2024: Desolation Sound - Meeting Friends

-


I am always a bit sad when our time in the PNW draws to a close.  Each visit is amazing.  Maybe I feel this way because of the grandeur of the experience.  One never knows when or if you will again visit.  It is like saying goodbye to an old friend who lives far away, hence there is uncertainty about future time together.  The PNW experience invokes strong emotions, feelings and thoughts.  It is beautiful in its stature and harmonious in its vastness.  It is the kind of emotion that feeds the soul.  You do not want it to end.  Being in nature reminds you that there is a rhythm to life that is simplifying in that it strips away the unnecessary chaos which waits to assault upon return to “civilization”.  Perhaps my reluctance to leave is procrastination.  I like the simple rhythm and want to delay the tenseness and harshness that accompanies chaos.  Perhaps this all boils down to the fact that I like being on vacation and the simplicity is avoiding responsibility.  If that is the case.  I’m glad I’m retired, the house is paid off, no debt, the kids are doing well, no work projects are due on Monday, and I have the freedom and means to enjoy life.  I feel fortunate.


Friends




We were thrilled to be able to re-unite with John and Brenda, a boating couple from Vancouver Island, who we met last summer.  We laugh, talk, eat and enjoy our time together.  We have benefited from their extensive knowledge of British Columbia.  When we are planning where to go next, chances are excellent John and Brenda have been there and can share there and willingly share there knowledge. The people you meet along the way is an important part of why we love boating.  You help each other.



John and Brenda took us on a tour of Gabriola Island.
Nothing like having locals share their experience and knowledge.
Thanks!




Speaking of friends, we rendezvoused with fellow Loopers, Tim and Stephanie, with whom we travelled on the east coast in 2022.  They keep their vessel in Florida and since the Loop have enjoyed trips to the Bahamas as well as exploring Florida.  They rented a boat in Washington state so they could explore and experience the Pacific Northwest.  It was so much fun spending time with fellow survivors of the "Polly's Gut" experience!



We had dinner together at the Heriot Bay Inn



Mike and Beth at Heriot Bay Inn



Heriot Bay was a dinghy ride from our anchorage at Rebecca Spit.



Tim and Stephanie on their way to Heriot Bay



Heading back to our boats after dinner.


Stephanie retrieving their anchor as they prepare to depart Rebecca Spit.

In addition to Tim and Stephanie we also randomly met the crew of CAVU, a large Kady-Krogen, when we were in Brentwood.  We also talked with two other Looper couples, one couple we encountered as we were transiting northward from Cape May, and the second couple we had not previously met.



Friends from Home


We found out some friends from home, who we have known for almost 50 years, were vacationing on Vancouver Island,  So we met to take them on a boat tour of the surrounding area.  This is the first boatload we hosted.



And this is the second boatload!



Bart was my copilot for the trip to Cowichan Bay
We visited True Grain Bakery for lunch.
This is one of our favorite stops on Vancouver Island.



Resourcses


 
Location: Heriot Bay, BC V0P 1H0, Canada

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Summer 2024: Amy Marie Returns to the Pacific Northwest

-
Image
Kingston Washington Waterfront The majestic terrain and contrast of mountains, forests, and water have lured us back to the Pacific Northwest for another summer of cruising.  It is simultaneously peaceful and powerful.  It is the essence of harmony until a storm arrives and then it is the chaos and fury of wind, rain, and tumultuous seas.  All attract us to visit.  We are outdoor people and spend as much time as possible outside.  However nothing, with the exception of backpacking, has ever brought us continuously closer to nature than boating the PNW.   It's second virtue is it ability to slow and focus your life.  The stress of city living melts away as soon as we splash the boat.  The many competing electronic connections of our overly intrusive push communication world are put on hold.  It is such a relief.  Have we perhaps overdone it?  Instead the focus is on weather, sea conditions, tides, currents, winds, provisioning, ...
Read more

Amy Marie Visits: The Day the Diesel Died...

-
Image
Every boater dreads the day their trusty diesel quits singing its sweet tune.  We experienced this once before in a boat with twin diesels.  Much less drama as you can easily travel on a single engine.  Amy Marie is equipped with one diesel, any unexpected stoppage is cause for concern.  Especially when you are in the middle of a bay in Desolation Sound with eight hundred feet of water under the keel.  You can't just drop the anchor and begin troubleshooting.  You drift at the whim of the currents and wind. Once a diesel is running, only one thing will cause it to cease operation.  That is the lack of fuel.  Combustion occurs as the piston compresses air to a temperature sufficient to ignite the diesel fuel that is injected into the combustion chamber.  Our task was to discover why the engine was experiencing fuel starvation.  The most common reason is contaminated fuel which can cause fuel filters to become clogged and prevent fuel from...
Read more

Great Loop: Jungle Cruise - Hontoon State Park

-
Image
Cruising Dead River near Hontoon State Park Great Loop:  Hontoon State Park – Jungle Cruise March 22 nd , 2022 It all began with a conversation on the dock.  We stopped to talk with a fellow on a Rosborough trailerable trawler.  He is retired and volunteering for a couple of months at Hontoon State Park on the St. John’s River.  As we always do, we made his acquaintance and inquired  about what fun or interesting things there are to do locally.  Mast is in the Down Position The conversation ended with “Can you get your air draft down to 10’ or less, I’m taking family out for a cruise around Hontoon Island tomorrow, would you are welcome to follow along?”  “We’ll be following a dead branch of the St. John’s River and it’s full of wildlife.” Why a 10’ air draft I asked.  Well for the overhanging trees was the reply.  Our Ranger Tug, being trailerable, has a fold down mast.  We can reduce our air draft to 9’.  We were in! We foll...
Read more