July 1, 2020. Coal Harbour to Julian Bay. 8.5 NM
Rarely have I been this alone. Which isn’t to say I’m all that lonely. A little bit, but so far, not so bad. It’s just that I can’t think of many times in my life when I was this far from other people, with only wilderness to keep me company. It’s a stark contrast to the last few days in Nanaimo. Even Port Hardy and Coal Harbour had lots of people, life, and activity around. A bit too much, in some ways. But this couldn’t be more opposite. I guess another boat could come in here any time. There are fishing boats zipping by out in the channels occasionally, and last time we were here, a prawning boat spent the night. But so far, it is just me and the seals.
I woke up early this morning, around 0500, with all the things I needed to get done running through my mind. I took advantage of my last day of internet access to catch up on PFTs, and set up some blog posts to upload over the next few days.
Since it’s Canada Day, I made the new flag pole a priority. We got a good teak one, that will float if we drop it off the boat. I drilled a couple of holes in it, and used some suitable red zip ties to attach the flag. I also drilled a hole near the base, and zip tied the whole thing to the boat to try and prevent losing it. It looks pretty good on the back of the boat.
A new flag for Canada Day
I then started getting things back into cruising mode. I moved the paddleboard back up on deck and re-inflated it. The adapter I chased all over Nanaimo to get didn’t work at all, so it was back to manual pumping. Oh well, I’m sure the exercise is good for me. As the day started up, a steady stream of water taxis took forestry workers off to wherever they are working, and a couple of seaplane charters took off. On the semi-derelict boat behind me, named the Black Pearl, a fellow had arrived the night before, and had pitched a tent on the deck. He was an interesting guy, and seemed well fitted to the state of the boat. He told me he had been hired to fix up the boat, but there was so much garbage below that he didn’t dare sleep down there. Also, he mentioned the boat might sink at any moment. Big job to fix that one up.
Saying good bye to the denizens of Coal Harbour
Eventually I had the boat ready to go. I was a bit early, as I was waiting for slack tide through Quatsino Narrows. I hung around a little longer, then finally got antsy enough to just get started. It was a cold morning with low clouds, and a sprinkling of rain, but by the time I left the rain had stopped, although the wind and sky was still threatening. It is amazing how much more intimidating grey skies are than sunny ones. With a bit of trepidation, I pushed the bow out. The wind was directly behind me, so didn’t help me get off the dock, but didn’t make it any harder, either.
I motored slowly out, dodging crab pots as I pulled in the lines and fenders. Once I had everything tucked away, I turned and headed for the narrows. It was only a couple of miles away, so even though I had the wind at my back, I left the sails furled.
Sure enough, I got to the narrows a bit too early, and there were a few tide rips at the entrance. My speed slowed from 6 knots to 4, but steerage was good, so I kept going. The wind shifted 90 degrees, to run straight at me up the narrows. It kept me cool enough that I was glad I was still wearing my full winter gear.
Heading for the narrows
Once out of the narrows, it wasn’t far to get back to Julian Bay. I elected to go straight in, since it was still an unpleasant day, and I wanted to make sure I had my solo anchoring technique nailed. I came in and dropped the anchor in almost the exact same spot Sara and I used last week. It was about 1 p.m., so I made a hot lunch of cheese quesadilla and salad left over from last night. Then I relaxed for about half an hour, but couldn’t fall asleep. So I got up and started the water maker. It needs to run every three to five days to keep stuff from growing in it. It’s been four days now, so I figured I’d fill the tanks and clean out the filters at the same time.
I did a few more chores on the boat. The knotlog paddlewheel wasn’t working on the way in here, so I pulled it out and spun it a few times. It seemed to be working just fine when I did that, so I put it back in place. I guess we’ll see if I can keep it working. That always lets a bit of water into the bilge, so I cleaned that out, then cleaned out the rest of the bilge while I was at it.
Now, I’m just sitting in an empty bay, with the afternoon gusts pushing me around. The sun is poking it’s head through the clouds, and it’s warm enough to sit in the cockpit. I’m making plans for rounding the Brooks Peninsula. Based on the current forecast, it looks like that is at least four days away, so I may stay put here for at least one more night before I move on. A little down time would be welcome, and I have phone access here, so can stay in touch. Once I head further out, I’ll lose that, and don’t know when I’ll be in contact again.
Otis Redding is singing “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” on Spotify. No dock here, but I am watching the tide roll away. In fact, I might just double check my depth – it looks shallow pretty close to the boat, and we are at low tide right now.
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