Pirate Adventure

Pirates Cove

After about three hours of cruising we arrived at Pirates Cove on De Courcy Island.  This beautiful Provincial Park is a fun place to explore, play pirate, and kayak.  There’s even a treasure chest on shore filled with toys for children to discover.  We walked the grassy slopes and forest trails; our dog Java had fun romping about and playing king of the hill.  After our walk, we kayaked along the shore with Java on my lap and we came upon a raccoon that had come to the water’s edge for a shellfish dinner; Java just stared at the creature as if in a trance.  After returning to the boat, we set an anchor alarm before going to bed.  This alarm goes off if the anchor slips/drags outside a set boundary circle; we set a 35 to 40 yard boundary circle that night; and in the wee hours of the morning, 2:25am to be exact, the alarm went off.  I nudged Leonard, “get up!”  After a thorough check, we determined that the anchor had not moved.  We suspect that it must have been a GPS anomaly, or was it a ghost of pirate past?

Different Perspective

We arrived today at Montague Harbour on Galiano Island about an hour after leaving Ganges.  The waters in this large protected bay were flat calm, providing an opportunity to test out our new kayaks.  We lowered the kayaks from the boat deck using the davit system (attached to the kayak seatback); and after donning the appropriate gear, we were off to Montague’s Provincial Marine Park.  We paddled along the shoreline enjoying the peaceful late afternoon, gliding over colorful marine life and listening to the chirping of birds.  We enjoyed this different perspective from the water and the intimate connection with nature.  As a side benefit, we realized that having a swim step on the back of the boat is a plus when it comes to getting in and out of a kayak!  A swim step is also convenient for handling lines, getting into the dinghy, stepping off the stern, putting the furnace exhaust plug in, man-overboard emergency boarding, and of course, swimming.

No Need to Yell

After a night of heavy rain, we awoke to a beautiful sunny day, perfect for cruising.  Before departing greater Sidney, we made a fuel stop at Van Isle Marina.  The wind was a little stiff as we approached the fuel dock, but thanks to our hand-held walkie-talkies we met the challenge.  We use these devices whenever docking, it’s certainly better than yelling at each other and making a scene for the amusement of others.  Some boaters use headsets, but we prefer the small ‘talk-about’ walkie-talkie.  I leave one device next to the helm-station so Leonard can listen as I relay information regarding distance to the dock and provide directions like “bring in the bow” or “bring in the stern.”  We also use the ‘talk-about’ when re-fueling; one person handles the fueling hose, while the other watches the sight-gauge in the engine room and communicates the fuel level – no need to yell from the bowels of the ship.  We left the fuel dock at approximately 11:20 and arrived about an hour later at the small town of Ganges on Salt Spring Island.  Being early in the boating season, we had no problem finding moorage at this very popular destination in the Gulf Islands.  Once docked, we headed for our favorite coffee shop for a nice rich latte.  Another favorite shop is Mouat’s, a historic old-fashioned general store with everything you can imagine from kitchen wares to nuts & bolts.  Say, maybe we should take the ‘talk-about’ to keep track of each other’s spending?  One thing is for certain, where ever we go, it’s always a great view out our window.

Finding the Correct Valve

Left Victoria yesterday with some large rollers outside the harbour; but once we rounded the Light it was smooth cruising along the east shore of Vancouver Island.  Arrived 1400 in Sidney, one of our favorite towns on the Island with beautiful views, a lovely seaside promenade, fun shops, and good cafes.  We went shopping, of course, and found a few needed treasures, including pie at the bakery.  Today is laundry day and running a clothes washer on a boat is not a simple task.  It's my turn to play mechanic.  The procedure to run the on-board combo washer/dryer goes like this:  open a thru-hull valve (located under a hatch in a closet), turn the wash/dry circuit breaker on (located in the pilothouse), and then open two valves in the engine room.  Needless to say, I've labeled all the appropriate switches and valves!  Now it's the usual washer/dryer settings and then a reversal of the whole process once the task is completed.  Who knew washing clothes could be so much fun.

Victoria - Past & Present

While in Victoria, we took a self-guided tour of the beautiful Parliament Building with its lovely dome.  We were greeted by a receptionist who kindly shared with us the system of government in British Columbia; I guess we missed that in U.S. government class at school.  As we understand it, the Premier (our Governor counterpart) is a member of the Executive Council (Cabinet) along with the Assembly of Legislators.  The Premier recommends appointments to the Executive Council, which handles business through a committee system.  We found an interesting connection with the past when we took our dinghy along Victoria’s Gorge Waterway.  We happened upon a small dock with a posted sign for the “Point Ellice House” built in 1861.  The house turned out to be the home of Judge Peter O’Reilly who was a member of the first Executive Council of British Columbia during the formative years of the Province.  The home inspired our imagination but has been neglected and is in need of repair.  We also learned more about the past at the impressive Royal B.C. Museum, which includes First Nations artifacts, natural history, and pioneer history.  A visit to Fisherman’s Wharf brought us once again to the present, strolling around the nice marina and collection of houseboats, some of which are shops and eateries.  We leave Victoria tomorrow to continue our journey northward.

Peter O’Reilly Historic Home 

What's in a Face?

Tea at the Empress Hotel may not be at the top of the list for most guys; but if I can crawl around in the engine room, I guess Leonard can tip-toe around the china.  He probably would rather face 25 knot winds than negotiate the small handle of a tea cup, but he persevered and looked the part of a distinguished gentleman, or was that the look of fear I saw in his face?  He did admit that the sandwiches and sweets were good and quite filling.  To make sure he hadn’t lost any testosterone, we visited the Maritime Museum showcasing many interesting marine displays of historic interest.  The Museum is currently housed in the old 1889 Provincial Courthouse with an ornate cage-style elevator and beautiful wood doors and staircases.  To my surprise, the old courtroom is where an inquiry took place regarding the sinking of the Princess Sophia as described in a book which I had read.  All souls aboard the Sophia were lost at sea during the unfortunate grounding in 1918.

Never a Dull Moment

We left Blind Bay in the San Juan’s this morning and cruised through Mosquito Pass, winding through its narrow passage to reach Haro Strait.  Crossing the Strait (“the big pond”) brought the excitement of some big rollers and a few body slams, but I’ve experienced worse at Disneyland.  More big waves presented themselves near the Trial Islands Lighthouse before entering Victoria Harbour but that was due in part to a big cargo ship off our port stern.  Then there was the military helicopter that flew over our boat several times, perhaps checking us out.  The next challenge was to negotiate the narrow “Inbound Traffic Lane” into the harbour and stay clear of floatplanes and the water taxi while tying up at a small wooden Customs Dock in windy conditions.  Our reward – a great “parking spot” right in front of the Empress Hotel and the beautiful Parliament Building.