Friday July 25, 2014

Friday July 25 we reprovishing at Shearwater and on the way down the dock see the “Sprite V” that

Model of Willobee G 

 is/was owned by the son of the builder of our old 1927 boat Mr. Goodwill. His dad had built and owned the beautiful 47 foot “Willobee” G which we later owned and restored.  I had hoped to visit with the people on board but they left before I could connect with them. We carried a model of her (W.G.) that I made in Palm Springs and brought her along for the ride. The real thing went to Alaska in the 40/50’s with “Pursuit Star” that was later owned and restored by our friends Neil and Sue Anderson. I might add that as a historical note P.S was built in Victoria in about 1943? In the Star Ship yards and as the boys were on duty with war stuff she was built by the ladies at home. She like “Willobee G” was fortunate to fall into loving hands and restored to better than new and spent as sisters cruising the coast together with Penny, Sue, Neil and I for many years. 

We are about to leave Shearwater and Bill Wheeler of “CELIDH” (pronounced) KALIE with a broad Scottish accent. Bill and Eileen are enthusiastic ‘go north’ boaters. He is having some alarm problems and we had a technical discussion about how to solve this not to serious problem and they are here for parts.

Barge Load of Goodies for Bound for Alaska

 Coast Guard have been calling for strong wind warnings but it is difficult to understand the weather patterns in this country. Coast guard tends to over react and miss the stuff that matters, or it may happen at Dixon Entrance that it’s raging and be flatter than pie on pie plate 60 miles away. You just don’t know.  If you’re to listen to every weather report and they are talking 25 MPH winds, somewhere out there, you would probably tie to a dock and never move. You have to be a little brave but not dumb. Dumb is when you get the shit kicked out of you.

Stained Rock Wall in Fougner

We have made are way to Rick and Faye’s (fav spot). It’s a shallow entrance with a few “xx” on the bottom but a very bomb proof small bay. We enter FOUGNER BAY and think we have it all to ourselves but hidden around the corner is a sailboat called “Celtic Blue”.  Its admiral has launched her kayak and is putting around the bay.  We have a brief discussion about their arrival time and it was only about one hour before us. They are members of the West Vancouver Yacht Club and it turns out that they know Al and Betty Bartlett. Al was Commodore BYC before me; I mention that Al has gone to the DARK SIDE AND BOUGHT A POWER BOAT. 

Short time later a small tug style boat arrives and puts her pick down. It is a great feeling of confidence that in this Great North waters, we have selected this bay to ride the forecasted high winds out in that everyone else also feels safe in. It is now 11.00 o’clock at night and I will wait for the wind to rattle the flags’ and now go to bed for zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.