San Juan Islands

On Sept. 1 Kent Sharman and his two boys, Casey and Eric joined us on the boat.  Sunday morning we traveled to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island and sent them to town for a few hours.  We had anchored just outside the ferry landing, so it was fun watching them come and go.  Since it was a holiday weekend there was a lot of boat traffic.  When they came back I had Casey go up the mast to take a couple of lines down that were not need since we were not going off shore anytime soon.  The next morning (monday) we had a short trip to Stuart Island only about 12 miles but it took some time as we sailed backward.  The wind was light and coming from the stern so up went the asymmetrical spinnaker.  It did stay filled most of the time but the wind was so light and the tide was against us, we ended up sailing backward.  Down came the sails and on with the engine.  We made it to Stuart Island in time for the Sharmans to hike out to the light house and back a 6 mile round trip.  They also pickup a T-shirt for Susan.  On Tuesday we were able to sail a good part of the way around Stuart Island down the side of San Juan Island and over to Alec Bay at the southern tip of Lopez Island to make a quick trip back to Port Townsend in the morning.  We all had a great time, listening to stories and eating great food.  The Sharmans can cook, ie: baked pears, grilled asparagus, home made pie.

August 31, Port Townsend

Here we are back where we started from.  Only a 34 mile trip today, no wind, smooth water.  Now that we are back in civilization the amount of chatter on the VHF is crazy.  What do all these people have to talk about.  Our car was still here and it still runs, yea.  Tomorrow Kent Sharman and Eric and Casey will join us for a quick trip up into the San Juan Islands.  Which means the West Coast Vancouver Island blog is complete.  Glad you could come along and enjoy the trip.  I hope to be able to add pictures later to each day.  The blogs before this one were uploaded via SSB radio (HAM Radio).  It is very slow which does not lend its self to pictures.  Most of the messages were sent to San Louis Obispo, or San Diego via short wave radio signals, via sail mail.  Sail mail is a service that you subscribe to in order to send messages that can be posted to the web, or E-mail.

Until our next sailing adventure

Brad & Susan

August 30, Port Angeles

We left a little earlier than normal this am. There was a long trip ahead of us, about 54 miles. The fog had lifted and the skies were clear. Little to now wind, so the seas were calm. Almost no ocean swell, and the water was glassy. As we traveled further into the Straight of Juan de Fuca, west winds developed up to 18 knots. Both sails went up with the genoa pulled out. It is always very comfortable sailing with the wind. 8 hours later we pulled into Boat Haven in Port Angeles. Cleared through customs and made our way to the dock for a comfortable night of sleep. The Port of San Juan where we stayed last night was not protected and we rocked most of the night. Will be headed to Port Townsend today, after fueling up here.

Current conditions: Temp 58, Wind 10 knots, Skies Cloudy, Depth 13 feet
Current position: 48.07.503N 123.27.071W

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August 29, Port of San Juan

We left Effingham Bay this morning a 8:30 in rain and fog. It was going to be a long cold and raining (.41") day so we wore our warmest clothes and rain gear. As we ventured out into the ocean the winds were on the nose so no sailing but as we progressed down the coast of Vancouver Island the winds shifted enough so I could but out the genoa to stabilize the motion of the boat. About 2 hours later the winds died down so much that I had to bring the sail in. The seas also flattened which made for a nice ride. There were a lot of fishing boats (recreational type) close to shore along Vancouver Island. I believe they are salmon fishing. The Port of San Juan is just a very large bay in the side of Vancouver Island, about 4 miles long. Not much protection, so we are rocking and rolling some. We had a change of plans and thus did not stop at Dodger Channel as previously discussed. We are making our way back to Port Townsend via Port Angeles (customs) to pick up Kent Sharman and his two boys, to take them out for a few days in the San Juan Islands.

Current Conditions: Temp 55, Wind 0, Skies foggy, Depth 35'
Current Position: 48.33.925N 124.25.349W

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August 28, Effingham Bay

Another short trip today, only about 11.5 miles but that was the long route. We sailed for a short time today, as we had about 12 knot wind on a beam reach (90 degrees to port). Able to obtain 5.5 to 6 knots in the wind with the sails reefed down. Cloudy all day and thus cold. Some rain showers from time to time. This is a nice bay with some small fingers in it. We are sharing one of the fingers with another sailboat. Talked to some sailors on another Hallberg-Rassy sailboat today. They have taken 3 months to get around Vancouver Island. It sure would be nice to have that much time off. Plan on another very short trip tomorrow. Will be going over to Dodger Channel about 6 miles away.

Current Conditions: Temp 58, Wind 0 kts, Skies clouds with showers, Depth 37'

Current Position: 48.52.436N 125.18.295W

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August 27, Joes Bay (still)

Well we stayed a second day here. This morning we had had .1 inch of rain which cleaned a lot of the salt off the boat windows. Very windy all night so I kept the anchor alarm on, but it never went off. In the morning looking at our track on the GPS for over the night we stayed pretty much in one place. By the afternoon the sun started to come out and we took a dinghy ride around the bay and islands. It is funny how when the sun is out it is hot and when it goes away it is cold, and the temp never changes. Our plan for tomorrow is to head off to Effingham Bay. Only about 2.5 miles as the crow flies, but about 11.5 miles as the sailboat sails.

Current Conditions: Temp: 62, Wind: 5, Skies: mostly cloudy, Depth: 32'
Current Position: 48.55.034N 125.19.683W

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August 26, Joes Bay

Very short trip today, 3.5 miles. It was a little tricky getting into the anchorage as there were rocks and shallows. There were turns to port and starboard to evade the shallows. Had to put a lot of faith in the GPS, and hoped that someone had not forgotten to chart a rock. We made it safely and anchored with 3 other boats. The anchorage is situated between Turtle Island, Chalk Island, Willis Island, Walsh Island, Dodd Island, and is called Joes Bay. As of this writing 2 of the boats have left but we now have 4 other boats with us. It is a large area and plenty of room. During the day groups of kayakers wound weave their way around the islands and then leave. Although one group is camping along the shore some distance from us.

The weather today has been cold with temps in the high 50's and wind 10-15 knots. Skies have been cloudy all day with light rain. We stayed inside and read books. May stay here one more day, but we will see how things look in the morning.

Current Conditions: Temp: 60, Wind: 9.2 knots, Skies: Cloudy, Depth: 35'
Current Position: 48.55.035W 125.19.685W

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August 25, Nettle Island

Only about 1.5 hour trip today. We left late and still got in and anchored before noon. That left the afternoon free for a long dinghy ride. We went around a lot of islands and islets, in and out of nooks and crannies. Traveled just over 8 miles in 2.5 hours. Before we left we grabbed the handheld GPS and marked the spot where the boat was anchored. It was good that we did this as it helped us find our way back home. Used up 2 tanks of gas in the little 2hp honda outboard. At full throttle our top speed is only 5 mph. So far this trip we have about 1000 pictures, will need to crop out some before we show anybody the photo album. Tomorrow we plan to move the boat to the next anchorage about 3.5 miles away. Very short trip.

Current Conditions: Temp: 64, Wind: 6 knots, Skies: Sunny, Depth: 58'
Current Position: 48.55.727N 125.15.108W

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August 24, Entrance Inlet

Made it out of Ucluelet, but not until we made a stop at the public docks and took the garbage out, filled the water tanks and then walked up to the MarketPlace Co-Op. We bought some bread and soft drinks. The trip to Entrance Inlet was only 2 hours so there was no rush. Not much sea life, but the scenery is very nice, with blue skies, white puffy clouds, and small tree lined Islands all over. We tried to anchor behind Refuge Island but the anchor only dragged against rock. So we moved here and have good holding ground. At the far end of the inlet is Harrison Cove Lodge, we can't quite see it from our anchorage but do have boats coming and going. The weather is great. Sunny all day, low 60's, very little wind. It has been a relaxing day. Will move to the Broken Islands tomorrow, maybe a one hour trip.

Current Position: 49.00.137N 125.17.722W
Current Conditions: Temp: 64 Wind: 5 knots Skies: Sunny

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August 23, Ucluelet

Departed Hot Springs this morning at 7:00. We knew there was a long way to go and we wanted an early start. So, off to Ucluelet we went, 45 miles down the "road".  The route is all in the ocean and thus unprotected. We started off with light winds, but about 30 minutes into the cruise the wind came up and blew up to 23 knots, with a gale warning for later in the afternoon.  It was blowing from the stern and we did have the main sail up to help steady us, but it was still a very rolly ride, with moderately steep wind waves and crashing white caps. Part of my hot chocolate made its way back up. We kept the main engine going to help charge the batteries and to make water with the watermaker. Arrived in Ucluelet at 1:00 and fueled up for the first time since Neah Bay, 42 gallons. Not bad for all the motoring we have been doing. We anchored up in the bay, in 35' of water. The wind is still blowing so we put out 270' of chain and set the anchor hard. The wind gauge is still showing gusts over 25 knots. The temp is down to 58 outside.

Current Position: 48.57.201N 125.33.527W

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August 22, Hot Springs Cove

Ah, hot springs. Well I did not go in but Susan did and she said it was hot. The springs trickle down to the sea and drop down into an alcove where the swells mix with the hot springs. There were a few people there, tour groups come up from Tofino in charter boats all day long. The dock for the hot springs is about 2 km away and you have to walk to the hot springs along a path that is made up of 2 x 6 boards. So, it is a board walk, all the way for 2km. A lot of people have carved their boat names into the boards or have brought a board from home that has very detailed carvings on them. It was a very short boat ride from our anchorage last night so we went out into the ocean and sailed for a couple of hours before coming in here.

Current Conditions: Temp: 59 Wind speed 2 knots
Current Position: 49.21.89N 126.15.897W

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August 21, Bottleneck Cove (Coyote Cove)

Position: 49.26.791N 126.13.271W
Current Conditions: Wind 0.0 knts, Temp: 62 degrees, Depth: 35'

We had a short move today just 7 miles, not much wind, so we motored all the way. During the trip we only saw two kayaks, some sea gulls, and small dolphins. Not much human activity on this side of Vancouver Island. The cove (off Sydney Inlet) we are in tonight is much smaller than last night and still deserted, except for a bird of prey we watched. It landed on the top of a dead tree and stayed there for 15 minutes, swooped down to the water and went back up to another tree. 5 minutes later it swooped down and splash it caught a fish. It then flew away with it's catch in its talons. We are not sure what type of bird it was. It was the size of an eagle, with white body feathers and a sort of dark mask covering the eyes and dark wings. Very fun. Hot Springs tomorrow.

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August 20, Bacchante Bay

Departed Quait Bay at 10:30, after working on the generator. It ran for about 5 minutes then quit. Low oil pressure alarm. There was plenty of oil in the crankcase, so after reading the manual it talked about cleaning the oil filter. I don't think that has ever been done. Now after doing it I know it has never been done. I had to take a wire cutter and cut part of the generator case away inorder to get to the filter. But first we drained the oil. After cleaning the filter, adding oil back in, closing up the case, we started it. It ran for about 2 minutes and the low pressure alarm went off again. Not sure what to do at this point. Need internet or phone service to contact the manufacturer.

We went through Cypress Bay, Calmus Passage, Millar Channel, through Hayden Passage (narrow), Shelter Inlet to Bacchante Bay. 24nm and 4 hours later we were anchored in 48' of brownish water. Must be tannin from the mountains. There is no one here, no fish farms, cabins, boats, campers, NO ONE, just Susan and I. We took a nice dinghy ride up Watta Creek ~ .5 miles until it changed to (shallow). Thinking about going to Hot Springs Cove tomorrow. Short trip, but it will set us up to go back out into the ocean and back down Vancouver Island to the Broken Islands.

Current conditions: wind 2.1knts, temperature outside 64 degrees.
Current location: 49.27.113N 126.02.168 W

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August 19, Quait Bay

This morning was a late start as we only had a 4 hour trip planned. I changed the fuel filter and cleaned out the fuel bowel. This morning we ran the generator and noticed some grass had been pulled up into the sea strainer. So we decided to clean that one and the main engine sea strainer. So, about 10 am we pulled up the anchor and were about to leave but there was no sputter of cooling water coming out of the exhaust. After two hours of trying every thing we could think of including changing the impeller for a new one, it was working again. So, up came the anchor for a second time and off we went. We traveled up Bedwell Sound and around to Cypress Bay and then through a narrow opening into Quait Bay. We saw 5 bald eagles and numerous marine farms. There is not a lot of boat traffic in this area. There was no wind, the water was like glass. Mostly cloudy, with a high temp of 63 degrees. Today's travel time 4 hours, 26.1nm which included about 30 minutes where we bucked a 5 knot current. There are two other sail boats in this bay, but we are all separated nicely. Tonight's coordinates are: 49.16.472N 125.51.182W.

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On our way to Quait Bay

Entrance to Quait Bay

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August 18, Windy Bay (still)

Today we decided to stay in Windy Bay, and enjoy a day off. We still have the whole area to ourselves, not a boat insight, no buildings just forest and cliffs. We took the dinghy out for a ride and about 30 minutes into the ride it started to rain and the wind came up. We made it back to the boat safely, and loaded up the dinghy on the foredeck. The wind continued to blow hard in a direction that if the anchor failed (dragged) we would in up on the rocks (lee shore). So, Susan and I weighed anchor and moved about 1/2 mile up the bay and away from any rocks. We saw one flash of lighting and have heard a few thunders. The weather is supposed to get better by noon tomorrow. As I write this the wind is blowing 15 knots and the temperature is 60 degrees. We had lasagna for dinner tonight, watched a movie and played Yahtzee.

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Susan enjoying the day

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August 17, Windy Bay, B.C.

We left Spring Cove (just outside of Ucluelet) around 11:00 a.m. It was a later start than as we waited for the fog to clear. Which at 11:00 we were able to see the tops of the trees, and I felt we should try to leave. We were in the fog until turning into Tofino inlet, where miraculously the Sun was shining. Traveling past the town of Tofino (looks like Charleston, OR) we continued about 3 miles inland to anchor in Windy Bay. Very beautiful here, with the trees to the south all the way down to waters edge and high cliffs on the north end. Not much in the way of wild animals in this bay, I saw one seal just cruising around the boat. As of the writing we are the only ones here. There is no evidence of humans, just Susan and I. The trip here took 6 hours, and we made more water on the way. We had the sails up for most of the time in the ocean, mainly to stabilize the boat, but they also contributed about 1 knot to our speed. Until tomorrow good-bye.

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Coming into Tofino

Tofino

Windy Bay

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