Adventures – Sailing Azure Seas

Sydney’s Invictus Games sailing

Sunday 21rst October 2018

Our yacht, Mercier, is a Beneteau from Vendee, France and we met her in Bandol. So we were very excited to be asked to host French Families and friends of French Invictus Warriors.

Sydney Harbour is an amazing place to share with guests and we had a Invictus flag to get us an anchorage right at the Sydney Opera House. Frosty, James and I wanted to make sure we got the best viewing position for our guests.

We were able to watch the Invictus Elliott’s practice in Rushcutter’s Bay and we were able to cheer the French team on and take a few photos.

We toured around the harbour near the Eastern Suburbs and then followed the Elliotts over to Farm Cove.

The clouds disappeared for awhile and we had some very close racing. The weather was kind to us. There were blue skies and the wind was only a little bit chilly.

The wind was strong going into Farm Cove until the top mark, but lighter on the return. France had won the Gold earlier in the morning for Cyrille Chahboune’s in the Hansa 303 in the morning.

‘Vive La France’ was shouted from Mercier.

As loud as we shouted for the French team from Mercier, the Danish team were incredible up on the hill. The Dutch and the UK also had a presence in Farm Cove.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex going to greet the winning Australian team

There were thousands of people on shore and in the water enjoying the Invictus Sailing. Our guests seem to enjoy the day too. We hope they enjoy the rest of their stay in sunny Sydney. Good luck to all the Invictus Warriors and their families.

Secret Cove and Snug Harbour

Vancouver isn’t kidding when it talks about its harbors, it waterways and the great time you will have sailing in these waters. You do get rain and you also get plenty of sunshine.

After Pender Harbor, we motored off to Secret Cove with about half the fleet. Turns out that was our last Green Box on a dock, so the order of the afternoon were drinks and sharing nibbles and talking the sun down. Actually before sun set, we heard music and before we knew it singers were pouring onto the docks and we spent the next hour singing songs from Amazing Grace to show tunes to Carole King and Janis Joplin. Old MacDonald got a workout.

In the morning, we all sailed or motored over to Snug Harbor, a marina that is the last vestige of the Union Steamship Company on Bowen Island. A great marina with shops and a great pub called Doc Morgan’s who fed the whole flotilla and kept Canadian Geese as guard birds.

And so we finished where we began, at the Royal Van in Jericho Bay. We had an amazing dinner with singers and an old English Folk Song, we had “thank you”s and that we all had a terrific time was duly noted. We were asking when the next ICOYC cruise might be scheduled because it is something many of us would like to do again.

I have to put it in writing that the despite what you might hear, the Death by chocolate was not the highlight of the trip, but it was certainly in the top ten.

Pender Harbour – Royal Van Outstation

We crossed the Malibu rapids again pre-dawn, on our way to the Royal Van Outstation in Pender Harbour. It was about 46 nautical miles in the rain.
The Enchanted crew were enclosed in clears to keep out the miserable weather.

We were happy to be going to an outstation with all the amenities of home. We could get off the boat and make our way to the lovely club house and sit and watch the rain. It cleared up during the late afternoon, and it was time to crack open a bottle of bubbles and toast our hosts.

This was a great spot and we could walk to a great local store, named John Henry’s, have hot showers, do laundry and have lunch in the club house. We were happy to go to a nearby restaurant in the evening. The Australian crew of Corus met us for dinner coming over by dinghy, as well as about half the flotilla. We completely filled the dining room.

Enchanting all! Crew of Corus in the red.

In the morning we go off to Secret Cove, but tonight we eat drink and socialise.

Princess Louisa Inlet and Chatterbox Falls

Since the first skipper’s meeting, the flotilla had discussed Chatterbox Falls and the Malibu Rapids. Protocols were discussed and reiterated, even the yachting guides err on the side of detailed strategies. We left in the pre-dawn darkness from Harmony Bay, so that we would reach Malibu Rapids at slack tide.

Malibu Rapids often has a 9-knot current ripping through a boulder sided narrows, we wanted to be sure to be there at the right time. Once you get to the rapids, you enter the granite fjord of Princess Louisa inlet, it was chilly and the clouds were at mast height but we were all ready to go through the rapids.

We let all the outgoing boats go through and then went through the rapids. We think because of the lack of rain in previous months, it was only about 2-3 knots of current. It was an anticlimax. Was that it?

We then motored up the six kilometers to Chatterbox Falls; she didn’t disappoint. We were all impressed by the thundering falls and the misty landscapes.

This is granite fjord country crafted by glaciers. Over the next two days we saw elegant Blue Herons fishing, a seal catching a giant silver salmon and bashing it from side to side on the water to stun it and raptors soaring over head. The lushness around the falls creates moss and lichen on every surface.

We could reach out and touch the clouds. They were often lying between the masts.

We took dinghies back to Malibu rapids to visit the Youth camp and see the rapids from above. Still not nine knots but a bit more formidable.

We met a hiker and asked how he came to Chatterbox Falls, replete in backpack and tent, he said float plane. He would go for his hike and then take the ferry back. Hiking through the trees was muddy but lush. Needless to say, this was a highlight of BC. Remote and accessible.

Garden Bay Outstation and the Harmony Islands

From Alexandra Island, we motor sailed to Seattle Yacht Club Outstation at Garden Bay. We had a green box get together after the Skipper’s Meetings, which was so nice, a club house with hot showers and a great place to mingle and meet other cruisers.

Garden Island, Seattle Yacht Club Outstation

On Thursday, we headed to the Harmony Islands en route to Princess Louisa Inlet. These islands are masses of granite, with forest going up from the waterline. Anchoring was a considered exercise because the water is so deep here. Canadian yachting said nearby Hotham Sound was 2,200 ft deep. A glacier had etched the islands out of granite mountains.

Once anchored, everyone (except the photographer) went for a swim and there were a few squeals at the 17 C degree water.

The skippers meeting was a cosy get-together with all hands, on the Starship- Malaika raft up, to discuss the next days journey up to Princess Louisa inlet and strategies for crossing the rapids and enjoying the wine.

Seals kept their distance but continued to fish and as the sun lowered on the horizon, we went back to Enchanted to enjoy the sunset.

Outstation Welcome

At Alexandra Island, we Aussie and other guests, quickly became aware of how hospitable our hosts were. Yachts came into the pontoon over the next several hours, with the first order of business being a Green box. In the parlance of the Pacific Northwest, a green box seems to be a combination of Aussie BYOB and maybe a Greek meze. In Australia, we meet on our boats most often but at the Outstations, we could all congregate on the dock.

Pam and Chuck Lowry and Val and John Robertson co-chaired our ICOYC Cruise and the amount of effort both couples had put in was patently evident. The main event at our Green box was Pam awarding all the boats their own windsock. There was a story to every windsock and there was no doubt how much work had gone into it.

Enchanted crew walked on the island’s paths and visited the small pavilion. The views were also lovely from the top of the hill.

The next morning, we were off to the Harmony Islands, with half the ICOYC group and two capable Captains to make sure we all arrived. But tonight we were all eating steaks underneath the Northern stars.

Outstations, Orcas and Seals

On the ICOYC cruise, the most remarkable club facilities were the amazing outstations. I am not aware of any Australian yacht club having a camping-gathering facility in another nearby waterway. The outstations we visited belonged to either the Royal Vancouver and Seattle Yacht Clubs. They were an incredible resource to the flotilla cruise. Here is a photo of Alexandra Island, a small island, 18 nautical miles NNW of the Royal Vancouver home port of Jericho, with very little infrastructure but 1200 feet of dock space. There are walking trails, a open air pavilion and picnic tables.

On the eastern shore there is a drying reef, with logs laid up against the reef, so no one would sail into it. When you are on the top of the island looking down, the eastern shore is on your right and the dock space is on your left. The tiny bay looks much like a letter U.

When we arrived people told us to hurry, Orcas were swimming on the far Eastern shore. We jumped off the boat and could see Orca’s in the distance. Then we heard about the afternoon’s events.

This blog is reporting an amalgamation of eye witness accounts, including one mention of “Never in my 35 years of visiting Alexandra Island, have I ever witnessed Orcas or seals at Alexandra Island. To say that everyone who saw the sight was stunned by what transpired.

The photos were taken by another flotilla member, Jan Horhammer. Jan was gracious enough to allow me to use his photos to give you an idea of what occurred.

When some of the early yachts arrived, there were a number of seals sunning themselves on the logs. The seals were far enough away from the dock to be unconcerned by the yachts and a few people swimming off the dock*.

Suddenly a large Orca swam near the dock, before ramming the inside of the logs, which saw several of the seals dive off out of reach. They seemed to think they had escaped the Orca. What they didn’t know was the rest of the family were just around the corner.

We did see a seal in the shallows but there was no evidence of the carnage that had taken place. The Orcas were just out for a bite of lunch.

* A recent article mentioned transient Orca pods are more likely to be looking for seals. Orca populations from the BC-Seattle area feed on Chinook salmon.

Starting the Enchanted Cruise

We know, the word cruise is getting a bit overused this trip. Today we are talking about the ICOYC Cruise, co-hosted by Royal Vancouver Yacht Club (Royal Van) and the Seattle Yacht Club. (Both are absolutely splendid, welcoming hosts.) This cruise is a flotilla of yachts, motoring sailing in the splendid waters of the British Columbia Sunshine Coast.

Our yacht, S/Y Enchanted was indeed the best charter on the cruise, as far as we could assess. Her crew is Jill, Robbie, David, John, James and Gaila.

We collected Enchanted in Nanaimo, sailing the next day to Vancouver to meet the two other Aussie Yachts and 23 other yachts with crew from Canada (Royal Vancouver Yacht Club), the US (Seattle Yacht Club & St Francis Yacht Club), Great Britain and sailors from Japan, Finland and Germany.

On day one, we start the never ending provisioning. On day two, we leave for Vancouver, we are berthed in the Quayside Marina at Yalestown. Great place to catch the ferry or catch up with our friend Simon, who lives in Vancouver.

We have a meet and greet at the Royal Van, and hear what the next ten days have in store for us. The best part of this flotilla is meeting people from all over and enjoying new places together.

The lanyards round our necks, had our names, yachts, clubs and the complete schedule on the back. When you consider we were going to a possible total of seventeen Outstations and several other anchorages, having a calendar was a brilliant idea.

The Royal Van at Jericho put on a lovely drinks on the deck and canapes in the dining room. By the end of the evening, everyone was relaxed and ready to start the next adventure.

Tomorrow we will talk about the Outstations.

Saying goodbye to the Sojourn and saying hello to Enchanted

James and I loved cruising Alaska and British Columbia. We loved catching up with new friends and old. Fun and excitement were on the cards every day. On our way back to Vancouver, Gaila had a great time answering the often asked: “So will you fly straight home?” with “Now we are going sailing”.

We were able to walk right off the ship on the 31st August and into Vancouver. A few texts alerted us to the fact that our friends had arrived and we would go to Nanaimo to collect S/Y Enchanted the next morning.

The ICOYC (International Council of Yacht Clubs) began a Cruise of the Canadian Sunshine Coast co-hosted by the Royal Vancouver and Seattle Yacht Clubs. We were looking forward to visiting the Royal Van and several outstations. We are looking forward Princess Louisa inlet and the Chatterbox Falls and discovering what Outstations are. There are three boats of Australians, we know it will be a wonderful ten days.

We are about to start the second chapter of this vacation.

Prince Rupert, 28 August

The Sojourn sailed into to Prince Rupert on the 28th August. Sandy and Gaila were not sure our visits would coincide, so it was a surprise when we received a text saying hello.

It was very foggy, rainy and visibility was low, so the ship’s fog horn blowing as we came up the channel. The noise woke Ric up and he said we are having breakfast come up to the Crest hotel. It was right next to the dock, so we walked up prepared for the 5 minutes in the mist.

On the way up to the hotel, we passed the Museum of Northern BC. This post and beam building isn’t Corinthian. The beams are massive. The museum itself is created to resemble a Northwest Coast longhouse. The artifacts are incredible.

Ric, James, giant beam and ancient totem

The masks and artifacts are handsome. There are weavings, capes made of maarten skins and walrus whiskers. Buttons are incorporated into the weaving and made of mother of pearl. This red mask might have given you pause on a misty evening.

Afterwards, Sandy wants to go for a walk in the pouring rain. She is serious. She has an umbrella. She shows us the trail map. The rain is getting heavier.

We go back to the Soujourn and find our raincoats and umbrellas and change to our mud shoes. Walking past the Port Edward waterfront, past the entire industrial waterfront and then on a path, at the end we will find a restaurant. The industrial waterfront goes on for quite a ways, the trail is the old goods train line that has been converted to a hiking trail. When we finally got to the trail head, the outlook was gorgeous and large bridges made the trail easy to traverse.

Still, it was raining.

The restaurant at the end of the journey had every appearance of being closed. Luckily for us, it was open and had the best French dip sandwich in Canada.

We return to the dock and we are getting used to the incessant rain, so we go and look for the Sunken Gardens, a small two story gardens near the courthouse. This rain means the Sunken Gardens are lush, even in late summer.

We will be meeting up with Ric and Sandy in September in Vancouver, but it’s great to catch up in Prince Rupert, BC. Even in the rain.

Category: Adventures