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 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.
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.
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.
Cassel Falls, Teakerne Arm
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!
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!
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.
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
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