July 28, 2020. Port Sidney Marina to Clam Bay, between Thetis and Penlakut Islands. 27 NM
Some big changes today. For one, it’s actually hot on the boat tonight. Hot to the point that it’s a bit uncomfortable. Also, I’m not feeling all that well – I think maybe something I ate. Led to a pretty quick paddleboard back to the boat when I set out after dinner tonight. Anyway, I’m back on board, so am close to a bathroom by definition.
Oh, and the other change is that I am alone again. I said goodbye to Sara at 0730 this a.m. as she pushed me off the dock in Port Sidney marina. She headed for the bus, the ferry, another bus, the skytrain, and then a flight home. The kids picked her up in Trail (where it is apparently 38 degrees!), and she is now back in Rossland.
Leaving Sara on the dock in Sidney
I motored out of the marina in the cool morning, with the sun coming up right where I was headed. It made it a bit challenging to make sure I didn’t hit any logs or debris as I pulled up the fenders and removed the dock lines. I turned north, and started motor sailing. There was a bit of wind, and it came and went as I traversed the various passages and islands on my way up to Active Pass. I pulled out the jib initially, then switched it for the genoa as the wind dropped off. I furled and unfurled the genoa three or four times as the wind switched. Between that, and keeping the main trimmed, I was as busy as a one armed paper hanger.
Just as I was getting to Active Pass, the ferry that Sara was on passed me, and I waved to her. Through the binoculars, I could see her on the deck. After the ferry turned into Active Pass, I headed on towards Montague Harbour, which was my intended destination.
The Queen of something or other, with Sara on board, heading for Active Pass
The current had been with me all the way north, though, and I was making good time. It was just about 1030 as I passed the entrance to Montague. It seemed to early to stop, so I kept on going, up through the familiar Trincomali Channel, past Wallace Island and the Secretary Islands, and into Clam Bay.
It was around 1230 when I dropped the anchor in about 40 feet. There were already several boats anchored, but still lots of room to swing on adequate scope. I cooked up a cheese and bacon quesadilla, and settled in for a quiet afternoon of reading, watching videos, and napping. I think I am a bit fatigued from the schedule over the past week. We’ve moved the boat every day, and several of the days have been quite long. When we haven’t moved the boat, we’ve kept busy with sight seeing, lots of walking, and working whenever we have internet access. My body seemed to feel the need for a quiet afternoon, and I didn’t fight it.
While I was hanging out in the relative cool of the cabin, the anchorage kept filling up. At last count, there are 13 sailboats in here, and about 5 or 6 power boats. That is by far the most boats I’ve seen anywhere this summer. And also, and interesting ratio of sailboats to power boats – usually it is the other way around.
Generally speaking, I don’t see too many boat names that I like. It is hard to come up with something interesting and original, and lots of boat names are fraught with issues. Hard to pronounce, hard to spell, hard to understand on the radio, or just hopelessly cliché. I can’t tell you how many “Seas the Days” I’ve seen in various marinas. And try to understand the difference between the name “Breathe” and “Breeze” on the radio. Even the other day, when we hailed Soul Star on the radio, the Coast Guard came back, thinking we were calling them. That’s probably not something they thought of when they named their boat.
Anyway, all this to say that there is a boat behind me with a name that I kind of like. It’s called “Knotty Luffer.” Cute play on words, and very nautical.
S/V Knotty Luffer
After my quiet afternoon, I cooked up some deli pizza for dinner, and I think that may be what has gotten the better of me. I threw the paddleboard in the water to get some exercise, but had to cut it short to make it back to the head. I’m feeling a bit better now, but won’t plan to do anything else too exciting tonight.
Soon, I’ll be closing the loop on this circumnavigation. Until then, though, I’ll try to enjoy these last few days on the boat before I’m back to all my usual responsibilities.
Soundtrack: Just Breathe, Pearl Jam
No comments:
Post a Comment