Canada – Riveted

Airship to Alaska | Day 8 | Echo Bay to Port McNeill, BC

Laura Domela — Sun, 15 May 2016 15:48:47 +0000

Airship Goes to Alaska 2016

We got up fairly early this morning at Echo Bay, chatted with Pierre a bit more while he showed us some of the work he'd done recently on the rental cabins. We pulled away around 7:30am, saying goodbye until September, when we stop on the way south again. Calm water, gray sky, and a pretty chill cruise over to Port McNeill. I didn't take any photos, but we did see one humpback tail as it dove…so that's two humpbacks now with no proof.

We're staying at the North Island Marina, where we stayed on the way up last May. (Hey look at that! On Day 8 last year we were in the same spot!) We walked up to the IGA and re-uppped on some groceries, and then up to the private liquor store (the BC liquor stores aren't open on Sundays) to get a couple more bottles of wine.

Our plan is to cross Cape Caution in the morning. The weather is looking good…but we'll keep watching the forecasts tonight and then make the call in the morning after the 4am update.

This is what the 24 hour surface observation forecast looks like (pretty sweet, is what that looks like…that high pressure system hanging out there with the far apart isobars means mild conditions):

And here are the conditions at the West Sea Otter buoy for the past 24 hours (posting just before 4pm PST).

Today's route from Echo Bay (on the right) to Port McNeill (on the left) — (26.4 miles, 3 hours 47 minutes). I'm trying a new map capture from Navionics…it's super annoying you can't change the track color from yellow to something else that doesn't totally blend into the map data though:

Hey Guess What?

Laura Domela — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 21:49:23 +0000

I know, there's not been anything interesting here in ages now! That's because we're just at home working (and catching up with friends, and blowing the leaves off the deck over and over again). Kevin's had a couple business trips, and I've been cleaning up my photo studio and preparing for a few shoots. Maybe I'll post a photo of my nice clean studio!

But in the meantime, check this out! We made the cover of the 2016 Waggoner Cruising Guide! Pretty sweet!!

This was taken (by Mark Bunzel) in front of Kynoch Falls, at Kynoch Inlet at the Fiordland recreation area in British Columbia.

If you cruise by boat in the Pacific Northwest (or just want to read about the area from a boater's perspective) and don't have a Waggoner Guide, you should have one. It's full of great information about anchorages, marinas, local knowledge, and great tips. (The Waggoner Guide covers the area from Olympia all the way to Ketchikan, AK). The 2016 edition is not out yet, but I'll see if we can hook you up with a preorder link soon!

Thanks Sam and Mark!

Forgotten Black Bears

Laura Domela — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 16:24:30 +0000

I forgot to show you this photo of a black bear sow and cub that I took when we were transiting from Lowe Inlet to Khutze Inlet in BC, because that was also the day of a zillion bubble feeding humpbacks, so it got left behind. Poor bears. I'm trying to make up. (This photo is WAY zoomed and then way cropped…pretty good for my crippled camera!)

Also, we're home (you probably figured that, due to the last post and the lack of more posts since that last post) but we have some more posts we're working on about the trip in general, and about doing the Waggoner flotilla, so expect to see those in the near future. Also, expect us to be back on the boat soon, because this whole "land" thing is just weird. (And the house is too big, and there's too much stuff, and OMG mail! I hate mail! What is with all the magazines???)

We bought a WaterRower for home and have been using it every day. It's supposed to be one of the most whole-body workouts you can get next to swimming — the movement and the feel of the workout is very satisfying, and…"Hey neat! Water sounds!" I had a quick image of using it on the top deck of Airship as we cruised along, taking turns up there, pretending to power the boat. It's not marine grade though, so it's probably not gonna happen.

Ganges Harbour, BC to Anacortes, WA

Laura Domela — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 02:55:59 +0000

We left Ganges Harbour on Salt Spring Island this morning around 7:30am. Last night's dinner at the Hastings House Bistro with our friends Michael and Nancy was a great time! I'm so glad we were able to stop here and meet up with them before heading home.

The sky was clear and blue and the water was still as we began our cruise back to Anacortes. Ganges Harbour was the first stop on Day 1 of our trip to Alaska with the Waggoner Flotilla in May, so it's cool that we're here for the last night before going back to Anacortes.

No waterspouts today!

Oh right, I think I only posted the waterspout thing on facebook. Yesterday when I refreshed the weather forecast, this popped up:

Eeeek!

Our cruise today was beautiful and chill the whole way. We may have missed the high season in the San Juan Islands, but there were still quite a few pleasure boats out for a Monday at the end of September. I'm sure the gorgeous weather today had something to do with that.

Today's route (45 nautical miles):

(The break in the path is when the iPad crashed. Awwwww.)

We cleared customs this time by phone, thanks to our new I-68 we completed before we left in May. I just called the 800 number, gave some info, answered some questions, got the clearance number, and just like that we were cleared and we scooted into our marina just like we'd never left. Pretty neat!

We had such an amazing trip north, and we're so grateful to have had you guys following along with us. More to come…soon!

Princess Cove to Ganges Harbour (BC)

Laura Domela — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 18:52:54 +0000

Rainbow, Princess Cove, Wallace Island, BC

Too bad we never saw anyone out on this sailboat. I bed they'd like this perfectly placed rainbow.

We slept in a bit this morning, made breakfast, did some work, and then concluded that it didn't look TOO bad out there (yet) so we decided to head over to Ganges Harbour on Saltspring Island. We'd meet up with some friends, have a bite to eat, and be 11 miles or so closer to Anacortes.

The wind was howling, but the waves weren't bad at all…about a 2 ft chop…kinda fun. Our little Canadian courtesy flag on the bow was whippin' so hard though that it just became a whir of pink!

We're in Ganges Marina now with power and good Wi-Fi. It's off and on sunny and cloudy but so far no rain. It's warm(ish) with some occasional wind gusts. On our way in we saw SO many sailboats on their way out for a Sunday sail. Great weather for it! Today's 20-30kt winds would be good for some heavy air practice.

When we left Anacortes in May and headed north for Alaska, our first night was here on Salt Spring Island. It's nicely symmetric that we're here again tonight on the last night of our trip before heading back to Anacortes in the morning.

Dinner tonight with friends at the Hastings Bistro!

Today's short route (13 nautical miles):

Thanks for the (not so) Fun Ride, Strait of Georgia

Laura Domela — Sun, 20 Sep 2015 00:35:39 +0000

Deep Bay, BC to Princess Cove on Wallace Island, BC

This morning in Deep Bay we woke up just after 4am and checked the weather. Nothing had changed since last night's forecast: 20-30kt winds. Back to sleep it is! But then around 7:30am when we checked again, things looked like they might have improved a bit, and we decided it couldn't hurt to poke our nose out and see if it was tolerable. We could always turn around. Again.

So out we went. At first it seemed like conditions might be a little better than yesterday. The wind was pretty strong, and the waves were right on the bow…maybe 3-4 feet. (Okay, maybe 5.)

But the forecasted conditions further south were supposed to be more chill (eventually), so we went a little further as we discussed what we thought of the present conditions. Eventually we decided it was probably just as bad as it was yesterday, but the longer we discussed it, the further we went.

We talked about whether we were doing that "get home" thing where you go even when you shouldn't. We decided we weren't doing that.

We talked about the wind forecasts and whether the wind direction was going to change or stay the same. Pretty soon, the conditions were definitely WORSE than they were yesterday, but we'd gotten kind of used to the blamming and slamming, and turning around in that didn't sound fun either.

We discussed whether we were continuing on just because we didn't want to turn around. We decided we weren't doing that.

The further we went, the longer it was going to take to get back to Deep Bay if we turned around. The further we went, the worse it got.

The fans that de-fog the windshield were going full blast but waves were crashing over the bow and water was splashing over and over onto the windows, so the constant spray of cold sea water running down the windows was chilling the glass and causing more condensation to form on the inside. It looked like this most of the time:

But then when there were a few less waves splashing the windows and the de-fogging fans did their job more successfully and the windows cleared up a little bit, we realized we didn't really WANT to see out those windows. (Waves that you see in front of you look WAY bigger than the same waves that you see out the side windows as they pass by you, FYI.)

Okay…where's the next duck out spot? French Creek. There it is on the map…got it.

Alright…there it is, right over there…see all the masts?

"I feel like it's getting a little better. Do you feel like it's gotten a little better?"

"Ummmm, no, not really.Well, maybe."

Okay, what's the next duck out spot? Northwest Bay. Then Schooner Cove. Check!

We discussed whether these were the worst conditions we'd been in so far. The thing is, as your experience grows, your tolerance for conditions also grows. So if you're ever asking the question "Are these the worst conditions?" then the answer is probably "Yes."

By the time we neared Nanaimo, the conditions had improved significantly. We felt happy and calm and decided to go further while we could, so now we're anchored in Princess Cove on Wallace Island.

There were only two other boats in here (both sailboats) and we're all anchored in the middle (rather than anchored and stern-tied) since there's so much room.

We took the dinghy over to the dinghy dock and headed up to do some hiking. This is the dinghy dock:

Trail map of the island:

We took the trail over to Conover Cove and back…super pretty right along Houstoun Passage.

We explored this little rocky cove along the way:

Great textures in the rock:

After our hike we dinghied around a little to explore more of the island. It's gorgeous here! (Thanks for the recommendation, Sam!)

The sunset here was super pretty!

We cooked up a pot of soup and some garlic bread and we're relaxing now after a pretty eventful day (!!!!).

Here's today's track (59 nautical miles) from Deep Bay to Princess Cove on Wallace Island:

Whew!

Deep Bay – Vancouver Island, BC

Laura Domela — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 19:01:51 +0000

Another lesson on being flexible.

We left Comox this morning around 7:30am. The wind was supposed to pick up but it was not yet blowing much so we figured we'd go south a bit and see how it was once we got out from the protection of Denman Island, about 17 miles from Comox.

We started getting into some swells behind the island, and they weren't too bad until we got out near the Chrome Island lighthouse. The waves were a steep 4-5 ft and pretty close together. Between there and Nanaimo there aren't a lot of good duck out options, so after a few minutes of discussion (and a few "whoa"s), we opted to turn around and go back to Deep Bay and wait out the weather.

Here's us turning around. (Waves never look big in photos unless you're surfing while taking the photo):

It's nice and calm here in Deep Bay though:

We chatted with another couple of boaters about the conditions (they were on their way to Nanaimo from Comox as well, in a sailboat)…they had the same feeling. We all felt like we could have continued, but decided we didn't want to and didn't need to in those conditions. Sometimes it's just not worth all the jostling and banging around. It can be stressful, and with no great duck out options, you end up captive in whatever the wind and water deals up for you, and that can be unpleasant.

Here's our track today (19.5 miles total, including the turn around):

We learned about a fun new weather website though: Big Wave Dave! (www.bigwavedave.ca). The "Forecasts — Wind Predictions No. 1" is a great page to watch. We're looking at Comox, Columbia Beach, and Piper's Lagoon (north to south as listed…Piper's Lagoon is near/in Nanaimo). White is great, aqua is okay, yellow is less okay (today was yellow) and the varying shades of red are all bad.

We went up and had some halibut and chips for lunch at the cafe nearby and now we're just working for the afternoon here at the boat. We were psyched at first, thinking we were close to Fanny Bay Oysters, but it's about 6 miles up the road (or up the coast via dinghy). If we'd have known we were going to stop here for the night we could have tied up at the little dock nearby and walked over to shop before continuing on. They don't deliver — I checked, so next time that's what we'll do. Last time we were through this area (just over a year ago when we started thinking about buying a boat) we picked up some local oysters and local scallops there and they were so good!

How funny that we'll be returning from this trip to Alaska exactly a year from when we closed on our Nordic Tug. We've stayed over 250 nights in it (253 as of today) so that's over 8 months out of the last year that we've spent on board. (Not tired of it yet. Not one bit!)

Desolation Sound, Lund, and Comox (BC)

Laura Domela — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 00:58:31 +0000

Remember how we were the only boat anchored in Melanie Cove in Desolation Sound? By the time we went to bed there were 11 boats in there. Mid September when we’ve hardly seen another pleasure boat in weeks! Also, when we left the cove at around 8:30am or so, not ONE boat was running its generator. Not one. (This is rare!)

We headed for Lund, around the corner on the mainland, and decided that since the wind was supposed to be very light in the Strait of Georgia, that we’d just stop and visit Lund for an hour or so (instead of staying overnight) and then head on across to Comox.

Lund was cute! We tied up on the hotel dock since it was going to be a short visit, and then headed up to check out the grounds. The Historic Lund Hotel was built in 1905 by Lund’s Swedish founders:

We stopped at Nancy’s Bakery to pick up a couple of their famous blackberry cinnamon buns, and then popped into the general store for a quick browse and to pick up some milk and eggs and spinach.

Also notable about Lund: Lund is at Mile 0 of the 101 highway, at the north end of the Pacific Coastal Route. If you wanted to, you could drive from Lund, BC all the way to Quellon, Chile:

We left Lund and headed across the Strait of Georgia in very calm conditions.

It was foggy for quite a bit of the route (further validating that when there’s fog, there’s calm water). It brightened up a little after a while and we found our way across the Comox Bar with no problem.

Arriving in Comox Harbour:

Seals all lined up on the floats:

New spot:

New view:

There was a shrimp boat bringing “Big Shrimp” in at 6pm, but we found a restaurant we wanted to try so we missed the big shrimp window.

We had dinner up at the Avenue Bistro and it was fantastic. Everything. We started with a martini, and tried the clams, the beef carpaccio, the duck confit pizza, and the pulled pork tacos and everything was delicious and creatively prepared and served. We brought pizza home so we’ll get to try that again tomorrow! I only took a photo of the martini, so here ya go…cheers!

Today’s route from Melanie Cove to Lund to Comox (about 40 nautical miles total):

Port Harvey Marine Resort, BC

Laura Domela — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 11:00:00 +0000

We were looking forward to coming back to Port Harvey on our way back through The Broughtons. We had such a fun time here in May when we were on our way north with the Waggoner flotilla that we even joined the Port Harvey Yacht Club. Here we are flying our yacht club burgee for the first time:

We were greeted by Gail (who we didn't get to meet when we were up in May…George was the only one here then). Gail gave us the restaurant menu for the night and took our dinner order after we tied up. No pizza this time, but we were pretty psyched to have ordered some ribs and some fish and chips to share.

We walked around a bit and checked out the surprisingly well-stocked store! I'm not sure why we didn't go in there before, but it's great. Lots of things you probably need, Port Harvey apparel, gift cards, etc.

There were two other boats at Port Harvey last night (boats that were also over at Lagoon Cove the previous night) and we all met up in the Red Shoe for dinner. It was fun to get to chat about boat stuff and Broughtons stuff. George hung out and chatted with us until it was almost dark and then we said good night.

Cinnamon buns are happening this morning and then we head out for Johnstone Strait to see how far we can get while the wind is calm. Will let you know!

This the short route we took from Lagoon Cove (upper left) to Port Harvey (12.5 nautical miles, but about 3 miles as the crow flies, as you can see):

Day 10 – Exploring Ocean Falls, B.C.

Laura Domela — Tue, 26 May 2015 19:52:00 +0000

Yesterday afternoon we met up with "Nearly Normal Norman" over at his Ocean Falls "museum" that he was kind enough to open it up for us to tour.

Norman, giving us a little history of Ocean Falls:

He even picked some wildflowers to gussy up the place:

Norman's museum is in the gray Marine Ways building, right down on the waterfront.

This is the lounge section of the "lunch room" where the men's group meets every Wednesday night. There are apparently three members of this men's group (with an occasional guest). One night they may be having elk burgers for dinner, another night, they may have ordered pizza (flown in on the float plane that comes every Wednesday):

Looking out toward the marina:

Walking into Norman's museum of things found around Ocean Falls is quite a shock, really. All of the items here were found in and around Ocean Falls after the mill closed:

He truly has a little bit of everything:

This is one of my favorites…note the glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth mixed in with the others:

"I'm a winer!"

Oh yeah, a couple more photos of Nearly Normal Norman:

So I think I mentioned in the previous post that Ocean Falls was once a booming mill town with over 5,000 inhabitants, and then after the mill closed in 1973 things went downhill and it eventually became the semi ghost town that it is today. There's an interesting history still evident in the buildings and the people (and most definitely in Norman's "museum").

After the museum, we wandered around town a bit and up to the falls. The power created here supplies electricity to Ocean Falls, Bella Bella, and Shearwater.

The abandoned Cypress Hill apartment building up on the hill:

The old church:

They forgot to take the holy water!

Ocean Falls is an interesting little town.

Oh and…great crabbing here! We pulled our two traps and had eight Dungeness crab. Two were female, and two of the six males were too small, so we came away with four large crabs. Here's Mark showing Kevin his secret cleaning method:

Ocean Falls wildflower bouquet:

We cooked and picked all the crab after our potluck dinner up at "The Shack" and I think we'll be making some crab enchiladas for the next potluck!