9/12-18
Hi All,
We did finally leave Campbell River on Friday the 13th….gulp!!! We really did not do much in CR which is too bad for the 5 nights we were there…..provisioned, worked on the Cummins changing out the starter and then just sat out weather….the last few days it was very windy and raining hard so curtailed quite a bit of our exploring!!
We left before sunrise Campbell River…~6:30am…..sunrise now is close to 7am…..took us 11 hours to make the 74nm…..it was all bashing….10-15G20kts with 2-5′ sea chop all coming right at us…..ugh. I just washed Mystic and she got sea spray all over her again…..arghhhhh. We did bury the bow a few times and only boat slammed once that I can remember….all in all it was just a get it done passage.
Nanaimo was ok for what we saw. We ended up in Waterfront Marina….by my mistake….we had wanted to go to the City marina but Kathy gave me 2 #’s to call and I called Waterfront by mistake. Nobody and nothing at the marina so kind of boring. It was in Newcastle Channel and very protected from the big winds and rain on Saturday. We did take the sea walk down to the City Marina and while older it did have lots of stores and pubs so much more active.
On Sunday, the 15th, we did a 14nm passage to North Cove on Thetis Island. Dodd Narrows, about 6nm south of Nanaimo is another one of those rapids you need to time right at slack and so we did….along with 10 of our best friends:))) Except, a tug pulling a log boom decided he was the big boy and went into the Narrows going north (we were going South) and completely blocked the narrow entrance. Kathy called and the tug said you better wait, and so we did, but then another boat going north as well just went right next to the tug and then cut in front of us when the Tug had called to say we could pass. But, no harm, no foul so it all worked out!!
We anchored off Thetis Island in North Cove….nothing special….several homes in the anchorage but a nice view looking back north. We understand this might be the least developed anchorage between us and Sidney….we shall see.
Mr. Weather once again changed our plans. We had wanted to anchor one more night somewhere in the Gulf Islands but the forecast for Tuesday was 25-35G40kt winds and rain making our trip into the Sidney marina a bit sporty. So, we called the marina and they were able to take us a day earlier. We made the 30nm passage in very calm conditions and enjoyed the scenic passage down Stuart Channel and Sansom Narrows which for once we did not need to time. We were amazed on the amount of development and industry….many pulp factories with many ocean going tankers and various ships and many, many log booms and barges filled with sawdust.
We arrived around 12:30pm and easily found our berth in a very tight fairway…good thing we came in with calm conditions as this would have been difficult in 30kt winds. And, we are surrounded by other Selenes, Nordhavens and Krogens….wow, who knew. Not many people are on their boats as it seems this is a good marina to leave boats as well.
Wednesday, 9/17: The storm did hit early…lots of rain and we saw winds up to 25kts in the marina. But, by noon it was over….yea!!! Our friends, Cathy and Derek, came over for a drink and then took us to their home in north Victoria…maybe 20 minutes from the marina. Wow….it was sooooo good seeing these guys. We first met them in Belize in 2011….wonderful times diving the atolls in Belize!!! They were two years ahead of us crossing the Pacific and left many cookie crumbs for us as we followed in their wake. We had a great time catching up, eating a fabulous fresh tuna dinner, and then capped the evening telling more stories sipping a Balvenie 14 year old Scotch….one of the YB boys favorites!!! We also learned quite a bit about the salmon hatchery in Phillips River as Derek’s brother runs that operation…..wow…..small world, we had just been in that area a few weeks ago. We hope to visit these guys some more taking the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria!!! It was a very late night when Cathy took us back to Mystic Moon….and, still raining a little!!!
Weather: Yep….fall is here. The weather pattern has changed where a front/LO/storm is coming every 2-5 days. Up in Alaska, it is now every 2-3 days with lots of wind and rain. We were in Glacier Bay Park and surrounding areas just a year ago and had 3 weeks of glorious sunshine and calm conditions, albeit it did get cold at times!!! Sunrise is now 6:56am and sunset at 7:16pm….just a mere 12+ hours of sunlight:))))
The Plan: We will move over 20nm to Friday Harbor on Thursday, 9/18, and reenter the USA using the new CBP App. In FH we will enjoy the company of Les and Rose for a few days, a surprise visit from Mark & Roseanne, and a reunion with Phil & Leslie on sv Sagata, our Kiwi friends we haven’t seen in a month and a half….yea, let the good times roll!!!
Hope all is well!
John
Mystic Moon
PS: Got a gallery posted on the website: Sitka to Craig…yep, about 2 months behind posting pictures thanks to very slow internet along the way:
https://www.mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/Sitka-to-Craig-July-2019
Derek, John, Kathy and Cathy…..good times having dinner at D&C home!!