Anchored in Port Graves, Gambier Island
TIME: 2013/03/28 23:32
LATITUDE: 49-28.42N
LONGITUDE: 123-21.25W
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Test post via HAM RADIO SSB
Recently upgraded SSB radio with P4 Dragon modem, allowing us to post positions etc via email
Saturday, 23 March 2013
Pelagia sails again -- Mast re-stepped (finally)!
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| Sailing home after re-stepping mast (Point Grey and North Shore mountains in distance) |
Again, the weather made things difficult for us. With an appointment at 2pm on Tuesday with the crane in Steveston, Sunday and Monday gave us strong (20-25 kn) northwesterly winds -- which would make the 27nm trip at best uncomfortable and possibly worse (wind over tide at Sand Heads). We waited and watched all day Monday; finally saw a decrease of wind and seas late afternoon. Forecast was for a further decrease, so we left at 5pm, making for "Coward's Cove" at the end of the North Arm of the Fraser River, with plan to anchor just before the sun went down at 730pm.
Arrived Coward's Cove 7pm, after an exceedingly rolly trip when beam-to the seas around Pt. Grey. (My goodness, how a sailboat without its mast ROLLS with small waves!). "Cove" was empty and looked like a good choice for the eve (this was our first time here). Charts show 10 ft at zero tide; we arrived on a rising tide, currently at ~4ft above datum. Surprise, surprise, we bump the soft sandy bottom (i.e., <6ft). Becoming darker, we decide to anchor closer to the river channel in about 8 ft. Luckily, a calm night windwise, but the river remained busy with commercial traffic all night. Not much sleep -- noisy and rolly; up at first light to hi-tail it out of there. (No, we're not likely to re-visit Coward's Cove!)
Arrived Steveston early (1130am) -- moved crane appointment earlier due to coming severe weather forecast. (Gale warnings, rainfall warning; even a waterspout warning!)
Mast re-stepping went very smoothly -- again thanks to Paul and Gus at Ocean Rigging.
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| Mast in parking lot (in the distance, Michelle checking out boom) |
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| Mast rolled out to crane/travel lift slot |
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| Mast lifted |
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| Gus and Paul being very careful... |
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| putting in mast partners |
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| Mast boot... tried-n-true inner tube method |
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| Completed mast boot (lots of rain overnight w/o a leak!) |
Next day (Wednesday), we were stuck at dock in Steveston with gale-force winds all day, until sunset. Thursday morning the winds were down to Northwest 5-15 knots, giving us a perfect sail all the way from Sand Heads (end of Fraser River South Arm) to Snug Cove on Bowen Island (after first visiting the Stellar's sea lions and cormorants near Sand Heads). Our first night "cruising" since September! Friday, we managed another sail most of the way back to Vancouver.
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| A very large (male) Stellar's Sea Lion |
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| Cormorants and sea lions at Sands Heads |
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| Sailing north |
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| Finally, a mast with sails! |
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| Pelagia at Snug Cove (Bowen Island), after a great sail from Sand Heads |
Great to be sailing again!
Tuesday, 12 March 2013
This is not a baby step...
Our moves towards sailing away (into the sunset? to Mexico? ...) have not always been large. Some may even think we've been making mostly "baby steps".
Well, today we took a BIG step: Our condo went on the market today.
Selling our condo, where we've lived for the past 17 years, is not easy. But it is time. Assuming we do get it sold, it will be one less thing to worry about while we are sailing, and one less expense (a significant expense).
Should it not sell, it is not critical. We still go sailing.
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