One
of many Pre-departure
Preparations
One
of many Pre-departure
Preparations
a simple job which started out as replacing the faulty ball-valve on the hose from the galley sink drain, leading to replacement of the through-hull, followed by realization that the sink drain was too corroded to stick the whole #$%%# thing back together again.
Pender Island – Bedwell Harbour
The view from Mount Norman – a bit of work getting up there but well worth it. We should have run up as training for the upcoming triathlon – ha! We also spotted an eagle flying by. Little did we know it would be the first of many as we progressed further north.
A
late dinner – We rarely use our BBQ. Fresh meat doesn't travel
well on a boat with no fridge, and SPAM is not worth BBQing!
Ahhh, perfectly toasted. What better way to make use of those leftover hot coals?
We had recently bought a used kayak from our friends Bendt and Heidi. Sea-trials of our new kayak:
BCA Rendezvous
Pirates abounded at the BCA (Bluewater Cruising Association) rendezvous.
Rescue at Sea!
We spotted this poor creature bravely dog-paddling in the middle of Georgia Strait, just north-east of Nanaimo. We now have a new crew member. Welcome aboard, Scupper!
Buccaneer
Bay
Nice anchorage in front of a great sand beach, on a little island a couple of waves southeast of Texada.
A perfect place to celebrate Barb's birthday - the emergency candles came in handy, although it might not have been quite what the manufacturers had in mind.
There
were thousands of clam holes when the tide was out. If you wiggled
your feet you sank quickly into the sand. We just about left Bjarne
there.
While Under Way...
We encountered this tug hauling three barges of sawdust. Bjarne came up with an idea for cruising cheaply. You just need a grappling hook and a schedule of the various barge runs. The tug driver shouldn't see you behind the barge and wouldn't notice the tiny bit of extra weight. And being behind the sawdust smelled great. Just be careful what kind of cargo you hitch a ride with...
Bjarne is working on the cruising guide as we speak: Barging Around the BC Coast. Or maybe Grappling with Cruising.
Today, 31 May 2009 we are in Echo Bay (Far Away In Time), with the plan of spending a few more days in the Broughton Islands area before doing a final provisioning run in Port Hardy and then heading around the north corner to the west coast of Vancouver Island. Stay tuned...