We left Shelter Island Marina on the 25th of July. Proceeded late out of sand heads and entered Pollier Pass with 3kn of current against. Played in 9 knots of current against exercising and stretching the battery systems for a stress test. Eventually pulled out of the endless eddies and rapids and went north along the top island to get out of the pass. Were able to pull the battery down to 50.5 volts almost without a disconnect from the LVD contactor.
Proceeded to Conover Cove. From Conover Cove to Clam Bay from Clam Bay to Coal Miner Bay and out the Gabriolla Passage and up to Silva Bay for the night after fishing Thrasher Rock all day. From there to Taylor Bay. From Taylor Bay to Hornsby Island where we caught a big Ling Cod. Tasty.
From Hornsby down to Fanny Bay. From Fanny Bay to Comox for a couple days. Out the Comox Bar and over to Texada Island and Maple Bay for a very rough anchorage. Pulled out of there at 2:00am and busted our night time cherry. Setting the trolling motor to autopilot and the outboards we pretty much hung on for dear life as the boat managed to take us to the south side of Harwood Island where we collapsed awaking to find ourselves parked in the middle of a rock field.
After a brief sleep we headed up to Mary Point on Cortez Island where we got a text from our friends at Roscoe Bay on West Redonda Island. We made that destination by 9:00 that night. A couple days rafted up beside our dock neighbours from Shelter Island and we move up West Redonda Island to Doctor bay. From Doctor bay to West Redonda Bay. From West Redonda Bay to Refuge Cove from Refuge Cove to the Von Donop Inlet on the back track. From Von Donop to Plunger Passage.
Plunger Passage to Stag Bay on Hernanado Island. From Stag Bay to North East Bay on Texada for crab and steak dinner. We should have went on that night as we would have clock over 100 km that day but crabs in the bucket and we got lazy after supper and failed to leave in the shimmering moonlight and effervescence. Morning sees us give up 10 km to the Malaspina Straight and we end up beating a path to outside of Grief Point and GPS lock behind the breakwater. Eventually we get a slip and live large for the night.
After the best shower of my life at the Beach Garden pool house we hook up with a new online friend that was interested in my Anderson winches who happened to be right in Powell River and close to Grief Point. So thanks to Micheal Conway-Brown for the lift to the grocery store and for coming for a ride with us out into the NW 15-20 that day before we headed downwind and away from Grief Point.
After Grief Point we made a track for Secret Cove. We arrived Secret Cove and found a great anchorage alone in a corner of the Cove. From Secret Cove we fished all day out in front of Thormanby Island. We stayed later that night at Gill Beach right at the back of the bay. From Thormanby we tracked to Gibbons and Plumper Cove.
We deployed our ROV beside the Navy dive ship and eventually they came and asked us to move along. Cloudy day anyhow. From Gibbons out the shoal and try to track directly to the North Arm of the Fraser but have to detour around local islands to beat or reduce the weather impact. Finally at Worlcombe Islands we put the hammer down and bash across the bay at 7 km/h to reach Cowards Cove in the North Arm of the Fraser.
Cowards Cove is great again but wake 3 hours before low tide to 2.2 feet of water. I'm backing up getting the crew awake and I hear a thud. Just hit a sea lion under the hull. The place is thick with them and one takes a parting shot at the trolling motor spinning it around. Out into the Fraser River at not quite low tide with 5 knots against. Makes for a slow stressful morning.
Eventually the current breaks and well almost free and clear we battle against a huge river tug and loose some of our ablative paint on another sea lion that surfaced 20 feet away and then scratches his back on our hull. Now he has blue fur I'm sure.
We get back to Shelter Island Marina and wait for people to arrive on dock to catch our lines at it is a very trick slip to enter with expensive boats on either side. Eventually the tide and wind are right and we safely dock.
All told we burned 160 liters of gasoline in the Honda 2000. Most of the trip we were inundated with smoke from wildfires in British Columbia. When the solar did work we saw highs of 27 amps. The boat damage report was minor with two broken pieces of saloon locker lids the boat rejected because they were made of particle board. One minor 12v car plug problem one night knocked out our running lights and the 12v subsystem but the voltage tester don't lie so that was quickly replaced. Burned the tip of an expensive Sportsman fishing rod and lost a few fishing lures. I caught my first Coho around plunger passage and he was promptly barbecued.
We laughed as we can cruise by almost any trawler with their generator running and they have no problem letting us hand for a bit to charge if we like. The trawler folks get a kick out of finally putting some load on their generators. We don't usually stay long rafted up to them a couple hours to have coffee and move on. Saves the entire anchorage hearing our generator on deck.
All things said and done we could use one more Honda 2000 and a couple more 48v Lestronic Chargers. We would literally be unstoppable then. Being able to charge for 85 amps would be priceless. We could be fully charged in four hours.
The star of the trip was some 24 successful GPS Spot Locks with the MotorGuide Xi5 GPS trolling motor. For most every night that little robot held us in some of the most interesting and amazing anchorages. We never dropped a real anchor all trip.
Posted by: albert682@yahoo.com
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