Sailing and Stitching

Monday was a mixed bag of choices for us, as gale force winds were forecast for Queen Charlotte Strait, just outside of our docks at Echo Bay. We also received word from Ray and Kathy, on " Summer Breeze ", that they would be sailing for Echo Bay from Lagoon Cove. So off we went to see Pierre, and organized another session of painting for another day of moorage. We painted the white trim on his lodge, and by early afternoon our friends were sailing into the bay. Cocktails were then in order, followed by a dinner on Jade-1.



Summer Breeze arriving Echo Bay - notice the lovely white railings and trim on the lodge, painted by us.






By Tuesday (25 May), the winds had cooperated, and it was time to move on. The two boats left Echo Bay and sailed out through Arrow Pass and into Queen Charlotte Strait, bound for Alert Bay. We had beautiful conditions with 20 knot winds on the beam or behind us the whole way.....and a following tidal current, as well. By 1430, after a boisterous (but not rough) sail, we'd arrived at the village of Alert Bay which is a mostly First Nations town near Vancouver Island. We walked to the U'Mista Cultural Centre, a museum with a great deal of First Nations artwork which had been taken from the natives during the "cultural cleansing" and anti-potlatch times.



Masks at the Museum Alert Bay (photo borrowed from Internet, as no photos allowed inside).





The town also has a large number of totems, especially in the burial ground. Although the weather was wet and cool (about 13C), we had a good walk around town, and returned to the boats for a fine dinner on " Summer Breeze " . Wednesday morning we walked into town to have breakfast in a restaurant, but they were all closed, and we ended up having Egg muffins and sticky buns at the deli at the supermarket.




Totems in the burial grounds, Alert Bay





Following a short walk about town, it was time to head across to Vancouver Island and Port McNeill, where Linda was planning on meeting us.
With no wind and flat calm, it was a short motor across to the marina, and within an hour of tying up, Linda had arrived. Of course, that gives us reason for another party....so cocktails it was!
She'd brought along some supplies from home, which we planned to use for restocking along with supplies purchased in town. Summer Breeze also had a major sewing job, as their sail had ripped on the way across to Alert Bay. We spent all of Thursday shopping, stocking, fuelling, laundering, showering, and otherwise preparing for the next leg beyond Vancouver Island.



Our route so far, from Blind Channel, to Matilpi, Lagoon Cove, Kwatsi Bay, Echo Bay, Alert Bay, and then to Pt McNeill.

The sewing and stitching on Summer Breeze's mainsail was an all-day project, and although we managed to get it repaired, the cloth seemed to be mostly sun-weakened and aged, and unlikely to last much longer. Mort MacDonnell, however, a friend from Courtenay, emailed us that he had a spare sail to fit. With Linda's having driven up for the visit, we had our car available. So as I sit catching up on the blog, Ray and Kathy are presently driving back to Courtenay to pick up Mort's sail. The weather forecast was unsuitable for our proceeding today, and looks good for tomorrow....so hopefully tomorrow (Saturday) morning will find us crossing Queen Charlotte Strait toward Cape Caution - as far north as I've (to date) sailed on this coast.






Port McNeill Harbour

Into the Broughton Archipelago

We enjoyed our visit to Lagoon Cove, but decided to push on into the Broughton Archipelago, so-named for the numerous islands in the vicinity of Broughton Island, itself a very large island.
It was a bit cool and showery as we set out, motorsailing (wind on the nose again) northbound, across Knight Inlet into Tribune Channel. At one point a pod of Pacific Whitesided Dolphins swam by, but didn't come over to the boat to investigate or accomany us, as they often do. Kelcy made up a terrific stir-fry as we continued underway - so far we have had no sign of impending seasickness from her. After proceeding 22 miles we tied up in Kwatsi Bay, and were greeted by 3 other Canadian sailboats already tied up.






Happy Hour at Kwatsi Bay



It is a common practice for such places to have Happy/Appy Hours, so we all sat around the deck of the dock, sharing stories and appies, and consuming a bit of wine & beer. By 1800 we all headed back to our boats and prepared supper....we had some steaks which needed to be bbq'd, so that was dinner. Then a relaxing evening in the cockpit, sipping wine, and visiting with Al, one of the other boaters. Another quiet night, with occasional rainshowers pattering on the deck, was followed by a cool but somewhat sunny morning.
We had a delicious omelette prepared by Shane, for breakfast, before showering and tidying up the boat....then set off back into Tribune Channel, and then southbound in Queen Charlotte Strait, past Viner Sound and into Echo Bay.





This float home has been pulled up onto the rocks at the entrance to Echo Bay, the bay so-named for the effects of the cliffs behind the home.




We arrived by 1300, and met up with Pierre, who runs the marina. We had arranged with him to do some work in exchange for free moorage, so shortly after our arrival we were painting a new verandah on the store. Then it was showers and laundry, and a bit of relaxation time, with internet available. Unfortunately, my calls on Skype seemed to get garbled, in spite of a good wifi signal.






Pierre's Lodge at Echo Bay





So back to emailing and catching up on the Blog. Shane volunteered to repair our sailcover which needed some restitching, and did a very professional job of it. Dinner, wine, and a bit of hot chocolate to round off the evening, and all was well with the world. Although we're presently sitting in very light winds, the forecast is for gale force Southeast late tonight and into the morning, so we may end up staying here and extra day, or head for Alert Bay in the afternoon if the wind has eased enough by then. Stay tuned!

Sunshine and Happiness

We left Blind Channel yesterday, Thursday, while the wind was still howling and the rain still pouring. But....having faith in the weather forecast, we set out under reefed sails, and proceeded up Mayne Passage, through Greenpoint and Whirlpool Rapids (at slack water), and out Chancellor Channel into Johnstone Strait. By then the rain had stopped and the wind was a nice 15-20, behind us. So we were able to have a lovely sail with the sails out wing-on-wing, and decided that we should perhaps this time make a bit of distance seeing as the wind was cooperating nicely. So we continued over 25 miles up Johnstone Strait, turning off into Havannah Channel, where we found a nice little anchorage off a deserted Native Village, Matilpi. We were anchored behind a couple of small islands, off a shell beach (a midden of shells from native feasts over many years). As we prepared our supper, we saw our first bear foraging on the beach. Because of the unsettled previous night, we had an early night this time, and even slept in a bit.






Our First Bear Sighting







Today, Friday, we were underway to Chatham Channel, aiming for an 1100 slack tide (made it nicely, as it was only 25 minutes away), and under beautiful sunny skies made our way into Lagoon Cove Marina, which is a very friendly spot with picturesque walking trails, exercise stations (chop wood for their winter fires), and a get-together with the other boaters, with lots of prawns supplied.






Kelcy insists Shane gets his exercise!!!





We were the only guests this time, however, but we still enjoyed the prawns with the staff and owner. They have internet here, too....so here is another issue of the blog!
Hopefully we will have another go at the internet in two or three days.





Kelcy is enjoying the view at Lagoon Cove

Still in Blind Channel

Here is our routing so far.... Comox across the Strait of Georgia to Copeland Islands, then to Tenedos Bay, then to Refuge Cove, up to Octopus Islands, then to Blind Channel, where we are now.








It is now Wednesday, 19 May. We spent most of yesterday getting a few problems sorted out on the boat (intermittent autopilot, problem stereo speaker, clogging head) so managed to get them all repaired. The plan was to leave bright and early this morning, but the anchorage in mind for tonight wouldn't be too comfortable in forecast Southeast 40 Knot winds. So instead, we stayed tied to the dock, slept in a bit, and completed some laundry. We took the local yellow dog for a walk on the local trails (he loves to guide the tourists on the trails). As I sit now at the computer, Shane is building a fine dinner of pork tenderloin with lots of fixings, Kelcy is organizing photos.
Speaking of photos, I've finally got some to share on the Blog! So here they are:






Our Garden (parsely and chives for fresh stuff / garnish on our meals)











Trying to get internet at Refuge Cove (that's our friend John in the background)












Contemplation with Coffee

Rained in on the Wet Coast at last!

Since Kelcy and Shane arrived, there was lots to do, and we never got around to adding to the Blog. So here ia an update..........albeit without photos yet, as our internet connection can't handle larger files (satellite connection). We departed Comox on Thursday, and sailed across the Strait of Georgia to the mainland side of the strait, and turned north to anchor in a little bay in the Copeland Islands. Managed to catch a bucket of prawns for the next few dinners, too. Nobody getting seasick, which is a good thing. The following day we motored, then sailed, into Desolation Sound, to Tenedos Bay, where we managed to load up on fresh oysters (not many prawns, though). The weather continued to hold bright and sunny throughout. Next on to a small community (11 people) with a dock and a store - Refuge Cove - which is where our friends John and Janet live on a float home. We had a nice visit with them, and managed to kill a bit of wine and rum, and had a deck party, with a fire and all. Next morning it started clouding over a bit, but still pleasant, and we managed to time our passage through " Hole in the Wall " , a fast-running piece of water when the tide is running. We anchored in the Octopus Islands, exploring the area by dinghy and by foot ( a short hike across a peninsula) and tried (to no avail) to catch some crabs. We spent that day and yesterday (Monday 17 May) there, before leaving early this morning (again to catch the tide at the right time), and motor-sailing out into Johnstone Strait, and then into Mayne Passage, where we are now tied up at Blind Channel Resort (a small resort with fuel dock and mini-store). Also a chance to catch up on a bit of internet. Even managed to skype out for a couple of quick phonecalls, as there is no cell coverage here. The rain has started in earnest now, and will likely continue with moderate rain for a few days, so the crew may now finally find out about the cause of rainforests!

Ready At Last

Last week Kelcy and Shane arrived from Ontario, and we have spent the time getting the boat stocked and ready. Lots of food and spare equipment has been stowed in every nook and cranny. We took a short shakedown cruise out to Tree Island and Henry Bay, for an overnighter, to make sure the crew would be comfortable with the small, moving environment. So far, so good!
So first thing tomorrow, we will set sail, crossing Georgia Strait for the Copeland Islands, where we will have our first anchorage of the trip. More details will follow as we actually get into the trip, and can upload from a wifi connection. Kelcy has also created a Group on Facebook, with lots of photos. It is an open group, so anyone can join in to view/comment.....look for "Alaska Bound" in Facebook Groups if you want to check it out.

Getting Ready

Jade 1 under sail





It is now May 3, and we've spent much of the winter preparing the boat, Jade 1, for the next adventure......northbound via the Inside Passage, to Alaskan waters (and return). Many of my friends have asked me to continue with the Blog, so here it is.
There aren't a lot of places enroute where we will be able to get internet access, so the entries may be spotty at times, but we'll try to keep a running commentary and then upload when possible. Linda is not keen on doing 5 months of sailing this time, so this trip will be crewed by my niece, Kelcy, and her partner, Shane. With any luck we can share the log/Blog entries. Kelcy and Shane fly in today from Ontario, and we'll be spending the next week to 10 days in stocking up the boat and getting them familiar with sailing and the boat itself. Actual departure date will depend on the weather forecast, and we'll start off slow, with a bit of a sail into Desolation Sound, before crossing the tidal rapids and proceeding into more northerly waters.
I've entitled the blog "Journal of a Journey to Juneau", mostly because I like the alliteration - no guarantees we'll make it as far as Juneau or Skagway (over 1000 miles each way) - that will depend on the weather we encounter, the serviceability of the boat and crew enroute, and, of course, what interesting diversions we fine in between!
I hope you enjoy hearing of our adventures....let me know if there are any questions about the trip.