La Dolce Vita and Willie C. cruise Desolation Sound, BC

[WillieC]

The best pics are the ones that didn't get taken due to extreme conditions. One wave lifted me off the seat (Starfleet Commander at helm) and deposited me on the floor. This was about the time I saw a whale spout and couldn't let go of anything to take a picture. This was the crossing of Strait of Georgia from Comox to Lund and points beyond. The typical wind is from the NW in the summer, with some SE thrown in just to keep you on your toes. The report for the next day was 20Kt winds so we chose to go in 5-15kt winds. I guess it was better. Nothing terribly surprising (I regularly get picked up out of my seat and thrown on the floor, but that is usually because of my unfiltered vocalized thoughts, not waves.) Trouble was that this wind put the waves almost directly astern, so we zigged and zagged quite a bit that day, I should modify my total mileage just for that. The best part was watching La Dolce Vita whip around and realizing we probably look worse without the steadying sail and mast they employed. What doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger, roight?

Pictures to follow. Here's first moments out of Blaine Harbor. Water looks much calmer than it was.

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[DesertAlbin736]

Yes, about that riding sail... Did it help with steadying in rough conditions? Yes, some. Was it worth the effort to set it up? Jury is out on that point. On a trailerable sailboat the mast is normally slung across the top of the boat from the bow rail to a mast crutch at the stern for trailering. With a wheel house like the A25 that is not practical. So in our case the mast is stowed down on the frame of the trailer while transporting. That means the mast & boom must be completely removed from the boat, including disconnecting all shrouds & stays and removing the spreader. To install the mast it must then be bodily lifted from ground level to deck level, attached to the step bracket on top of the cabin, all shrouds sorted out & connected to the proper fittings (aka 'chain plates'), and the mast raised front to back. From the time we arrive at the ramp until we're ready to launch takes a good 2 or 3 hours to get everything into place and set up the mast raising gear. It's a labor intensive process & not without risk of injury.

In practice we only used the sail a few times when there was a good enough breeze and/or rough enough seas to make it worthwhile. Just having the mast and boom without raising sails did help some with roll dampening. But was it worth the effort? Meh? Here's how it looked motor sailing on a decent beam reach.

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Now I can tell you where this next photo was because you can see the chart plotter screen & coordinates. This view from the helm was taken on June 28th, around the same time the one of WillieC in rough water in the earlier post. This was off Qualicum Bay along the shore of Vancouver Island on the run from Nanaimo going toward Comox. The land mass in the upper right distance was Hornby Island. Early in the cruise it was noticeably cooler & wetter in the 60s & low 70s. Later as we got into mid July we had several days of what to locals was a heat wave, clear skies, very light wind, and temperatures up to the low 80s.

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This is another view you don't often see looking out through your windshield.

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Here's a very happy looking WillieC crew, skipper & Star Fleet Commander, as we hung out & partied with our other AZ sailing friends aboard their Alden 44 sailboat "Leona Marguerite" while stern tie anchored in Tenedos Bay.

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That was on this boat, whose owner had purchased it in northern Virginia on Chesapeake Bay a couple years ago & had it shipped overland to Anacortes, WA, then sailed to its new home port in Sidney, BC & thence up to Desolation Sound.

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Now we each sometimes went off on our own at various times, didn't always stick together each and every day & every place for the entire cruise. My wife & I did a raftup with the sailboat another night in the anchorage behind Squirrel Cove & another "dinner party" as it were. Good times!

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[dkirsop]

Your compass in the shot through the windshield is a good indicator of the rolling going on! Pretty normal for the Georgia Strait.

[DesertAlbin736]

Your compass in the shot through the windshield is a good indicator of the rolling going on! Pretty normal for the Georgia Strait.

We have a brass 'ship's bell' mounted on the cabin bulkhead to port of the door. In other rough crossings without the mast & sail we'd often 'ring the bell', rolling back & forth 30* to 30* heel. This time although rolling was not completely eliminated, we hardly ever rang the bell on this trip. In any case, depending on how full the fuel tank is to port or the holding tank to starboard we often have a little bit of starboard list even in flat water. One reason why we hang the dinghy on the davits with the bow of the dink facing starboard & the outboard motor rack to port.

Here was a similar situation crossing Chesapeake Bay from BiValve to Solomons, Maryland in 2015, without the mast.

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Compare that to Georgia Strait with a mast. Not a terribly big difference I guess. Round hulls are round hulls!

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[DesertAlbin736]

Epilog: Cost accounting. Final tally on cost of trip, beginning June 14 and ending August 14 including over the road boat trailering from Phoenix, AZ to Blaine, WA between June 14 to June 21 and return road trip from August 5 to August 14, two months total. Canadian dollar amounts converted to US:

Road trip; truck fuel & camping/hotel stays, not counting meals

• Truck fuel for 3,200 miles round trip: $1,075

• Lodging (campgrounds & hotel stays): $503

• Total: $1,578

45 days on water/boating portion June 21st - August 5:

• Boat fuel for 580 NM distance covered (Canadian fuel prices converted to gallons &
  $US run between $5 to $6US/gal): $240

• Marina slip & mooring fees paid by credit card: $350

• Boat repairs, mostly for new fuel lift pump & oil change supplies: $186

• Misc boating expenses, guide & chart books, clothing, cooler ice, etc: $176

• Misc cash spent, includes some moorings & meals paid in cash & not tracked:$401

• Total boating expense excluding meals & provisions: $952

• Combined land & sea food provisions & restaurant meals for two persons for two months' travel: $865

• Grand total: $3,398

Comparable cost to bareboat charter a Ranger 25 tug out of Comox, BC to Desolation Sound for 6 days/6 nights is about $3,000 US including insurance but not personal travel to & from charter base, boat fuel, provisions, taxes, or mooring/dock fees, plus pre & post cruise hotel lodging.