Technology In Remote Areas Just Isn't There...

First of all, I want all of you to know that I tried to update the blog some time ago but our lovely Telus stick booted me out after two hours of updates. I was just too tired to re-write.

My apologies to anyone who has been worrying. We have come to find that there are telephones out here but not all of them work. And, if they are broken, it does not seem like a priority to have them fixes. It was just the day before yesterday that I had an opportunity to call the kids.

Now, on to the updates. Let me tell you that we have not had any 'nice' weather. We have come to the conclusion that if the clouds are above the mast, then it is a clear day. Yesterday and today we were worried about stepping out in the rain for fear that our lifejackets would self-inflate thinking that we were undewater.

We are currently sitting in Tahsis. And yes, it has been so long since I last wrote that I do not know where to begin. I will keep our adventures brief for fear that you will fall asleep at my ramblings.

Prior to leaving Victoria, I purchased a crab trap and a prawn trap. In the crab trap I have managed to catch and release two starfish. The prawn trap, as I type, is sitting in the depths of Tahsis Inlet. My fingers are crossed!

We have been to a couple locations where the areas are contaminated. Can you beleive it... way out here and I wasn't able to lower the traps. We are not sure what is causing the contamination. As you can imagine, there is no one here to talk to.

OH, to put your minds at rest, I have been checking into the Great Northern Boaters Net on teh HAM radio each morning. For the most part, propogation is good but the odd morning I require a relay. If any of you need to know our whereabouts this is what you do - email Barbara Hodgson Kluane3@shaw.ca. Put Ta Daa in the subject line and she will pass on information to us or simply let you know that all is well on board.

On to the exciting stuff - we skirted around Johnstone Strait on the way up island and spent a bit of time in the Broughtons. It was there that a bear swam past our boat - yes, I have pictures. We had happy hour in Lagoon Cove which consisted of wine, new friends and fresh prawns.

We made our way to Bull Harbour. This is the last stop before rounding Cape Scott. We were mighty excited and anxious at the same time. If I remember correctly, we slipped into silence as we left Bull Harbour, crossed Nawhitti Bar and rounded Cape Scott. It was a moment to remember. We spotted many sea otters and a few whales.

We made our next stop Winter Harbour. This is a very quaint location. All the spots are very quiet and tranquil. After Winter Harbour we visited 'The Bunsbys'. Sounds like old friends but it is actually a group of islands. Again we saw a bear only this time he was on the beach rather than swimmimg past the boat. After the Bunsbys we headed for Walter Cove.

Walter Cove is a very interesting place. It was here that we witnessed eagles (young and old) feeding on fish scraps on the beach. Then... (drum roll please) we saw two eagles lock talons in the trees above us. They each had one leg locked to the other - yes I got pictures. It wasn't until they fell from the tree that they were able to release. Apparently they cannot release unless they fall. I must look that up when I get home.

After Walter's Cove we headed to Queen Cove. This is a summer village of the First Nations however, most houses are now abandoned. I was ab le to get a picture of the church steeple poking it's steeple through the trees. In all the books we read, boaters are asked to respect First Nations land therefore, Ron and I do not go ashore to snoop.

Funny thing, while we were anchored in Queen Cove, there was an active logging operation going on just above the shoreline. We could not see them but could hear the buzzing of chainsaws, the crashing of trees to the ground and... the blasting of rock to push forward the road. It just felt wrong...

By the way, our little Winston has been great. At first he did not like the swells of the open ocean but now he doesn't mind. He walks around the cockpit and cuddles up to whom ever is not steering the boat. He is loving all the attention during the time we are not sailing - the dinghy rides, the beach walks and just being with us.

We left Queen Cove this morning and headed to Tahsis. It has been pouring rain off and on all day but the scenery is still magnificant. We can only imagine what it would be like if we could see the tops of the mountains.

We send our love to all. Thank you for your emails wondering where we are. I will update again when I am able.

Also, to put your mind a peace - - I call the Coast Guard to update them on our location each time we to a different location.

Need to sign off now... it is pouring rain and the wind is blowing rain on my laptop.

Love to all!

June 16

Up bright and early at 0600. Ha! The weather report is calling for 25 -35 knots of wind late in the afternoon. We have decided to head out because we have a plan A, plan B, plan C and plan D! We have decided to motor on up to Blind Channel before the wind picks up to gale force.

We met some nice folks, Larry and Faith aboard MV Northern Comfort. They too, had the same plans as us but wanted to get further north. Both boats set out at 0700 to catch the slack water in Seymour Narrows. This stretch of water can be daunting if not approached with caution and at the correct time of day. The current can run up to 14 knots, maybe more depending on Spring tides.

Ta Daa is equipped with AIS - automated identification system. If you go to marinetraffic.com and see us, it is because of the AIS. For you to see us we need to have it turned on - something we do only when we are underway. We are usually on the go in the morning to early afternoon so that is a clue of what time to look for us on marinetraffic.com.

As we are making our way to Seymour Narrows, we have Northern Comfort in front, the US Coast Guard cutter to starboard, tugs with tow coming towards us and a big cruise ship on our stern. We were travelling against 2-3 knots of current so not moving too, too fast. The cruise ship, Nippon Maru, hailed us on the radio to share their course plans with us. Baiscally they said they are taking centre channel and would we stay to their starboard. Yes, sir! You darn rights we will stay to your port... we will do anything you ask. On the water, the first rule you learn is that might has right of way. We were not going to mess this this ship!

Being the skilled and prudent sailors we are, because our timing is impeccable, the ride through Seymour Narrows was uneventful. Now come the plan A, B, C and D. Plan A, if it is really ugly and rough out there we would duck into Konish Bay do take refuge in a Small Inlet. Plan B was to travel a bit further and head to Okilsollo Channel to take refuge in Owen Bay, Plan C was to see what was happening at Chatham Point - the entrance to Johnstone Strait where the wind are to rise to 35 knots. Plan C was to turn right down Nadales Channel and head to Cadero Lodge and Plan D was to continue past Chatham Point to Mayne Passage and head into Blind Channel Resort. We chose Plan D as the winds were blowing but it was not a rough ride.

Yes we are a sailboat and do like wind but not directly on the nose where we have to tack back and forth, doubling our distance to get to our destination. That kind of sailing is find if you have all the time in the world... We needed to get out of the wind before it peaked. As it was, it reached over 30 knots and at that point was very rough. Having said that, Johnstone Strait looked spectacular with the dark blue water decorated with bright white caps.

Since the sun is shining this trip, we have the luxury and delight of actually being able to view the hill tops and mountain tops. Beee-U-T-Ful!

Hilary, thank you very much for your email. Ron and I found it very entertaining.
Bud and Momma Dougan, remember to wear your hats for July 1!

Must be off now. We are going to go for a walk in the woods to a famous tree - not sure why but I will find out and let you know.

Until next time - may the wind fill your sails!

June 15

Hello Family and Friends. Here we sit at Blind Channel Resort.... sounds expensive but it is not. Only a buck a foot and the interent is free. Now if you want electricity that will break the bank. Thank goodness for the solar panels.

To bring you up to date, where did I leave off - oh yea, that was Sunday evening. Monday we planned to do some last minute chores before setting off on Tuesday morning. We did just that; stocked groceries, ran a few errands, paid bills, filled the water tanks and most importantly, made plans for Tuesday.

Tuesday morning the alarm sounded precicely at 0500. We looked at the weather report and decided it would be too windy with 30 knots of wind on our nose. Wednesday looked better we decided so snuggled down in our cozy bed for another hour.

Up we got and I had to do something... just couldn't sit around and relax - that would be abnormal for me. Aha! I will build our anchor bridle. Prior to leaving we spoke with our Bluewater Cruising friend Scott. Scott and Sonya have sailed the world. It was suggested we get an anchor bridle that is half the length our our boat. Quite costly, I thought, so Ron purchased the necessary supplies before we left. So now, here in Campbell River, I had something to do. I spent some time building the bridle which included sprucing up on my three-strand splicing skills. It looks great and will serve it's purpose. I felt better getting it done before we need it in high winds at anchor.

Beleive it or NOT- Ron beat me at another Scrabble game. That man is on a roll. I will challenge him yet again and again and again until I find my winning streak.

Time to have a good night sleep as 0600 comes early.

June 13

WOW the wind came up in the night and it was still blowing in the morning. BUG was up first so it was time for Minnow to get up too. Minnow is Gracie's name for me... it's a deviation of Minnie which is what the grand-daughters call me. Ron is Poppa to all the kids.

Everyone else took their time getting up. Ron and Bill took Winston and M (the dogs) for a walk. They took it upon themselves to go to Starbucks for coffee. Guess mine wasn't good enough. But can you imagine... they didn't even bring a latte back for us girls.

Pooched eggs, toast and sausages were on the breakfast menu then a walk was in order to keep Gracie busy. I also had to find the bus depot to pick up the oars. That proved to be an ordeal on its own. No address or phone number in the phone book for Greyhound. Some fella rattled off the phone number but when we asked the address he just stated "go strait ahead for a ways then turn left. It's just over there..." he said pointing in God knows what direction.

Bill, Leanne and Gracie toodled off home around noon. I spent some time preparing for next visitors, daughter Meghan and boyfriend Blair. They arrived earlier than planned so that they could leave earlier to go home. As the saying goes... time flies when you are having fun. Before we knew it, it was after 8. So much to talk about, so little time.

For those of you who do not know, Meghan and I (mother/daughter) are training for the Nike Women's Half Marathon taking place in San Francisco in October. I will be running in honour of children with lukemia and lymphoma.

After the kids left, Ron and I settled down for a cup of tea and a game of Scrabble. He whooped my butt, beating me by five points. This is about the third time Ron has been victorious playing Scrabble with me. I am going to have to sharpen my skills. Game on tomorrow!

June 12

We had a great night at Henry Bay; very peaceful. We weighed anchor at 0600 and made our way for the Comox Bar. No, silly, it is not a pub. It is a bar of sand that is marked by three red buoys so that boats can cross the bar without running aground.

The day was gloriously sunny. Being Saturday morning, a few boaters were out and about. We had a long straight run (no wind) to Campbell River. Upon our approach, at the south end of Quadra Island, there must have been about one hundred sport fishing boats. We soon learned that many fishers were catching their limit in no time. Poor salmon... somebody's dinner.

Did I tell you that we forgot our oars for the dinghy. They were left on the dock at Westbay. Yesireeeee, yep, yep, we sure did. Thanks to good neighbour Dave at Westbay. He (after a few reminders) taped and labeled the oars then shipped by bus to Campbell River. Dave tried to tell us it cost $692.00 to ship them. We might have beleived him but he noted the cost of shipping was the same price as new saddlebags for his Harley. Nice try, David! Oars arrived safe and sound on Sunday. I would rather row Winston to shore than use the motor.

No sooner did we arrive in Campbell River and we were greeted and boarded by a family of useless guests: UG ( useless guest Leanne), BUG (Gracie, baby of useless guest) and HUG (Bill, husband of useless guest). OK just kidding! We were boarded by our great friends and honoured with a visit by Momma Dougan and Bud. We had a boat full and had a great time. Dinner consisted of homemade lox - I think it is Bud's secret Norwegian recipe, fresh Salt Spring Island prawns trapped by Mom and Bud, and home grown Cowichan beef. The lox was the best I had ever eaten, the prawns were eaten within minutes (and there were a lot of them) and the beef melted in my mouth. Yes we did have our vegetables in the form of a green salad. The food, beverages and laughs were non-stop! Leanne and Momma, thank you for the very thoughtful gifts.

The Momma and Bud drove off before sunset in their camper van to stay the night somewhere and the UG family hunkered down with us aboard Ta Daa. It should be noted here that we play some sort of rummy game (if you googled the name you would never find it) invented by Bill's family. I was the ultimate winner on Saturday night - ta daa!

First Full Day

June 12 - up at 0400. That is the same as 4:00 AM. We were underway by 0430. I am sure the other boaters slept through us warming up the motor and sneaking away. Our goal today is to be in Henry Bay. This is a very small bay at the top end of Denman Island. This was nearly 90 nautical miles - a very long day for us.

Our departing time was determined by the slack water at Dodd Narrows. This is the narrow channel of water between Vancouver Island and Gabriola Island. The water can ebb or flood at a speed of up to 8.8 knots. Our boat will only go 8 knots under power - full throttle. The idea is to avoid the ebb or flood flow and go through at slack. Slack means there is little or no current.

When we motor, we cruist at 3000 RPM so that is an average of 6 knots depending whether we are running against the tide or with it. This morning we will be going against the tide so we must allow extra time to reach Dodd Narrows by 0947.

It was a very peaceful morning; not many boaters out as early as us. The seals in Samsun Narrows were out in droves. Their little heads were popping up everywhere.

There was not much wind. We motored past Crofton Mill about 0700. With the tide against us, we thought we had better punch up the RPM's a little to ensure we made Dodd Narrows on time.

Since we started out so early in the morning, Ron and I took turns having cat naps. We knew we would be on the move until 1800 (6 PM). That means a 14 hour day and the longest for Ron and I in our boating history together.

We got to Dodd's a few minutes early. Let me tell you, every minute makes a difference. We were running with 2 knots of current and 10 minutes later it was completely slack. We entered Northunberland Channell. This channell is where you can find the Duke Point Ferry and a lot of industry for Nanaimo. Dead ahead is Newcastle Island. We chose to stay on the outside of Newcastle to make the shortest route possible. As usual, the wind started to freshen up as we motored past Nanaimo but soon calmed by the time we got to Ballenas and Winchelsea Islands.

Hornby Island was now in sight... and Denman lies next to it. Hornby Island is more prominant because of Mt Geoffrey. Denman is relatively flat. We were getting closer to our destination of Henry Bay.

We said a hearty hello to Deep Cove for our Westbay neighbours, Tim and Tara. They used to live aboard in that neck of the woods. Motoring through Baynes Sound, there is always something to look at; homes on Denman Island waterfront, fish farms, the Denman Island ferry and local boaters.

Ahhhhh, Henry Bay is in sight. We are very tired now and looking forward to stopping. We were boat number four. We set anchor, took Winston to shore and just enjoyed the quiet except for the eagles in the trees. Peace and tranquility in a beautiful little bay. It is a bay that Dad and Honey used to frequent when they finished their commercial fishing careers. Now I know why they liked it so much; sandy beach, mountain views, and the wild life (eagles, herons, and seals). Time to get some much needed sleep.

On Our Way

June 10 - WOW we are really on our way! First stop - Salt Spring Island. Our dear friends Momma Dougan and Bud have a dock in their of their home. Our intent is to get there tonight, late, and leave early in the morning. Once out in Haro Strait, near Zero Rock, I called the Momma. Unbelievably, she told me that it was fogged in at their place; could barely see the front yard. The Momma is a salty sailor from younger days so we took note of the information.

Hmmmmm first deviation of our plans. Ron and I made a decision to stay in Tsehum Harbour for the night. It iss one thing heading to Salt Spring in the dark. It was another knowingly making our way in the dark and the fog. After a fine evening of motoring, we pulled into the Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club. Surprisingly, it was busy and we had to tie alongside another sailboat. We now had an opportunity to have a good sleep and get an early start.

1 More Sleep

WOW! What a frackin night... what could go wrong did! Grocery shopping went find, thank goodness. We have nutrition on the boat. That being said, the internet would not let me log on and pay bills, the printer gave Ron grief and I needed a glass of wine. It's not often that I say I NEED a glass of wine but tonight is the exception.

Thanks to neighbour Gordo, you can all follow us on www.marinetraffic.com Just go to the sight and look for us being one of the little boat icons. I think we might be a purple one labeled as a yacht. It should provide some insight as to what type of ships/ferries are out there with us.

Talk about leaving it to the last minute... I need a prescription renewed and the only appointment I could get is tomorrow morning and I made that a month ago. Tomorrow is going to be a great day; lots to do at work, then off we go.

For those who do not know, we will be away from June 10 (departure date) and back home on or near July 17 and back to work on July 19.

Time to head to bed. Nighty night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite. If they do, take a shoe and beat them til they are black and blue. My Grandpa used to say that to us all the time. Sleep tight everyone!

2 More Sleeps

It is the evening of June 8. Two more sleeps to go. We are very excited but extremely tired. We have both been busy at work. I am feeling unwell; stuffy sinus, sore throat and general malaise. No time to rest. Tonight is our first blog posting, laundry needed doing and so on.

Date of departure is June 10 - after work. The forecase is for 35 knots of wind. For you land lubbers, just multiply by 2, it is close enough, and you will get kmh. That's right - 70 kmh!

To refresh your memories, Ron and I, along with our salty cocker Winston, set out last September. As Mother Nature calls the shots, she decided to be a real bee-otch. Gale force winds from Port Hardy onwards. This year, we hope and pray that she will be a little more gentle with us and complete our mission.

There are two other boats that will be heading around the island near the same time as us. It is very likely that we will meet up at some point.

Time to say good night. Stay tuned!