True North Summary, June 16 - 23

Live, from "Blind Channel Resort", here's our latest update...  Anne has updated the Google Map of our route. You can see that at:

True North's Route

True North Summary, June 16 - 23

Saturday, June 16: Second night in Gorge Harbor Marina on Cortes Island. It's a very nice marina with landscaped areas around a pool and hot tub. We were going to stay just one night. But with a high wind warning for the night, we (and all the other boats) stayed in our cozy spot. Boats were arriving from various adventures to the safe haven of the protected marina. Earlier on Saturday we noticed a posting on the grocery store bulletin board for a studio and garden tour plus the best burger lunch at Hollyhock, a meditative retreat resort on the other side of Cortes from where we were. Our new pal at the grocery store told us it would be about a 2-hour walk but if we hitched we were sure to get a ride with a friendly local. We finally did. The walk would have been more like 4 hours! We took the self guided garden tour and found out that the studios on tour were all over the island, not there at Hollyhock. Not having a car, we went for the fantastic burger lunch, then caught a ride to Whaletown, a quaint place consisting of a Post Office, Church, dock and a few houses. The big winds did occur for a short time with a gust of 39 knots inside the marina.

Whaletown honey bee condo

Sunday, June 17: Left Gorge Harbor in the rain for Rebecca Spit where we spent several hours at anchor, hiking on the beach and waiting for the slack water at Seymour Narrows just south of the entry to Campbell River. It's a great spot for getting some exercise, and since the shore is accessible by road, there are trash cans you can dump garbage in. Arrived at Discovery Bay Marina in the late afternoon.

Lunch anchorage at Rebecca Spit

Monday, June 18: We woke up to bright sun, quite a treat after the rains the previous two days and this was the day Chris was to leave. After enduring all the NW is famous for in June – showers, rain, drizzle, clouds, he leaves on a bright day – for New Mexico! At least he would have stunning views on the seaplane flight back to Seattle. We attempted to get to the seaplane dock at Tyee Spit by dinghy but the current was too strong for our 2 hp engine so we docked it and hurriedly walked to get there on time. Gerry Bruder was the pilot who arrived in the Kenmore otter, and friend we hadn't seen for several years. He was an Alaska bush pilot years ago with thrilling stories which he published in a book, Northern Flights: Adventures of an Alaskan Bush Pilot. He wrote another book about many of the well-known bush pilots from the 1930s to 1950s, both books good reads. This was our second night at Campbell River.

Chris's Kenmore Otter leaves Tyee Spit

Tueday, June 19: The boat repair was made. We now have a new alternator and rebuilt spare. Todd at Ocean Pacific Marine in Campbell River was very knowledgable and efficient and we were underway as soon as the credit card was signed. Now that the summer solstice is just a few days away it stays light very late, making staying up later than usual an attractive alternative to sleep. The early light is conducive to early waking and activity so around mid-day it's easy to think about a short snooze on the deck while underway. Arrived in peaceful, scenic Gowlland Bay and were anchored by 1845. Because we had just bought fresh food in Campbell River and had a calm, warm evening, we took the time to grill a good dinner outside. We're getting more comfortable with our small galley each day. The fridge seemed so tiny at first. Now it seems to have just enough room but the item you need is always on the bottom.

Red Sky At Night, Gowlland Bay

Wednesday, June 20: Today's job was to get through Seymour Narrows in the most uneventful way possible. The fast 14 knot current necessitates paying close attention to slack water, 1225 daylight savings time today. Canadian tide and current tables use Standard Time so we need to add an hour for DST. Along the shores of Discovery Passage are numerous fish farms. We counted five of them within 20 minutes. From Discovery we turned into Okisollo Channel on the way to Owen Bay. It is so easy to locate where we are on the large Canadian paper chart using the lat/long positions on the hand-held VHF radio in the cockpit! GPS on the iPad is always nearby, too. There was no wind again today. With the semi-protected waters of Desolation Sound and the Discovery Islands, we may not be able to sail again until we get out into Johnstone Strait. We're now in Owen Bay, just off the south end of Sonora Island. We took a hike from the pubic dock to an overlook above Hole in the Wall where we'll be in a day or two. The hike goes along a road which passes several houses, many on the rough-hewn side. Talking to two local mountain men we met along the way, i.e., aging hippies growing 'who knows what', we learned there are just 20 adults living around Owen Bay. It had an eery, lonesome kind of feel to it. It didn't help that Wagoner's guide mentioned the bay has an ominous feeling, with one past report of a few ghost stories. It brought to mind Joshua Slocumb's clever defense of spreading tacks on the deck so he could sleep in peace while protecting himself from barefoot pirates who might board his sailboat at night. There was another sailboat with a friendly crew from Seattle nearby. We kept an eye open for them.

Local's building site, Owen Bay

Thursday, June 21: Owen Bay was pretty but we were glad to move out with the early slack water at 0545 through the Okisolo Upper Rapids and on to the Octopus Islands where we anchored some years ago in La Vie, our first sailboat. There's a small bay where stern ties are required which had 3 sailboats already anchored, then west bay with a few power boats where we anchored at 0645. We had the whole day to explore the nearby islands and set our crab pot for tonight's dinner. We're getting deeper into an exceptionally beautiful region with snow capped mountains, sheer rock cliffs and beautiful channels and inlets.

Excellent trail, Octopus Islands

Friday, June 22: Hole in the Wall rapids, slack at 0631. Full current can be 12 knots in this passage. We got there early, 0555 and it was easy going. An ebb current gave us an extra push for 8 knots through the center at one point but with lots of space. There were some logs through which we had to navigate but otherwise was uneventful. We planned to bypass the next rapids, Yuculta, coming right up after Hole in the Wall, by way of Bute Inlet since we thought there wouldn't be enough time to run both rapids on the same slack schedule but when we got close and took a look, we saw several fishing boats coming through from the north and the water looked calm. We began at about 0730 so were right on time and made it into the Stuart Island Community Dock at Big Bay. A strong current at the marina made docking interesting! Shortly after arriving, our crab pot went overboard without a tether so we went fishing for it. There was hardly anyone here that day! We thought it would be filled with boats. We met the store manager, Tara, and her parents Ken and Sara when I went looking for another crab pot! Ken offered to help retrieve our crab pot this afternoon. He has a large hook attached to a magnet that he says he rigged up for all the things people lose off the dock. He was sure he could get our pot back. Sara filled us in on all the changes to what used to be Big Bay Resort 12 years ago when I worked with Kenmore Air. It used to be a popular fishing destination with seaplanes coming in and out a couple of times every day. The Resort is gone, so is the Fisherman's Pub. The docks were moved to the community dock and a Campbell River man now owns 9 or 10 waterfront cabins and lots of dock space. Ken and his family work for the Ritchey Brothers who run an auction business and resort around the bay. Had we been here last night we could have joined in their business barbeque, dockside for 60 or so people! We took a walk to see Arran rapids and continued on to an amazing corporate resort built and used by Paccar. There were two 3-story brick houses with columns in front, tennis courts, swimming pool, covered bridge with apartments above, a couple of grand party boats at the docks and large entertainment area. It was quite an unusual site for this fishing area. Ken, Sara and Tara live in a beautiful house there owned by the Ritcheys, who have a neighboring resort. Sonora Island Resort is another grand fishing lodge across Calm Channel from Big Bay with 15 fishing boats. Ten were out today. Ken says the fishing hasn't been good for several years because the stocks are down due to the logging which spoils the fish spawning areas, though a client from Sonora brought in a 45 pound Chinook yesterday. It had been a cloudy but beautiful day until we returned from our hike. Then it poured for several hours with a thick fog blocking most of the view across the channel to Sonora Resort. A foghorn sounded in the distance every 2 minutes to signal a vessel passing through the channel. We were cozy inside our boat with just one other sailboat on this dock, a couple from Nanaimo.

True North at Stuart Island, Big Bay

Saturday, June 23: Left Big Bay in time for the 0715 run through Gillard Passage, followed by Tugboat Passage, avoiding the dreaded Devil's Hole in Dent Passage. The misty departure was spectacularly scenic with two groups of Dall's porpoises swimming off starboard. 

Departing Big Bay

Cordero Lodge was our destination. We passed by years ago but never stopped and thought it would make a convenient staging point for continuing on to Blind Channel Sunday to pick up Marie and David. We were the only boat staying at Cordero for the night. The lodge managers, Steve, Laura, their niece Erin and son's friend were all super friendly, giving Gregg some new fishing tips and cooking up one heck of a good wienerschnitzel dinner. Burgees from boaters everywhere hung from the ceiling and photos from many good times were posted. Steve and Laura live there year-round because it's a floating lodge which needs a 24/7 manager and loggers stay there during the winter. They would be terrific owners! The current owners build Cordero Lodge 33 years ago and put heart and soul into it.

Cordero Lodge

True North Summary, June 11 - 15

We're now into the third week or our trip.  Anne has updated the Google Map of our route. You can see that at:

True North's Route

True North Summary, June 11 - 15

Monday, June 11: We awoke to beautiful sunshine in Squirrel Cove. We had planned to spend a relaxing morning here before going across Desolation Sound to Refuge Cove to pick up Chris. The scenery here in Desolation is stunningly beautiful with deep blue water and green forested hills and mountains rising from the water. We're on the way to Refuge Cove early because last night we discovered that our battery wasn't being charged. We observed Bill Ray's mantra: check the obvious, the easy, and what was last repaired! Finding nothing obvious or easy, Gregg pored through the manuals. Actually, there was a 'repair' or upgrade made by the previous owner: a more powerful alternator! Maybe there's an electrician in Refuge Cove; we'll now spend the night there. Chris arrived via Kenmore Air at 1130 and immediately joined Gregg in searching for the charge problem, along with input from just about every boater on the dock. They tried several fuses, blowing out each. There's no electrician in Refuge Cove. We've decided to charge up for a day at a marina, then go out and about for a couple days, then back to a marina for a night and at the end of the week bring Chris to Campbell River instead of Dent Island so we can find a marine electrician. Several were recommended. We spent the rest of the day hanging around Refuge Cove. A dozen friendly boaters from the Ladysmith Yacht Club invited us to join them for happy hour where we had some good laughs. Another skipper with new boat problems lamented that the rest of the day was “sad hour(s)”. They made a fairly convincing case for joining the LYC in order to take advantage of the free reciprocal marinas throughout the area. We'll think about it!

Public dock, Squirrel Cove

Chris arrives on Kenmore Beaver

Tuesday, June 12: Rainy morning. We're waiting until noon to see if the clouds lift a little before leaving for Laura Cove near Prideaux Haven. “Cat's Paw”'s skipper stopped by to talk, something he can easily do for hours at a time. His stories were good, having been a reporter for the Vancouver Sun for 30 years and a freelance writer for Pacific Yachting. Another couple docked nearby was in a 26' pilot house sailboat which they recently bought after having previously owned a 38' sailboat which they sailed across the Pacific twice. After describing their passage in some detail, beans & rice for 3 weeks, it was easy to conclude they are minimalists.

Refuge Cove

Wednesday, June 13: We waited for the rain to clear a bit before leaving Refuge Cove and heading out to Teakearne Arm with its dramatic waterfall at the end. Had a good sail in gradually clearing weather. By the time we got to Teakearne Arm it was sunny and clear. Gregg and Chris took the dinghy in towards the falls to hike up above to a lake we had been to once. Because the water's very deep, I stayed with the boat and drifted while they were away as there wasn't anywhere to anchor w/o setting a stern tie.

Cassel Falls, Teakerne Arm

When they returned, we sailed Lewis Channel to Desolation Sound before arriving at Laura Cove for the evening. It was beautiful! Snow capped peaks and just one other boat in the cove. It was a challenging stern tie with rocks on three sides but fortunately, no wind. Still, it was unnerving until all was set, making sure the line doesn't dangle in the water to get caught in the prop. Leaving the following morning could have been tough with even a light wind but we found ourselves with the predicted calm morning.

Laura Cove

Thursday, June 14: Such a beautiful evening last night but this morning, back to rain. It may be a boring topic of discussion but the impact of rain on sailors is only fun when it's not constant! Our goal today: Walsh Cove via Homfry Channel and a short tour of Toba Inlet. The passage through Homfry was dramatic with mist and clouds partially hiding the snow-capped peaks. There were no other boats in the channel!

Homfry Channel

We spotted a couple of porpoises which played at the bow of our boat, before turning into Toba Inlet for a view of some spectacular waterfalls – there are so many. We took lots of pictures of the falls and returned to the head of the Inlet and on to Walsh Cove, just south of Dean Point at the north end of a passage between East and West Redonda Islands. So pretty!

Porpoise riding bow wave

After securing an easy stern tie (no wind), we took the dinghy out to find the pictographs on the rock cliffs and explore/hike the small islands. Several Oyster Catchers (birds) were chirping at us intently so we probably were hiking near their nests which would be on the ground. We spotted the familiar small round head of a seal peeking out of the water, sometimes mistaken for a rock or deadhead. On returning to True North, Chris' sunglasses popped into the water (60') as he was securing the dinghy and he has been trying several creative dredging techniques to retrieve them though none has worked yet.

Hiking, Walsh Cove

Friday, June 15: We spent an easy-going couple of hours in Walsh Cove before leaving for our next stop, Gorge Harbor on the W side of Cortes Island. Here we'll find a marina which we need to charge our batteries. Then we can go out for another couple of nights before needing another charge though we will be aiming for Campbell River on Sunday for a scheduled repair with the marine electrician on Monday. Regulator or alternator problem? Or wiring? Or engine electronics? This morning, the hour meter wasn't working adding to the tach which also isn't registering.

Chris trouble-shooting the alternator

True North Summary, 1st week

Here we are already into Day 12 of our trip and we haven't posted any details as yet. However, we have been busy! First of all, Anne has been maintaining a Google Map of our route. You can see that at:

True North's Route

We'll sumarize what we've been up to so far:

True North Summary, 1^st week:

On Day 1 we departed Elliott Bay Marina in downtown Seattle at 0930 sharp. First night's destination: Port Hadlock, just south of Port Townsend. We sailed smoothly for several hours with brisk 15 to 30 kt winds. A heavy boat makes all the difference as it was a very steady ride. Our first night's anchoring took a few tries in 50' of water and close quarters with the new Rocna anchor, to be sure it was holding in the wind – it did! On to the Strait of Juan de Fuca the next day.

Departing Elliott Bay

We spent a couple of days in the San Juan Islands, anchoring at Watmough Bay for the first night and detouring to Jones Island the next in order to stop in East Sound, Orcas Island, to have lunch with friends Dan and Steve at their house. Nice to have a social outing already!

View of True North and Watmough Bay from summit trail

Sidney was the next stop for a night, where we cleared Canadian Customs. It's a pretty waterfront town at the north end of the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island. Everything is within walking distance from the marina. 

Shortly after leaving Sidney the next day, we heard from Lance that he was a couple of hours south of Sidney, en route to Sitka with a boat delivery, and perhaps we could meet at Montague Harbor, our next destination. We arrived in the outer harbor at 1535, anchored, and awaited the arrival of Inside Passage with Master Lance and crew Candice, Karen and Phil. We took the dinghy over to see them and have dinner together. Inside Passage left early the following morning but we had planned a layover day to hike the trails and hang out.

Crews of "True North" and "Inside Passage"

The morning we left, we got an early start in the rain which continued all day. It was cold! The wind was very light initially which meant motoring much of the way in order to get to Dodd Narrows, just south of Nanaimo, for slack water at 1245. We decided under the circumstances – cold, wet and motoring – to put up the canvas cockpit extension . It was a huge improvement in comfort! We made great time with a push from the wind, now from the SE at 20-25 kts, arriving early. We hung around awhile checking the narrows with binoculars before going through at 1215 easily. There was a tug with its huge log boom behind us also waiting for slack. It wasn't the kind of vessel with which one would want to share the narrow passage!

Approaching Dodd Narrows in very wet weather

The goal for Nanaimo was to spend a whole day re-provisioning some of the food and to buy charts for the West side of Vancouver Island, plus a stop for fish and chips on the water. There was a jazz musician playing his sax on the dock both evenings for some fine entertainment from our boat. Our day there was clear and sunny.

Crossing the Strait of Georgia takes the better part of a day. The winds were predicted to be strong in the morning, becoming milder in the afternoon so we left at 1000 to avoid some of the early strongest winds. The water was quite choppy as we were heading into the wind with an opposing current. The wind was still a little on the wild side at 25+ kts! We were just getting our sails trimmed and making 6+ kts through the water when a Canadian coast guard boat pulled alongside, lights flashing. We wondered if they thought we needed assistance but no! We had crossed into the “Whiskey Golf” naval operations area and needed to leave immediately. We had chosen that route because a sign posted at the marina office indicated there were no naval operations on Saturday or Sunday but apparently there were. (The prudent mariner will check the weather radio channels for current activity in WG before leaving Nanaimo.) It took several more hours to backtrack and head north around the entire area and then east across the Strait of Georgia, finally arriving at Pender Harbour at 1820. Long day! Enjoyed a peaceful evening in the bay and even ran into a few boaters who had been at Nanaimo the day before. Small world in the boating community. Michelle called to say she would be picking up passengers the following day at Bliss Landing in case we might connect there but with the delay, we were still 40 nm away. Already over a week on the water and remarkable to think we have three whole months to do this! It's very fun and never boring to poke around these small coves among the grand spaces.

Crossing Georgia Straight

Welcome to 'SV True North'

Welcome to our record of life on our sailboat 'True North'. We have very ambitious plans for this boat, and hope to take her to some of the most incredibly beautiful places on our planet - the Pacific Northwest of the US and Canada. This site will allow us to share some of the images and stories of our adventure with our friends and family.

Some background:

'SV' is shorthand for 'Sailing Vessel', meaning - well - she's a sailboat! Other designations include 'MV' for 'Motor Vessel', and my favorite 'RR', meaning 'Roll on, Roll off', which we saw on a car/truck ferry in Chile. Whatever, we just wanted to explain what that puzzling 'SV' means!

'True North' is a 2000 Hallberg-Rassy HR 36 Mk II sloop. She was built in Sweden and lovingly cared for by two previous owners. We bought her because Swedish boats are built for waters much like ours - cold, with lots of bad weather! We bought her in December 2011, and have spent the last few months getting to know her and fitting her out with some equipment we will need for our trip to British Columbia this summer.

We expect to depart Elliott Bay Marina in Seattle around June 1 2012 and return to Anacortes around the beginning of September.  We'll try to update this blog as often as possible, however Internet connectivity will be very limited for much of our trip.

With that, we'll close this introduction and have another cup of coffee on board True North!

Gregg and Anne