Vancouver Island Circumnavigation 2016

Just back from a fabulous 15 day and 720.3 nm trip sailing trip around the entirety of Vancouver Island. The sailing sights, wildlife, navigation, visits were all terrific. Here is the the SpotWalla GPS plot of the passage...

Our GPS Track from SpotWalla...

My GPS Track with Daily Legs...

The daily leg colours mean the following for my daily duties:

- Yellow - Galley (incl. Harbour Day at Hot Springs Cove)

- Cyan - Navigation

- Green - Helm

- Magenta - Cleanup (incl. Harbour Days in Port Hardy and Bamfield)

And with Some Labels...

Day 0 - Thursday, 22 September 2016 - Toronto to Vancouver

It was an early start to the day - didn't sleep much the night before - so it would be a long day what with time zone differences. No problems at the airport and getting to Vancouver. Spent a few hours in the YVR AC Lounge, the YCD flight was later in the day -you have to put up with more things when you fly on points.

Had a window seat on the YVR to YCD flight - saw the Gulf Islands which is always a thrill - especially seeing places that you have recently been to on a boat.

I was met in Nanaimo by Kenzie who took me to the NYC charter base. It was good to be back and meeting Ian, Shari, Beth and the rest of my crew mates: Paul and Andrew. Got a new cabin for me for this passage, got settled in and started to sort charts for the circumnavigation. Once that was done it was off to the pub for a bite and not much later an early to bed.

I ended up not sleeping well as usual on a boat and also got chilled which was easily solved by putting the sleeping bag under the duvet.

No photos for the day.

Day 1 - Friday, 23 September 2016 - Nanaimo to Drew Harbour - 92.1 nm

After a quick breakfast of cereal and coffee, the crew started on checklists for the boat and contents. We raised the dinghy to the foredeck, filled the water tanks and then gathered in the Classroom for introductions for the two boat crews and talked about weather.

The conclusion was that weather would be more in our favour for a ccw rounding of the island. Paul Miller had thoughts of going the other way for a change but the majority ruled otherwise.

The weather was a bit overcast and some rain. Winds forecast 20 to 25 Kn from SE, diminishing towards evening.

After checklist and final preparations, around 11:00 am, we were off northwards to the top end of the Strait of Georgia. Once out of the shelter of Nanaimo we were exposed to some good SE winds whereby we put up only the headsail for some good downwind progress. Had popped a couple of Gravol before leaving which was good because the seas were a bit lumpy - didn't feel like being below much. With stronger winds on our tail at times, we feathered the headsail in and out. Once I got turned into a full broach by a wave and we reduced sail even more.

After several hours of good progress we arrived at Hornby Island mid afternoon and decided to keep going towards Quadra Island and Rebecca Spit (Drew Harbour) for an overnight stay. The winds had died down as predicted and we began to motor the rest of the way.

I was on Galley duty for the day and kept it simple - we had sandwiches that NYC had ordered and brought along, and later I made the pre-made Lasagna that was a hit. The ride was a bit bumpy due to the wind waves and it wasn't a full on eating kind of a day, especially if you had to spend time below in preparing things.
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Once past Hornby Island, we got word from Baraka Too (our buddy boat for the trip) that they had an accidental gybe while underway that caused damage to the end of the boom and that they would have to go back to the charter base for repairs. This was disappointing for them as they would be under pressure to make up the lost ground to catch up to us. Ian had thought to hole up and wait at Hornby but my thought was to go on to Drew Harbour as we would be bucking remaining and forecasted wind the next day. We could linger up north and slowly go to Turn Island to allow Baraka Too to catch up there if repairs and continuing the next day could be managed.

It is interesting that between the 2 boats, we had elected not to put the main up as the headsail would have been in its shadow, and it didn't come up to go directly downwind wing on wing - no risk of any gybe at anytime for us. Ian was unsure of why Baraka Too hadn't rigged a gybe preventer to prevent such an occurrence.

Day One Chart

As a first day on the water it was a long one, we got into Drew Harbour just after midnight, it was pitch dark, and dropped anchor in about 12 metres of depth. Used GPS entirely in the anchorage to get our drop spot.

Finally got to bed after a very long day. Tomorrow the plan was a bit of a sleep-in as we didn't need to leave until around 10:30 pm in order to hit slack at Beazley Passage.

No photos for the day.

I logged 4.5 night hours. for the day

Day 2 - Saturday, 24 September 2016 - Drew Harbour to Turn Island - 32.3 nm

Another overcast day, no rain in the forecast, winds light - it looks like a day to motor through the passes and on to Turn Island around the corner of Chatham Point on the north side at the beginning of Johnstone Strait.

Day Two Chart

We had word from Baraka Too that their boom repairs had been made and that they were underway for a long day after a 4:00 am start to get through Seymour Narrows at afternoon slack.

I was on Nav duty for the day - an easy passage through 3 tidal passes with scheduled slack beginning at Beazley Passage around noon.

Beazley Passage is a very narrow channel between a couple of islands which at full flood or ebb can be quite nasty...

Beazley Passage (or Surge Narrows) - Not My Photo

Our plans were not to pursue the extreme and as our transit was right on time at slack - a none event. Up around the Hoskyn Channel towards Okisollo were two more tidal passes - Upper and Lower Rapids. Another none event as that too was the idea.

A pretty leisurely day as we swung around Chatham Point into Johnstone Strait. Some tugs with barges were the only other traffc on the water. We had passed by Turn Island last year and Ian had indicated that this was a good protected and favourite anchorage.

Arrived around 3:00 pm and dropped anchor, checked the tide overnight and used the rest of the afternoon for Paul and Andrew to write and pass their ICC exams.

A Borrowed Image of Turn Island - We Anchored Between Island and North Shore

After a time Baraka Too arrived late afternoon. They had a long day's passage and were very tired.

We had some discussion about the next day's weather and concluded that wind would be strong from the SE and we had current around Helmcken Island (Current and Race Passage) to contend with and thereby an early start was warranted to make as much progress as possible.

No photos for the day.

Day 3 - Sunday, 25 September 2016 - Turn Island to Port Hardy - 100.0 nm

After reviewing the weather forecast (having gotten up early for a good start on the day), reviewing current scenarios (got tripped here because we read a none event with respect to Johnstone Strait and mistaking Race Passage with one near Victoria) - we saw a bit of a buck into a flood for a good part of the day. On top of that we would have a good wind on our tail up and out the strait.

Cockpit of Belle Serena and Baraka Too off the Starboard Bow

Raising anchor and off we went. We soon put the headsail out to give us some help, and continued to motor sail. I was on Helm duty for the day.

After a while we killed the engine as the wind was giving us a good ride.

It wasn't too far along until some Pacific Whited-sided Dolphins came by to swim off the bow for a bit and they continued to swim along with us but a bit further ahead and behind the boat.

A Great Photo by Paul - They Swam Very Close to the Boat in Johnstone Strait

Ian noticed that the luff tension on the headsail was a little loose. So a bit of work on the halyard yielded another problem on the mast. After a while it was determined that someone would need to go up the mast to clear the problem. Paul ended up being the guy. He climbed into the bosun's chair and up he went. Ian was bringing him up with the use of the electric winch and we also had a spare halyard tied to Paul as a backup safety line. Paul eventually cleared the issue and Ian stated that next time the luff tension needed tightening - remind him to forget about it.

Not much further and we saw a smallish sized Humpback whale breach off the port side a good number of times. Was it excited? Was it caught in a net? It just kept breaching and breaching.

A Breaching Humpback - Again by Paul - In Johnstone Strait

Wind came up much stronger - 25 to 35 Kn - we reduced the headsail to make it a more comfortable ride. And then after a bit it was gusting above 40 Kn and our SOG was showing a steady 10 and 11 Kn, sometimes hitting 12 Kn. With the excellent progress we were making (if the horse is going well, don't get off until it is done), we decided to ride the pony for as far up the Strait as we could go. Maybe Telegraph Cove, maybe Port McNeill - maybe even as far as Port Hardy.

After Weynton Passage we kept looking back to see where Baraka Too was at, we also ended up seeing a large cruise ship turn into Johnstone Strait - coming from Alaska maybe and headed south. We saw the effects of wind on water, and saw the conditions that were moving us along so well.

Wind, Waves, Cruise Ship and Baraka Too Under Sail

What a ride for the day. Wind calmed down a bit as we went past Malcolm Island - we tucked the headsail away and cranked up the engine as it dropped further.

Evening came as we motored past Pulteney Point. We hit swells coming from the east in Queen Charlotte Strait. A bit uncomfortable. Our goal was to get to Port Hardy and as dark was on us, it would be a night entry. Being on the helm was not a problem as Port Hardy was known to me from our stop in 2015.

Day Three Chart

A long day indeed after tying up in the dark at the marina. Things are always very different from daytime - everything seems closer and some things further away. And if there is a bit of moisture in the air (like fog) it becomes a bit trickier as the spotlight doesn't want to see too far out.

After a quick conversation with the crew of Baraka Too after their arrival a few hours later - it was decided on a very early departure next morning in order to deal with the weather forecast for predicted winds at Cape Scott, ebb at Nahwitti and the rounding of the top of the island to Winter Harbour.

Better get to bed real fast.

I logged 2 night hours.

Day 4 - Monday, 26 September 2016 - Port Hardy - Harbour Day

We had agreed on a 7:00 am conference to review the weather with Baraka Too. Once breakfast was dealt with - I was on Clean-up duty for the day - with people finally surfacing at 7:30 am, Paul from Baraka Too proclaimed that the crew of Baraka Too had decided after the long and tiring past 3 days they were going to call it a Harbour Day in Port Hardy. We would leave for Winter Harbour the next day instead.

So on Harbour Day in Port Hardy we did...

- showers - with ornery counter person who wouldn't let one get past her
- some provisioning - food, beer and wine (one got broken)
- resting
- reviewed and corrected our answers in the workbook
- refueling - drove the boat to the fuel dock and back
- checking currents at Nahwitti and Scott Channel - got tripped up with CHS tables and non DST times

Port Hardy Dock

As it happened it became a dark and stormy kind of an evening. Nothing to do with weather - it is a drink made with coke, rum and ice. It went on for a bit both on and off the boat. There is more than one way to be down with the weather as we would find out the next day.

A Fish Boat Entering Port Hardy

Clean-up was a bigger load than normal what with the two boats coming together for dinner this time.

Spending the day in Port Hardy did not impact the overall schedule as we had a day in hand from our race up Johnstone Strait the day before.

Day 5 - Tuesday, 27 September 2016 - Port Hardy to Winter Harbour - 92.3 nm

I was on Galley duty today and we were up at 5:00 am for breakfast and an early start on the passage. It was still dark at 6:30 am when we left Port Hardy - the sun was just starting to come up. It would be our first day of clear weather given the early signs.

Leaving Port Hardy

Distant Fog, A Fish Boat and Sunrise

We would get into some good celestial navigation today and I was even able to shoot the Moon once we had some daylight and had made progress westwards in Goletas Channel. I was keen to know the results of the Moon sight as I was using my new sextant for the first time.

I had a significant IE (47') to correct but before even that, ended up with a very good sight once it was reduced later on in the morning. I ended up taking many Sun sights through the day, including a Noon sight to very good accuracy. I helped Paul a bit with his sight reduction until he couldn't stay down in the cabin any more - remember about that other form of being under the weather from the night before?

The strategy was to cross Nahwitti Bar at 11:00 am slack and to get through Scott Channel by mid afternoon and an evening arrival at Winter Harbour.

A Very Calm Nahwitti Bar

Winds were light and forecast to build from the NW to about 10/15 Kn later in the day.

Crossing Nahwitti as scheduled was a smooth crossing - not lumpy at all like our full ebb crossing of last year. We ended up at Cape Scott a couple of hours before the turn and drove through some lumpy water. After entry into Scott Channel we were able to cut the engine and sail down the top west side of the island. It was relatively calm the rest of the way.

Around dinner time I made potatoes, vegetables and chicken for an on the go dinner just as we had entered Quatsino Sound. The post dinner passage in the dark into Winter Harbour was an easy entry. I manned the spotlight at the bow as we drove in to the dock. A quick tie up, beer or wine and it was quickly to bed.

The rounding of Cape Scott given its remoteness and daunting weather related history is an amazing experience. It is an isolated and beautiful part of the world. There was no one anywhere in sight in those daylight hours.

Leaving Cox Island at Cape Scott Behind Us

I logged 1.5 night hours on this passage.

Day Five Chart

Day 6 - Wednesday, 28 September 2016 - Winter Harbour to Queen Cove - 88.4 nm

Ian likes to use the government dock at Winter Harbour for a session of docking practice. So for about an hour we sprang off the dock with a midship spring line both bow and stern and driving in forward and reverse to the dock.

Boardwalk at Winter Harbour

Sport Fishing Resort at Winter Harbour

Around 10:30 am we left Winter Harbour. It was a clear and sunny day. Winds appeared light but were forecast to  develop later in the day.

Calm Waters of Quatsino Sound

Kains Island Light Beyond

I was on Nav duty for the day. It would be a straight forward route - a little offshore line to get ourselves out and past Solander Island and Brooks Peninsula. Then back in towards Esperanza Inlet for a scheduled night entry through Gillam Channel and finally arriving into the Queen Cove anchorage.

Before rounding Clerke Point offshore of Brooks Peninsula the wind had picked up enough to put out the headsail, and then finally the mainsail so that we were sailing downwind wing on wing with a gybe preventer.

It was a magnificent day offshore with terrific views of Solander, Brooks and the Kyuquot Sound stretch of the coast.

Sailing downwind was fun. At times it was more important to keep the wind in the sails than to sail the desired course. After a while we gybed back out before dropping the sails and motoring as the winds died down.

Wing on Wing Beyond Brooks Peninsula

I was looking at the clear night sky - at the multitude of stars that were visible, trying to identify the few that I knew - the big and little dipper, Polaris, Orion, etc.

Evening and dark soon approached and we got ready for a careful entry into the channel. There is lots of room but seeing things at night is always a challenge. Lights seem close but are really far off. Once into the channel I kept a close eye on the Navionics app for the rest of the passage. There was a small channel between a couple of islands and then a narrow opening into the cove that had to be monitored as there were no navigation lights of any kind to use. It was completely dark and for the final approach I had Paul with a spotlight at the bow giving us a good perspective with the shoreline as we drove slowly to our destination.

We arrived at 1:30 am and dropped the anchor at the north end of the cove so that Baraka Too would have some room for the same on their arrival. They were at least a couple of hours behind us and we fully expected them to drop their anchor rather than raft up to us so late in the night - we would more than likely be sleeping on their arrival.

Day Six Chart

I logged 6 night hours on this leg.

Day 7 - Thursday, 29 September 2016 - Queen Cove to Tahsis - 22.1 nm

Woke up to a beautiful, clear and sunny morning. It is always interesting to see the environs that you pass through at night where everything seems so small and narrow - but in the morning it shows to be plenty of room and why be so worried at night.

Baraka Too was anchored even further north of us in the cove. We were correct in deducing them anchoring in the later early morning hours. After a bit we saw someone swimming in the water and coming our way. It was Paul who decided to come and visit. All of us on our boat were quite impressed with the effort of taking a swim in what we all imagined to be quite cold water. Paul boarded on arrival, took a spare towel, had some coffee and replayed Baraka Too's doings of the previous day and their late arrival into Queen Cove.

Queen Cove in the Early Morning

After some discussion it was agreed that we would head up the inlet to stay the night at Tahsis. I was on Helm duty and after raising the anchor we drove Paul back to Baraka Too. We pulled up alongside and Paul stepped off and away we went.

Upon entering Esperanza Inlet heading inland and off the north shore of Nootka Island - I was able to spot the first whale blow. They were a couple of humpbacks. I slowed down and meandered over slowly to where they were expected to surface. After a bit it seemed as if there were more whales than the first two that were spotted. It seemed as if there were at least 3 groups of two whales that we saw just off the boat a number of times. We were admiring their blows to gather air and then their dive and big tail fin being exposed on the slow and graceful sinking down into the depth.

Just before Tahsis Narrows we stopped the boat and prepared for the Noon Sun sight. It was just north and east of McBride Bay and would definitely require a dip short correction to the sight as the horizon was pretty close. My first sight reduction yielded a 4.7 nm difference to actual, whereby on applying the dip short correction it was closer to 2.0 nm difference.

Lunch Just Before Entering Tahsis Narrows at Esperanza

Looking Southwards in Tahsis Inlet

Instead of turning south at Tahsis Inlet as we did last year, we turned north towards Tahsis. We would be mooring up at Westview Marina. Even though I was on Helm duty for the day - Ian took us in to the fuel dock and finally to our tie up. I filled the water tanks and hooked us up to shore power. Upon entering Westview the wind came up from the south and the wind made for some interesting maneuvering to the dock. Maybe that is why Ian took over. I would have liked to have done it myself.

Some of the folks went into the town to do some shopping, others made use of the showers and most all of us finally got access to a wi-fi signal after a couple of days of silence.

Westview Marina in Tahsis

The mountain and fjord like geography of Tahsis and surroundings was spectacular - even though quite severely logged on the hillsides.

Tahsis Mountain Scenery

An easy day and a bit of down time for all. After dinner it was another dark and stormy gathering on our boat talking  about sailing experiences and other aspects of the trip so far.

Day Seven Chart

Tomorrow would be a leisurely start with Hot Springs Cove our declared destination.

Day 8 - Friday, 30 September 2016 - Tahsis to Hot Springs Cove - 53.8 nm

I was on Clean-up duty for the day.

We left Westview Marina at Tahsis at 9:15 am, heading down the inlet into low lying fog further down Tahsis Inlet. I took a spot at the mast so that I could keep an eye out for other boats and potentially damaging and floating debris in the water. Visibility was reduced a few times but was quite fun and mystical as the shoreline and mountains came and went into and out of view.

Morning Fog in Tahsis Inlet

The wind and water was calm and we weren't expected to sail until we had left Nootka Sound behind us.

Exactly as anticipated upon leaving the Sound we rolled out the headsail and finally the mainsail. As they say when two boats are in close proximity - they are racing.

We shadowed Baraka Too so that we tacked when they tacked and unexpectedly clearly left them behind. Baraka Too was expected to point higher than Belle Serena so we weren't expecting to stay ahead. Clearly it was crew experience that was the difference.

One of my Best Noon Sights Ever - Within 0.1 nm of Actual

Taking a Noon Sight Off Estevan Point

We continued on to dock finally at Hot Springs Cove. On arrival we noticed what must have been there last year - a sign limiting boat lengths on the dock to 40 ft. Whoops. It would come to haunt us the next day.

Belle Serena and Baraka Too Docked at Hot Springs Cove

Sunset and the First Nations Reserve Beyond

Day Eight Chart

Day 9 - Saturday, 1 October 2016 - Hot Springs Cove - Harbour Day

Today was declared a Harbour Day as our schedule was deemed to be in good shape for the rest of the passage.

The plan was to go to the hot springs for a dip and to have our Diesel Engine and Weather lectures.

I was on Galley duty for the day so after a typical eggs, toast and bacon breakfast it was off to the hot springs.

It is a beautiful 30 minute walk on a boardwalk the entire way through a lush BC forest. The boardwalk had started a routine some years ago whereby boaters would have their boat names carved into the boardwalk planks. So it was that many nautical visitors had left their visit for posterity. In later years nautical and non-nautical visitors have, it seems, left much more professional versions of the carved name planks. It happens that a well known dog (named D.O.G.) and Orca incident, supposedly posted on Youtube, has recorded a name plank. The incident was D.O.G. swimming across the inlet for handouts when it was approached by an Orca looking for a furry kind of handout. D.O.G. it seems would have nothing to do with that and turned around on the approaching Orca and bit the Orca on the nose - driving it off. I haven't been able to find that video clip yet.

The View from the Hot Springs - Mouth of the Cove

After a very refreshing dip in the hot springs and a great walk back to the boat - it was time for lunch and our lectures.

The Boardwalk Trail Through the Forest

One of the Local Inhabitants

A Name Plank

Unfortunately we were told by the Park Ranger that we couldn't stay tied up at the dock - even though Ian has been doing this for several years - we had to move off and anchor as the commercial boat operators had complained because we were taking up too much space. We wondered who really was taking up too much space as the numbers of people being brought in to see the hot springs certainly appeared to make up a lot of the traffic on the boardwalk - and how on earth would all of those people get into the hot springs - there wasn't really much room for more than a dozen people combined for both the upper and lower pools.

Looks Like A Lot of Room to Me?

We moved, anchored and Baraka Too rafted up to us.

Dinner was a chaotic event as it ended up being a combined dinner, except my spaghetti took a longer to cook than the other boats dinner. Good nonetheless.

Day 10 - Sunday, 2 October 2016 -Hot Springs Cove to Ucluelet - 45.2 nm

Today I was on Nav duty and knew that I had easy passage for the most part and a slightly tricky, but entirely doable entry into Ucluelet. We left at 7:15 am in order to get a good start on the day.

Swells built up over the shallower bottom off Flores Island, so even having taken some Gravol, I spewed overboard. After a while, all was good and I ate a hearty lunch - so seasick episode was concluded.

Weather was clear and sunny but no wind.

The sights as always of familiar haunts were spectacular.

Lennard Island Light Just Right of Centre and Lone Cone on Meares Island Beyond to the Left

Took a running fix off Lennard Island light.

Also took a Sun sight and a Noon sight to amazing accuracy - it was great!

It was an easy ride in no wind down to the approach into Ucluelet. I wanted to do the entry from offshore into the harbour 'acoustically' ie. via bearings and courses but Ian seemed to be more than alright to do it all via Navionics. It is not a hard entry to navigate in daylight. We even went through Carolina Channel which is a bit tighter and my first call as opposed to Baraka Too who decided to come in through Alpha Channel because it had more room.

After tying up to the dock, it was off to the local Co-op for provisioning. We took a cart from the marina to take things back rather than take a Co-op cart and having to go back on the return of the cart.

The QE ship that had been docked in the harbour had been removed to Vancouver for salvage and dismantling just a few days prior. She had been an institution in Ucluelet for many years.

Showers, rest and relaxation were the order for the rest of the day.

A quiet evening, tomorrow the winds were going to kick up and it was unclear whether we would be going to Bamfield, or riding the pony southwards.

Day Ten Chart

Day 11 - Monday, 3 October 2016 - Ucluelet to Bamfield - 27.4 nm

I was on Helm duty today and took the boat out of the marina out into the harbour and further through Alpha Channel out offshore.

The weather was gloomy and overcast with a light rain.

The winds were up as predicted to about 15 kn and on our nose as we headed southeastwards. It was a gloomy overcast day but good to be using sails instead of the engine.

We were tacking back and forth with Baraka Too close behind. We (as known) were not pointing as high and made less progress. Then, as it happened, remember the saying: 'stuff happens'; as the wind was on the nose and we weren't making good progress - we decided to head in to Bamfield and wait for the winds to turn around. But...the transmission cable ended up breaking and we couldn't put it into forward-neutral-reverse without doing it manually from below - inside my cabin - while reaching into the engine through the engine compartment.

Another thing that happened was that as the main was going up we noticed a tear in the sailcloth - so in order to protect the sail we put a second reef into the sail. Stuff happens. We tried to apply some tape on the tear but the tape got wet in the drizzle and wouldn't take hold.

So, being on the helm as we entered Bamfield, the idea was to dock the boat and assess and deal with fixing the problem if we could before going on. We pulled up under verbal transmission shifting to a local dock where the owner came down and told us that we wouldn't have much water under the keel as the tide was falling.

It was tricky to dock without the transmission cable - I had to shout down to Ian so that he would make the change at the engine down below every time it had to be changed.

We had arrived in Bamfield at 3:30 pm.

West Shore of Bamfield

We pulled out and got into the centre of the harbour where we dropped anchor as there was plenty of room, and water depth.

East (Main) Shore of Bamfield

The owner of the dock where we tried to stop mentioned there was a marine store just up the hill from the Government dock. So after a while Ian and I took the dinghy over to see if the damaged cable could be repaired while we were at anchor. Unfortunately when we got there - the store was closed for the day. It didn't look too big to be able to supply such a cable so it looked like we would need to shift manually at the engine and get the new cable once we arrived in Victoria.

Besides the transmission cable issue, we decided to lay low for the day in Bamfield as the wind forecast offshore was going to be brisk and on our nose. So a day at anchor the next day was what we had in store for us.

After a time Baraka Too came into Bamfield as well, pulled up and rafted up to us.

Day Eleven Chart

The rest of the day was spent relaxing.

Day 12 - Tuesday, 4 October 2016 - Bamfield - Harbour Day

As a Harbour Day and my day for Clean-up duties - things were a little laid back. The weather was again dark and gloomy, overcast and at times a light rain.

East and West Shores of Bamfield

Folks on board spent some time ashore showering while I spent my time helping Ian with the broken transmission cable. Our first task was to strip open the ceiling and bulkhead in my cabin and expose as much of the cable run as possible so that we could get an estimate of how long the replacement cable should be. It would need to be about 24 feet long as it snaked from the aft starboard engine controls down through the ceiling, through the aft lazarette, and finally down into the engine compartment all the way to the rear of the engine.

We decided to take a chance on the local marine store to see if they had a replacement cable - no harm in doing so because if luck was on side - we would be able to spend our free time of the day making the repair rather than waiting until Victoria.

So off in the dinghy we went one more time - and as fortune would have it - they had a new cable and most importantly the length that was needed, and even a longer one if that was required.

Back to the boat and after snaking the new cable through here and there, made the connections at each end - we fired up the engine and tested the transmission changes - and success!

We closed everything back up again - put my cabin back into its natural disorderly state and we were good to go again if required. It was satisfying to get this done and behind us rather than to have it hanging in front of us and 100 nm away from a fix in Victoria. Who would have thought that the marine shop would have had what we needed.

In the end the cable did not break by itself, it was an exposed screw issue that over time caused breakage of a piece of link hardware from a previous repair that Ian and Paul had made to the former cable a few years back. As is said - stuff happens.

M/V Francis Barkley Coming to Port

It was fun to see the M/V Francis Barkley come into Bamfield. Margot and I had taken this vessel from Bamfield to Port Alberni back in 1995 after we had gotten married at the start of the West Coast Trail. The Francis Barkley took us through the Broken Islands to pick up some kayakers and then on to Port Alberni where we shared a taxi with others to get us to Nanaimo for a bus back to Victoria. West coast adventures at their best!

As I said in an earlier post, the Harbour Day was to allow the weather offshore and at the Juan de Fuca Strait to ease up and turn around so that we would have a lighter and following wind on the leg to Victoria. Monitoring of weather forecasts seemed to support this strategy however we needed to make the move the next day (Wednesday) in order to get into the east entrance of the Strait before it again turned against us.

An easy and early evening with a scheduled wake-up at 4:00 am to make a very early start on the day and the 100nm passage ahead.   

Day 13 - Wednesday, 5 October 2016 - Bamfield to Victoria - 93.4 nm

Well we really did get up at 4:00 am - this one was painful as I had not slept well. It was still dark - I was on Galley duty today but a quick grab of cereal was all that was needed. Unbelievably, we were off by 4:15 am.

We followed Baraka Too out of the harbour - it was hard to see what was out there in the dark. I was also a little out of it because I thought Baraka Too was a boat at anchor ahead of us rather than her being on the move.

After entering Trevor Channel, I remembered the crab pots that we had passed entering Bamfield a couple of days before. So I got out the spotlight and stood at the mast trying to pick them out as we passed. Many times what I saw were in fact white seagulls just sitting in the water in the darkness rather than being a crab pot. Once the light was on one it flew off. There were more seagulls spotted than crab pots it seems.

We had also at this time tried to get the mainsail up before going offshore while conditions were still calm. It was a bit frustrating as to get things done in the dark and not really hearing what others are saying made it all a bit trying.

When I thought that we were in the clear I decided to return to the cockpit - as I was climbing around the mast I slipped and almost ended up in the lifelines, next to going overboard. There was no danger of going overboard because I had my tether attached to a strong point. It did point out besides stuff happening - that if I had gone overboard - no one would have known or seen anything in the darkness.

We were motor sailing for a while, I had taken some Gravol but nonetheless got seasick after a while. My breakfast went overboard and after a while all was well again.

The weather was overcast, winds were light and from the NW. As the morning progressed, it started to clear. We passed a number of lighthouses along the way - Cape Beale, Pachena and Carmanah.

Humpbacks Off Port Renfrew

View from Offshore Towards Port San Juan/Port Renfrew

As the day went on it became much clearer and after a bit I saw a whale blow. Sure enough there were a couple of Humpbacks off the port side of the boat. Not close, about 300 metres off. A little while longer then there were a couple more and then even more. This went on for about half an hour until we didn't see anymore. We would watch them blow and breath, blow and breath a few times, and then in slow motion come up slightly and begin a slow dive with a final toss of their tail fin as they dipped into the water for a deep dive to their feeding depth.

Somewhere past Carmanah Point and near Port Renfrew we started to see a few more whales, and then more, and then more. Before we realized it, because we ended up looking every which way to see the next new sighting, we were looking towards every side of the boat, front and back - even having some whales crossing our bow at a very close distance. We didn't have to turn hard at all to avoid them but it seemed as if that might have happened. We came to the immediate conclusion that we were surrounded on all sides by what appeared to be dozens and dozens of Humpback whales. We couldn't turn our heads or cameras fast enough to get any great views. Someone made the comment afterwards that we could have walked across their backs to get to the other side of the Juan de Fuca Strait - there were so many of them.

An Interesting Cloud Formation near Sooke Basin

The day become nice and warm but no wind - it would be motoring all the way to Victoria it would seem.

A Deep Dive Coming Up for Two Humpbacks

Dinner would be another pre-made Lasagna as this was easy to make on the move.

Sunset Over the Pacific

After a while we could see the point near Race Rocks in the distance and our final destination in sight around the corner. It would be a night entry into busy Victoria Harbour.

Race Passage and the Light on Race Rocks

We went through Race Passage very close to slack and saw the lights of Victoria just ahead. After navigating through the buoys adjacent to the aerodrome, we pulled up to the marina and tied up at about 10:30 pm. A quick sortie to the showers was in store for some.

Day Thirteen Chart

I logged 3 night hours for the day.

Day 14 - Thursday, 6 October 2016 - Victoria to Telegraph Harbour - 50.4 nm

The goal for the day was to get to Telegraph Harbour on Thetis Island in reasonably good time. The reason was due to the weather forecast for a strong SE wind late in the day and overnight.

I was on Nav duty today and had the fun to navigate us through the Southern Gulf Islands to our destination. It was a route that would wind itself through a number of islands and tidal passes. The decision was whether we would go on the east side of Saltspring up Trincomali Channel or the west side through Sansum Narrows. The current in Sansum is not a big one but an arrival closer to slack is always a benefit on fuel and bucking the current. So through Sansum is the route I chose.

An early departure was also a consideration as we wanted to get through Plumper Passage and Baynes Channel close to slack current - which is what we did.

We left at 7:30 am to get through Baynes at 8:52 am slack.

The rest of the day was spent monitoring buoys either starboard side or port. There are many rocks, islets and other obstacles to avoid on this passage.

We also chose not to get tangled up with the ferries in Swartz Bay and went along Shute Passage before crossing Satellite Channel and north to Sansum Narrows.

Today was the day I was hoping that we would spot some Orca - but was not to be. No wind for the most part so it was another day spent motoring. Weather was overcast and gloomy again.

Once into Stuart Channel and headed towards Thetis Island, we were able to put the headsail out and get a little help sailing.

Baraka Too had left much earlier than we did for reasons not quite understood, and we saw them further up in Stuart Channel practicing crew overboard drills. They must have had a long day with their early departure and were still at it.

As we approached Thetis Island and the approach into the Harbour the winds started to strengthen as predicted - we had accomplished the goals for the day. On entering the docking area of Thetis Island Marina the wind strength increased some more and made the docking a bit tricky. Both Andrew and Ian gave it a go but turned the boat around and docked bow in. After getting to the dock - we physically turned the boat and moved the fenders so that we were starboard side rigged. When Baraka Too came in they did a much better job of it all I thought.

A Blue Heron at Thetis Island Marina

We arrived at 3:30 pm.

Thetis Island Marina

They had a pub here so after a fabulous combined dinner some of the folks went off to see what could be found. I went to bed early as the plan was to leave early for our final run in to Nanaimo.

As it happened, the wind really blew through the night. It had been issued as a Gale Force Wind Warning through the night. With the way the wind was howling the entire night I was wondering how we would get off the dock - as I would be on the Helm.

Day Fourteen Chart

Tried to get some sleep - would deal with whatever when we got up.

Day 15 - Friday, 7 October 2016 - Telegraph Harbour to Nanaimo - 22.9 nm

The wind storm through the day was the talk of the next day by other boaters at the marina. I was up and getting ready to go at 6:00 am but Ian knocked on my cabin door and said we would be leaving later - after the still blowing strongly wind had died down. I was thankful and relieved, and went back to bed.

After finally waking around 9:00 am,  we had a leisurely breakfast. The plan now was to leave around noon in order to get to Dodd Narrows just before slack.

The Morning After the Wind Storm

Thetis Island Marina North

Slack was predicted for 2:30 pm. We left dock at 12 noon, I was on Helm for the day, there was a midship spring line rigged to spring off the dock to move the boat.

It would be a light passage day but it was the last one. After driving through Preedy Harbour we turned northwards into Stuart Channel. There was still a nice breeze remaining from the blow of the night before so we rolled out the headsail and played a bit of an on again and off again with the wind before getting anything meaningful. We were sailing against Baraka Too to get to Dodd Narrows and even with just the headsail out Baraka could not get past us.

We bucked a bit of the ebb going through Dodd Narrows and had a great lunch while crossing Northumberland Strait. After taking us up the final stretch of marina strip, I took the boat in to the fuel dock. There was a bit of an issue with the refueling and we ended up getting nothing. Then I reversed the boat into the slip and the 15 day passage was over.

Back into Nanaimo at 3:30 pm.

Took care of airport check-in and baggage on line, then a shower and a quiet evening for the remainder. I would need to get up early for the airporter and the last leg of the trip.

Day Fifteen Chart

The total trip was about 720 nm (25 nm more than 2015).

Day 00 - Saturday, 8 October 2016 - Nanaimo to Toronto

Got up early, couldn't sleep. It had started to rain in the middle of the night. Dug out my rain gear as it would be needed to get to YCD. Nanaimo Airporter was on time and we got to YCD in timely fashion. At YCD Security they confiscated my toothpaste as it was deemed to be too large a container for carry on!

Gloomy, rainy and overcast in Vancouver. The mission was to stock up at the Roger's Chocolate outlet, and then some breakfast and inflight food. All done.

Next flight was to Winnipeg (due to Aeroplan availability). After a 2 hour wait in Winnipeg it was finally the last leg to YYZ.

Safe arrival and pickup, and back home.