True to Myself

July 12, 2020. Westview Marina, Tahsis to Bligh Cove. 23.3 NM

 

Docks are magnetic. They exert a force that pulls boats on to them, and makes it hard to leave. The longer you are there, the stronger the pull. After three nights on the dock, it was an effort to go this morning. It felt like it would be easier to just stay, and settle down in Tahsis, becoming a permanent fixture like the only two other boats on my end of the marina. The ongoing rain and cold temperatures didn’t do anything to encourage me to cast off the lines, either. Especially since, last night, the sun came out for a couple of hours, and things seemed a little more encouraging.

In fact, last night deserves a bit more mention. I had mentioned that other than the sport fishing industry, Tahsis seems kind of like a ghost town waiting to happen. Last night I got some more insight into just how big fishing is in this little community. I had walked over to the dockside café to have dinner while I still had access to a restaurant. I didn’t plan it this way, but my arrival coincided exactly with all the sport fishermen getting off their boats. At first, I thought it was just going to be a busy evening on the docks, with lots of loud tables drinking and smoking around me. I wasn’t in a hurry though, so I was kind of enjoying the boisterous atmosphere. I took a table near the front of the dock, mainly so I could access the internet at a decent speed. I didn’t realize this would put me right in the middle of the action.

This is where the priority lies in Tahsis

After a while, the only waitress in the place still hadn’t come to my table to take my order. She was busy running around getting beers for all the fishermen. But then the action started. The fish that had been caught for the day started to get unloaded, weighed, and cleaned. All this was about 5 feet from my table. The fish were huge. I’m not sure exactly what they all were. There were some big salmon that topped out at about 25 pounds. There were also some big bottom fish, that I think were halibut. And there were several that looked like ling cod. There was also a blue fish that looked like something out of Dr. Suess. I have no idea what it was, though.

Any idea what that blue one is on the bottom right?

The fishermen all lined up to get their pictures taken with their fish, and the fish were then handed off to professional cleaners, who made short work of cutting the fish up into fillets, and packing them up in bags to be shipped off to wherever the anglers were from. It was quite a production, and was an interesting place to sit and eat dinner. Eventually, I managed to place an order for the special, which was fettucine alfredo with chicken. Christopher called me while I was eating, and he couldn’t believe I wasn’t having fish. It was still pretty good, though!

Much beer was consumed to celebrate the day’s catch!

After dinner, I headed back to the boat, and got the inside all prepped and ready for an early departure. I wanted to get off the dock before the wind built, as the mornings have been pretty calm, but later in the day the wind really comes up. I set my alarm for 0630, but was up before it went off. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain, and I didn’t really feel like getting soaked before I started. It eventually eased off around 0800, and I set about unhooking the power, and filling the water tanks. Around 0845, I walked over to the fuel dock, to see if there was anyone around. They were open at 0800, but the attendant was off for a bit. I waited for her to show up, then went back to the boat and cast off.

It took a bit of backing and filling to get the boat turned around and onto the fuel dock. I had some help tying up from one of the guys who works at the marina. The fuel dock attendant came back, and after some confusion, she figured out which pump was diesel. I narrowly missed putting gas into my diesel tank when she gave me the wrong hose. Fortunately, she couldn’t figure out how to turn it on, and when she asked for help, one of the older hands on the dock pointed out her mistake. With a little trepidation, I topped up the diesel. It was the most expensive I’ve had so far of the trip, at $1.40 per litre. I guess it costs something to get diesel to this side of the island, and Westview Marina knows there are not many other options to fill up.

Once I had the tanks topped off, I headed out into the inlet, and motored slowly on the autopilot while I put away all the fenders and lines. I called Sara as I was heading out of cell range. Hopefully I’ll get to see her again shortly!

Things didn’t look too promising as I headed down the Tahsis inlet.  I made sure the radar was working, but I didn’t end up needing it.

The rest of the day was a fairly straightforward run down the Tahsis inlet. I had read that Tsowinn Narrows could have large currents and lots of debris, but they presented no problem. I cut across into Kendrick Inlet just above Strange Island. It was a bit of a challenging jog over, but I really just followed the chart plotter and avoided the rocks. This route was slightly shorter, but really I just did it to make the day a bit more interesting.

As I came out toward the open coast, the swell and wind started to build. It started to rain again just as I was turning northwest into Ewin Inlet, which bisects Bligh Island. Bligh Island is named after William Bligh, he of mutinous infamy. The wind died pretty promptly as I came into the small cove at the head of Ewin Inlet. Once again, I dropped the anchor right in the middle, as there was no hint of another soul around. To my surprise, though, another sailboat came in and dropped an anchor about an hour after I got here. I made a snack out of the remains of the fettucine from last night, and have been relaxing in the cabin.

It’s been a long time since I’ve shared an anchorage with another boat.  Glad for the company!

Now, the afternoon winds are blowing up Ewin Inlet, but the sun has put in another appearance, and I feel like the boat may be drying out a bit. I’ve moved up into the cockpit to enjoy the warmth with the enclosure up, cutting the cold wind. If the wind settles down, I may try and barbecue dinner tonight.

Current tunes: True to myself by Ziggy Marley