Mike and Beth's Adventures

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 sim...

A sailor is obsessive about many things, one of the most important being the weather.  It is a constant topic of conversation and investigation.  Prior to leaving Mill Bay we had to select a destination.  This can not be accomplished without checking the weather, tides and currents.  Tides by the way vary between 12 and 14 feet in this portion of British Columbia.  The weather report indicated a low pressure area would pass just north of us with 25 knot winds from the southwest and gusts in excess of 40 knots.  Our next stop would need to provide very good protection from these conditions. A vista point overlooking Saanich Inlet We settled on Tod Inlet, just south of Butchart Gardens.  It is enter via a narrow channel and is surrounded on 4 sides by tall forested ridges.  We had a day of good weather to get there and settle in prior to the blow. We walked to the entrance of Butchart Gardens This inlet has a lot to offer.  The bottom is heavy ...

The Pacific Northwest showed it's snarly personality during our Salt Spring Island visit.  Three days of rain and high winds plagued our visit. On the fourth day, we awoke to glorious blue skies and calm seas.  Wasting no time, we cast off and pointed Amy Marie toward Mill Bay on Vancouver Island.  This was a short trip of barely over 20 miles. We traveled south at 6 knots so Beth could cook a good breakfast and we could let the calm envelop us. The Gulf Islands are many and spread over a large area.  Inter-island travel is by boat or seaplane.  Our departure from Ganges was marked by a continuous stream of sea planes arriving or departing on a strip of water marked expressly for that purpose.  Yes, a nautical landing strip!  Watercraft were to stay outside this zone.   I just love the head turning sound of a de Havilland Beaver round engine revving for takeoff.  The PNW has resonated with this sound for the last 75 years as the Beaver f...

Otter Cove - North Pender Island Roesland Provincial Park Once a farm, Roesland became a resort in the 1920s and remained a popular resort until it closed in 1991. Many of the old cottages remain, and are fun to peek in. The owner's home, built in 1908, was converted for use by the Pender Islands Museum Society.  It is open on weekends and is a wonderful place for picnicking and relaxing and for learning about the history of North and South Pender Island. Watch for eagles, sea stars and Harbor seals.  We walked the path from the museum out to the point.  It is a short walk through the arbutus and Douglas fir trees.  Side trails provide access to the ocean on either side of the peninsula.   Otter Bay Resort is located on the far shore. At the tip of the peninsula there is a nice bench for sitting and admiring the view The head of the bay, and off Roesland Park, are good places to anchor Otter Bay Resort The Marina Office. The Island is serviced by a ferry fr...

After exploring Desolation Sound, we returned to Vancouver Island at Comox , and were there for Canada Day.  From there we continued south down the eastern side of Vancouver Island.  We only had tentative thoughts of what we wanted to see and do.  That is the joy of ambling.  Weather is the largest variable outside our control.  Wind direction determines which coves and harbors provide shelter and which, being too exposed, should be avoided.  People who are schedule driven would not make good sailors or amblers.  Trying to keep to an itinerary will invariably lead to making poor decisions.  We have departed anchorages only to return when we find sea conditions exceed our comfort level.  So, we have developed patience and cultivated a tactic that is based upon looking for weather windows.  Our criteria are simple.  Look for days when the wind is less than 15 knots and seas less than 2 feet.  Even when we carefully follow those g...