North to Alaska Seattle Series 2008
18 July 2008
Lat N48.56.513
Lon W123.33.209
One of the most beautiful aspects of cruising is being at anchor in
some drop-dead gorgeous anchorage in the middle of nowhere with
mountains, forests, blue skies, clear water, an abundance of wildlife,
and a noticeable absence of people. Well, that’s where we are right
now - midday on Friday, 18 July after a 25 mile jaunt out of Sidney, BC.
Our 15 mile run to Sidney (from Victoria) was our entry into the Gulf
Islands of British Columbia. As soon as we turned the corner at
Discovery Island, we discovered a marked change in the weather, the
temperature, the wind direction and velocity. No longer was the wind
howling out of the west at near gale forces. The waves were blocked
and greatly reduced from the island of Vancouver, and we got a glimpse
of the beauty that lay ahead for us. We were excited to say the least!
Sidney is a cute little town which we thoroughly enjoyed. The marina
is first class - they even had people come help get you docked. That
was a good thing because the wind was honking at close to 20 kts; there
were a multitude of boats trying to access the marina simultaneously -
many trying get to the customs dock. The Marina Gestapo finally got on
the radio and told everyone to cease and desist until called for. This
was a good thing. When our turn came, it was almost dangerous between
the wind, the boats, a couple of idiots, and very reduced
maneuverability. A few minutes after we were safely tied up, a boat
lost its engine in the middle of all this causing yet one more bit of
confusion into an already steady mix.
We were fortunate enough to be in Sidney for the summertime Thursday evening market. Most of the main
streets were blocked off so the local merchants and farmers could offer
their goods and services. We picked up some fresh vegetables, some
delicious scones, and of course Roger managed to find the ice cream
store. After a nice dinner out at one of the local pubs, we all headed
back to the boat for a movie and some reading.
After doing a bit more research into this part of British Columbia, and
discussions with many of the folks we’ve met in the various marinas, we
decided to move north more quickly than we originally thought and get
up to Desolation Sound. Originally, we didn’t think we would go that
far because of our very extended stay in Port Angeles and a much
shortened timeline, but we all agree it makes sense to get as far north
as we can in the time we have. Considering our plans change about
everyday…don’t hold us to this plan either. We’re getting accustomed
to the tides and currents - something we really haven’t had to deal
with before…at least not on the west coast.
I remember very substantial tidal swings sailing in the northeast as a teenager, but I
don’t recall the extreme currents. Today, we were sailing from Sidney
to Montague Bay and experienced a 5.2 knot current for a short period
during the trip. It was mostly pushing us sideways, but still reduced
our speed from 7.5 kts to 3.9. It’s a real “attention getter”, that’s
for sure. It was a great trip with more boat and large ferry traffic
than anticipated. The visibility was good, but it definitely could
have been more challenging with some fog thrown in. Hopefully, we’ll
save that for Never.
Since we want to get as far as Nanaimo tomorrow, and there is choke point - Dodd Narrows where we should transit only
within an hour of slack tide, we need to leave earlier than usual to
make sure we’re there on time - hence, we went a bit further today.
Montague Bay was not the remote anchorage we were looking for. We’re
still close enough to Victoria and Vancouver where it’s more similar to
our experience in the BVI’s where if you didn’t get a mooring by 3 PM
you didn’t get one. There are many more destinations to choose from
here…and not every boat says The Moorings on it. Haven’t seen one yet
as a matter of fact!
We cooked steaks on the BBQ with roasted potatoes and fresh green beans
from the Sidney market. So, it’s been a fantastic day. It’s a
beautiful evening, but posting this blog will have to wait until we
reach Nanaimo - can’t even get the satellite phone to connect here.
Personally, I think that’s a good thing. A day without an internet
and a phone connection can’t be a bad thing! You should try it…and I
know most of you would like to!
We’ll let you know how our experience in the Dodd Narrows goes…the
cruising guide makes it sound frightful…but those are usually overly
pessimistic. Being the whimps we are though, we’ll be cautious and
take their slack tide recommendation to heart.
Love to all the family and friends following the adventures of the Cutthroat…
Roger, Elise and John
s/v Cutthroat
