From Ganges, BC

August 20, 2010

We dropped off my cousin Bob and his wife Karen in Nanaimo and joined up with our friends, Larry and Marci. We had a great time with Bob and Karen and the boat seems empty with them gone. Larry and Marci came up to Nanaimo in their 30 foot Bayliner Express Cruiser from Everett to cruise home with us. They travel at 20 knots and since we can only go 7 ½ knots, Larry was willing to slow down some so we could stay together on our passages.

We left Nanaimo at 11:30 so we could catch the slack current through Dodd Narrows, however, we were a little early and we had a couple of knots of current against us as we went through the narrowest part. There were quite a few boats waiting to traverse the rapids as everyone is now heading south towards home. We headed to one of BC’s Provincial Parks, Princess Cove, which is located on Wallace Island. We have never been there, but heard many good reports so we thought we would gave it a try. When we arrived it was blowing over 15 knots right down the cove. In most parts of this cove it is required to anchor and then stern tie to shore so the boat will not swing on the anchor so it allows for more boats. The problem was that the wind was trying to force the boat 90 degrees to the anchor. I got the line to shore OK, but it was almost impossible to pull the boat around so it would be perpendicular to the shore and in line with the anchor. Another boater in the cove noticed my problem and used his inflatable dinghy to push my boat in line with the anchor while I tightened the shore tie line. When this was done, Larry brought his boat along side and we rafted together so we could socialize. This caused even more strain on the anchor and shore tie. I took my dinghy and brought his anchor out off the side of his boat to drop his anchor and line. This helped keep our boats from being pushed sideways to the wind which made us pretty secure. This whole procedure took about 2 hours of hard work and we where all exhausted. About an hour later, a 50 foot sailboat came in and dropped his anchor very close to where we were. After the wind died down, we retied our stern line further downstream to keep us from drifting if the wind or currents changed over night. As it turned out, that was a good thing as the wind changed direction and we drifted even closer to them the next morning. It never hurts to have an extra line out in crowded anchorages even when stern tying.

The next day we headed again to Ganges on Salt Spring Island so could attend the Saturday market. We stopped here last year with Larry and Marci and really enjoy their amenities. We wanted to get there early as we felt it would be easier to find dock space. This is a favorite stop for boaters, especially in the summer. Larry went first and found a spot on the dock and then found another boater who was about to leave. He talked them into waiting until we arrived so we could have his space. Amazingly, another friend of mind, Robb, was already at the dock and was there to help us tie up. It was amazing because last year when we came to Ganges, Robb was also at the dock to help us and that was the last time we saw him. What a shock! Robb, Larry, and Marci joined us for a great steak dinner on our boat that evening and everyone told sea stories. It was a fun evening.

Our plan is to leave Ganges tomorrow and head back to the USA to clear customs and perhaps spend a few days in the San Juan Islands before heading to Whidbey Island to see brother, John and his wife Joanne and then head home on the 26th.