Solstice Cruise - June 14-21, 2012
Looking out from Mannion Bay (Snug Cove)
Yay, I finally have my digital camera again. Hope that you enjoy the photos I took during the week I cruised along the Sunshine Coast from Vancouver to Pender Harbour and back.
The trip started off with a short tour around Vancouver's English Bay. Son Michael and his wife Anna came out for an evening. The next day, I took my friend Maureen for an extended cruise, giving her an opportunity to see all of the activities that take place in this busy harbour. That afternoon, with full tank of fuel, I started off to Bowen Island and anchored in Mannion Bay where I was treated to a steady pour of West Coast rain. It's like no other rain, so I accept no substitutes.
Saturday morning was still wet and moody, a day in which I took a slow ride over to Plumper Cove Marine Park on Keats Island. The damp weather continued as I spent the day there working hard at being lazy. A small boat had been found adrift at Gower Point, and it was thought that someone might be lost. All that day rescue craft combed the area looking for victims. The Cormorant helicopter from Comox flew overhead and the CCG hovercraft from Sea Island Base and the cutter from Kitsilano Base both passed close by. I suspect that in the end, it was merely a case of someone's boat coming loose from it's mooring, but this was a reminder of what can go wrong on the water and how lucky we are to have the resources at hand to mount a rescue.
Early the next morning, the weather was improving and I made a dash up the coast before anchoring in Smuggler Cove just 3 hours after setting off. I had not previously made this dash, as the lack of shelter enroute is a bit daunting. Smuggler Cove, however, is an anchorage that I had previously gone into. Within are several little nooks, one of which contains remnants of a fish trap, and they are easily explored by dinghy as the inlet is quite small. As usual, I spent the day, eating, reading and sleeping which, after an early start, was necessary. I also walked the trails in the surrounding park. The trail to the parking lot goes through beaver habitat that is home to all kinds of aquatic plants and critters. By evening, two other boats had arrived and I met Hannes, skipper on the SV Philopena. This very sociable gent sat in his dinghy beside me and we had a nice chat over a beer as the evening settled around us. Although still overcast, the weather was at least pleasant and dry now.
The morning of the 18th, I was to meet my friend Rob at Secret Cove. I was just leaving the snug shelter offered by Smuggler Cove and pounding into the rough seas brought on by a strong NW when my phone rang and Rob said that he would not be at Secret Cove at the appointed time. I quickly did a 180 and we made plans to meet later in the day. A visit with Rob offers the opportunity to shower at his house and shop for necessities in nearby Sechelt. This time, that included a new pair of rubber boots as my old ones were falling apart after I somehow spilled diesel oil on them. As we were returning back to the boat, we ran into Hannes and convinced him that he should come with us to Garden Bay Pub for a real lunch. The three of us cruised up to Pender Harbour in the Port Nut as the afternoon morphed into bright sunshine so that the day turned into a memorable outing. It was evening by the time we anchored again in Smuggler Cove and I rowed Rob ashore. I was nearly ready to turn in, but Hannes felt that it was fair that we should now drink one of his beers. We spent some time on the Philopena listening to Mozart and talking as the evening descended.
I slept in a bit the next morning, knowing that the wind would again stay up until late morning. I set off at 1020 and made the trip to Gibson's in 4 hours. There, I fueled the Port Nut and came up with some fun numbers while I was at anchor in Plumper Cove:
Distance Traveled: 83 Nautical Miles
Engine hours accumulated: 15.5
Fuel added: 37.0 litres
Averaged 5.3 knots; burned 2.4 litres/hour; covered 2.2 nautical miles per litre; the hourly cost was $3.54; (8.3 NM/US gal)
After a break, and replenishing my water from a hand pump in the park, I departed Plumper Cove at 1755 for Centre Bay on Gambier Island. There is a pretty little nook on the west side just in from the entrance where I swung at anchor all by myself. A few summer homes line the shore, but there was no one around.
On the 20th, I left Centre Bay on a beautiful sunny morning. I had never been past Port Mellon before and cruised close in on my way to Porteau Cove. The view of the pulp mill at Port Mellon brought back old memories of my years working at Eurocan in Kitimat. This one was very picturesque-looking; all clean and tidy and placed picture-perfect on the shoreline. Bright sunshine and verdant slopes back-dropped the pretty picture. It's sad to me, however, that along with local air and water pollution, these huge consumers of fibre help to denude forests that then cause hillside erosion which silts up the salmon-spawning creeks. I am seriously concerned that industrial logging, historic over-fishing and now aquaculture are the three strikes that wild salmon runs have against them. I don't hold out much hope for their survival and it appears that we have pretty much tapped out Mother Nature's resiliency in this and in every other respect as well.
But back to the story. Arriving at Porteau Cove enabled me to stop for lunch. There are two docks that form part of the BC Ferries loading ramp. These are exposed but on this day, the weather was tame enough for me to fry up an omelet and boil some water for a strong cup of coffee. After the peace and quiet of the past few days, Porteau Cove was jarring to the senses. A busy highway passes nearby and the noise is considerable. Being a sunny afternoon, there were a lot of people thronging the park facilities including a school bus full of little children who, with pails in hand, descended on the beach which was uncovered by the low tide. Happy squealing ensued but I was finished lunch anyway. I slipped my lines and slid on down to the south end of the park to see that there is a float for short stays and two mooring buoys for over-nighting at. Not very much protection should the weather get wild, and only dinghy access to the shore. This is a very popular park.
A cruise down Howe Sound took me to Horseshoe Bay where the BC Ferries make this a busy and noisy location. I only managed to get the end spot at the public dock and, it being low tide, I only had 3 feet of water under the keel. A woman came by and took multiple photos of the Port Nut. She was struck by her looks. A walk ashore assured me that the boat launch was difficult to use due to constant pedestrian traffic and there was no long-term trailer parking there. I was told by Sewell's Marina that they send long-term boat business up to Second Beach which is located 15 minutes north. I may have to check that out as when I got back to Vanier Park, I had no less than six parking violations on my windshield. The parking machine made it impossible to pay for long term parking and so I thought that I would deal with the fallout after I returned. As it turns out, I could have bought an annual pass and so use the lot throughout the year. By the way, EasyPark reduced my tickets so that it was cheaper than paying daily. After that favour, I think I will buy their annual pass. Vanier Park is a convenient location from which to launch and tour the city, or go into Indian Arm or Howe Sound. I suspect that crossing to the northern Gulf Islands is also possible from this take-off point and it would avoid crossing American waters off Pt. Roberts. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has instituted a call-in reporting procedure which promises to make traversing US waters tedious.
As the afternoon unfolded, the Port Nut cruised through English Bay toward Vancouver's False Creek. Creek is an English term for inlet that was in use in the 1800s when the area was being surveyed. On the way into False Ck. there was a broken down boat report and the Coast Guard was asking mariners for assistance. I was one of the volunteers and, although another boat towed the stricken craft in, I still felt that I played a small role, even if it was merely listening in to the the conversation and adding my willingness to assist. Early evening, and I'm joined by my wife for a dinner cruise complete with dessert. It was nice to be together with her again and very nice to be on the water enjoying the evening of the Summer Solstice. In False Creek, it is necessary to obtain an anchoring permit. You get these at the Welcoming Centre located under the Granville Bridge on the north shore at an office that is a renovated house boat. On the wall beside the door is a metal mail box with "Self-serve" applications. You simply fill it out and leave it while retaining the "Permit" to display on your boat's window.
The trip started off with a short tour around Vancouver's English Bay. Son Michael and his wife Anna came out for an evening. The next day, I took my friend Maureen for an extended cruise, giving her an opportunity to see all of the activities that take place in this busy harbour. That afternoon, with full tank of fuel, I started off to Bowen Island and anchored in Mannion Bay where I was treated to a steady pour of West Coast rain. It's like no other rain, so I accept no substitutes.
Saturday morning was still wet and moody, a day in which I took a slow ride over to Plumper Cove Marine Park on Keats Island. The damp weather continued as I spent the day there working hard at being lazy. A small boat had been found adrift at Gower Point, and it was thought that someone might be lost. All that day rescue craft combed the area looking for victims. The Cormorant helicopter from Comox flew overhead and the CCG hovercraft from Sea Island Base and the cutter from Kitsilano Base both passed close by. I suspect that in the end, it was merely a case of someone's boat coming loose from it's mooring, but this was a reminder of what can go wrong on the water and how lucky we are to have the resources at hand to mount a rescue.
Early the next morning, the weather was improving and I made a dash up the coast before anchoring in Smuggler Cove just 3 hours after setting off. I had not previously made this dash, as the lack of shelter enroute is a bit daunting. Smuggler Cove, however, is an anchorage that I had previously gone into. Within are several little nooks, one of which contains remnants of a fish trap, and they are easily explored by dinghy as the inlet is quite small. As usual, I spent the day, eating, reading and sleeping which, after an early start, was necessary. I also walked the trails in the surrounding park. The trail to the parking lot goes through beaver habitat that is home to all kinds of aquatic plants and critters. By evening, two other boats had arrived and I met Hannes, skipper on the SV Philopena. This very sociable gent sat in his dinghy beside me and we had a nice chat over a beer as the evening settled around us. Although still overcast, the weather was at least pleasant and dry now.
The morning of the 18th, I was to meet my friend Rob at Secret Cove. I was just leaving the snug shelter offered by Smuggler Cove and pounding into the rough seas brought on by a strong NW when my phone rang and Rob said that he would not be at Secret Cove at the appointed time. I quickly did a 180 and we made plans to meet later in the day. A visit with Rob offers the opportunity to shower at his house and shop for necessities in nearby Sechelt. This time, that included a new pair of rubber boots as my old ones were falling apart after I somehow spilled diesel oil on them. As we were returning back to the boat, we ran into Hannes and convinced him that he should come with us to Garden Bay Pub for a real lunch. The three of us cruised up to Pender Harbour in the Port Nut as the afternoon morphed into bright sunshine so that the day turned into a memorable outing. It was evening by the time we anchored again in Smuggler Cove and I rowed Rob ashore. I was nearly ready to turn in, but Hannes felt that it was fair that we should now drink one of his beers. We spent some time on the Philopena listening to Mozart and talking as the evening descended.
I slept in a bit the next morning, knowing that the wind would again stay up until late morning. I set off at 1020 and made the trip to Gibson's in 4 hours. There, I fueled the Port Nut and came up with some fun numbers while I was at anchor in Plumper Cove:
Distance Traveled: 83 Nautical Miles
Engine hours accumulated: 15.5
Fuel added: 37.0 litres
Averaged 5.3 knots; burned 2.4 litres/hour; covered 2.2 nautical miles per litre; the hourly cost was $3.54; (8.3 NM/US gal)
After a break, and replenishing my water from a hand pump in the park, I departed Plumper Cove at 1755 for Centre Bay on Gambier Island. There is a pretty little nook on the west side just in from the entrance where I swung at anchor all by myself. A few summer homes line the shore, but there was no one around.
On the 20th, I left Centre Bay on a beautiful sunny morning. I had never been past Port Mellon before and cruised close in on my way to Porteau Cove. The view of the pulp mill at Port Mellon brought back old memories of my years working at Eurocan in Kitimat. This one was very picturesque-looking; all clean and tidy and placed picture-perfect on the shoreline. Bright sunshine and verdant slopes back-dropped the pretty picture. It's sad to me, however, that along with local air and water pollution, these huge consumers of fibre help to denude forests that then cause hillside erosion which silts up the salmon-spawning creeks. I am seriously concerned that industrial logging, historic over-fishing and now aquaculture are the three strikes that wild salmon runs have against them. I don't hold out much hope for their survival and it appears that we have pretty much tapped out Mother Nature's resiliency in this and in every other respect as well.
But back to the story. Arriving at Porteau Cove enabled me to stop for lunch. There are two docks that form part of the BC Ferries loading ramp. These are exposed but on this day, the weather was tame enough for me to fry up an omelet and boil some water for a strong cup of coffee. After the peace and quiet of the past few days, Porteau Cove was jarring to the senses. A busy highway passes nearby and the noise is considerable. Being a sunny afternoon, there were a lot of people thronging the park facilities including a school bus full of little children who, with pails in hand, descended on the beach which was uncovered by the low tide. Happy squealing ensued but I was finished lunch anyway. I slipped my lines and slid on down to the south end of the park to see that there is a float for short stays and two mooring buoys for over-nighting at. Not very much protection should the weather get wild, and only dinghy access to the shore. This is a very popular park.
A cruise down Howe Sound took me to Horseshoe Bay where the BC Ferries make this a busy and noisy location. I only managed to get the end spot at the public dock and, it being low tide, I only had 3 feet of water under the keel. A woman came by and took multiple photos of the Port Nut. She was struck by her looks. A walk ashore assured me that the boat launch was difficult to use due to constant pedestrian traffic and there was no long-term trailer parking there. I was told by Sewell's Marina that they send long-term boat business up to Second Beach which is located 15 minutes north. I may have to check that out as when I got back to Vanier Park, I had no less than six parking violations on my windshield. The parking machine made it impossible to pay for long term parking and so I thought that I would deal with the fallout after I returned. As it turns out, I could have bought an annual pass and so use the lot throughout the year. By the way, EasyPark reduced my tickets so that it was cheaper than paying daily. After that favour, I think I will buy their annual pass. Vanier Park is a convenient location from which to launch and tour the city, or go into Indian Arm or Howe Sound. I suspect that crossing to the northern Gulf Islands is also possible from this take-off point and it would avoid crossing American waters off Pt. Roberts. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has instituted a call-in reporting procedure which promises to make traversing US waters tedious.
As the afternoon unfolded, the Port Nut cruised through English Bay toward Vancouver's False Creek. Creek is an English term for inlet that was in use in the 1800s when the area was being surveyed. On the way into False Ck. there was a broken down boat report and the Coast Guard was asking mariners for assistance. I was one of the volunteers and, although another boat towed the stricken craft in, I still felt that I played a small role, even if it was merely listening in to the the conversation and adding my willingness to assist. Early evening, and I'm joined by my wife for a dinner cruise complete with dessert. It was nice to be together with her again and very nice to be on the water enjoying the evening of the Summer Solstice. In False Creek, it is necessary to obtain an anchoring permit. You get these at the Welcoming Centre located under the Granville Bridge on the north shore at an office that is a renovated house boat. On the wall beside the door is a metal mail box with "Self-serve" applications. You simply fill it out and leave it while retaining the "Permit" to display on your boat's window.