Weekend getaway to Whistler

We had just completed grocery shopping with a plan to sail over to Port Graves/Artaban on Pelagia, to relax for a couple of days (including swimming, of course!). But we had a hankering to go to Whistler one last time before heading south. Our unit at Whistler was available, so off we went on a "holiday" from Pelagia.

Beautiful weather (sunny and 27 deg Celsius), we manage a couple day hikes, a valley bike ride, and swims in Lost Lake.

First hike was up to Brandywine Meadows. Generally, the fastest/easiest trail to get up to alpine meadows (excepting cheating by taking Whistler's lifts...), Brandywine trail seemed more tiring than previous trips. Perhaps we are getting older? But it was beautiful. Rewarded by a swim in Lost Lake upon our return.

Brandywine Meadows -- view towards Mt. Garibaldi

Brandywine Meadows

Arm shot proof we made it...

 
Next day, we decided to tackle the steep tough trail up to Wedgemount Lake/Glacier (1300 metres elevation gain). Tiring, but well worth it, with great views. It took us 7 hours return (including lunch and other stops). At the end, too tired to make it to Lost Lake for a swim.

Wedgemount Lake and glacier

Mountain wildflowers: "anemones"

 

Our last day we did an easy bike ride on the "Valley Trail" in Whistler. A couple hours cycling then a cooling off swim in Lost Lake. 

It was great to get back up to the mountains. Unusual feeling to sleep on a stable (and huge) bed. We vegged-out on TV, enjoyed the ensuite laundry, and marvelled at the dishwasher (how quickly we forget such luxuries unavailable on Pelagia!).

Not sure when we will get back up to Whistler -- next Summer perhaps?

PROJECTS FOR JULY/AUGUST

Time is ticking for our late-August departure south.

We have many projects we are hoping to complete. Some are important; others are "nice-to-do".

For example (in no particular order):

•  Haul boat, paint bottom etc (completed)
• Install fans in v-berth (completed) and quarter berth, and more in main salon
• Purchase and install solar panels (in process)
• Minor engine work (new impeller, etc)
• Re-tune new standing rigging
• Remove forward diesel tank (under V-berth, we've never used it) and replace with water tank (in process)
• Purchase/install pedestal chair for nav desk
• Install tie downs for liferaft
• Non-skid for deck
• Dodger revisions (add opening window)/minor repair (in process)
• Install lee cloths
• Install new refrigerator (of course, our old one now seems to be doing fine...)
• Add tie-downs for various items

This is a short list of a much larger list -- our Excel spreadsheet is up to 160 items -- 96 of which have been completed since 2011. Many of them major, such as new sails (2011), new running (2011) and standing (2013) rigging, SSB (2012),  Hydrovane (2013), new instruments, etc.

Then there are the non-sailing "administrative" things required to sail south. Sell condo (done), storage locker (done), mailbox (done), new passports (done), etc. etc.

But we are getting there.

Haul-out in Nanaimo: Good experience with Nanaimo Boatyard at Stones Marina

We hauled out at Nanaimo Boatyard (“NB”) at Stones Marina. Our first time at this boatyard, we had heard good reviews from friends, their prices were better than Vancouver area and, importantly, they have a large Travelift, so we would not have to remove our backstay.

Now that's a dirty bottom...

Our plans were fairly simple: (i) haul out and pressure wash the bottom (by NB), (ii) wetsand/clean the bottom then 2 coats of bottom paint (by us), (iii) replace 3 zincs (by us); (iv) fair keel’s very minor nick (by NB) , (v) repack stuffing box, check stern tube hose, and consider dripless stuffing box (by NB), and (vi) if time, polish hull (by us).

We booked a nearby motel, not being sure what it would be like to stay aboard at this boatyard. Turns out, this was not necessary. The boatyard allowed staying aboard and would have been perfectly comfortable, with good showers, etc. Oh well, next time….

The haul out (and splashing back in) was the most careful we have yet experienced. The yard very organized. The pressure washing was definitely the best we have seen. But the better surprise was how quickly NB staff got onto the items we requested them to do. Half a day into the haulout, the stuffing box was shining, repacked and with a new stern tube hose (turns out, after measuring, they determined a PYI dripless box would not fit), and the keel was faired and sanded (as I said, it was minor: it only cost $42 to repair!). Meanwhile, David was still scraping/sanding the bottom, and Michelle polishing! After two nights (due to low tide, we had to haul out/in in the later afternoon), we were finished.

Very impressed with Nanaimo Boatyard at Stones Marina.

After splashing back into the water, we spent an evening at the Nanaimo Yacht Club's reciprocal docks (good facilities), then had an excellent sail across to Howe Sound -- so much faster with a clean/smooth bottom!), where we recovered in Port Graves for 2 nights (we were tired!) before returning to our home dock at VRC in Vancouver.

Away from the dock...

A quiet night in Port Graves/Camp Artaban, then a good sail across(aided by Fin...) to Clam Bay for a couple of nights. Nice sunny day today -- splurged by buying a bumbleberry pie from Howling Wolf Farm (Thetis Island). We head to Nanaimo Monday (June 17th), where we will haul out for a few days for bottom cleaning/painting, etc.
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At 6/17/2013 4:03 AM (utc) our position was 48°59.06'N 123°39.11'W

CONDO SOLD... Our Great Purge

Guess we gotta sail south now...

Boxes for locker... boxes for boat... stuff for donation

Condo emptied and cleaned... Goodbye to our home of 17 years!

Our day to move out, May 25th, came too quickly.

Back in March, when we put our condo on the market, we expected it to take several months to sell. Not so: we sold in less than 2 weeks, and found ourselves faced with more than the typical move! We thus began a discombobulating 7 weeks.

Essentially, we did an almost complete purge. A couple of decades of possessions -- what to keep? Very little! With only a small storage locker, all furniture had to go, as well as most of our possessions/clothes etc. Friends, charities and, especially, the many binners in our West End alley were all beneficiaries of our purge.

The final week came and we were on top of our move. Indeed, we turned over the keys a day early. We then retired to Pelagia somewhat shell-shocked, wondering what the hell we had done!

We are dividing up where we are staying: on the boat (both at the dock and at anchorages), up at Whistler, as well as plans for visits with friends/family, and a short-term rental (during boat work).

Hydrovane installation and first use

Our new Hydrovane is now installed and (thus far) works great!

Our Hydrovane "Fin" installed on Pelagia

First try -- "Fin" worked great immediately (sailing in English Bay)

We purchased our Hydrovane just over a year ago. Will Curry (who is currently sailing their Beneteau Hydroquest in French Polynesia) from Hydrovane came down to Pelagia to check measures and suggest placement. Will recommended mounting the Hydrovane with an "H" bracket on the stern grid (after "beefing up" the stern grid) and an "A" bracket on Pelagia's transom. Will's in-person check really helped (of course, it helps that "Hydrovane International" office is located in nearby West Vancouver)!

Last Spring (2012), we contacted an installer recommended by Will -- unfortunately, that person turned out to be completely unreliable and strung us along and finally never showed up. (Yes, we noted our negative experience to the Hydrovane folks.) Lucky we had, by then, postponed our departure by 1 year. 

It turns out that our rigger, Paul at Ocean Rigging is also an installer recommended by Hydrovane. One thing we know about Paul, besides his good work, is that when he agrees to a job, he does it when he says he will (weather permitting, of course).

Paul and Gus came down to Pelagia a couple weeks ago, and we began the process of mocking up the placement of the Hydrovane. (The "mockup" uses PVC pipes to determine placement of brackets and lengths required for the stainless steel pipes.)  This was a rather drawn out process, and we ended up with a placement of the "A" bracket that was somewhat different than suggested by Will. (Will thought the "A" bracket would go to either side of the transom walk-thru, but this was not possible with the fixed 40-degree angle of the bracket.) We found that one arm of the "A" bracket could be placed below the walk-thru and the other arm placed starboard to the walk-thru. A benefit of this is it allows easy access to the stern grid (for swimming, dinghy access, and for putting on/taking off the Hydrovane rudder).

Gus & Paul check angles of mockup (white tubes are PVC)

"H" bracket on stern grid (not yet reinforced); "A" bracket on transom

Significant reinforcement of stern grid underside (all stainless steel)

"H" bracket on top of anodized aluminum backing plate

It took a little over a week to complete the reinforcement of the stern grid -- we did a little more "beefing" up than suggested by Will Curry. Nothing wrong with building something stronger.

Last week, we got together again, and did the final measures and installed the Hydrovane. This too required the better part of a day.

The next day, Michelle and I headed out on Pelagia for a few days sailing (in the sun!). Immediately upon entering English Bay, we hoisted our sails and tried out "Fin" the Hydrovane (well, it looks like an Orca's fin, and Vancouver fans will know "Fin"). Amazingly, we got Fin to work on our very first try! (It probably helped that we'd had previous experience with a windvane -- a Monitor -- when sailing on SV Berkana back from Hawaii in 2004.) After several tacks, we set course across Georgia Strait: Fin guided us all the way across to Porlier Pass, where we then anchored in Clam Bay. A couple days later, Fin again guided us from outside of Silva Bay all the way back across the strait to Bowen Island.

In Snug Cove (Bowen Island). Fin "resting" after steering us across the strait

Look Ma, no hands! Fin steering us in English Bay

It is still early, but we are pretty happy with Fin, our new crew member.



(Again, thank you to Paul and Gus of Ocean Rigging, and to Will of Hydrovane.)

Easter 2013: Sunshine!

Out for 4 days/nights. Beautiful sunny warm days. One night at Snug Cove (Bowen Island) and three nights anchored in Port Graves (Gambier Island). Unfortunately, only a little actual sailing.

Point Atkinson and Vancouver

Sunny Vancouver in its glory...