Raining Again

Yesterday started out gloomy but by the afternoon we were having a nice day. We got showers in the AM, went to the store and did the laundry. Later, we had a great dinner with Gary and Brynn, eating up the chicken parmesan I brought with us. We added some noodles and French bread Jim had baked in the bread machine. We had just finished dinner when the marina lady came over and told us Spika with Charles and Carolyn on board were inbound in about an hour. Their American Tug can go fast, so when we checked about 30 mins later, we expected them to be coming into the Cove. We called, telling them we were in Snug Harbor, and Charles responded he was in Snug Harbor, too. To our astonishment, we had missed even the sound of their boat cruising in to the harbor and tying up not too far away. That was funny and fun, to meet up with them again. They'd had a 12 hour run down from Gorge Harbor. Later we went over and watched a movie with them on Spika. We all love Oh, Brother Where Art Thou, and we enjoyed it again along with the popcorn and drinks we shared. We had planned to go to Vancouver today to be tourists, but it is raining and cool, and Jim and I decided we will stay in for the day. I think Brynn and Gary are doing the same thing. More later.

Waiting For Sunshine

June 9- (9AM)It rained hard last night-poured and pounded on the cabintop. This morning we are finding a few more drips. After a while things get so soggy, it can't be helped. And, after being in the cabin for hours, condensation happens all over the cabintop and drips down on us. It's a soggy morning. Gary has gone off with the MD to Vancouver, and we're having a reading day.
3PM We had breakfast, checked the emails, had showers, went to the grocery and now I'm doing laundry. Gary is back from the MD and he has a fungus infection in his eye and he has to keep taking the rx he has with him. He also has to wash his eye out each day with baby shampoo! He takes a light solution of shampoo and Q-Tips and wipes it across his eye lids! Never heard of that, but if it works, OK.

We have plans tomorrow to take the ferry to the mainland and then a bus to Vancouver for some sightseeing. We don't know what we'll see, but we'll work on it when we get there. I'll do a little research to see what we might do while we are over there. We just have to make sure we can get the bus and the ferry back to Bowen Island by the late afternoon.

People here are amazing. I already told you about the MD for Gary. Well, the owners of the marina called his own opthamologist in Vancouver and asked her to speak to Gary on the phone, making the arrangements then to meet him at the ferry at 7:15 this morning and then in her car to her office to check him out. Then today Gary wanted fuel for the boat and he found out there is a gas station about a mile and a half away, all up hill. Gary had general directions, so he started up the hill, carrying his 5 gal can with him, and stopped at the grocery store to ask for real directions. After he asked at the counter for directions, a woman customer at the store told him she would drive him up there to the gas station. He got his gas and she drove him back to the marina! Then, we were on the boat, talking about dinner. I'm making chicken parmesan I brought with me, and I asked Brynn to bring a salad if she had some green things. She said she did not have any more lettuce, so we discussed that for a minute. She got ready to leave the boat and two men in a boat next to us said they had lettuce and cucumbers their wives had packed and they wouldn't eat it, so why didn't we have it to go with our meal!

This is a really amazing marina. The new wash rooms are housed in a floating building at the head of the dock. They have an office with chandlery items and upstairs is a state of the art room with three showers, $1 for 10 mins in the shower, a large toilet room with great mirrors and liquid soap. Then, there is a new washer and dryer and computers and a flat screen TV for dvds or TV watching. It is really a great place. Even has a table if you wanted to play a game of cards. Lovely leather couch to sit on and relax while the dryer is going. We could come here for a week and make me happy.
I'll post again tomorrow when we have more news about our visit to Vancouver and/or the weather. September Time is meeting us in Silva Bay, but we expect Spika to show up today for the night anyway. It's turned out to be a nice day after all. Jim and Virginia

Bowen Island

Tuesday June 8-We left Secret Cove at 9:30 this morning and made it into Union Steamship Company Marina on Bowen Island at 3PM. We had to wait for the ferry to go by just as we entered the marina but other wise it was an OK trip. I have decided I really do get seasick. The seas were a little bumpy with waves on the stern and wind at our backs, but not much to keep us straight. I started feeling anxious and then unhappy in the tummy pretty soon. I eat and try to meditate and read and try to doze but nothing helps till we quit moving. I am very grateful we will be in the marina for two days at least. If there is little rolling around, I am OK, but as soon as the seas build up and start rolling us around, I hate it. Next time we go out I'm going to try something to see if I can fight it off.
We got here early enough for Gary to make arrangements for an opthomalogist to meet him tomorrow to check out the condition of his eye. I called the marina this morning, telling them we needed to get to Vancouver to see an MD, and by the time we were here, they had found a woman who lives on the island and has a practice in Vancouver. She will pick Gary up early tomorrow and take him to her clinic and see him before her other patients.Then he'll get the proper treatment for the problem and we'll all be relieved. We had planned to hang out here for four days for the other boats to catch up, but they can't come in here on Friday or Saturday because they are full up with boats for the Round Bowen Island Race this weekend. We'll be crossing over to Silva Bay on Thursday or Friday, depending on the good weather. We won't go if it is a real blow out in the Strait of Georgia. Then we have to rethink our schedule of places to visit because the schedule has changed so much. We'll be in touch with other boats and let them know as we go along. We have plans for a nice dinner out tonight. We are tired after two long days and that will be a treat for everyone. We are having fun, but we feel a little beat up, too. More later on the continuing story of Desolation Sound with a Difference Cruise. Jim and Virginia

Lots Goin' On!

The days run together, but I'll try to catch up with everything now. (Last night after we got in to Secret Cove, I wrote a really long entry about our days up to now, but it disappeared. So, here goes again!)

Thursday-June 3-Spent the night in Lund, and left early for Desolation Sound, Grace Hbr. The seas were a little bumpy but once we were behind the Copeland Is, things were better. We forgot to get ice, but we did fill up with 5 gals of fuel. We discovered we had a little overflow problem so that made an exciting morning, trying to figure out how that fuel got in the cabin on the floor. We rounded Sarah Pt to go into Malaspina Inlet to see beautiful mountains and glorious scenery. The three boats anchored with stern ties in Grace Harbor, all alone until late afternoon when one other boat came in. It was a quiet night. We used the polypropelene Jim bought in Seattle and did the stern tie thing, but it seems to be more trouble than it's worth right now. We have room to swing almost everywhere.

Friday June 4-Awake to clear sunshine and a glorious day. We were both overwhelmed at the beauty of the mountains, the calm waters and the endless cruising possibilities. It is very quiet, too. We left Grace and motored up to Melanie Cove. Loyal has a 5 day fishing license and will meet us in the Cove a little later. He did get some fish for us, red snapper and greenling, which he shared. We have had great food on this trip. We had trips out around the Cove in the dinghy. It's been easy for me to get on and off the boat with our great stern step. We didn't even know that when we bought the boat. Spika arrived late in the afternoon, so we are now four boats. We went over for a glass of wine to welcome them to the group and then home for supper and an early night. We head for Tenedos Bay tomorrow.
(Loyal was out fishing in his dink and he threw away a small red snapper he had caught, and two eagles came flying in to fight over that fish. He was stunned they would come so close to the boat. No camera that time. He was out another day and did get a photo. He also took a photo of a wolf swimming from island to island. This place is amazing.)
Saturday June 5- We were getting ready to leave when Sweet came over to tell us they were leaving for Refuge Cove because they needed to contact an MD for Gary's eye infection. He had left home doing OK, but he was awakened with a flare up and he wanted to talk to his doctor at home. We went on to Tenedos Bay with the other two boats and found the anchoring to be a chore with a very rocky bottom. We worried about that all day, but finally settled in to the NW corner of the bay. We did stern tie and when Jim took the tie in he tore the bottom of the dinghy, so we now have no dink. Loyal had a repair kit and he loaned that to us, but we have to wait 48 hours to see if it holds. It was not a restful night although we did not drag the anchor. I worried about Gary and Brynn and about the dink and about the anchor! Tomorrow we go to Refuge Cove to meet up with Sweet.

Sunday June 6- Left Tenedos on a wonderful sunny day to motor to Refuge Cove, ariving after only 1.5 hrs. Sweet was waiting for us on the dock where we all tied up together and celebrated our reunion. Gary did talk to his MD but got no real help. He has doubled up on his meds and he hopes that will hold him for now. The night before they met Ziggy who was on the dock in his 27 ft Catalina. He is a retired musician, a guitar player and funny guy who said he has played with the Doobie Bros and all over Mexico and other places. We had a pot luck on the dock and Ziggy brought his guitar to entertain us. He was a good musician and Gary played along on his traveling guitar. Loyal even got his guitar out and joined in, while we all drank wine and sang along. In the middle of it all the RCMP came ashore to say hello. We all agreed later they were checking to see what Ziggy was smoking! He was smoking regular tobacco with us but probably other stuff when he was alone on his boat. It was a fun evening with silly sea songs and great ballads and Johnny Cash all thrown in. We were in the bunk by 10 AM. We leave for VonDonop Inlet tomorrow.
Monday June 7-We had eggs Benedict for breakfast and drank coffee until Gary and Brynn came over and told us they were heading for Bowen Island to get close to an opthmologist in Vancover. We had already decided we would go with them. I had discussed it with Jim days before that, so we told them right away we would be going along. The others will go on to the planned stops and meet us in Bowen in three or four days. We left the dock at 9:30AM and started towards Powell River, thinking it would be a good midway stop. The seas were calm, the winds were 5kts at our back, so we kept on going, arriving in Secret Cove at 6PM. We tied up to the dock, got on the internet, had a great fish dinner (from Loyal's catch) and drank a little wine to make things even better. We'll go to Bowen tomorrow and have plans to take the ferry over to the mainland and then a bus to Vancouver. We'll also try to do some sailing in Howe Sound while we are waiting for the rest of the group. We had a good night sleeping at the dock and plugged in everything to recharge. Off to Bowen this morning. The Adventure Continues! Jim and Virginia

Rain, Rain, Rain

We are stuck in Lund while the storm goes through. Last night it rained really hard, slacking off this morning early. The wind has picked up, and now it is raining again, making a trip ashore an interesting project. I'll have to get all my foulies on because the seat of the dinghy will be wet, and that means boots and everything because there's about an inch of water in the dinghy. We'll motor in and then I'll climb out onto the dock, which means I'll get even wetter since I am so clumsy getting in and out of the dinghy. We did laundry yesterday, and things aren't quite dry. We have sweatshirts and jeans hanging all over inside the boat. Inside the boat we are dripping from condensation and steaming up the windows. The heater has lost its hose connection and won't work in the cabin. The lazaret gets very warm until Jim can climb down in there to reattach the hose. He's putting that off because he has to haul all that stuff out and squeeze in. So, we aren't as warm as we could be. I don't have on my long johns this morning, and I miss them. We do have books to read and the dock office has a selection, too. Gary was all set to leave this morning, but I am not moving until this storm lets up. He keeps saying we're only 15 miles from the Sound. Last night's prawn and crab dinner was amazing. Great company and great food. The prawns were huge and just like eating lobster. Hope we get to do that again on this trip. We're having breakfast out at Nancy's Bakery and maybe a little shopping in the general store. More later from the wet, wet, Karen Marie. Are we having fun yet? Jim and Virginia

Lund

After a day of rain and bumpy seas, we spent a day at Comox, but early this morning we left and bumped our way to Lund. We are on the other side! We are only 15 miles from Desolation Sound. Lund is a small cove with a full service marina, gas, showers, a laundry, Nancy's Bakery and a General Store. They even have a hotel here because this is the last stop on Hi 101. The end of the road. The storm is supposed to come in tonight to blow 25+, but we are tied up snug and will wait and see if we can get to Desolation Sound tomorrow. If we have to wait another day we can do that. Tonight we eat fresh shrimp and crab from the shrimp fleet that docks in Lund. The guy couldn't give us any more than 3 lbs of shrimp, so he threw in 4 crabs. What a place. We eat on September Time tonight since she had the biggest pot to cook the shrimp. We are both sore from holding on in the bumpy seas. And, I'm clinching my teeth when I get scared out there. Hope things are better from now on. Can't use the computer too long since we are on batteries. Best to all, Jim and Virginia

Comox and Other

We left Schooner Cove on Sunday for a slog in rough seas and 10kts of winds on our stern. The wind helped keep the jib full except it was right on the stern so we flopped around now and then. The seas were the biggest problem with rolling swell and breakers as big as 6 ft. We slopped and rolled and rocked all the way to Deep Bay which is just inside Baynes Sound. That was a relief as it was behind an island and calmed immediately. We thought we were going to Deep Bay, but we got an answer to a call that told us there was no room at the Harbor Authority and no room at the Yacht Club, so we opted to go on to Comox. We gratefully cruised in around 4:30 and got tied up next to lots of big fishing boats. Our group is all together, and we got to go out to dinner. We are doing laundry and buying supplies. We don't need much, but we will be going to Desolation Sound in the next few days, we hope, weather permitting. It's not looking good because of the weather. We're going to see what the weather report is for tomorrow before we cross the Strait of Georgia. Today might be the day actually.

The cruising so far has been OK. Things are wet, and we have found a few things about the boat that make it interesting. The bilge is all along flat under the floor boards, so whenever we lean over or bounce, we have water all over the floor. When we were bouncing about yesterday, we had water everywhere, and everything was falling on the floor and getting wet. That was a disappointment. We need to work on that. We also fought with the depth sounder that went off every 30 seconds. We tried everything to get it to stop. When Jim was on the Round Whidbey Race, they had the problem, too. I am determined before we leave here we will have that stupid thing fixed. If anything else, we will work on that while we are here. We have also discovered the lack of our big cover on the cockpit makes it less comfortable. We know we were spoiled last year. We miss the dry cover and warmth. Every day so far we have sailed in foulies, and I have been cold. Jim could use a better pair of boots, too. Another problem Jim solved early on was a missing handle for the windlass. He forgot and left it home, so while we were at Prevost, he grabbed a piece of wood, a stick, and cut/carved a handle. It was drift wood and works just great!

We haven't made the decision about whether we leave today or not. We'll post about that tomorrow if we get a chance. We'll let you know. Peace, Jim and Virginia