The Crew

Annapurna Circuit trek (3rd time), Nepal
The Crew:
Both of us are from Vancouver, B.C., Canada, now residents of Whistler, B.C. We (Michelle & David) retired early (in our 50s) so that we can sail south (we came back home to B.C. in 2015). 

David is a retired university professor; Michelle is a retired university administrator. 

Mountains and the sea are always pulling at us -- in addition to sailing, we both love skiing in the Winter and hiking in the Summer and Fall. That's why we moved our home base to the mountain resort of Whistler, B.C. Then there's Nepal, where we've completed 13 (Michelle) to 15 (David) treks.



Sailing experience: 

British Columbia sailing:
We purchased our first sailboat together in 1999, and have sailed local B.C. waters regularly since (including many trips to Desolation Sound and two trips to Barkley Sound, west coast of Vancouver Island, and several trips to the Broughtons). 

We've also done some much wider ranging trips in B.C.:


2002: Vancouver to northern B.C. coast/Haida Gwaii  via "outer" Inside Passage to Prince Rupert, over to and through Haida Gwaii, then "offshore" (overnight) to Winter Harbour on the west coast of Vancouver Island (VI), and down the outside of VI around to Tofino, Victoria etc and home to Vancouver.
Duration: 103 days    Total nautical miles: 1826 (~387 sailed)

2002 route to Haida Gwaii & back



2003: Vancouver to the north end of VI via the Broughtons and return.

2007: Vancouver to north of Cape Caution up to and around Aristazabal Island and back.

2011: Vancouver to northern B.C. coast/Haida Gwaii  via "outer" Inside Passage to Kitkatla (a little south of Prince Rupert), over to and through Haida Gwaii, then "offshore" (overnight)  back to VI, the Broughtons, Desolation Sound, Gulf Islands then home to Vancouver. [blog]
Duration: 94 days    Total nautical miles: 1545 (~244 sailed)

Hotsprings Island, Haida Gwaii (2011)
2011 route to Haida Gwaii and back

2016: Circumnavigation of Vancouver Island: with "detour" to Princess Louisa Inlet. [blog]
Duration: 79 days    Total nautical miles: 976 

Pelagia's 2016 circumnavigation of Vancouver Island


2018: to Northern BC coast and return to Haida Gwaii
Duration: 88 days         Total nautical miles: 1401
[blog]


2017, 2019, 2020: Vancouver to Broughtons (Northern Vancouver Island), and in between. 

 
Offshore sailing experience:

2004: In July 2004, we flew to Hawaii and sailed Hawaii to Vancouver as crew (skipper Jim and crew David and Michelle)  on a 40' Valiant (SV Berkana). We really enjoyed the 22-day, 2400 nm passage, which included everything,  from calms to boisterous trade winds to (two) 35-knot gales, clear sunny days and star-filled evenings, to thick thick fog.

2012: August-September 2012, we helped a friend (i.e., we crewed) sail his Cambria 48 from Vancouver B.C. to San Francisco. A quick trip: 3 nights in Port Angeles/Neah Bay, then six nights (5 at sea, 1 anchored in Drake's Bay) at sea, with winds on the nose (1.5 days) then (mostly) winds from behind. Learned good information for our 2013 trip down to SF and south, and became more aware of crewing ups and downs.

August 2013- June 2015: We sailed Pelagia down the west coast of the USA (Neah Bay to San Francisco area in one "hop"), then down the Pacific coast of the Baja peninisula, into the Sea of Cortez (distance cruised August 2013-May 2014: over 2000 nm). In late April 2014, we sailed Pelagia over to Mazatlan, where she spent the Summer of 2014.  Later in the Fall of 2014, we sailed Pelagia back to La Paz and the Sea of Cortez for a 2nd cruising season. In June 2015, we shipped Pelagia home to British Columbia via freighter.





Our boats:
#1: 1972 Cal 29 (1999-2001)
#2: 1982 C&C Landfall 38 (2001-2008)
#3: 1983 Sceptre 41 "Pelagia" (2008-current)


9 comments:

  1. Hi from CADENZA. WE met in San Jose del Cabo. You helped us in after dark. And again in the Sea of Cortez.

    Glad to hear you and Pelagia made it home safely. Cadenza is still in Puerto Vallarta. We are on Martha's Vineyard, MA for the summer.

    Please respond to Jay and Terri ( Cadenza ) at : pufftoad@aol.com

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    1. Hey Jay & Terri -- will be in touch. David

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  2. Just perusing your comments and pics of your Sceptre. It brought back wonderful memories of my Sceptre 41, “Entelechy.” Sailed a lot of the same areas of BC and then to Mexico in 2004. Sold her in 2009. Will always miss those wonderful adventures even when replaced with new ones. Living in Oregon now. Envying you Whistler residence.

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    1. Thanks Dan. Hope all is well down there during COVID-19.

      Delete
  3. Hi, I did not find another way (e-mail etc) to get in touch with you. Thanks for supporting me on the AnchorChainCalculator app. As to your questions: Citation: "Interesting Mathias. Perhaps a little pricey, but I am happy to support your project. What is a good vs ok (etc) snubber? (length? how old is snubber? snubber line nylon vs?) NO IDEA WHAT "8 BFT" MEANS OR HOW MEASURED. Not clear how to determine effect of swells (# joules?).Would be good to have options regarding combo chain and rope." Good versus ok etc snubber have different amounts of stretchability. When you select, e.g., "good", and then switch from Basic to Expert mode, you will see how much this snubber stretches at 8 BFT. Please note that I always talk about the amount of stretch, not the total amount of snubber, which is irrelevant (as long as I ignore the effect it has via its attachment point on the chain). 8 BFT (Beaufort) is a wind strength of 34-40 knots - this unit is perhaps not common in your part of the world. As to swell, the easiest is to look at your plotter and check the maximal Speed over Ground pointing straight AWAY from the anchor position. That is the value to punch in. By using the weight of your vessel the app will then know what energy in Joule this corresponds to. So, you either fill out the energy field, or the speed field. I find the latter easier. Finally, I make no statements regarding age of nylon. Hope this helps. Cheers, Mathias (SV SAN, www.trimaran-san.de)

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    1. Hi Mathias, I have replied to you by email. David

      Delete
  4. Hi, I did not find another way (e-mail etc) to get in touch with you. Thanks for supporting me on the AnchorChainCalculator app. As to your questions: Citation: "Interesting Mathias. Perhaps a little pricey, but I am happy to support your project. What is a good vs ok (etc) snubber? (length? how old is snubber? snubber line nylon vs?) NO IDEA WHAT "8 BFT" MEANS OR HOW MEASURED. Not clear how to determine effect of swells (# joules?).Would be good to have options regarding combo chain and rope." Good versus ok etc snubber have different amounts of stretchability. When you select, e.g., "good", and then switch from Basic to Expert mode, you will see how much this snubber stretches at 8 BFT. Please note that I always talk about the amount of stretch, not the total amount of snubber, which is irrelevant (as long as I ignore the effect it has via its attachment point on the chain). 8 BFT (Beaufort) is a wind strength of 34-40 knots - this unit is perhaps not common in your part of the world. As to swell, the easiest is to look at your plotter and check the maximal Speed over Ground pointing straight AWAY from the anchor position. That is the value to punch in. By using the weight of your vessel the app will then know what energy in Joule this corresponds to. So, you either fill out the energy field, or the speed field. I find the latter easier. Finally, I make no statements regarding age of nylon. Hope this helps. Cheers, Mathias

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi David,
    Thank you for posting such an extensive blog on your sailing experiences, it is inspiring to read. I am looking to purchase a Sceptre 41 in a few years to begin my own sailing adventure with my wife. We're in our early 50's and not retired yet but on the glide path. I am roughly 3-5 years out so I am starting to look for a comfortable, seaworthy vessel that I can trust and take anywhere. I know this is a long shot but please consider contacting me (jaythomasbaker@gmail.com) if you are thinking of selling her in the next few years.
    Take Care and stay safe,
    Jay

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    1. Thanks Jay!
      NO plans to sell Pelagia over the next "few years"!

      But I believe there are 2 Sceptres for sail in North America

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