Friday August 1, 2014

 

 

Friday August 1 Listen for the weather and there are gale warnings on the Johnstone Straights and I just cosy a little deeper into the SETTEE.

 Our cell phone is working and Penny gets a call from her three sisters.  “The twisted sisters” announce that Jamie’s surgery went well and they want to get together for a boating holiday. All are gathering like a storm on the horizon to organize my life!

The sailboat from Port Moody is preparing to weigh anchor and we have a short chat about boats about stuff and they mention with great fondness their meeting Rob and Wanda Goodheart (“BANOOK”) when on a trip north and the conservation leads to Deep Cove Yacht Club where they have crewed on their weekend racing sorties. The yachting community is a bit thinner past Desolation Sound. The chances of a closer connection with the boaters that you see often, diminishes as the boats and crew require more demanding skill sets and the time factor. Weather plays a role as the further north you perambulate fog and rain are more likely and the conditions become like early beautiful fall days. Vessels tend to be diesel powered due to the requirement of an extended cruising range and the superior fuel efficiency.

A number of years ago when fuel prices were not what they are today we were fueling up behind 2 larger Tollycraft and they came up from Seattle in 3 days. They were still fueling at $5000.00 each and both had just started on the second tanks. They were grimly hanging on to the fuel nozzle as reality was setting in. We saw them some time later and they were both putzing at 8 knots. The cost of fuel expenditure goes up expediently with the increase in speed. Had the Tollys come at 8 knots their cost of fuel would have been less than half and they would see the essence of what most yachts people come for, the Sea otters playing with their pups, the finning of salmon on the clear surface of the waters, the bears rolling rocks on the beach, the eagles snagging a salmon in its talons on the fly and the humbling breath taking experience of a humpy in flight as it breaches the surface and turns the ocean into white spume.

You cannot capture this experience at 17 knots as you are focused on navigation and what’s ahead on the water and most of these wave makers cannot even afford to release their eyes from the horizon to see the real go North Yachters struggling through their massive wake. Maybe they’re too arrogant?  In this day and age with the concern of hydro carbon emissions it is not cool or responsible to steam up Indian Arm tearing up the water or tearing up the coast (sorry about the rant).

Being totally self-reliant would be high on the successful and pleasant go North Experience, spare alternators, impellors, propellers, starter motors, anchor and ground tackle, fuel and Oil filters etc etc. You cannot cover all the bases but having them close aboard may mean not cutting your Precious vacation cut short and having to rely on what could a very long costly and dangerous tow back to be serviced.