Monday, July 14, 2008

Intermission

Lund, BC, Canada


LUND - We are leaving the boat in Lund a few weeks while Steve drives the truck home after dispensing with stuff in the storage locker in Sidney. He'll leave the truck in Denver and fly back.


I have family matters in Atlanta: a nephew's wedding to attend and another new nephew to meet. We'll rendezvous in about three weeks here and ... to be continued....



There is nothing so desperately monotonous as the sea, and I no longer wonder at the cruelty of pirates. ~James Russell Lowell

Friday, July 4, 2008

North by Northwest

LUND, BC - We spent ten days anchored at Rebecca Spit Marine Park on Quadra Island.
Litha at Rebecca Spit

We had big campfires at night in the picnic area and walked the forested paths. Steve repainted a boat detail and started varnishing the toerail. This boat had little brightwork and Steve would like to change that. "It makes it pop," a designer would say. It sure looks a lot better than it did nine months ago. I caught a fish that looked like a baby shark. It got away, thankfully.

We left Rebecca Spit July 1, set the prawn trap, and anchored back at Savary to get some crabs. A tall ship was also anchored there. It turned out to be a "sail and life training" ship for young people.

A Bad Day
Our second night at Savary, the wind came up about midnight. I heard a noise, looked out and saw that the tall ship was close to us and was retrieving its anchor. We went out to look and they yelled over that they were moving to "avoid collision." Our anchor had dragged and we were adrift. Steve went to pull up the anchor and the windlass breaker tripped -- no windlass. It would lower the chain, but not pull it up. We motored to another spot (the wind had stopped and the sea was calm), dropped more chain, and kept a close eye on the depth gage and GPS.
Tall ship at Savary Island
We made it through the night, rigged a way to hoist the chain with a winch, then with the electric winch, and got the heck outta there. We couldn't find our float for the prawn trap, so there goes about $300. It was a bad day. But we made it to Lund and are docked in a protected spot in this small, crowded, and busy marina. The windlass motor will have to be removed and taken to a shop for assessment and mending.

Boat Widow
Me in Lund, BC
Steve has now gone to fetch the truck in Nanaimo and left me alone on the boat for 4-5 days where I can become an expert at assisting boats who want to raft alongside us. Lund is a busy place because it is the only harbor and market for miles around; it is close to Desolation Sound, destination for many boaters from Vancouver; and this is high season on the water. I also get to visit with my new friend, Fran, eat lots of goodies from Nancy's Bakery, and watch basset hound videos on YouTube since there is a good Internet connection here.

"The sea pronounces something, over and over, in a hoarse whisper; I cannot quite make it out." ~Annie Dillard