. They said
that they usually talk from 18:00 to 06:00 in the morning. The one gentleman
we talked to was in Nevada! Total trip time was 3hours with the air
temperature reaching 80°.
August
5th 2005
Dixie
Cove to Tahsis: 49°55.02’N Lat. and 126°39.79’W Lon.
KG
and I weighed anchor at 06:45 and motored away from Hohae Isl. KG wanted the
motor off for her HAM net and I wanted to sail. We both got our wishes. KG
talked with the 08:00 N.W. Boater’s net, for the first time. After that every
morning she would check in and talk to other boaters about where they were
going, weather, and general information. We sailed all the way to Tahsis
Narrows with a 10-15 knot breeze, a distance of 30 miles. Fantastic weather
and wind with clear blue skies and the Pacific Ocean swells to push us along.
Once we arrived in Tahsis we found the fuel dock and decided to stay the
night since the wind was up and there wasn’t a good anchorage nearby. We tied
up to a barge that everything including a restaurant, showers, restroom, gas,
water, power, garbage, internet, and a phone! Showers cost $2.50 each, dinner
$12.99 each for steak, internet $5.00 an hour, moorage $28.00 and a load of
laundry was $4.00. Expensive but a much needed stop for us. Our travel time
took 10 hours and our arrival time was at 17:00.
August
6th 2005
Tahsis
to Bodega Bay: 49°44.07’N Lat. and 126°38.22’W Lon.
The
only thing they did not have at the marina was propane so we asked where we
might get some. One of the employee’s said that we could purchase the
propane in town. The only problem was that the town of Tahsis was many miles
away. That is when the worker said we could use the complimentary van! He
gave us the keys and we were off to fill our propane. After provisioning we
motored South to a little bay behind Bodega Isl. We were the only ones in the
bay. Bald eagles would fly overhead; seals would surface and look around. It
seemed that something was missing anchored out in our own bay and then we
realized the only sounds that we were hearing was nature. We would soon miss
this quite as we were headed for Hot Springs Cove.
August
7th 2005
Bodega
bay to Hot Springs Cove: 49°21.77’N Lat. and 126°16.01’W Lon.
From
Bodega Bay we headed South. KG was listening to the N.W. Boater’s net at
08:00, so we shut the engine off and sailed with the main only. Our speed
over the ground was 3 knots. We looked into Friendly Cove and decided to
continue on to Hot Springs Cove a distance of  about 30 miles. The wind was behind us at
10-15 knots. While we were sailing we saw a number of grey whales. We tried
to avoid them, a few were only 100 yards away by the time we noticed them.
The first thing that we noticed after anchoring at Hot Springs Cove was the
noise. Sea planes flying overhead and landing very close to all of the boats
anchored in the cove. They also had high speed inflatable boats full of
people from Tofino. That evening KG and I put on our swimwear and walked the
mile long boardwalk through the forest. Many boaters have carved their
vessel’s name on the boardwalk planks. The Hot Springs were phenomenal, a
waterfall of hot, fresh, clean water that cascades into pools of varying
temperature’s into the sea!
August
8th 2005
Hot
Springs Cove to Bottleneck Cove: 49°26.70’N Lat. and 126°13.04’W Lon.
The next
morning we were socked in with fog. We left anyway with the motor and all of
our equipment  on. KG while talking on the N.W Boaters
net talked to a gentleman that was also anchored in Hot Springs Cove. After
the net he and his wife came over to our boat for a visit. Their names are
Phil and Sandy they are cruising on an aluminum boat named “Eventide”. Very
nice people who gave us suggestions of places to visit and people to see. One
of the people to see was our next stop at Bottleneck Cove. After we anchored
KG and I put the motor on “Dux” and headed North to visit Jim who owns an
oyster farm. He was very friendly and gave us a tour of his whole operation.
We arrived at Bottleneck Cove at 14:30 with a trip time of 2 hours and 15
minutes.
August
9th 2005
Bottle
Neck Cove to Bawden Bay: 49°17.2’N Lat. and 126°00.47’W Lon.
After
sleeping like babies we weighed anchor and motored all the way to Ahousat. We
tied up to the dock and purchased some groceries. Just South of the marina
there is a house on a little island. On our chart due South of the island we
noticed a water pipeline. We anchored just to the North. After
about 3 hours a First Nation boat came over and said that we were anchored to
close to their water supply. So we weighed anchor for the second time that
day and motored across Millar Channel to Bawden Bay. Our anchor was set at
20:00. KG made a spaghetti dinner with Ellen’s family recipe, “Grandpa’s Old
World Gourmet Garlic Salt” on our toast, yum. That night we played Rumikub
and Mancala, KG beat me at both of the games. Total hours logged = 6 hours.
August
10th 2005
Bawden
Bay to Tofino: 49°09.05’N Lat. and 125°54.79’W Lon.
KG
and I motored all of the way to Tofino, there are many shoals and a lot of
current to deal with but  it is marked well with navigational
buoys. After anchoring we took the dinghy to town. Once in town we walked to
the marine store, grocery store, and post office. Stephen had forwarded our
mail for us to Port McNeill, KG and I left before the mail had arrived. So we
had them forward it to Tofino. From there we went to 2 internet cafes, both
of them closed on us. The second one had their music so loud that you had to
yell to hear each other. Both cafes were for sale, go figure. With our
provisions we returned to Moorea only to find that the tide had turned and we
were really close to a nearby island, the tide was moving past the boat at 2
knots! Again we raised the anchor and went around to the west side of Tofino
into Duffin Cove. The days trip to us 3 hours and 15 minutes.
August
12th 2005
Duffin
Cove to Ucluclet: 48°56.49’N Lat. and 125°32.50’W Lon.
At
06:30 we left Duffin Cove in the fog. We ran the engine the entire way (no
wind). KG and I took 2 hour watches. There were many fishing boats heading
for their favorite spots. On the way we saw a number of gray whales. We tied
up to the government dock which is always easy to find because they are
painted red on their ramps. First order of business: showers, second
internet. The showers were at the local motel and cost $3.50 each for 12 min.
After walking the town we had a beverage on the Canadian Princess. We found
the public library and waited until 15:00 for them to open. The fee was 1
Looney for 10 min. After 5 minutes of trying to log into hotmail we gave up
and got our Looney back. Internet will have to wait. We thought the dock was
free until the harbormaster came to collect $22.00 Canadian. Our travel time
that day was 3.5 hours.
August
13th 2005
Ucluclet
to Effingham Isl. (bay): 48°52.47’N Lat. and 125°18.49’W Lon.
Motored
through the fog to Effingham Bay. We dropped the anchor in 50 feet of water
and let out 150  feet of chain. I have been working on the
chain locker trying to get all 300 feet in it. Not a very easy task
considering that the chain likes to stack up on itself which binds the
windlass. Presently someone needs to knock the pile of chain down every time
we weigh anchor. A pain in the rear. We are now in the Broken Group Islands,
a beautiful group of islands in the middle of Barkley Sound. Many kayaks and
sailboats frequent the area. The next morning KG and I walked across the
Island where abandoned First Nations camp used to be located. The sign
at the beginning of our hike read beware of wolves! We didn’t see any but we
did hear them howl.
August
14th 2005
Effingham
Isl. To Turtle Isl. (Joe’s Bay): 48°54.98’N Lat. and 125°19.66’W Lon.
KG
and I motored all the way to Joe’s Bay. We entered from the East since we
were coming from the  South. The other entrance is from the
North which is easier but not as close. The reason we went to Joe’s Bay is
because on the morning HAM net, Phil on “Eventide” was wondering where we
were going. We were thinking about Jacques/Jarvis. Since Phil was going
to Joe’s Bay we decided to join them. Moorea was anchored in the bay at
13:00. Once settled I put the sailing gear on “Dux” and sailed around some of
the islands and our boat. At five we were to meet on Phil’s boat for a
potluck. At the party we met Radek and Elaine. They have been living aboard
sailboats for 25 years! They also cruised their boat “Hamelyn” from Vancouver
to Australia and back, a trip that took five years. Super nice people who are
very generous and knowledgeable. I could spend many weeks just learning from
them.
August
15th 2005
Turtle
Isl. To Bamfield: 48°49.17’N Lat. and 125°08.44’W Lon.
Bamfield
was our next stop but because we had no wind our motor did all of the work.
After tying up to the dock KG and I walked the quaint boardwalk past lovely
homes and shops. Purchased some groceries and mailed some post cards. The
gentleman at the visitor information center told us of a walk through town to
a lovely beach. When we arrived a family told us about a bear that they had
just seen towards the South side of the beach. We decided to walk on the
North side. After our walk we moved Moorea to an anchorage in the South part
of the bay. There is a power wire 56 feet from the water. I was sure the
antennae would hit the wire, but it cleared.
August
16th 2005
Bamfield
to Sooke: 48°22.33’N Lat. and 123°40.85’W Lon.
At
04:00 the alarm went off. We prepared Moorea for the long leg down the
Straights of Juan De Fuca. The visibility was good, no fog and the sea was
calm. We had to motor for 11 hours until the wind came at 13:00. During one
of our gibes, the metal fitting that holds the sail to the boom broke free.
The groove in the boom split open and is need of repair. We arrived late in
Sooke Basin, but we were happy to have had good weather. The trip today took
us a total of 13 hours and 45 min.
August
17th 2005
Sooke
to Victoria: 48°25.30’N Lat. and 123°22.15’W Lon.
KG
and I weighed anchor without even setting our feet on land. The tide was
rushing into Sooke Basin so  our progress was slow. As soon as we got
to the Straits the magic carpet ride was whisking us along at 7 knots. We
sailed for a bit but the wind died again. Going past Race Rocks our speed on
the GPS topped out at 10knots. I felt like we were in a river. We arrived in
Victoria at 14:30 and tied up in front of the Empress Hotel. We took showers
and found the internet café. We had fun watching the street performers and
provisioned the next day. Total hours logged 5 hours.
August
18th 2005
Victoria
to Sidney Spit: 48°39.02’N Lat. and 123°20.66’W Lon.
The
checkout time was at 13:00 so we were busy with chores and errands. KG was
the first to the  laundry at 07:00. While the clothes
washed we walked for coffee and scones. We put our clothes in the dryer and
ate breakfast on the boat. We walked to a few bookstores and purchased, One
Day Celestial Navigation. Hopefully it will help me with the old art of
celestial navigation. Back to the boat we filled the water tanks and washed
Moorea. (It sure is nice to have fresh water). Leaving on the flood tide we
headed for Sidney Spit. The weather has improved; the temperature is up to
75°. Victoria to Sidney Spit took a total of 4 hours and 30 minutes.
Our plans now are to head back to Everett make some repairs on Moorea and tie
up the last loose ends before we start working our way back out the Straits
to Neah Bay. From Neah Bay our plan is to sail directly down to San
Francisco. Our trip around Vancouver Island was a fantastic journey it is one
we would highly recommend.
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