Mike and Beth's Adventures

We visited Butchart Gardens the end of July.  I'm going to "interview" Beth about our visit. Q: Why did you want to visit Butchart Gardens? A: This time of year flowers were in bloom that we had not seen when visiting earlier in the year. For example the zinnias, the dahlias, the begonias, and the roses.  I also wanted visit later in the day,  after 5pm, as the tour busses have all departed by that time reducing crowd size.  We also timed our visit for Saturday evening as live music and fireworks were scheduled. "Ketchup and Mustard" rose Q: Where did you stay for your visit? A: There is a back cove at Butchart Gardens with 4 mooring balls.  It is located at the base of the Japanese Gardens.  It even has a separate ticket booth.  Boats can stay free for 24 hours, so the moorings are a hot commodity.  They are also limited to boats less than 40 feet in overall length.  As an alternative, if the mooring balls are full, boaters can anchor in Tod...

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 sees many strange sights while traveling the salty main. But the strangest sight we ever saw was our encounter with the Black Pearl.  We were headed south in a foggy mist, traveling slowly and picking our way through the San Juan Islands. Constantly watching our radar and scanning the horizon for nearby vessels and hazards, when a fully rigged Brig took shape as it emerged from the fog.   Silent as a ghost she was.  Sails were full in the wind. She had the weather helm and laid a course to intercept! Closer and closer she sailed. We feared our goose might be cooked. for she had the weather helm.  Closer and closer still onward she came, we had no place to run.... and With a burst of power we passed port to post, her boarding party ready on their rail.  They missed their chance to claim a prize.  They couldn't catch us now.  Denied their chance, they faded into the fog from whence they came, to seek others less lucky than us.  We can ...

The team at Ocean Pacific Boatyard did a fabulous job repairing the prop damage we suffered in the Octopus Islands.  We were so fortunate that Campbell River had a first class boatyard and prop shop.  Despite having a full schedule, the yard found time to haul us and pull the prop.  We then went back in the water until the prop was repaired and returned.  We were hauled once again and the prop was re-installed.  We immediately sea-trialed the prop.  Performance was excellent and it is balanced nicely.   Here the yard team is checking the shaft to see if it was bent.  No damage to the shaft, keel or other components was found. Here is the damaged prop shortly after Amy Marie was hauled This is the repaired prop ready for installation.  Isn't it beautiful!  I wanted to mount it on my wall as a work of art.  The prop shop gave us one day turn-around!  Beth and I walked to the shop and saw it being repaired.  It required ...