Enjoying the Journey

Leaving Shoal Bay on July 8th, we were beyond the dense smoke Sunshine Coast Fires. During June and early July, 
25-30 new fires started every day in BC.  At one time, almost 200 fires were burning in the province, with more than one town under evacuation notice.

All the boaters who had encountered the smoke and ash from the fires talked about how dirty our boats were. We can wash our boats.  The people who were, and are, more directly effected will be impacted for some time to come.
We weren’t actually complaing; just commenting on an unexpected experience.  

The Johnstone Straits were kind that morning, but promised to get nasty in the afternoon.  As we entered Port Harvey (to avoid the nasty part) we watched a crew member on Inlet Wrangler jumped onto this log raft to do whatever it takes to connect the raft to the tug.  It looked like a suicide mission to me. Everyday work for him.

The dream of a dreamer(and his wife) from the interior, the Port Harvey Marine Resort offers a small store, a cafe, and a one very bouncy dog.

These ladies (daughter and granddaughters of the owners) were our wait staff at the Red Shoe Cafe.  

We had made plans to meet our Winslow Wharf Marina slip neighbors, George and Patricia, and their son, Joseph  for…pizza! Pizza and a cold beer on a hot day.  I can do this.

Cold beer has a different meaning in this part of Canada, eh?  We entertained ourselves with the “far exceeds”  head on Joseph’s beer slushy.  

Cruising people are easily entertained.

Serenity (middle boat) took her crew to the Broughton Archipelago  the next day. 

Greywolf ventured back into the once-agin-calm

Johnstone Straits, headed for Port McNeill.

Port McNeill is a great place to provision, get water that is not tea-colored, and do laundry: our three support activities.  We have always appreciated the helpful personnel at the Port Authority.  This year, we added a gold star next to the Harbor Master’s name.

At some point in the trip (after we discovered that we didn’t have the dog’s meds), Doug discovered that he didn’t have all of his meds.  We couldn’t get Joan and Richard to deliver them as we had with the dog. Canadian pharmacists cannot fill US prescriptions. Doug would need to see a BC doctor.

Doug called the Harbor Master to ask if we could possibly stay one more day (the marian was very busy) and explained the situation.  Jon, the Harbor Master, took over, 

assuring Doug that they’d find a place for Greywolf and offering to call the clinic to find out about an appointment.

Within a half an hour, Jon was on the dock with a ferry schedule in hand: situation under control.  None (neither?) of the doctors in  Port McNeill could see Doug today, 

but Dr Jensen at Alert Bay on Cormorant Island had “walk-in” hours.  We were on the 11:30 ferry.  (Port McNeill is the size of…a very small town.  The ferry is right next to the boat basin. Everything is right next to the boat basin.)

Welcome to Alert Bay

Last August, Joan and Richard met us in Pt. McNeill and we took the ferry to Alert Bay to visit the  U’Mista Cultural Center with its outstanding videos and displays of the potlatch regalia that was returned to the First Nations people in the latter part of the last century. 

In the coast tradition, totem poles are not created with the intention that they be maintained. The wood comes from natures and the poles go back to nature. 

The old St. Michael’s Residential School (1929-1975).  The U’Mista Cultural Center is on the left. We could see from the ferry this year, that the school has been torn down.

Mural hung on the building.

The beautiful U’Mista Center suffered an arson fire almost two years ago set by juveniles who live in Alert Bay.  It was closed for seven months and the restoration was continuing when we visited.  Concerned that some of the youth were so alienated from their culture that they would vandalize these links to their past, the townspeople involved young people in creating two new carvings to stand at the entrance to the Center.

On the day we visited the Center, the power had gone out just before we arrived.   The docents offered us flashlights, apologizing that we could not see the videos and led us and two other visitors down the ramp to the long house, lined with artwork and artifacts.  Walking quietly in the dark room, our lights revealed one carefully crafted article at a time. 

We could imagine the flickering light of a fire illuminating these well-loved possessions that had been given away in potlatch celebrations and then stolen by various individuals to be displayed in museums or homes.  

U’Mista means to have returned from enslavement.

But, we were on a Medical Mission this year.  Dr. Jensen’s house is the red building with the blue roof; his clinic is under the small blue roof behind it. 

Dr. Jensen is a former offshore sailer from South Africa.  He 
took Doug’s blood pressure and wrote the needed prescription.  But would not take any money.

Our trip had another benefit:  a haircut for Jean.  I always look forward to getting my hair cut on our trips (except for that one time...) because I learn about the town and meet great people.  Alert Bay was no exception.  Natasha is in her early 30’s and beautiful.  ‘Long story about how she got to Alert Bay, but she has lived here since the spring and loves the town and the people. What a change from her corporate customers in Ottawa! And it is a great haircut.

Were these ever used in Alert Bay?


The old hospital  was right next door to the cemetery.  Planned for convenience?

sr

Missions accomplished, we took the ferry back to Port McNeill.

Greywolf travels in circles, slowly moving northwest

Greywolf finally left Montague Harbor on the morning of July 2nd, headed for Dodd Narrows and Nanaimo.  By the time we got to Dodd (at slack water) the 20-25 predicted northerly winds were in full force.

Nanaimo on a calm day....

The Boat Basin at Nanaimo is fairly well protected.  We were not trilled at the prospect of docking in those winds, but the Port Authority always has personal on the docks to take your lines.  What they did not have was space for the boat.  Due to the high winds, boats were not leaving.

A new marina up the channel had moorage, but no protection from the winds.  Greywolf can not, will not, maneuver in small spaces in high winds.  Just the thought of it make her bow and stern thrusters go into apoplexy.  Mr. Lugger almost stops breathing.  (She has just recently forgiven us for Skagway last summer.)

What do to do?  Cross the Straits of Georgia, or go back through Dodd Narrows to Ladysmith? What do do?  We needed to get water and do laundry, so, we retraced out route.  And waited the six hours for the next slack water at Dodd, pleasantly out of the 25 knots of wind.

Destination: Ladysmith, a few miles to the south.

Tug following Greywolf south.  It was probably
NOT his second transiting of the Narrows that day....

A sad story unfolded on the VHF during the morning.  A skipper hailed the Coast Guard saying that he was aground just outside Nanaimo Harbor and needed assistance. 

How many people?  One. What kind of boat? Thirty-four foot sailboat.  

The tide was going out and the boat was being pushed onto an extensive tide flat by the 25 knot winds. The rescue boat was unable to tow the boat to deeper water.

When we passed the tide flat later in the morning, the boat was on her side, far from open water.

When the tide came it, it undoubtedly flooded the boat; with her deep keel, she would not have enough water to right herself. 

We see many sailboats in these waters with their dinghies skimming delightfully behind.  On a sunny day with the light  sparkling on the water, nothing looks more carefree and idyllic. 

 Looking at the vessel on her side in the mud with her dinghy waiting behind her, we were again reminded of how quickly life changes, how quickly dreams unravel.  

Stan Mack, a fellow member of Eagle Harbor Yacht club and his grandson Mac,helped us tie up at Ladysmith in the early evening.  Mac is a very competent young yachtsman, making off our lines smartly and checking to make sure everything was to our liking.  I think he’ll be looking for a sailing club soon.  They’ll be lucky  to have him.

The Museum, with bird houses on the piling (see page 13, footnote 3a)

The Ladysmith Maritime Society Community Marina is small, new, and invitng.  On the dock, they have showers, nice laundry, a cafe, outside gathering spaces and a one- room museum.  The society’s 200 volunteers keep the area well-maintained and add individual touches to the facility.

We’re trading in the Honda....

No, you don’t know any of these people.  Neither do we.  On Friday nights during 

the summer, the Maritime Society hosts Dine of the Docks with  a different restaurant 

caters it each week for the enjoyment of locals and boaters.  

We enjoyed chicken enchiladas and good company.

Almost every piling had bird houses.  With numbers.  We could hear birds morning and night.

  

I’m thinking of moving to number 933.  How did you like it when you lived there?

It was fine except in a south wind.  Great view.  Lots of insects about 8PM.

We called the birds The Purple Martin Majesties....and then hummed along.  

Downtown, the storefronts vary from well-maintained to 

economic struggle, but the town has a nice feel. 

The merchants are emphasizing Ladysmith’s

maritime, logging and mining heritage with vintage artifacts placed along the main street.  

Okay, I heard you curmudgeons saying that they just don’t want to pay to have them hauled away….

The walk along the old railroad bed offered welcome shade for a Poodle 
and her people in the 30 degree heat.  It looked like fall with the trees 
dropping their leaves to conserve moisture.

On Sunday, July 5th,  Greywolf made her second attempt to exit the Gulf Island, 

heading out through Gabriola Pass into the Straits of Georgia: 

destination, Pender Harbor on the mainland coast.

.....looking east toward the city of Vancouver

To the north of Vancouver, 

the rising sun was filtered by smoke.  Surreal.

We knew there was a fire in Shechelt, but, like everyone else, we were not aware of what that would mean for the Sunshine Coast where we were headed.  

While I was in the main cabin taking a “toes up”, (does anyone besides my sister and bother-in-law know that is a nap?) the boat was engulfed in smoke and ash. Doug and Mr Lugger did not like the air quality. Lines of ash flowed across the water.  Greywolf was peppered with black on all surfaces, even the overhangs.

Hard left rudder and Greywolf  headed west and then north, back to Vancouver Island. Destination: Comox.

Comox had water restrictions in force.  The visiting boats sluiced off the worst of the ash using minimal water.

Leaving Comox the next morning, we had smoke, but no ash.   Visibility was less than a half mile to the east. We could see Vancouver Island, a mile to the west; we turned on our running lights and radar.

Bad timing for slack water at Seymour Narrows north of Campbell River: I didn’t factor in the strong ebb current pulling all of the water from the norther portion of the Straits of Georgia through the Narrows, into Johnstone Strait and on to the Pacific. That’s a lot of water and it has to move quickly!  ‘Long way to go.

Doug piloted Greywolf in figure eights in  Discovery Passage for some time, trying not to get sucked though the nasty Narrows prior to slack water. 

Small Inlet, north of Seymour was our home for the night.

Allie  padded out to the foredeck, checking for dangerous critters in the water, her job prior to her evening pee. 

Danger!Danger! Danger!  Bird off the starboard bow!  And, what is this?   

Bark!Bark!Bark!  in response to Allie’s bark. 

Oh, no!  Birds in the water!  Dogzz on shore!

Bark!Bark!Bark!…..Bark!Bark!Bark…Bark!Bark!Bark!…..Bark!Bark!Bark!

Doug didn’t help. Calling into the forest, his voice echoed back.

 Dogzz AND People!  So much for a Poodle to do!!!

We  went back to our reading our books, but Miss Protection Service stayed on the deck echo-barking with her imaginary friends/ potential enemies.  

No other boats were anchored in Barking Bay.  Let a girl have her fun.  She’ll have stories to tell when she gets back to Winslow Wharf. 

With high winds forecast by afternoon the following day, we opted to head north and only slightly west, giving us a shorter time in Johnstone Strait the following day.  I knew that Allie would love running with Fanny the Doberman at our destination, Shoal Bay Marina.

Allie and Fanny three summers ago. One of the ladies behind the dogzz is a 

WWOOFER:  Willing Workers on Organic Farms.  The two WWOOFERS at 

Shoal Bay when were were there this year are from Ireland and Scotland.  

They’ll go to the Okanogan next month and then to Hiada Gwaii.

When we tied up at the dock, Donna Demeyer, off of Carmanah, a C&C sailboat and a fellow member of Eagle Harbor Yacht Club was on the dock to take our lines.  Close on her heals was Lucy, a slight version of Allie.

Donna and her husband, John, have been cruising since mid-May.  They are “headed back down” to Port Townsend for final outfitting before heading to Mexico in August.

(Donna and John: Our Mac laptop wants me to rename Carmanah  "Crabmeat”  What do you think?)

We walked to the field,…no Fanny.  Seven year old Fanny died 

recently while, running, running, running in her wonderful field.

Allie and Lucy have actually met walking the streets of Winslow 

on their lashes, but that could not compare to

RUNNING in Fanny’s Field.

I like to think that Fanny’s spirit ran with them.

John, Donna,and Lucy leaving Windwalker, another BI boat,

after we all shared a potluck with fresh crab. 

The white dog bum is Allie.

Poster Boy

If you only get one slug for the whole hot summer, this impressive 
guy is your slug.  A fine specimen, indeed.  
Allie wanted to bring him home.  
Or at least toss him in the air a few times. 

What else would you call it, if not Shoal Bay?

June 27th
On our way from Sidney to Montague Harbor on Galliano Island, I snapped
 a clandestine photo of the Queen of Nanaimo.  I am mystified as to
why I feel compelled to take pictures of the lovely
(beauty is in the eye of…) vessels.  Doug is simply dumbfounded.
 By his count, this is number 1,472.

Possibly my compulsion is related to my first encounter with the boats.  To celebrate our first wedding anniversary a few years back, we took a BC ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Vancouver Island, cruising past more than one idyllic island cove cradling a solitary sailboat.  We were enchanted and have remained so ever since, expanding our destinations, but never losing that initial awe of discovering something very important to us.

Aeolian, a Sceptre 41, anchored next to a sister-ship in Montague Harbor

Shortly after we  anchored in Montague Harbor on Friday afternoon, an inflatable approached Greywolf and the occupants hailed us:

We’re your neighbors.

How nice.  But the boats near us all had their dinghies attached.  What neighbors?

Jane and Jerry.

The addition of names didn’t help.  Give us another clue.  They did.

Jane and Jerry, your neighbors at Winslow Wharf.

Oh!  THOSE neighbors!

Well, that was embarrassing.  We’re old.

Jane and Jerry purchased their sailboat last winter and moored it next to us on Bainbridge while it was being refitted.  They live in California and were only on Bainbridge occasionally to oversee the work.  Aeolian will take them to San Francisco in August as part of the Coho Ho Ho sailing rally, and then offshore next year.

The park, that includes a large campground and many mooring bouys, has a few miles of lovely AARP Approved Trails.  We walked them every day in the 25-30 degree celsius weather that all of the northwest shared for ‘way too long.  We tired of the heat, but never the trails.

Hot, eh?

Add caption

After a long dusty walk, a girl needs to get her feet and legs sluiced off.  The life jacket while in the pan was simply a precaution.  

We were in Montague for almost a week, during which time, Canada Day (July 1st for those of you south of the 49th parallel) was celebrated twice.  On Saturday, June 27th, a small flotilla of decorated  boats scooted around the harbor sounding horns. Anchored vessels answered.  Very festive. 

On the Wednesday, the 1st, ceremonial flags were hoisted in addition to the required flag of the country of registration. 

Allie and I honored her native land with appropriate colors, collars, and scarves.

 Is the sail only used on Canada Day?

New owners (as of 2014) of the Montague Harbor Marina, have put money into 

both cosmetic enhancements and structural improvements.  Even the 

ice cream tasted better than in the past.

On June 30th, the longest day of the year (someone who knows how to do it 

added one second) we joined dozens of campers to watch the sunset.  

(Yes, we know this is out of chronological order....)

That lump in the bottom left is not a dead sea monster, but two over-tuned boats.

The dinghy ride back to Greywolf.

Dinghies moored at the park dock,
after having delivered their happy crews to catch the bus.

We decided to celebrate Canada Day by taking the Pub Bus to…the pub.  The Hummingbird  Pub, about 5km from Montague Harbor, runs a bus each evening, cleverly increasing their revenue.

Tommy Transit, a retired Vancouver transit driver, makes the ride a hoot.

The ride is no longer free!  You have play to pay!  and he proceeded to reach into an apparently bottomless stash of percussion instruments, passing them back over his head for the seated boaters.  Then the 60’s music, and the singing, started as the ancient school bus ground its way up the hill.

Occasionally, Tommy would turn down the music and comment on a landmark, or tell us again how much he LOVES HIS JOB!

He makes the round trip six times a day from May to September.  No days off.  This is one happy man.  We enjoyed our dinner, the transportation, 

and sharing Tommy’s exuberance.

Our last night in Montague