Summer 2016 N Vancouver Island trip
Trip overview.
I launched at Telegraph Cove Building 29 side. It is an excellent launch and parking facility, and the owners have a 22 Cruiser, SeaHarmony and a neat story about the boats name. I spent the first part of the time in the Broughton,s, at Port Harvey for Canada Day, and then cruising, anchoring nearly every night. The first part of the trip was spent in the Broughton’s, going to the ends of most of the inlets. At a fuel stop at Lagoon Cove, it was a privilege to see another C-Dory, “Plan B”, and meet the fine young couple, Jim and Dara and and after a few minutes after the fuel stop, we agree to travel together up Knight Inlet. It was a good choice. We spent several days together, and I had a great day traveling with them up to Glacier Bay, viewing the spectacular milky blue water, the waterfalls coming off the shear walls and high mountain peaks. We spent some time in Glendale Cove, and then a hard drive down the Knight, into 3 – 6 foot head on waves, until we could turn out of Knight and into Sargeaunt Passage. Then a good day of sunshine to warmup, and dry out after a very wet, (lots of nose – and more- into waves) passage.
And from there, it just got better and better. More anchoring; lots of fog, rain and fun. Whales, Humpback and Orca, dolphins and eventually some bears, and lots of rain. Ports of call: Port Harvey, Lagoon Cove (fuel), Pierre’s at Echo Bay, Sullivan Bay, Alert Bay, Sointula, Port Hardy, Bull Harbor, God’s Pocket and Telegraph Cove, where I pulled the boat, after 48 days in the water and scrubbed an inch and a half of green stuff, and barnacles the size of pencil erasers off for 6 hours. Then laundry and a hot shower and I’m ready to travel south, wishing I had radar in the pickup, due to the foggy road conditions.
In Comox/Courtenay for relaunch. After a day on the hard and 2 nights, I launched at Comox, into warmer water and hot dry weather. In preparation for the trip to Powell River for the mid August CBGT, the launch is set to stage for crossing Strait of Georgia, and is made in conjunction with C-Gypsy and yielding to her local knowledge of the area. The sky is blue, the wind nonexistent, and the sea is flat. After a call to a vessel at midpoint to Texada Island, our goal for tomorrow and getting confirmation of good crossing condition, we opt to go for the crossing now, taking advantage of the excellent conditions, and a decision that was confirmed as good, the next day.
The Powell River CBGT was awesome, and in spite of the “breeze” I did get a few good C-Dory boat photos out at “the hulks”. From PR there were 4 boats that went up to Princes Louisa Inlet with an overnight an fueling at Egmont. That has some challenges due to the current at the fuel and marina docks there. PLI was beautiful, Chatterbox Falls resulted in a nice photo opportunity and both deserved more than one night and will be done again. We did spend some time up at the head of Jervis Inlet, past the Malibu Rapids entrance to PLI, and that was also worth more time.
Crossing Georgia Strait was mostly uneventful, considering the normal conditions, and Tribune Bay on Hornby Island was an exceptional anchorage. It’s long sloping, sandy beach gave me a chance to do another serious bottom cleaning prior to the upcoming haul out.
The trip home took me back onto the 0515 Tsawwassen ferry, and then on through the US border crossing which got me a full blown customs inspection. After a 40 minute wait, I just told the officer, thank you for doing a thorough job, and headed down the road, to a college reunion and another ferry ride after the weekend.
Things I learned on my boat in 68 days.
1. If I didn’t remember to turn the Auto Bilged Pump on before I went to sleep it would rain during the night.
2. Whenever and at whatever setting, turning on the auto pilot and setting the heading it would be directly at some floating obstruction, directly in line with where I was heading, and never when I could see the “floater” prior to actuation.
3. It was always better to go into an anchorage at the low tide slack because it would give a better “lay of the land”. This was partly due to my obsession for finding protected and shallow anchorages.
4. Always listen to the weather, and then look out the windows. If the VHF says it’s blowing 20 and the fog is too thick to see 100 feet, it is not blowing 20 YET.
5. It is always good to be “staged” for an upcoming crossing.
6. It is always good to “go now” if the conditions are right. It may not get better, even if the forecast is for improved conditions later.
7. Always fill water, (especially drinking water), and fuel at the same stop.
8. Keep at least a gallon of drinking water in reserve.
9. You can’t have too much peanut butter on board.
10. IF you are going to foul an anchor, do it with something your windlass can lift.
11. Carry spare fenders and line.
12. Get used to what your surroundings look like on radar.
13. Align or calibrate your radar image to your chart.
14. ALWAYS keep the fore hatch battened if the boat is moving.
15. Desitin (zinc oxide cream) works.
16. Costco “Take Home and Bake” bread keeps a very long time.
17. Have back-ups for your back-ups.
18. Don’t have a schedule, have plans, and have flexibility for weather and wants.
19. 48 days, even with moving some everyday, without bottom paint, STUFF sticks and grows.
20. Take 2 good books.
21. The anchor (Rocna) is a very preferred anchor, and works fine WITHOUT a swivel.
22. Set up at least one screen on the plotter with a “North Up” view. Very helpful in choosing an anchorage, with prevailing wind directions in view.
23. If you dunk a cell phone, a few days inside a bag of rice just might restore it.
24. If the winch strap breaks on haul out, don’t panic, Unwind a bunch more strap and thread it through the bow hook or loop and tie a bowline then winch it up onto the trailer.
25. Good fish and chips vary, so try ‘em and see.
Things I would do again.
1. Take Costco “Bake at Home” bread. It is perfectly fine to eat without baking.
2. Be more generous with the Desitin (Zinc Oxide cream) on the Trim tabs, Transducer and engine parts.
3. Spend more time with the Orca.
4. Get better internet connectivity, but don’t try to schedule it.
5. Take time to complete a journal entry every day.
6. Travel with a buddy boat or two, destination to destination, at least.
7. Add 25 feet of chain, making a 25 foot anchor depth reasonable with a 4:1 scope.
8. Use faster shutter speeds, (higher ASA settings) more often.
9. Take plenty of cinnamon and Mrs Dash.
10. Use the truck for a food cache, with cruise plans to cross by the parking place, allowing for pulling the boat, bottom cleaning, and replenishing. Like being at the center of a figure eight.
Things I would not do again.
1. Go more than 30 days without pulling the boat out and scrubbing the bottom, OBs and Trim Tabs.
2. Take so much stuff.
3. Put off completing a journal entry more than one day.
4. Take a tripod for the camera.
5. Go without a Navionics program/ap on a tablet.
6. Resort to driving the boat up onto the trailer.
7. Make a reservation for the 0515 Tsawwassen ferry, just show up the night before.
8. Go so long without a CBRATS fix.
9. Wait to write the post up for CBRATS.
Harvey
SleepyC:moon
Trip overview.
I launched at Telegraph Cove Building 29 side. It is an excellent launch and parking facility, and the owners have a 22 Cruiser, SeaHarmony and a neat story about the boats name. I spent the first part of the time in the Broughton,s, at Port Harvey for Canada Day, and then cruising, anchoring nearly every night. The first part of the trip was spent in the Broughton’s, going to the ends of most of the inlets. At a fuel stop at Lagoon Cove, it was a privilege to see another C-Dory, “Plan B”, and meet the fine young couple, Jim and Dara and and after a few minutes after the fuel stop, we agree to travel together up Knight Inlet. It was a good choice. We spent several days together, and I had a great day traveling with them up to Glacier Bay, viewing the spectacular milky blue water, the waterfalls coming off the shear walls and high mountain peaks. We spent some time in Glendale Cove, and then a hard drive down the Knight, into 3 – 6 foot head on waves, until we could turn out of Knight and into Sargeaunt Passage. Then a good day of sunshine to warmup, and dry out after a very wet, (lots of nose – and more- into waves) passage.
And from there, it just got better and better. More anchoring; lots of fog, rain and fun. Whales, Humpback and Orca, dolphins and eventually some bears, and lots of rain. Ports of call: Port Harvey, Lagoon Cove (fuel), Pierre’s at Echo Bay, Sullivan Bay, Alert Bay, Sointula, Port Hardy, Bull Harbor, God’s Pocket and Telegraph Cove, where I pulled the boat, after 48 days in the water and scrubbed an inch and a half of green stuff, and barnacles the size of pencil erasers off for 6 hours. Then laundry and a hot shower and I’m ready to travel south, wishing I had radar in the pickup, due to the foggy road conditions.
In Comox/Courtenay for relaunch. After a day on the hard and 2 nights, I launched at Comox, into warmer water and hot dry weather. In preparation for the trip to Powell River for the mid August CBGT, the launch is set to stage for crossing Strait of Georgia, and is made in conjunction with C-Gypsy and yielding to her local knowledge of the area. The sky is blue, the wind nonexistent, and the sea is flat. After a call to a vessel at midpoint to Texada Island, our goal for tomorrow and getting confirmation of good crossing condition, we opt to go for the crossing now, taking advantage of the excellent conditions, and a decision that was confirmed as good, the next day.
The Powell River CBGT was awesome, and in spite of the “breeze” I did get a few good C-Dory boat photos out at “the hulks”. From PR there were 4 boats that went up to Princes Louisa Inlet with an overnight an fueling at Egmont. That has some challenges due to the current at the fuel and marina docks there. PLI was beautiful, Chatterbox Falls resulted in a nice photo opportunity and both deserved more than one night and will be done again. We did spend some time up at the head of Jervis Inlet, past the Malibu Rapids entrance to PLI, and that was also worth more time.
Crossing Georgia Strait was mostly uneventful, considering the normal conditions, and Tribune Bay on Hornby Island was an exceptional anchorage. It’s long sloping, sandy beach gave me a chance to do another serious bottom cleaning prior to the upcoming haul out.
The trip home took me back onto the 0515 Tsawwassen ferry, and then on through the US border crossing which got me a full blown customs inspection. After a 40 minute wait, I just told the officer, thank you for doing a thorough job, and headed down the road, to a college reunion and another ferry ride after the weekend.
Things I learned on my boat in 68 days.
1. If I didn’t remember to turn the Auto Bilged Pump on before I went to sleep it would rain during the night.
2. Whenever and at whatever setting, turning on the auto pilot and setting the heading it would be directly at some floating obstruction, directly in line with where I was heading, and never when I could see the “floater” prior to actuation.
3. It was always better to go into an anchorage at the low tide slack because it would give a better “lay of the land”. This was partly due to my obsession for finding protected and shallow anchorages.
4. Always listen to the weather, and then look out the windows. If the VHF says it’s blowing 20 and the fog is too thick to see 100 feet, it is not blowing 20 YET.
5. It is always good to be “staged” for an upcoming crossing.
6. It is always good to “go now” if the conditions are right. It may not get better, even if the forecast is for improved conditions later.
7. Always fill water, (especially drinking water), and fuel at the same stop.
8. Keep at least a gallon of drinking water in reserve.
9. You can’t have too much peanut butter on board.
10. IF you are going to foul an anchor, do it with something your windlass can lift.
11. Carry spare fenders and line.
12. Get used to what your surroundings look like on radar.
13. Align or calibrate your radar image to your chart.
14. ALWAYS keep the fore hatch battened if the boat is moving.
15. Desitin (zinc oxide cream) works.
16. Costco “Take Home and Bake” bread keeps a very long time.
17. Have back-ups for your back-ups.
18. Don’t have a schedule, have plans, and have flexibility for weather and wants.
19. 48 days, even with moving some everyday, without bottom paint, STUFF sticks and grows.
20. Take 2 good books.
21. The anchor (Rocna) is a very preferred anchor, and works fine WITHOUT a swivel.
22. Set up at least one screen on the plotter with a “North Up” view. Very helpful in choosing an anchorage, with prevailing wind directions in view.
23. If you dunk a cell phone, a few days inside a bag of rice just might restore it.
24. If the winch strap breaks on haul out, don’t panic, Unwind a bunch more strap and thread it through the bow hook or loop and tie a bowline then winch it up onto the trailer.
25. Good fish and chips vary, so try ‘em and see.
Things I would do again.
1. Take Costco “Bake at Home” bread. It is perfectly fine to eat without baking.
2. Be more generous with the Desitin (Zinc Oxide cream) on the Trim tabs, Transducer and engine parts.
3. Spend more time with the Orca.
4. Get better internet connectivity, but don’t try to schedule it.
5. Take time to complete a journal entry every day.
6. Travel with a buddy boat or two, destination to destination, at least.
7. Add 25 feet of chain, making a 25 foot anchor depth reasonable with a 4:1 scope.
8. Use faster shutter speeds, (higher ASA settings) more often.
9. Take plenty of cinnamon and Mrs Dash.
10. Use the truck for a food cache, with cruise plans to cross by the parking place, allowing for pulling the boat, bottom cleaning, and replenishing. Like being at the center of a figure eight.
Things I would not do again.
1. Go more than 30 days without pulling the boat out and scrubbing the bottom, OBs and Trim Tabs.
2. Take so much stuff.
3. Put off completing a journal entry more than one day.
4. Take a tripod for the camera.
5. Go without a Navionics program/ap on a tablet.
6. Resort to driving the boat up onto the trailer.
7. Make a reservation for the 0515 Tsawwassen ferry, just show up the night before.
8. Go so long without a CBRATS fix.
9. Wait to write the post up for CBRATS.
Harvey
SleepyC:moon
