4 Weeks Down, 8(+/-) To Go

This might be a long one. It has been 10 days since I posted last. And again, for those that follow on IG and FB these blog posts will be redundant. It is easier to post on IG every few days then combine those to one blog post weekly.

June 19th was a crazy day. It all started around midnight as we were sleeping in a lovely calm harbor. Suddenly the boat started to rock side to side. It was enough to wake us up and we knew something was very off. By the time we got out of bed it was rocking so violently we had to brace ourselves in our cabin and anything that was not prepped for movement went flying and crashing around the boat. After some time we were able to get to the companionway to look out then it started again and we could see giant rollers coming at us. This continued for about 10 minutes before it started to lessen. We could not figure out what was happening, and it was very scary. We were thinking it was maybe a tsunami then George checked our boat tracking system and there it was....Canadian Warship Regina had just sped by and was already on the other side of the adjacent island.

We figured out that when they turned (the red arrow in the picture) their massive wake washed into our bay, hit us hard (smaller red dot), then bounced around the bay hitting us over and over again. It. Was. Insane. I still cannot believe it happened, and good little Endeavor kept us safe and sound, even though it felt like we were on the brink. Wow.

We went through our first technical heavy current pass, Dodd Narrows. We had to time it exactly to avoid boat stopping current, whirlpools and rapids, but we followed the rules and it all went very well.  Also, when coming out of the narrows we saw ORCAS! Pretty far away and mostly spray and dorsal fins, but it still made me cry. It was very exciting. What a day!

We stayed in Nanaimo, B.C. for a few days while I finished some projects; a sun shade and making our sail bag bigger so our new sail actually fits well. Both things have made life much more enjoyable. The sewing machine I have is made to sew canvas and sails so it is pretty heavy duty. I think if we ever need a third anchor it will do the trick.

People often comment they would love to sail but would prefer to do it where the water is warm and the sun is hot. I love being in the water, and we will get that next month when we are in Desolation Sound, but 70F in the shade is toward the top end of my comfort level. Plus, skin cancer is a real concern, so we try to be careful. I don't always cover up like this, but some days it is what works best.

We loved Smuggler Cove. It was stunning and interesting and beautiful. It also had mosquitos as big as puppies running in herds. I’ll spare you a picture of our legs and arms.

It is an amazing place, but it was very tricky to get anchored and stern tied. We entered at low tide and high tide was 14 feet higher, so getting the right scope on our anchor chain and stern tie was tricky. The tidal ranges complicate everything, and we have some of the highest tidal changes in the world.

Low tide mid day - our stern tie way up in the rocks

High tide that evening- now it is just below the water line in the exact same place

Those changes can make anchoring fun. When you anchor you put out 3:1(very calm) up to 7:1 (high wind, current) scope. For example:  one day we arrived at a bay where the water was 18 feet under our rudder, high tide was going to be12 feet above that, then the distance from the rudder bottom to where the anchor leaves the boat another 10 feet. To figure out scope you take those three numbers, add them, then multiply them. They add up to 40 feet. So at 4:1 that means we put out 160 feet of chain. This math is all happening while you are trying to control the boat in wind, current, and sometimes crowds. To set the anchor you try to get the boat to the exact right spot, drop the anchor then back slowly to lay the chain out on the bottom of the sea floor. Then you rev at 2,000 RPM in reverse for a minute or two to set the anchor. If all goes well it will catch and you are good. If it doesn’t go well, you sometimes have to start all over again. It can be a challenge. Oh, and don’t forget that once you have it set the wind may blow you in a circle of sorts, so make sure none of your neighbors have less or more scope than you or you could get a lot closer than anyone wants.

We loved Pender Harbor, stayed 2 nights and had some great boat neighbors. Two of our favorites were the pair of bald eagles that spent their time in the trees around the bay. The sounds that a bald eagle makes are not near as majestic as they look. If you see a clip of a bald eagle with a very pleasant and powerful call, just know they typically dub in the call of a hawk or falcon. The bald eagle's sound is very chirpy and harsh.

Pender Harbor

I saw my first sea lion from the boat. It popped up next to us, looked at me, then I guarantee it smirked as if to say it was not amused that I was in it's ocean. While heading north we saw humpback whales several times! We saw lots of spouts, tails, and dorsal fins, plus 4 or 5 full breeches in the distance. We are hoping to have some closer encounters soon. Well, I am, anyway. 😉

Communication on the boat can be difficult, especially when doing something technical like putting up sails or anchoring, where one of us is at the helm and the other at the opposite side of the boat. The noise from the wind, anchor chain or engine make it almost impossible to hear one another and loud voices amplify the stress of these situations. To avoid this, we invested in walkie talkie headsets, or what sailors call ‘marriage savers’. We can communicate clearly and stay calm. Sometimes we catch ourselves still wearing and talking through them after the job is done. Highly recommended. 5/5 stars.

We spent a few nights in the Copeland Islands tucked into a little cove. It may be my favorite place so far. There was one other boat there, but we could not see it most of the time so we felt very alone. Before the trip I wondered if it would feel a little intimidating or scary being all alone and I am happy to say it does not. We explored around the little islands by dinghy and found some beautiful little beaches, and we didn’t put another hole in the dinghy. It was a win for sure!

We rode the bus to church this week in Campbell River. We came here because we wanted to see some good fireworks like we get on the 4th back home and supposedly Campbell River puts on a pretty good show for Canada Day, which is tomorrow. However, one person at church basically told us not to get our hopes up, since a big fireworks show here is nothing like a BIG fireworks show in the USA. We will take what we can get but will certainly miss being with family and enjoying the Oak Hills fireworks show on the 4th.