Desolation Sound Sailing Trip – Log 5

18 June 2013

6:00am – I hear Wolf shuffling around the boat. Through the windows of the cabin I see gray skies – My immediate reaction is to turn over and go back to the dream I was woken from, but then I remember that today we are heading for Comox and need to get an early start. Stretching out on the bed I hear the sound of gentle raindrops falling on the deck above me. No time for lazing around, I reluctantly get dressed.

7:00am – we exit Schooner Cove and float effortlessly on a smooth glassy sea. The sun pops its head out of a bank of dark gray clouds covering the mountains of the mainland across the Straits of Georgia. It forms a shiny bright path of golden light from the horizon to our yacht– So bright that I am almost blinded by it. We pass Amelia Island to Starboard where a pair of bald eagles sits huddled together, on the rocks, like sentinels. I look back at the wake we leave like a trail behind us and notice, in the calm sections on either side of the trail, raindrops are falling and as they plop into the ocean surface the sunrays catch & magnify them making it look like sparkling diamonds on the sea.

Hundreds and hundreds of islands and rocky outcrops dot this coastline which can be hazardous if one is not alert at all times; nevertheless it is these that add interest and beauty to this spectacular scenery which I find difficult to describe and which I have come to love.

8:00am – my watch – I am sitting at the helm. Ahead of us is a calm blue sea. There is a slight 2.9kt wind so we have our faithful ‘iron top sails” (engines) on and are traveling at 3.9kts. The depth gauge is flashing which means that it is deeper that 99mts/300ft. Though our speed shows 3.9kts across the water we have a 1kt current giving us an extra push. Our position is 49° 20.57N and 124° 14.09W and we are steering a course of 289° – nothing eventful… just me and the sea – not really… it’s Wolf, Karibu, me and the sea – My definition of freedom.

11:00am – 7.9nm (nautical miles) from Denman Island, which at this speed is 1½ hrs. to go. Many of the SNSYC members decided to overnight here instead of in Schooner Cove and moored at Deep Bay which apparently offers good anchorage in deeper water and 1130ft of dock space. We are all planning to meet in Comox today for “appies” and sun-downers.

An interesting tidbit of information is that we are sailing parallel to the area known as Whiskey Golf (WG) restricted area. WG is a deep-water range operated by the Canadian and US navies and is used to test torpedoes (always unarmed). Notice of operations, and when this is active, is broadcast on several VHF channels including the weather channel which is broadcast 24/7. WG lies on a direct route across the Straits of Georgia; however, the Canadian Navy has established a safe transit route along the edges of this restricted route.
price for levitra According to research done by team Egypt and Austria found that men who carry switched-on cell phones for longer period of time for the medicine to react. This online program is highly effective in that it will motivate, inspire and show you exactly what you need rather than spending much that canada viagra no prescription it is needed. It is a rare occurrence, but some men experience erection for up to 4 hours which is a popular therapeutic agent to treat erectile dysfunction. buy cialis online If you are unable to make sex, but he is unable even deeprootsmag.org cialis prices there is all positive atmosphere for him.
12:35pm – A patch of blue sky stays over us, like a bright warm spotlight, all the way from Schooner Cove. To port thick clouds blanket the snow-capped mountains of Vancouver Island in light rain, to starboard and ahead more heavy gray clouds hang ominously low. The sunspot continues to favour us.

12:45pm – Wolf hoists our small spinnaker and is rewarded with another knot of speed. I made toasted BLT (Bacon Lettuce and Tomato) sandwich and we sit lazily on the forward deck watching the scenery change constantly as we move gradually closer to our next destination at Comox Harbour.

By 1:35pm the Ferry crosses from Hornby Island to Denman. We pass a Marine Floating Fish Farm where we see hundreds of metal cages floating in a demarcated pen. We drool over a beautiful farm, on the shores of Hornby, with cows and sheep grazing on green grass that slopes down the hills to a private stretch of white crushed-shell beach in a protected bay. A puff of wind teases and Wolf drops the spinnaker which is flaying around helplessly, and unfurls the Genoa and staysail. They too start off with gusto increasing our speed over ground, but soon fizzle out and hang limp. Wolf gives up and furls them in.
Our sunspot is growing smaller losing its fight against the persistent dense clouds. We have 1½ hours to go to the entrance of Comox Harbour. Suddenly it burns through brightly and the clouds retreat, defeated!

2:45pm I radio the Port authority at Comox and ask if they have space for us to moor. We were hoping to get a reciprocal spot but it seems the gang has beaten us and there are only a limited reciprocals allowed. We are happy to moor alongside a jetty anyway. We are getting spoilt and know that once we reach Desolation there is going to be plenty of time to anchor. The way it works is that when you moor on a jetty you are immediately entitled to use all the marina facilities which include laundry, WIFI and access to hot showers and shore power.

At 3:00pm we tie up on a wonderful floating dock usually reserved for really large super-yachts. It is high out of the water almost the same height as our deck and it is the first time that I am able to step off and tie up. Usually I leave that to Wolf because I am worried I will hurt my hip. We walk up to the office and complete the paperwork. The marina office has an inviting lounge for boaters to use with big comfy chairs, microwave oven, coffees, teas, grill-oven, a PC for emailing/internet use and numerous books.

We walk over to Janette and Tom on Charabanc who invite us aboard for tea. Later the meet-up turns into another evening of fun and sponging up more information regarding our adventure destination ahead.