Log #6
Log #7
Log #8
Log #9
Log #10
Garden Bay Hotel & Marina
Part 8: Beach Gardens Marina to Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel and Marina
By David & Irene Axup
Editor's Note: Northwest Boat Travel Club members and designers of the NBT Club burgee, David & Irene Axup, of Melbourne, Australia, have spent over two years carefully planning for "an adventure of a lifetime". Several articles were published in our club magazine, describing their preparations. Now they are here - on our lovely waters, sailing northwestward on their adventure of the next four months. We asked them to share their cruise with our members and with us.
22nd AUGUST - Wednesday G'day,
0300 The wind seems to be dropping and the motion of the boat at the dock is not so severe and we start to breathe a little easier and we get up at different times just to ensure all is well.
Daylight brings lighter winds and the Strait has about a one foot chop on it as opposed to the rollers which were running yesterday.
Clean up time. The extra lines are removed and we are back to our normal bow and stern lines and two springs with an extra two springs sitting waiting - just in case the weather forecast is wrong.
Boats are departing with a couple heading north and the remainder south. We are waiting another day to rest up and David needs to change the transmission oil for the second time after the gear box was repaired. It will then just be the routine daily check and regular service.
The view of the strait from the top of the Marina ramp is amazing. There are small craft on the move in both directions. A scattering of yachts with their sails up are running up the Strait before the lighter wind.
The manager of the resort very kindly allows David to access a telephone line and we download and send e-mails to Phil and Gwen [the diary] and the family at home.
We also take the opportunity of telephoning home.
With the break in the weather the VHF radio goes beserk with vessels calling each other and cutting over Comox Coast Guard. We can also hear Seattle Coast Guard on Channel 16 from time to time requesting vessels to check their microphones for an open transmitter. Irene starts to keep a record of boat names to see how many use the radio during the course of the afternoon and then became speculative about the way boats were named.
The forecast is not so good for overnight so we settle down to get as much sleep as possible.
23rd AUGUST - Thursday
0300 The wind is up again and it is raining as well. David is up to check the mooring lines and checks the anemometer. Wind speed is gusting around 25 knots out of the East. The tide is well out and so there is some protection from the breakwater.
A quick check of the weather forecast and David gets dressed and naps on the settee in the main cabin and then periodically checks the lines. After this spell of weather a new set of mooring lines is on the purchase list as the present lines, which we bought in Port McNeill to replace lines David was not happy with, have had a battering over the last three days.
Daylight brings a similar picture to the previous days although Malaspina Strait does not seem as malevolent as when the winds were in the 35 knot range.
Standing on the bow we can see a brown hulled yacht just beyond the entrance to the marina pushing into the sea and making slow laboured progress.
1030 Escargot, the yacht we watched passing, has run into the marina and picked up the fuel dock. David and several others walk her round on to the main walkway and help secure her. The skipper informs them that he was making less than one knot over the ground at the time he decided to call it quits and run back into Beach Gardens.
We spend the day reading and compiling the inventory for shipping. Irene is in to a "Who Dunnit?" and David "Heart of the Raincoast" - the story of Billy Proctor who we met in Echo Bay when we visited his small museum.
Throughout the day there is a vessel in Westview who obviously has a view of passing craft and he is constantly asking for reports on sea and wind conditions in Malaspina Strait as he cannot decide whether to move or not. If he is not happy with the conditions he should not move. We feel like telling him to curl up with a good book and leave Channel 16 to those who may need it in the foul weather. His vessel name shall remain unwritten in this diary but is etched in our memory and we will look to see if we can see him on the way south.
The barometer is slowly rising and the evening brings a lessening of the wind. At 1600 it was gusting 30 knots from 20 and at 2000 it is 15 to 20 knots and easing. The rain has stopped. All the locals and people from other boats in the marina keep telling us that it is most unusual weather for this time of year as if they felt responsible for a couple of Aussies being holed up in the marina while it blows itself out. We are philosophical and gently point out that at the other end of the World this lattitude is not a pleasant place for much more time than it is here. Besides an angry sea is a thing of beauty in itself.
This evening while reading "Heart of the Raincoast" David has suddenly realized the significance of the BC Mission boat we saw alongside in Port McNeill and regrets not photographing it. In hindsight if he had read the book before seeing the vessel he would have gone to talk to those aboard - coming from a land with remote areas where contact with the outside is valued we also realize the importance of this type of service.
We settle down for the night with the fervent hope that it is easing despite the revised forecast - we would like to move tomorrow.
24th AUGUST- Friday
0700 Alarm has gone off - may as well not have set it as the wind is up and out of the East. Get up anyway and turn on the VHF to get the forecast. Turn off the VHF in disgust - forecast is for increasing winds and a look out into Malaspina Strait reveals the whitecaps starting to march up the Strait from North East Point on Texada Island.
BUGGER!!! Oh well we may as well be philosophical about it. The locals are telling us it is most unusual weather for this time of the year and a professional fisherman with his vessel in here informs us that "the seas only get worse beyond North East Point so you may as well just sit it out here. By Sunday it will be flat calm".
Irene heads off with the laundry and David takes care of some routine maintenance.
Another day of reading, knitting [Irene] and listening to the boat names on the radio. Who with any thought to those who are on the edge of radio reception calls a vessel Gale Warning? At least one vessel that we can hear calls Comox Coast Guard to query the Gale Warning.
A steady trickle of boats are coming into Beach Gardens Marina to get out of Malaspina Strait. There is a stream of boats heading "south" and getting buffeted by the sea and wind and you can hear the stress in some of the voices on the radio as they seek information from other vessels.
1525 A small [real] tug, Duke Point, enters the marina and pulls alongside the fuel dock and David heads down to have a close look at her and the skipper has a T shirt on with Australia on it. It only takes 30 seconds to ascertain that he is an Aussie and has been in Canada for 14 years and works on the tugs bringing log booms down from the north.
The young fuel attendant is somewhat taken aback when the tug skipper tells him he will probably take on about 2,000 or more Imperial Gallons.
Irene, who is still on board SKyamsen, hears Spirit of ‘98 on the VHF and heads down the dock so that we can get a photograph and joins in the conversation.
The tug skipper, Kevin McGonigle, is not only an Aussie he comes from our home town and our side of town and we spend time chatting about places we both know.
A radio call to Spirit of ‘98 establishes her time off Grief Point and the promise of coming close to the marina so that we can photograph it. Kevin then offers to take us out in the tug to get a better photograph and we cheerfully accept the offer and spend a pleasant hour chatting to him and his crew and [hopefully] get some great photos of Spirit. A call to her on the VHF to let the skipper know that we are on Duke Point fine off his starboard bow and an acknowledgement and a wave from the bridge.
We also take the opportunity of inspecting Duke Point. While the accomodation is not "First Class" on a cruise ship the living quarters are well equipped and comfortable and adequate for the three who crew her on her trips up and down the coast.
Kevin drops us off at Beach Gardens, completes his fuelling, and has a look at SKyamsen before they head back to the log boom they have left moored to a buoy just north of and in the shelter of Grief Point due to the weather preventing further south bound movement. We have promised to send him an Aussie "Red Ensign" as he is the only Aussie tug skipper on the coast and wants to fly our flag.
We promise to call Kevin when we get near the Fraser River.
This has been a special afternoon and the sighting of Spirit of ‘98 seems to complete the circle started when we passed here on her back in 1998.
2015 Duke Point passes the entrance to the marina heading south with log boom in tow and gives us a toot. A short chat on Channel 06 and Kevin and his crew head off down Malaspina Strait to the Fraser River.
25th AUGUST - Saturday
0700 The alarm goes off and we are up and in to it. There is a very light wind - in fact almost no wind - and it is from the SE. Malaspina Strait is flat. There are already south bound vessels out there.
0815 We drop the lines and are away out into the Strait and turn the nose down towards the Strait of Georgia laying a course direct to the entrance to Pender Harbour which is on our list of priorities.
We motor down Malaspina with a steady stream of boats passing us going down the Strait and just the odd one or two going up the Strait. Our course takes us away from the mainland side towards Texada Island and then back again and we enjoy the pleasant run down the Strait - even though it is on the motor.
We try and raise Garden Bay Pub and Marina on #68 intermittently but without success.
As the south bound traffic reaches Northeast Point on Texada Island it turns to follow the shore of Texada to Point Upwood and then turns away across the Strait of Georgia apparently intending to go to Nanaimo. They are going to have to dodge Whiskey Golf as it is operational - some bozo on the VHF was commenting to another vessel that the Navy had a cheek working on Saturday - fancy inconveniencing him like that.
It is difficult to see into Agamemnon Channel when you are going down Strait and it is not till you cross Fearney Point on Nelson Island that it opens up - unfortunately that is also a bit of water that we have to pass by - so much still to be seen and so little time left.
We turn to port around Jacob Rock and leave Pearson Island to starboard as we approach the entrance to Pender Harbour. We still have not been able to raise the Garden Bay Pub on #68 and so just keep going up the harbour and into Garden Bay.
Amazing - passing along Malaspina you would never know this busy little harbour with its businesses, private houses and marinas even existed. Even a look at the chart or the detail in the Marine Atlas does not quite prepare you for the activity as you enter the harbour.
Keeping to the north of Skardon Islands we head up past Garden Peninsula. A large ketch is ghosting up harbour with spinnaker, main and mizzen sails up - impressive - he must be a local.
Swinging in to Garden Bay we spot the docks for the Garden Bay Pub and Marina - instantly recognized from looking at the photo in the NBT Guide. The outer finger has a large motor vessel on one side and we gently come alongside the finger on the other side and the couple from the motor vessel take our lines and secure them while we get off to complete the job. They are Jack and Shirlene and have a reserved berth here.
David heads off to find someone to see if there is to be "room in the Inn" He eventually finds Ron who looks at him and tells him that there is an Aussie chef in the restaurant. It is lunch time so we eat at the pub and meet Lauren, the Aussie, who with her partner Todd run the restaurant kitchen. A reservation for dinner in the restaurant is made.
The ducky is fired up and we head off to explore the harbour and into Gunboat Bay. It is a lovely little spot.
Lauren and Todd come down to inspect SKyamsen and chat in their break.
Dinner in the restaurant is an experience. This young couple are talented and the food is delicious. Lauren explains that they are going to open the restaurant on Thursday through Sunday during the winter. It is not that far away for people in this part of the world - the trip for the food would be worth it
Todd explains that he prefers to prepare food with subtle flavouring using local seasonal produce. The end result is beautifully presented dishes with flavours that tease and satisfy the palate. This is top class.
We are the last in the restaurant and so we spend a pleasant hour chatting to Lauren and Todd before heading back to the bunk.
26th AUGUST - Sunday
0730 The alarm goes off and we are up and in to it to get ready. The intention is to go to Nanaimo.
0910 The motor is on and warming up when Jack points out that the prop shaft is turning slowly and that it appears bent. A careful examination and we have to agree that it appears slightly bent - a mystery as we cannot recall having hit anything solid enough to bend the shaft. It will remain a mystery.
0920 We are away and on the way down harbour discuss our alternatives. There is no wind and we are going to have to motor where ever we go. Any speed over 5 knots and we get a harsh vibration and so the decision is made to head for S&H Custom Yachts in the Fraser. These are the people who are going to prepare SKyamsen for shipping.
Clear of the harbour David goes below to lay out a course for the Fraser - a distance of over 40 nm on a prop shaft that will give us 5 knots at the best. There is no wind to assist - what little there is is from the SE - on the nose again.
Heading through Welcome Passage we make the decision to do the trip in two bites and David lays off the course to take us into Gibsons.
1235 We are abeam of Merry Island light when we spot a dead head about 24 inches across and sitting about 12" above the water at its highest but going under every now and then. A call to Comox Coast Guard with the position of the log and we keep going.
Trail Islands are abeam when the tug Duke Point passes us heading north. We wave to Kevin, the skipper, and his crew and then chat to him on #6 for a couple of minutes. They are not going far north and expect to be in the North Arm of the Fraser in 3 days.
There is fog ahead and we are in it before we reach Mission Point - the radar is on and shows not only the mainland shore a mile abeam but the steady stream of boat traffic.
Visibility is down to about 3 miles and stays that way until we are about 3 miles from Gower Point where we are going to turn.
A check of the chart and tide table for Shoal Passage and we take the passage through Shoal Channel between the mainland and Keats Island and into Howe Sound and then turn hard to starboard into the bay at Gibsons Landing. We are back into heavy recreational boat traffic filling Howe Sound. How different from what we have had for the last two and a half months.
Gibsons Marina have given us a berth and directions and tell us they will see us in the morning as they close the office at 1600 on Sundays.
1620 Alongside in Gibsons Marina.
Gibsons Landing looks an interesting little town and we will have a look at it tomorrow.
The evening is balmy and we sit in the cockpit and watch the change from daylight to dusk and the patterns of the lights in the water.
27th AUGUST - Monday
We are at Gibsons Marina and staying for the day.
A phone call to John Hall at S & H Custom Yachts in Richmond confirms that he can replace the prop shaft and that we will see him tomorrow. He thinks one or two days and we can finish off our trip by heading across the Strait to the Gulf Islands before we come back to him on the 8th September to prepare SKyamsen for shipping.
Gibsons Landing - what an interesting little town. A great book shop - with the NWBoat Guide on the shelf - and interesting galleries. A pleasant couple of hours just wandering. There also look to be some interesting eating places and one we can see clearly from the Marina - Molly's Reach - painted yellow with a green roof and maroon trim.
The afternoon brings heavy clouds and the feeling of rain. The forecast is for showers tonight and light to variable wind tomorrow.
The lights from the town glow warmly in the heavy atmosphere that does bring us rain before we go to bed.
28th AUGUST - Tuesday
0600 Who set the alarm? We are up and about as we want to get away early. David returns the marina key to the office and we can go. The staff here have been most friendly and the facilities good.
0722 We let the lines go and put SKyamsen astern and glide gently across to the fuel dock.
0752 We are away and motor out into the bay in a heavily overcast day. It is low tide and a careful check of the tide table indicates that we can use Shoal Passage to avoid going up and around Keats Island.
Having plotted a course across the deepest part of Shoal Passage Irene goes below to make sure that we are following the course. The electronic charts [Nobeltec] have been good value and save a lot of time taking bearings for intricate pilotage in places like this.
Clearing the shallows we lay a course to clear Popham Island. The wind is from the NW - not a great deal but enough to put up the headsail to steady the boat in the quartering sea which is quite uncomfortable.
Visibility is about six miles as we have the radar on and set for 5 miles and we can just pick up targets on the fringe.
There is not much boat traffic. Ferries appear and disappear heading into and out of Howe Sound and there are tugs and their tows with the occasional fishing boat.
Cape Roger Curtis on Bowen Island is left well to port and we set an initial course of around 118m to minimize the sea effect as we are shy reaching across the waves. As we get further out into the Strait of Georgia the course is brought around to 150 to bring us to the mouth of the south arm of the Fraser River.
An occasional motor vessel passes and there are a number of yachts around - some heading south down the Strait and we assume heading for the United States and some heading out across the Strait towards the Gulf Islands.
The buoys at the mouth of the Fraser become visible before the land to port does and so the sail comes down and we turn up into the Fraser. There are salmon jumping and seals everywhere.
It is a very pleasant and interesting trip up river to Cannery Channel where we swing in and motor slowly past the fishing fleet. BC Cannery is being demolished. From the development behind we assume that there is going to be condominiums built and this is later confirmed.
The conditions in Cannery Channel with the dilapidated buildings and air of decline seem to represent the state of the fishing industry in BC as it has been explained to us.
1338 Alongside at S&H Custom Yachts. Enough clothing for a couple of days ashore is shoved into a bag and the laundry assembled. Computers are packed and we are ready to go ashore - hopefully for two days at the most.
SKyamsen is prepared for lifting on the travel hoist. The two backstays are released and the main halyard used as an extra stay to supplement the other stays still attached.
We watch with hearts in our mouths while our little ship is lifted from the water on to dry land and then chocked and cradled so that the prop shaft can be pulled.
Janet at S & H helps by giving Irene the telephone to get us accommodation for a couple of nights.
While we are waiting for the taxi David brouses through the August edition of Pacific Yachting and finds the article by PatrickTaylor "There Ought to be a Law" dealing with the lack of manners [and nautical knowledge] of the operators of large fast power boats. David was starting to think he was paranoid but has found a kindred spirit in Patrick.
Booking in to the Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel and Marina we prepare to spend our first night ashore since the 7th June - how strange.
