Captain's Log

With India Injured and Tania overwhelmed, I left for home soon after waking up. I took advantage of the ebb tide and made the journey in a blistering 3 hours and 43 minutes.

I lost my favorite ball cap on the way down. Here I am, heading for home in July. Wearing a t-shirt, sweat shirt, down sweater, gortex jacket, life jacket, scarf and ear muffs.

I was surprised to find my water tank empty. Guess the guys drank lots of water on the guy's weekend.

Was going to head to Oak Bay Marina to take on fuel AND water but decided to just stop by RVYC's visitor's dock and take on water.

I arrived at Royal Cove, Portland Island around 11:00 this morning. There were a handful of other boats in the cove. They were all stern tied along the shore. Preferring NOT to stern tie, I anchored in the middle and let out plenty of rode. I was in 40 feet of water, so I had let out nearly 120 feet. The strong wind warning continues. Royal Cove is NOT one of my favorite anchorages due to the exposure to the North and ferry wash.

Never the less, I hopped in Skully and was soon enjoying a pleasant hike across the Island. There were only 5 boats anchored in Princess Cove. Princess Cove is on the South end of the Island, so with a strong Southwesterly forecast, I opted for Royal rather than Princess Cove.

I continued my hike to Kanaka Bluffs and then followed the coast trail back to Royal Cove. I decided I didn’t like where T2 was anchored so I returned to her and moved farther into the cove. Next on the agenda, bar-b-qued oysters. I only had three and threw the rest back in the ocean. Roasted on the half-shell is not my favorite way to enjoy them. I didn’t feel much like doing anything so I went below and had a nap while waiting for paralytic shellfish poisoning to kick in.

Portland Island

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On the trail across Portland Island.

At anchor in Royal Cove. How's that for exposed?!

This guy wins the longest stern tie award.

Fresh oysters on the grill!

PSP here I come!

Mom brought dad down to the Yacht Club's visitor dock. It was a beautiful day for a Father's Day Sail. Wind was from the Southeast at 5 to 15 Knotts. I thought the tide was flooding (according to my app) although, we seemed to be going faster against the tide than with it.

We sailed down the West side of Discovery Island but when attempting to round the South end, the wind died and the tide reduced our speed to almost nothing. So, I rounded up and sailed back the way we came. I had arranged to meet mom at the RVYC clubhouse at 2:00 so we ended up having to drop our sails and motor back to the club. As it was, we were a half hour late and mom had started worrying.

All was well as we enjoyed a beer together in the clubhouse.

Father's Day Sail

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Dad on the foredeck.

Today marks the beginning of the end for the guy's weekend as we prepare to sail to Tsehum Harbour. Eric handled breakfast prep this morning. Some kinda scramble. It was satisfying. Upon checking in with Tania, I was told to take the day and 'we'll see you tomorrow'. Wow! Great. No pressure. After breakfast we headed to shore. I dropped the guys off at the dinghy dock and then motored around to Shell Beach. As the boys hiked across the  middle of the Island, I collected shells for the kids and was soon joined by Tom and the rest of the boys. We enjoyed the sunshine and some cold ones.

When the time came to head back to Trouper 2, the boys walked the trail while I pulled up the crab trap. I caught a trap full of red rock crabs but couldn't be bothered to cook them all up so we let them go. We hauled the anchor and were soon at Tsehum Harbour. I off-loaded the boys, the garbage and our empty beverage containers. After a quick wash down, I was on my way back to Cadboro Bay.

Tsehum Harbour

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Shell Beach, Portland Island.

Paul and I in Princess Bay, Portland Island.

The end of another Guy's Weekend. "What did you guys talk about?"

Off loading Trouper 2 at Fisherman's wharf.

We left Tsehum Harbour later than anticipated to sail Glenthorne Passage. I had arranged to pick up Eric from Villages Bay on Mayne Island at 5:35 when his ferry landed. I was going to send someone to pick him up in Skully (our dinghy).  Due to the lateness of the hour, I decided to detour to Villages Bay, pick up Eric and then head for Prevost Island and our destination that night, Glenthorne Passage on the West side of the Island.

When we arrived at Villages Bay, which is basically just a ferry terminal, it seemed like every ferry in the fleet converged on the bay all at once. It was crazy. There were ferries coming and going to and fro, up and down... Chaos. Once Eric's ferry arrived, I dispatched Commando Kevin to retrieve Eric. With the fifth and final crew member on-board, we left for Prevost.

Glenthorne Passage on Prevost Island has been described as the warmest swimming in the Southern Gulf Islands. Considering the inclement weather and the fact that it's late May, no one was in a hurry to go for a swim. The anchorage is very protected from all but a direct hit from the North. It's long and deep and large. We motored to the very end and dropped anchor by a dock, just off the 'beach'. Basically a muddy landing, covered in oysters. In fact there were oysters all along the rocks on shore as the the ebb tide would reveal. There are, of course, the obligatory 'Shellfish Closure' signs all along the shore. But who knows how long they've been up. And whether they're valid.

While the anchorage itself is very nice, there is absolutely no trespassing on shore. There is a small marine park on the Northwest tip of the Island but that bay is exposed. I took Skully on a quick trip down the adjacent inlet and it was the same there. No trespassing. There were a few floating homes in the bay but little else.

So we stayed on board Trouper 2 and spent the night 'catching up' and being loud.

Sail Glenthorne Passage.

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Paul and I wore the same shoes. The others say they didn't get the memo.

Commando Kevin leaves T2 to pick up Eric in Villages Bay, Mayne Island.

Kevin enjoys a smoke while relaxing at anchor in Glenthorne Passage, Prevost Island.

Enjoying some late afternoon sunshine in Glenthorne Passage, Prevost Island.

On our way to Prevost Island after picking up Eric.

Chef Paul in the galley preparing the hamburgers for dinner at Prevost Island.

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Sailing Cadboro Bay is a misnomer due to the lack of wind and resulting 2.5 hour motor cruise back to home port. The good news is that this time I was with the tide so the trip was significantly shorter.

Yesterday proved very relaxing as this is my first cruise where I stayed at the same place for two nights. Highlights of the day included  the discovery of an Eagle family devouring a dead sea bird. Hadn't seen that before. I'll post the video below.

I caught two more crabs so had a wonderful crab sandwich for lunch AND Steak Oscar for dinner. I also found a handful of Morel mushrooms after a hike in the forest. Following my afternoon hike, I drove Skully (that's what the kids have named our inflatable dinghy) to the Port of Sidney to meet Tom for a drink and some Calamari. I couldn't believe the Port of Sidney doesn't have a gas dock. Apparently city council won't allow it.

On a somewhat disconcerting note, my wood stove seemed to fill the cabin up with smoke both nights. Not to the point where you could actually see the smoke but my eyes were burning and after disembarking, all of my clothes smelled like a campfire. I'm thinking I may have to remove ashes more regularly.

Generally all systems performed nominally and it was a good cruise. Sidney Spit remains a favorite destination for me as it has since I was a young child. The beaches, the forest trails, the crabs and abundant wildlife all contribute to the allure of Sidney Island. The crabs aren't quite as plentiful as back in the day when I used to haul up huge Dungeness crabs in my star-trap using a can of sardines as bait. This trip I was only able to catch 1 Dungeness and a couple of Red Rock Crabs. The latter are hard to crack and contain very little meat.

Sailing Cadboro Bay

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It's hard to beat the beaches at Sidney Spit!

Lunch. Crab on Portofino sourdough bread!

I stumbled across these morels during my after lunch hike.

There are many trails through the forest on Sidney Island.

Tom and I at the Rumrunner Pub in Sidney by the Sea.

Steak Oscar featuring fresh Sidney Spit crab, Caesar salad and baked potatoes. A feast fit for King Neptune.

After saying goodbye to the crew, I decided to put dinner off until after my sail to Cadboro Bay. The wind was up, the sun would soon be setting, and the ebb tide waits for no man. Raising the main sail, I soon had the anchor aboard and was enjoying an epic sail to Cadboro Bay. The moderate 10 Kt. Southwesterly provided a single tack to Banes Channel, followed by a tack at Banes and then a broad reach / run into Cadboro Bay. I arrived just as the sun sunk behind the trees ringing my home port. Interesting to note, I sailed back in almost the same time as I motored to Finnerty Cove. Thanks to a favorable wind and tide. And of course my mastery of the sea!

I lit a fire below and spent the next half hour securing T2 and getting her ready for bed. Once everything was ship shape, I bar-b-qued a magnificent beef tenderloin, with prawn scallops and served it hot off the grill with an accompanying Caesar salad. Dinner was at 22:00 so I was ready and boy, did that meal rock!

With dinner over, I relaxed by the fire until just before midnight when I decided I'd rather sleep in my bed, than on T2. So, I drove to shore, secured the dinghy and rode my bike home. It was a great day to be alive!

Sail to Cadboro Bay

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Sailing to Cadboro Bay as the golden sun sets.

Shrimps on the bar-b. Tenderloin steaks too!

Worth waiting until 22:00 for....

It was a beautiful evening for sailing in Cadboro Bay. Because that's where the wind was. A light Southwesterly was blowing at about five knots but was very local to the bay. The wind died completely just North of Banes Channel. The traveler worked better than ever with the longer, thinner control line. It really makes a huge difference. I guess dad wanted it short so it didn't lay on the cockpit floor but with the longer line I can sit with my back against the cabin for the first time and operation is much easier due to increased leverage with longer line.

I was sailing in Cadboro Bay for almost two hours. Truth be told, I did start the engine, but didn't put it in gear leaving the mooring buoy, and I sailed back onto the pin so I'm not counting any engine time. I proudly flew the Jolly Roger which has become nicely tattered. At one point a couple of punk kids in a '420' asked if I wanted to race. I told them to heave to and prepare to be boarded.

As the wind slowly died, I returned to my mooring buoy, dropped the sails and put Trouper 2 to bed. She performed flawlessly as usual. I met a young fellow who bought a 27 foot sloop off Used Victoria. He keeps his dinghy at UVic compound too. His name escapes me at the moment. Once T2 was secure, I hopped in my RHIB and sped off past Sheep Bay and through Banes Channel to Telegraph Bay before returning to the mother ship and starting a fire. Dinner was Udon Noodles and chicken. Yum. The chicken was canned, from Costco. A great staple with plenty of protein. Must get a case to leave on board along with a case of instant hash browns. Tania would be aghast!

Sailing in Cadboro Bay.

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Drifting through Banes Channel with the flood tide.

After dropping off Tania, the kids, Teresita and Mario, I quickly washed down the deck for the sail to Cadboro Bay. Trip was uneventful although cold. By the time I got home, I was not feeling well at all.

Another successful cruise on T2. Although in retrospect, too much in too little time. I think next time, I'll pick them up at Cordova Bay and go to D'Arcy Island for the day.

Click for chart view

A far cry from the lunch Mario prepared, dinner was beans and wieners.

Once again fighting the tide we left Tsehum Harbour to sail to Portland Island. After all the kids, Teresita, Mario, and Tania were finally aboard, along with all of their equipment and food, we said our goodbyes to Tom and left the boat basin.

An hour later we were anchored at Princess Bay on Portland Island. This is one of my favorite Islands so far. This early in the season, there were only 3 other boats in the bay. Teresita and Mario put on a wonderful lunch and served it on a platter in the cock pit. Everyone ate until we could eat no more.

The kids busied themselves fishing, as the adults digested our lunch.

After lunch we loaded the kids into the dinghy and spent a couple of hours at shell beach. It's just a short dinghy ride from Princess Bay. The kids loved it and set about collecting, shells, starfish and pieces of wood. After our beach trip we returned to the mother ship and were soon on our way back to Tsehum Harbour to drop off the crew.

Click for chart view

Sail to Portland Island

Leaving Tsehum Harbour for a Sail to Portland Island

Tania plays while Mario fishes in Princess Bay, Portland Island.

Under the watchful eye of their mother, the children take turns fishing.

Havana fishes.

Mario prepares lunch in the galley.

Luncheon is served in the cock-pit.

Beef, pork, carrots, sprouts and bock choi. Yummmmm.....