Les unearthed this quote and cast it my way for me to contemplate. Mull it over I did. The deepest thoughts and psychic excavations reverberated and echoed through the craigs and canyons of my mind. And you can see from the picture Les took of me soon after… It is obvious from my inward expression that I am in the clutches of subterranean introspection. Bliss was clearly not impressed with all of that, and Leo clearly appears to be just short of rolling his eyes… his usual when I get that way.
Well… the first thing that went wrong during this summer’s cruise was what happened during our feeble attempt to depart the Gibsons Marina in Howe Sound: Ergo… the square wave episode. So, that was the first real thing that went wrong. That stumbling block is out of the way, and we are now clearly adventuring. So what have the four of us been up to, eh? Bessie will get us up to date:
After our square wave episode we determined that it might be prudent to return to less volatile boating waters. We made our way back across the Strait of Georgia and settled into Madrona Bay near Ganges for a bit of a restock. From there we traveled over to Genoa Bay and puttered about for a few days moored to a nice, firm dock and kept a weather eye keenly focused on the wind patterns in the Strait. The ongoing dilemma: Two days of Northwesterly wind followed by one day of relatively light wind = disjointed and confused seas which makes for uncomfortable passage making. Rince. Repeat. The same weather patterns emerged last June… which means it’s probably a June thing. Last year we decided to just keep to our local haunts and enjoy the hiking offerings at Prevost, Reid and Garrison. Whilst considering a repeat of last June… there was a break in the weather pattern. The Northwesterly winds toned down. It was time to make a break for it.
We prepared for our departure with a splendid evening meal at the world famous Genoa Cafe… We were served glorious, well plated portions of short ribs with baked whatnots. the heritage carrot cake was… delightful. I kept all that from Bessie. She assumes that I’ve given up eating beef. For the most part that is true, but… there are exceptions aren’t there?
We departed Genoa the next morning at 0900, hoping to make the slack at Gabriola Passage so we could start our Georgia Strait crossing on a good note. We were a bit early to the Passage, but the 2 knot flow was in our favor, so no worries there. Winding past Breakwater, Saturnina, Bath, and Acorn Islands we were in the Strait where we faced 1 to 3 foot swell at a reasonable period between waves. No choppy square waves. Great Northern with her Naiad stabilizers thought that to be just a fine kettle of fish. Bessie was dubious, and our newest crew, Bliss was not particularly pleased… not pleased at all.
Leo slept and Bliss decided that she wasn’t in immediate danger, but chose to paste herself right next to her Mum and then the Captain then her Mum… in a back and forth pattern, over to Leo. Rinse. Repeat. When a particularly large swell caused a slight yaw, her eyes would open wide. If a wave had the audacity to slap the hull… they would get wider. It was a five hour passage and the closer we got to our destination, Pender Harbor, the quieter the seas. By the time we reached the Harbor the seas were flat. Both Leo and Bliss were sleeping and we were happy to be in smoother waters. What wind there had been during the passage decided to stop. We anchored just outside Garden Bay. We were making Northerly progress. We noted this as an easy passage, but it reinforced the notion that the Strait is to be handled with care and always pay attention to her moods… It the wind is up and in particular if the wind is against current, and if there is any doubt about the sea state… stay in port. No different than Juan de Fuca, eh?
Bliss is all better now:
We spent a few days in Pender Harbor just lolling about, doing a bit of hiking in the Garden Bay Provincial Park, some provisioning and watching the organized mayhem of a yacht race start in very tight quarters just off our stern: No… we were not in the way. Really we weren’t!
While in Pender Harbor we were able to arrange dinner with our friends Jim and Lisa who were docked at the Seattle Yacht Club Outstation. They are in charge of the feeding and caring for the Hampton 49 Pacific Grace, which is the new name for Herons Flight, our last boat. They’ve really done a nice job bringing her up to Bristol condition. It was great to see them and a real treat being on our old boat in an exotic location.
After a few more relaxing days we pulled up our anchor and made our way out of Pender Harbor and headed further North towards the Discovery Islands. Next up: Squirrel Cove, Refuge Bay, Gorge Harbor, Drew / Hariot Bay for reprovisioning, and Von Donop Inlet, where I am writing this from.
Salish Sea Cruising With Blair, Les, Leo, and Bliss 