Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
The next day, riding a bit deeper in the water with some nice springs and coho in the cooler, I made it to the south end of Fitzhugh, navigating on flat calm water...and it was at 2 PM!. That was a first for me: seeing the QC Straits flat as a duck pond at 2 PM. With zero hesitation I did what I’d always wanted to do: I went up the backside/outside of Calvert Island. What a stunning place! Like Aristazabal, the side exposed to the Pacific is a 180 degree about face turn of different rock and beach characteristics then the Fitzhugh side is. Raw and spectacular.
Here’s Cape Calvert:
Here’s Chic Chic Bay:
I found a perfect place to boat camp but the name was a bit disconcerting: Grief Bay. Sandy white beaches for the dog, protection from the NW blows are provided by Sorrow Rocks.....any takers?
A 20 knt blow from the SE was predicted for QCS the next day so I decided to do my Cape Caution run that evening. It was 7 PM by the time I got to Cranston Point but not wanting to see what Caution was like in a SE blow I made the evening move. It was a duck pond all the way to Raynor Point.
I made dinner at 9 PM on the hook, went to sleep, and at 2 AM awoke with a start. I had major premonitions going on about my anchor. I take these type of premonitions seriously so at 3 AM I pulled it by flashlight. What I found confirmed my worst suspicions and I decided to cut the trip short and go back across QCS in the dark. I needed a tie to a dock in Port Hardy to get this sorted out.
Just for clarification: this year I decided to try a two-strand splice in my rode to anchor attachment. The 2-strand gave me the taper I needed to pass through the gypsy. The downside was the untucking of the strands. Thank the Lord I brought my beloved Rocna anchor home
So another year for me. NO doubt the best trip I’ve taken in my boating career. With the exception of almost losing the anchor I had very little equipment issues other then power management. Trying to live in peaceful co-existence with a refrigerator on a boat is tough. Once my house batteries got to 11 volts neither of my chart plotters would fire up. In one instance, there wasn’t enough voltage to lower my kicker.
I’m also suspecting a parasitic power draw on top of an amp hour thirsty refrigerator.
But in retrospect it was a phenomenal trip with phenomenal weather. We are blessed to have this seascape at our doorstep and I’m tremendously fortunate to have been able to enjoy it for the amount of time I did.
Getting back to Piranesi : Being on the water for that length of time allowed me to reach a more primal mode. I literally felt myself sync up with tidal movements and the rocks and coast seemed to come alive with the moving water, day after day of gentle ebbing and flowing, like Piranesi in his world
Having the good fortune to take the time to let that all happen and to have that spate of phenomenal weather I am extremely thankful for, though I’ll admit I felt guilty burning all that gas in this day and age and political landscape.
But we all know we‘ll live to regret the things we never did, and rarely if ever the things we do.
Which leaves us pondering the age old philosophical question of comfort verses adventure....
Which cruise ship would you rather be on?
Here’s Cape Calvert:
Here’s Chic Chic Bay:
I found a perfect place to boat camp but the name was a bit disconcerting: Grief Bay. Sandy white beaches for the dog, protection from the NW blows are provided by Sorrow Rocks.....any takers?
A 20 knt blow from the SE was predicted for QCS the next day so I decided to do my Cape Caution run that evening. It was 7 PM by the time I got to Cranston Point but not wanting to see what Caution was like in a SE blow I made the evening move. It was a duck pond all the way to Raynor Point.
I made dinner at 9 PM on the hook, went to sleep, and at 2 AM awoke with a start. I had major premonitions going on about my anchor. I take these type of premonitions seriously so at 3 AM I pulled it by flashlight. What I found confirmed my worst suspicions and I decided to cut the trip short and go back across QCS in the dark. I needed a tie to a dock in Port Hardy to get this sorted out.
Just for clarification: this year I decided to try a two-strand splice in my rode to anchor attachment. The 2-strand gave me the taper I needed to pass through the gypsy. The downside was the untucking of the strands. Thank the Lord I brought my beloved Rocna anchor home
So another year for me. NO doubt the best trip I’ve taken in my boating career. With the exception of almost losing the anchor I had very little equipment issues other then power management. Trying to live in peaceful co-existence with a refrigerator on a boat is tough. Once my house batteries got to 11 volts neither of my chart plotters would fire up. In one instance, there wasn’t enough voltage to lower my kicker.
I’m also suspecting a parasitic power draw on top of an amp hour thirsty refrigerator.
But in retrospect it was a phenomenal trip with phenomenal weather. We are blessed to have this seascape at our doorstep and I’m tremendously fortunate to have been able to enjoy it for the amount of time I did.
Getting back to Piranesi : Being on the water for that length of time allowed me to reach a more primal mode. I literally felt myself sync up with tidal movements and the rocks and coast seemed to come alive with the moving water, day after day of gentle ebbing and flowing, like Piranesi in his world
Having the good fortune to take the time to let that all happen and to have that spate of phenomenal weather I am extremely thankful for, though I’ll admit I felt guilty burning all that gas in this day and age and political landscape.
But we all know we‘ll live to regret the things we never did, and rarely if ever the things we do.
Which leaves us pondering the age old philosophical question of comfort verses adventure....
Which cruise ship would you rather be on?
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