Blog

at Westport Marina started Saturday, August 24; finished Saturday, September 28.

A month-long haul-out! This happened because after Penelope returned from one of her summer cruises on August 19, a leak was noticed where the propeller shaft exits the boat. Not nice!! On August 24 we got Penelope to Westport Marina in Sidney. Part of the way Penelope was towed by Ben with his boat "Sully", otherwise Penelope sailed.

It turned out that Penelope's "shaft log", a sleeve that goes around the propeller shaft, was very worn. Also, we noticed that the strut holding the propeller shaft outside the boat was bent and developing some cracks. So, a new shaft log and a new strut were ordered... but the delivery took weeks. 

In the meantime the boat was sanded and polished and re-painted, battery and charger changed (they had been damaged due to the leak). Lots of people worked on the boat. The shaft log and strut replacement were done (getting the old strut off also meant taking the fuel tank out to get at the bolts).

Saturday September 28 was the time for putting Penelope back into the water; we left the boat in Sidney for two days - just in case...! - but nothing terrible happened. Penelope motored back to Oak Bay (motored, since there was no wind) on September 30.

Barry had done the actual shaft log and strut replacement and the re-alignment of the engine (since the strut is now straight and not bent, the engine needed to be shifted a bit), and he did the final alignment on October 7 after the boat had been back in the water for some days.

Except for the constant need to tidy and clean up, Penelope should be a better boat now, and all set to go! 

10-Year Anniversary Celebration

Mix&Mingle at Spinnaker's Brewpub

Friday, September 20, 2024, 6:30-9:30 pm

A fun affair with 28 co-op members present. Food, pool, lots of talking and having a good time.

Summer cruises

Penelope and Rhumb Runner both went out for some week-long cruises.

Early season cruise

Penelope and Rhumb Runner went out together May 18/19/20.

AGM 2024

This AGM was held Thursday, May 2, 2024

starting 6:30pm at 709/711 Douglas Street, Victoria. Previous AGMs had been held in late June, but we decided that early May was a better time.

Our 2023 Saturday Boat Work Parties and Co-op Sails: 

We decided to not have regular Saturday work parties anymore. Instead, the boat captains send emails (or Discord messages) when they need to have something done on a boat.

Monthly co-op sails have been continuing.

Fall Co-op Social

We met Tuesday, November 21 at 7:30 at The Fernwood Inn, 1302 Gladstone Ave, Victoria, BC

for a fun get-together.

Rhumb Runner Haulout, October 2023

RR was cleaned and the bottom painted.

Co-op AGM - June 20, 2023

When: Tuesday, June 20 at 6:30pm

Where: 709/711 Douglas Street (in the Crystal Gardens building; entrance next to the main entrance to Crystal Gardens).

What: The Victoria Sailing Co-op's Annual General Meeting was held on Tuesday, June 20 at 6:30 pm. The SOP were updated.

Penelope replaces Felix

A whole group of co-op members was busy for weeks, looking at many boats that might be a good replacement for Felix. We finally settled on "Penelope", a 1981 Hunter 30, and bought this boat in early August 2022. 

Insurance changes

One (!) day before our annual insurance was to be renewed on May 6, the insurance company notified us that they would not offer insurance for co-ops in the future. But they did offer a 3-month extension so that we would have some time to find new insurance. Luckily Felix's accident happened after we accepted the extension!

It took a while to find new insurance; we also had to wait until the claim for Felix was settled. In July we arranged insurance with HUB, effective in August. The premium was much higher than before, partly due to the claim and partly due to a general, all-around increase in insurance costs. 

Our 2022 Saturday Boat Work Parties and Co-op Sails (after most work parties): 

none in Jan, #81 Feb 19, #82 Mar 19, #83 Apr 16 #84 May 28, #85 June 18, #86 July 16, #87 Aug 20, #88 Sep 17, #89 Oct 15

Phoebe Haul-out June 14-17, 2022

Phoebe's bottom was scraped and re-painted, and the red part polished.

AGM on June 7, 2022

We held another online AGM. We talked about finances and the budget, got up-to-date about Felix and the search for a new boat, approved changes to the fees and to the SOP, and elected a 6th director.

No more Felix!!

Felix had LOTS of work done in 2022, mostly by Colin but also by Jeff, Ryan, Richard and others. Felix got a new dodger, new interior lighting, new starting procedure (leading to one start of the engine without opening the cooling water seacock – luckily the engine survived – this is a really high-quality, sturdy engine!!). Colin and Emily went cruising for over a week in March – very brave! A linked cruise was planned for the summer, but then….

On May 14 Felix ran aground just outside the marina, getting stuck on Robson Reef for a while, and a leak developed. A week or so later (on May 25) Felix was transported to Sidney and lifted out of the water, and it was found that damage repair would cost $25,000 plus! Felix was a write-off. Very sad; it really makes you want to cry for this nice boat, and when you consider the amount of work that was done during the last year up to almost the day of the accident… sigh.

Our insurance company paid the full insured $20,000 in mid-June. Colin bought Felix from the insurance company for salvage, and he was able to re-purpose various pieces, such as the boom and the traveller.

Eight March Days on Felix

(Story by Colin)

To celebrate the arrival of spring, I planned an eight-day outing on Felix around the Southern Gulf Islands. Four days would be spent with my Emily, and four with a friend from 

the mainland. After rushing to get the whole boat scrubbed down inside and out, and packing it up to the top with everything from extra blankets, rain gear, frozen pancake batter, to flashlights, cameras, and lots of hot chocolate... we were off on March 18th.

Our departure was calm - glassy, almost - meaning there was no way we could sail all the way to Portland Island as planned, so we opted to motor to D'Arcy. D'Arcy, as we know from the past, is an excellent anchorage that you will never have to share... so long as the weather was settled. Fortunately for us, the weather was textbook "settled." After anchoring near the campground on D'Arcy, we went ashore to putter around, listen to the grunts of the harbour seals, and look for sea life. Back onboard, we cozied up under several kilograms of blankets. 

Our first morning onboard was cold, but not intolerable. Coffee and hot chocolate didn't hurt. The wind came up just long enough for us to quietly sneak clockwise around the South end of the island, getting a few glimpses of a humpback feeding along the shoreline. The wind soon died, and we motored along up Sidney Channel. As we had neglected a cutting board, and not wanting to further damage Felix's gorgeous interior, we raised the sails as the wind came up to head for Sidney. After an hour at the dock, we were back on our way. As Emily was feeling the chill of the rainy weather, I was on a solo watch up around Coal Island - including getting the sails up. After an hour of good sailing, we lost the wind again, motoring north of Pym Island. As the sun got low in the sky, we got the sails back up on a perfect tack up to Royal Cove. Our first stern-tie was an immediate success, though a manual sounding showed less than 75cm under the rudder at maximum low.

We spent the next day wandering the trails on Portland Island - we had not only the anchorage, but the entire island to ourselves. Surprisingly, Parks Canada had removed the dock at Princess Bay, and yet Royal Cove was all ours. A day of sunny weather, reading, hiking, and puttering around in the dinghy ended with greying skies as we cooked spaghetti and got ready for bed. About this time, a mysterious trickle of fresh water was beginning to appear in the bilge.

On our final day of part one, we headed over to Wallace and anchored, going ashore for two hours to explore the island. I'd been ashore here before with Parks Canada, but it was nice having yet another island to ourselves. This would become a trend everywhere. Motoring back to Sidney was slow and noisy, docking in the early evening. After four days, the three dollars for a shower at Port Sidney no longer seems unreasonable. We walked up to Fish on Fifth to order, and walked down to the waterfront to enjoy the sunset's colours while eating the disappointingly small cod and massive salmon.

The following morning, Emily had to head back to work, but I would be staying on. However, when checking the bilge, it wasn't the mysterious trickle of fresh water any more - it was much less pleasant. Without too many details, bleach was used, and we now know how long one should go between pumpouts. On a positive note, we learned how to properly pump out, and again, well worth the money charged. My friend from the mainland showed up around noon, and the wind had picked up. 

We managed to sail all the way from Sidney to James Bay on Prevost Island in about five hours on one tack, with a good run up Trincomali Channel. James Bay was by far the most lackluster anchorage, being shallow and entirely unprotected (even from the southeast, despite what geography would dictate). Luckily the wind died, and we headed ashore. Noticing a lot of splashing, headed up to a small bluff and witnessed quite the mating ritual on behalf of the harbour seals. By midnight we were ready to call the front desk to complain about our rowdy pinniped neighbours who were being rather vocal about their engagements. 

The morning brought unexpected and strong Northerly winds. Opting not to try our luck in the dinghy, we raised anchor and headed for Saturna Island. With the sun out and the wind blowing, we made quick time, averaging about five and a half knots all the way. The wind through Navy Channel was somewhat fickle, always strong but constantly shifting. Near Truetworthy Bight, I looked at the chart, and noticed a discrepancy between official parks maps and the data on Navionics - a part of GINPR at Taylor Point. We needed lunch, so we decided to go for our most challenging but satisfying anchorage of the trip. The wind was southwesterly - not what you would expect as ideal for an unprotected anchorage open to Boundary Pass, but we managed to tuck just out of it. At Taylor point, we discovered an absolutely gorgeous ruined stone house that wouldn't have felt out of place in the Scottish highlands, and surrounding trails through beautiful sandstone boulderfields, leading to incredibly cliffs. 

After a brief stop and some ramen, we were back underway to enjoy getting up-close and personal with Monarch Head. Narvaez Bay, like James Bay, was disappointing, but at least was safe and protected. We were briefly visited by the CBSA and RCMP the next morning for a border check, then headed ashore for a hike to Monarch Head. While the views were spectacular, we were somewhat drained from the underwhelming quality of Narvaez Bay compared to Taylor Point, and hauled up the anchor for Tumbo Island. We timed it right with the tides, and got to Tumbo via the Georgia Strait approach around two in the afternoon. At that point, our thermometer was starting to inch above fifteen degrees, and by the time we were moored on a buoy, it was getting too warm. Cabbage Island was still showing a lot of damage from a recent storm, with none of the campsites serviceable and the sign having been destroyed by driftwood. After rowing across to Tumbo Island - and finding the only suitable seeming spot to land a dinghy - we explored the entirety of that island. I get the sense that Parks Canada has plans for this island. The so-called "private residence" is boarded up and severely neglected. The hike was lovely. Lots of history, and great views of the North Shore mountains. We finally got a proper sunny sunset, and sat back enjoying some celebratory drinks having dipped our toes in the Strait of Georgia.

The sail back to Port Sidney was rough but fast - averaging over 6.4kts, with reading reaching up above 6.9kts at times. While it was grey and cool, it was a fantastic day of sailing with the strong southeasterly wind. We snuck between Domville and Brethour Island, finally poking through Byers Passage for no reason other than that it was there to poke through. Mooring at the marina, I said goodbye to my crew of one and reboarded to relax and have some good alone time with Netflix and some unhealthy food choices from Fairway Market after another all-too-appreciated shower.

The return to Oak Bay had Ben van Drimmelen, Greg Rooney and Anghus Ainslie join me... along with about a hundred other yachts, as we had inadvertently set off at the same time as an international race of some sort. Needless to say that we weren't passing anyone despite pushing six knots almost the whole way back. The wind was shifting around until we left Sidney Channel, were we set out on a starboard under heavy and consistent winds. We lost wind around Baynes Channel, necessitating motoring.

All in all, it won't be my last longer cruise, though I will definitely be getting some more warm clothing for sailing. Luckily we missed the spring snow by about a week.

A new boat for the co-op!

We bought "Rhumb Runner", a 7.6 m Kelt, on February 24, 2022.

Our 2021 Saturday Boat Work Parties and Co-op Sails (after each work party): 

Jan to May cancelled, #74 June 19, #75 July 17, #76 Aug 21, #77 Sep 18, #78 Oct 16, #79 Nov 20, #80 Dec 18

More communication

Lots of co-op messages are now sent via Discord!

Felix Haul-out: May 31 to June 2, at Westport Marina in Sidney.

Bottom repainted, hull cleaned and waxed and polished, PSS seal (where the drive shaft exits the boat towards the propeller) adjusted, dodger inspected.

Our 2020 Saturday Boat Work Parties and Co-op Sails (after each work party): 

#69 Jan 18, #70 Feb 15, March to July cancelled, #71 Aug 15, #72 Sep 19, #73 Oct 17, Nov and Dec cancelled

A trip with Felix Aug 29-Sep 1, 2020

(story by Guillaume):

It was late August and another hot summer was starting to wind down on Vancouver Island. Once again, our trusty Felix and his acolyte, Pigledy the dinghy were requested to isolate in the Gulf Islands for a couple of days. With the current and under minimal wind, we left Oak Bay Marina around noon that day.  A gentle breeze greeted us as we got into the straight of Haro and carried us over to Pender Island where we decided we were going to spend our first night. Dinner in Bedwell Harbour was peaceful, and the clear skies of the day set the stage for a postcard sunset. 

Clouds rolled in overnight but the sun took back the center stage when it was time for us to leave our cozy cove around noon the next day. Once again a calm wind brought us to our second island, Sidney and made for a very relaxing sail.  Our sunset dinner by the Spit was equally memorable as the previous one with Mount Baker thundering in the distance.

The next morning was our last day at sea, so we tried to make the most of it by exploring Sidney Island a little while waiting for the tide to turn in our favour. We walked to the end of the spit which is almost 2 km long and ventured through the park area afterward. Biodiversity was  abundant everywhere we went, from crabs to otters and tall lush trees despite the lack of rain for the past several weeks. 

We started heading back towards our home port late that afternoon and arrived just before sunset.  

Thank you again Felix for another great sail.

Sailing Course for co-op members... was planned but cancelled due to COVID.

AGM was held online on June 23, 2020 (Jim McLauchlan's birthday!). 

General Meeting was held online on April 21, 2020 - a general meeting with just one topic... how to get by this year?? 

General Meeting was held on March 12, 2020 (our last in-person event for quite a while). 

Our 2019 Saturday Boat Work Parties and Co-op Sails (after each work party):

#57: Jan 19, #58 Feb 16, #59 Mar 16, #60 Apr 20, #61 May 18, #62 June 15, #63 July 20, #64 Aug 17, #65 Sep 21, #66 Oct 19, #67 Nov 16, #68 Dec 21

AGM 2019:

This was held on June 26. We have 5 instead of 4 directors now. We talked about recent repairs on Felix, finances, the budget, maintenance and improvements for Phoebe, possible "casual" racing and possiblechanges to our SOP.

World Oceans Week 2019:

June 2 to 9 was World Oceans Week, with World Oceans Day on Saturday June 8, 2019.

Here is a link to the main website: https://www.worldoceansday.org

There were lots of events worldwide. 

This links to an e-newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/b4c8df5073bd/events-news-and-views-for-the-ocean-mind...

Co-op General Meeting: 

on Saturday, May 18, 2019

This was a short General Meeting were we decided to remove some of the boat booking restrictions and to clarify/adjust our rules regarding guests on the boats.

Celebration of Life for Jim McLauchlan:

on Saturday, May 4, 2019

Jim McLauchlan, Chief Instructor of the "Oak Bay Sailing School", Mentor and Friend of the Victoria Sailing Co-op, and Victoria Harbour Ferry Captain, had died on May 7, 2018. In the morning of May 4, 2019, five Harbour Ferries and "Felix", one of Jim's favourite boats,  motored out of the harbour for the scattering of ashes. In the afternoon people gathered at “The Bent Mast" for food and songs and stories and fun memories. It was a great event.

Co-op General Meeting on Tuesday, March 19, 2019: 

- a time to talk, meet, make some plans (what co-op sailing trips? Swiftsure planning update? any other events? who will be attending the sailing course? who would like to go cruising in the summer? …. as far as people know this at the early time in the year), and to renew memberships.

Our 2018 Saturday Boat Work Parties and Co-op Sails (after each work party):

#45: Jan 20, #46 Feb 17, #47 Mar 17, #48 Apr 21, #49 May 19, #50 June 16, #51 July 21, #52 August 18, #53 Sep. 15, #54 Oct. 20, #55 Nov. 17, #56 Dec.15.

Christmas Party December 8, 2018

Another fun event, although only sparsely attended. We had a "new" room - up on the 12th floor with views of Victoria, very nice!

On Friday, October 19, 2018 we had a meeting about ownership of "Felix".

We passed several motions, and one was to introduce an overnight fee. To make keeping track of this easier we decided to make this a fee when boats are reserved ahead for a full day.

More importantly, though, the co-op is now ready to accept loans from all members - with interest!! Please contact Doug Prescott if you can help out in this way. (BTW these loans will be used for the sole purpose of paying for Felix.)

Our Sep. 9  Co-op Day sail did not have the right weather, or the right date..... only two of us showed up.                     

Felix went on a trip:

(story by Uschi)

Aug 26 to Sep 2 2018: Uschi, Barry and our daughter Helen went sailing.... to Sidney Spit, then Genoa Bay, Clam Bay (north of Thetis Island), Conover Bay, Divers Bay, Bedwell Harbour, Sidney Spit and then back to Oak Bay. It was a week where the smoke diminished to "hardly noticeable", and the temperature dropped a bit. But we still went swimming, and I slept outside a few times. Helen went back home a few days early, and we dropped her off at Otter Bay. Otter Bay has a really nice marina, and it is a great place to switch boat crews since it is close to the ferry terminal. 

Co-op trip to Maple Bay:

June 29-July 2  2018. This was a one-boat trip with only two people! (It was nice, though, and we renewed our friendship with VanIsle Sailing Co-op.) And we tried out Piggeldy's motor.

This year's AGM was on Thursday, June 21, 2018.

World Oceans Day was on Friday, June 8, 2018

We had planned a sail in the afternoon but it was pouring rain and unpleasant. So we just sat on Felix and enjoyed life in the harbour.  :-))

More info about World Oceans Day:

http://www.worldoceansday.org

Swiftsure Race on May 26, 2018

Felix participated in the Inshore Classic and did very well!! (Report by Roland)

Yesterday, May 26,  Max, Doug, Chris Lentz, Michael Clavelle and Graham and I raced the 75th Swiftsure Inshore Cruising Non Flying sails race. It was my second race, my first being last Wednesday, and my first as skipper. Chris & Doug also had some racing experience.

We motored to the start at Clover Point. We had a poor start, mainly because I hung too far back from the start line. We headed upwind to the first mark, one tack and we were around and then a long downwind run past trial island. We made good time downwind, closing some of the gap to the other boats, but it wasn't enough.  We headed up Mayor Channel to the finish at RVYC, finishing just over 1 minute ahead of a Catalina 27 named Paradise and 5 minutes behind another Catalina named Journey.

It was a good event, next year lets get both boats in the race. And maybe go downtown as well for the festivities. 

I highly recommend racing to the other coop members, it really makes you work on your sail trimming. If anybody wants to race, show up at RVYC at 5:30 and hang out by the docks, you'll usually get on a boat.

Results: http://www.swiftsure.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Preliminary-Results-for-Swiftsure-Inshore-Classic-2018-Sailwave.pdf

Pedder Bay

We went to Pedder Bay on May 19 and back to Oak Bay on May 21.

General Meeting on Saturday, May 19

At the Oak Bay Marina Coffee Shop we held a short General Meeting. The only topic at this meeting was a special resolution to change our SOP:

Resolution:

To change Section 6, #3 of our SOP from 

"Co-op boats may not to be used for organized racing.”

to

"Co-op boats may not to be used for organized racing without prior written approval of the directors.”

The resolution was approved by all present.

Day Sail.... on May 6.

General Meeting

was held on Monday, March 5, 2018 at 7 pm, at Unit D, 830 Pembroke St., Victoria.

Our 2017 Saturday Boat Work Parties and Co-op Sails (after each work party):

work party # 33: January 21, #34 Feb 18, #35 Mar 18, #36 Apr 15, #37 May 20, #38 June 17, #39 July 15, #40 Aug 19, #41 Sep 17 (Felix only, with sailing on the days before and after), #42 Oct 21, #43 Nov. 18 (went out sailing in both boats), #44 Dec. 16 

Our Christmas Party was on Friday, December 15, 2017, with lots of good food and drinks, a sailing slideshow, and Presents for the Boats - they got flashlights, pillowcases, an iPad, new flares, material for another reefing line....

Pub Night  on Sunday November 19th at the Bent Mast in James Bay, 512 Simcoe St, Victoria

This was a fun evening! Matthew Parsons joined us for a beer, some pub food and a chat. He is planning a solo trip around the world after initially buying a boat just to live on it. You can read his blog here <http://www.gudgeonblog.ca/about/> . We are looking forward to dropping in and having a tour of his boat.

Felix Haul-out 2017   postscript

A week later Guillaume got a power washer and cleaned Felix's decks. Felix loooked GREAT after that!

Felix Haul-out 2017   

- a 6-day affair -               (posted by Uschi)

On Saturday September 16 Felix sailed from Oak Bay to Sidney, with Doug Prescott as the skipper, and was left at North Saanich Marina overnight. 

The next morning, September 17, Felix came out of the water. 9 of us worked on the boat, and one supplied beer!

The boat bottom looked quite good; after the power washing (done by the Westport people) there was no growth anywhere, except a bit on the propeller (beginning barnacles?).

Work done:

• sanded the bottom (except where the boat supports were)
• painted the bottom blue (except where the boat supports were)
• scrubbed and sanded the propeller
• dealt with rain and set up tarps to prevent water dripping onto the new paint
• put 2 new Zn anodes on the propeller shaft
• tried to clean the white hull part above the waterline: a big challenge – we tried with different cleaners and even rented a buffer, but without much success

In the early evening 4 of us had dinner at the Stonehouse Pub.

Next day, Monday September 18, we had the boat supports moved in the morning, and Doug and Uschi returned to cleaning the while hull, this time with a different cleaner (something meant to clean and wax at the same time). It still did not work perfectly - it looks like next time we have to use yet a different cleaner - one that apparently WILL take all the stains off, but it will also remove all the wax. However we certainly treated and polished the entire white part of the hull, and while it still is not snowy white, a lot of small marks did disappear. - We then applied the second coat of paint.

On Tuesday September 19 we finally finished - Uschi had the support pads moved once more and applied the second coat of paint to the areas when the supports had been, plus a third coat to the rudder and the front of the keel. In the afternoon Doug and Barry moved Felix back to North Saanich Marina.

Roland skippered Felix back to Oak Bay on Thursday the 21st.



 

Co-op Sail on September 10, 2017:

(Story by Uschi)

This was meant to be a "fleet sail" with both boats, but we ended up being just 3 people - Uschi, Barry, and Brian M. So we just took Felix, and because there was very little wind we went for a slow, with-the-tides trip towards Esquimalt Lagoon and then back. We motor-sailed part of the way back because we had not realized how late it was.

This was no speedy or exciting sailing, but the weather was summery, we had lovely views, and it was really nice!

Co-op Trip to Maple Bay, Canada Day Long Weekend 2017:

(Story by Uschi)

We went to Maple Bay again and met up with the VanIsle Sailing Co-op from Nanaimo. Since not too many people had signed up (especially for the trip coming back from Maple Bay) we just took Felix, and left Phoebe at Oak Bay.

Starting out on Friday, June 30, were Guillaume, Uschi, Barry and Julie (visiting). We sailed most of the way and only had to motor towards the end of the trip. It was getting quite late, and we had booked a slip at Westport Marina (not Port Sidney, unfortunately), but we stopped at the customs dock of Port Sidney Marina where Guillaume and Julie hopped off. They were able to connect with Bill and Teri, watch the fireworks, and then drive back together to Victoria. Barry and I continued to Westport Marina in the twilight, arrived safely, and took a bit too long before we walked to a look-out point near the marina. This way we managed to watch just the last 15 seconds of the half-hour fireworks. Oh well, better than nothing, and lots of people told us that the fireworks had been great!  

Saturday, July 1, was quite a fun day. Isaak arrived in the morning with a big heavy bag containing a collapsible double kayak. We sailed to Portland Island and anchored in Princess Cove. Isaak, the kayak bag and I rowed ashore in Piggeldy, and Isaak put the kayak together. I went back to Felix, and we took off back to Sidney, picking Bill and Teri up at Port Sidney Marina. It was windy and wavy, and a high-speed sail. The way back to Portland Island was similar, and it was especially fun to pass another sailboat which was motoring.

Isaak had been paddling around the area and then had collapsed the kayak and done some hiking. Bill and Teri rowed ashore to pick him up, but they and Isaak had never met, so they missed each other (we tried to phone them, but first Bill's and then Teri's phone started ringing somewhere on Felix....). It ended up with Bill and Teri going for a walk on the island while Isaak came back to Felix by himself.

Next, Barry rowed over to pick up Teri and Bill, but they had already gotten a ride - they arrived in a dinghy not much bigger than Piggeldy, carrying them and two more adults plus a dog. :-))

We sat around and relaxed with food and coffee before heading back to Westport Marina.

In the evening we heard some kind of beeping from one of the other boats. An alarm re. bilge water, or propane? It took quite a while to find someone who could contact the owners, who reacted with "again...??!!" before coming down to the boat and switching off their faulty alarm.

On Sunday, July 2, it was just Barry and me sailing to Maple Bay. We started a bit late and therefore motored through the little channels by Canoe Cove instead of sailing around Coal Island, but after that it was all sailing with the wind and the tide, gybing x times, sailing through Sansum Narrows at exactly slack water, and arriving at Maple Bay even before the Van Isle boats. We had time to sit and read a bit, and I went for a row and a lovely swim in the sheltered bay just beyond the marina. 

Van Isle arrived with 4 boats and a total of about 15-20 people (some came by car), while we had 1 boat and 4 people (Teri and Bill came by car for the evening). Like last year we had a nice dinner together, played some games and got re-aquainted. It was fun.

Next day everyone went back home. Van Isle took off before us since they had to catch the tide change at Dodd Narrows. Bruce came out by bus, and the three of us sailed back just to Sidney. Since it was flooding in the morning we went north for a while (looking for wind, too), and since there was no wind we tried to re-set the autopilot. For that, we had to drive in slow circles - our track, as recorded by Navionics, looks quite funny!!

Eventually we turned south, sailed through the Narrows and all the way (at good speed, too) to the ferry terminals in Sidney where we did some heaving-to and a circle to let a ferry leave before crossing its path. Motoring back through the channels we got to North Saanich Marina at about 6:30 pm and then took the city bus home.

AGM:

Our 4th AGM was on Wednesday, June 28, 2017, at 7 pm

Some of the decisions: Election of 3 directors (Patrick O'Hara, Bill Adair, Uschi Leslie), Revision of SOP, Fee structure change as of April 2018

World Oceans Day Co-op Sail on June 4, 2017:

World Oceans Day was on Thursday, June 8. Since we had already planned another day-long Co-op sail on Sunday, June 4 - we sailed for World Ocean Day on the 4th! It wasn't a day-long sail, since fairly high winds were forecast, but we did go out and enjoy the water.  

Here is some more information:

http://www.worldoceansday.org/below-the-surface/setting-sail-for-world-oceans-day

http://www.sailorsforthesea.org/programs/green-boating-guide

Co-op Trip to Pedder Bay     May 20-22, 2017:

Our work party on May 20 was spent preparing for this trip; we left as planned around 12:30 pm. Barry and Uschi sailed Felix, Dorrie and Chris and Brian sailed Phoebe. Phoebe started ahead by half an hour or so since Uschi and Barry were a bit slow to get ready, and then went for a sandwich at the coffee shop.

The wind was blowing nicely at up to 15 kn, although it insisted on coming right from where we wanted to go. So we did our usual zig-zag course; Phoebe did a really long zig down south, way into the strait, and then was almost able to zag right into Pedder Bay. Felix tacked more often and stayed closer to the shore; we got a good look at the ships moored near Esquimalt Harbour.

Arrival at Pedder Bay Marina was about 6 pm. For Felix to get into the slip we had to make a 180 degree turn pretty much in one spot, with the wind blowing. Barry did this beautifully (and then we relaxed too much and (gently) bumped into the dock). We spent some time sitting and talking; then all three Phoebe sailors went back to Victoria; Uschi and Barry stayed on Felix. Emily came down in the evening.

On Sunday, May 21, we were 4 people to go sailing on Felix: Emily, Bill, Uschi, and Barry. There was little wind, but we sailed around Race Rocks and listened to the sea lions barking away. Great sunshine!

Monday, May 22 (Victoria Day), we returned to Oak Bay - Barry and Uschi on Felix, Dorrie and Brian on Phoebe. We motored several stretches since there was so little wind, but even without the motoring we were moving along quite fast since the tide was with us all the way. Felix's speed over the ground south of Trial Island was 7 kn. Arrival at Oak Bay was about 4 pm, and then we all spent a pleasant time on Felix, chatting and finishing up our food and drinks.

No payment was necessary at Pedder Bay Marina since it belongs to the "Oak Bay Group". It was a lovely trip, and we would have had room for way more people - maybe we did not announce this trip early enough, and/or too many of us already had plans for the long May weekend.

"Fleet Sail" on Sunday, May 7, 2017

We started out at about 10:30 am with 4 of us on Felix and 4 on Phoebe. Felix and Phoebe were creeping slowly with very little wind through Baynes Channel and then towards Cordova  Bay. By the time we had rafted up and prepared for a leisurely lunch (and had a "bathroom" break for Phoebe's sailors), however, the wind had increased to 10 kn or so, and we ended up having lunch on un-rafted boats and then sailing back with good speed. We got back at 4 pm exactly and then spent some time just sitting around, talking, eating all the leftover food and even having some wine. A great way to spend this beautiful sunny day!

March 7, 2017 at 7 pm we held a General Meeting

to sign up / renew memberships, discuss a special resolution re. boat ownership, discuss plans for the summer, etc.

On Monday March 6th we had a Pub Night at the Penny Farthing Public House in Oak Bay with Special Guest Steve McBride who is the Sailing Program Co-Ordinator at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, and award.winning coach, AND who coached  John McRoberts and Jackie Gay to a Silver Medal at the Rio Paralympics. We were about 15 people, and it was really interesting to hear about Steve's experiences.

Another Directors Meeting was on Monday, January 30, 6:30 pm at Tim Hortons on Gorge Road (456 Gorge Rd E, near Bridge St.).

We talked about:

• the BAC report
• recommendations to the co-op, re. boat acquisition
• schedule a date for a general meeting in February to discuss Phoebe / Felix
• how to vote at that meeting (online, after the meeting?)
• membership in / advice from the BC Co-op Association?
• “honorary” members 

One of our directors resigned after this meeting; he thought the co-op was making poor decisions.

Our 2016 Saturday Boat Work Parties and Co-op Sails (after each work party):

work party # 21: January 16, # 22 Feb. 20, # 23 March 19, # 24 April 16, # 25th May 21, # 26 June 18, #27 July 16, #28 August 20, #29 September 17, #30 October 22-23, #31 November 19 (sailing with lots of wind!!), #32 December 17.

Our winter Potluck Dinner Party on Friday, December 16, 2016 with great food and fun company, and a short directors meeting before that.

We had a nice Pub Night at "The Bent Mast" on November 21.

Directors Meeting

We met on October 24 to talk about how to put action to the motion passed on Oct 3 (regarding the prevention of financial loss for Uschi and Barry due to providing the boats for the co-op). There were several ideas, and we plan to bring what we thought was the best idea to the membership at a special general meeting to vote on - probably on November 21. More news to follow!

Here's more news: No special general meeting after all. Our next meeting will be in December, a meeting plus potluck / party, probably on Friday Dec. 16. And even more news: We had a pub night on November 21, and will have no meeting in December either - but a potluck dinner.

Phoebe Haul-out, Oct. 2016

Some of us were at Oak Bay Marina Coffee Shop at 9 am on Saturday, Oct 15, but since the weather was not great we just had coffee and chatted.

We did not have enough people available to sail both boats to Sidney this time; the weather did not co-operate as much as in previous years, plus it was quite noticeable that this haul-out was a month later than last year. James and Uschi sailed Phoebe to Sidney on Friday Oct. 21 (mostly against the current, as usual!), and Marc, Dorrie and Max brought Phoebe back on Oct 28.

Here is a summary of the work done:

Saturday:

- had the boat out and pressure-washed

- found lots of dents and scratches on the keel

- scrubbed and scratched off a layer of old antifouling paint

- found a knotmeter wheel under layers of paint

- had boat supports moved and scrubbbed/scratched where supports had been

- polished the red hull part

- scuffed up the white stripe

- taped above the white stripe

- painted below the waterline (blue now instead of black), including where the white stripe was

.... had lunch at Joe's at Canoe Cove

- waited for paint to dry

- had boat supports moved and painted 1st coat where supports had been, 2nd coat everywhere else

- waited for paint to dry

- had boat supports moved and painted 2nd coat where supports had been

.... had dinner at the Stonehouse Pub

Sunday:

- plugged a small hole in the rudder (in the upper part)

- sat in the boat and sorted through all the screws and tape in the various boxes

- cleaned inside while waiting for the put-back-in-the-water time

- when the supports were taken away and the boat was moved onto a vehicle, several areas of paint came off!! And not just the paint we had put on - in places ALL the paint came off so that we could see the original red bottom of the boat

- annoying as this was we put new blue paint on those spots, and at the next haulout we may have to take ALL the old paint off.

By the time the boat was in the water (almost 2 pm) it was too late to start off for Oak Bay, so we (Doug, Barry, Uschi) went for a sail towards Forrest Island and then to North Saanich Marina. The boat sailed really nicely  :-))

We painted over the white stripe because part of it was in the water all the time. Now all the underwater parts of the boat have antifouling paint on them.

Marlene and Dan inspected various parts of the boat. Some things to note:

- the turning valve (toilet inlet) looks ok

- the white paint is coming off the upper deck; this is difficult to repair since the deck is textured, and it is really hard to get all the old paint off. Dan advised to scrub the area with a foam brush to clean it up and make new paint stick, and then paint it over

- there is a thin crack in the gelcoat on the transom; we can't know how deep it is; should it ever cause a "soft spot" in that area (no sign of that yet) some sanding and repair would be needed.

- the lower shrouds don't have to be tight and can stay as they are; they certainly should not be tighter that the upper shrouds

While starting out sailing we noticed that it was really hard to raise the sail. So we put on some lubricant on the sliders, and that made a huge difference. :-))   (It was quick to do this, too.... so if more effort is needed to raise the sail, it may just need lubricant again.)

17 co-op members were involved if I counted correctly - thanks, everyone, for your work and good company.

General Meeting

We had a really loooooooong general meeting on October 3, 2016! But please don't get too worried, the next meetings will not be as long.

We talked about lots of things; one issue was boat ownership. The co-op recognized that Uschi's and Barry's financial outlay (>$26,000) to sail in the co-op was way bigger than anybody else's ($400). So the co-op passed a motion to express its intention to make sure that Uschi and Barry will not be left with a financial loss due to starting the co-op. 

Two weeks with Felix and Piggeldy, July 2016  (story by Uschi)

This was our longest sailing trip by far – almost 2 weeks; starting on Monday, July 18 and returning on Saturday, July 30.

With no clear plan in mind (except to be in Ladysmith on Monday, July 25) Barry and I loaded masses of stuff into the boat and took off towards Sidney. Lynne came along, and we meant to anchor near the Sidney pier and drop her off via Piggeldy. But just around Sidney there was quite a lot of wind, and anchoring and rowing did not seem so attractive. So we dithered around, driving in circles, and finally went into Port Sidney Marina where Lynne hopped off at the customs dock. We then went to Sidney Spit and spent the night at a mooring buoy and walked around on the island the next day. There was little wind, so we just motored around some nearby islands. We had noticed what looked like a lighthouse at the western tip of Gooch Island the evening before but could not find it on the chart, so we went and looked at it. It turned out to be a private small tower.

It was great not having to be anywhere in particular, so we stopped at Princess Cove on Portland Island, just off the ferry terminal. The Rocna anchor got its first use and held nicely. In fact the whole little bay was nice, so we decided to stay overnight. It was even warm enough to go swimming, and I also went for an extended evening row in Piggeldy. A number of boats anchored overnight in the bay, and we had fun watching their anchoring techniques. One sailor in particular was impressive, coming in late and getting the anchor down within a minute. One of the boats was called “After Math” – maybe the owners are retired math teachers?

Next day we went to Cowichan Bay and stayed at the public wharf. The propane tank had gotten empty the night before, and we wanted to get it filled. Except…. it was too old to be refilled, and a new one of the same size was not available. A really nice local drove us to Duncan where we bought a new tank; then she took us to a gas station to get it filled, and then she drove us back to Cowichan Bay.  

Of course the tank turned out to be slightly too large for its box; we could not close the lid. But otherwise it worked fine.

After looking at Genoa Bay we went through Sansum Narrows and then sailed up Houston Passage towards Clam Bay at the north side of Thetis and Penelakut Islands. The wind got less and less and we finally motored the last bit. Clam Bay was big, with lots of boats but also lots of space. I went rowing again, this time through “The Cut” between the two islands. It felt like going through the Panama Canal, with bends, and with lakes at the sides.

Next day we did something new – we went through Porlier Pass and did our first sailing in the Salish Sea / Strait of Georgia. The wind was just right, and we went along the northeastern side of Valdez and Gabriola Islands, ending up in Pilot Bay on Gabriola. Our guide book had mentioned a great shopping centre within a few minutes walk, but the centre had been closed down. Oh well. But there was great swimming in Taylor Bay nearby. Our anchorage in Pilot Bay was weird, though – there was little wind, but the boat moved around a lot, rolling and pitching without any apparent reason or regularity.

We discussed staying in the Nanaimo area for the day but decided to get through Dodd Narrows instead, and then continue on to Pirate’s Cove. This cove has a shallow entrance, and we waited for the tide to rise before entering… just floating around, I went swimming near the boat… nice! Inside the cove we needed the anchor plus a stern line, another new thing for us. After much discussion we decided how to do this, and it worked pretty well.

The following day (Sunday) we went to Ladysmith. Since we arrived a bit early we anchored in a little bay and went swimming. The water was great. However we noticed two not-so-great things: a) the zincs at the propeller are gone and need to be replaced asap, and b) it is just about impossible to get back on the boat using the plastic ladder we have hanging off the stern. We tried having the ladder on the side, but that is tough as well. So we took it off, and we used the fairly stiff but at least solid ladder out of the cockpit locker.

We stayed at another “Oak Bay” marina. It was a fair ways out of town, but again some friendly people drove us and dropped us off at a grocery store (“49th Parallel Groceries”), and the store delivered both us and the groceries back to the marina – great service.

On Monday Helen and her friend Katrina joined us, along with Katrina’s mom Ute. There was very little wind, so we sailed very slowly and then anchored in the “swimming” bay again. We dropped Ute off at the marina and were on our way to Chemainus. It took a long time, but we got there eventually and stayed at the public wharf.

Next we were off to Wallace Island, and Conover Cove in particular. I had wanted to go there since 2014 when we passed the island on our first sailing trip. Conover Cove is fairly small, and people use stern lines, so we got another chance to do this. Of course we went swimming, and Barry and I walked around on the island. Barry also got out the bosun’s chair and connected it to one of the spare halyards. All four of us practiced climbing up in it, and hanging over the side of the boat. It was fun, and climbing up is actually quite easy.

Wednesday afternoon we sailed on to Montague Harbour. It was really crowded – Barry counted over 130 boats. We motored around, looking for a mooring buoy, but they were all taken. So we anchored near the shore and tied yet another stern line. (We had just finished anchoring when the boat next to us left, and a buoy was available. But by this time Barry didn’t feel like a mooring buoy anymore.)

Katrina and Helen explored the harbour via Piggeldy and brought back ice for our cooler. We all went swimming, and having watched the plankton glow on the previous nights the girls planned to go for a night swim. However in the end it was a bit cool for that, so we went for a night row in Piggeldy instead. It was beautiful, like magic.

We had an abrupt start in the middle of breakfast next morning since the wind suddenly picked up and blew uncomfortably sideways against our boat. We sailed out of Montague Harbour, but when we wanted to cross over the ferry routes into Navy Channel the wind of course stopped again, so we motored across. Then the wind increased again, and we did some speedy sailing through Plumper Sound and into Port Browning. Although as soon as we entered the inlet of Port Browning the wind did the weirdest things, changing speed and direction x times. No wonder other boats just motored! (BTW the same thing happened when we left again. We must have looked funny, almost doing circles as we worked our way out of the bay.)

Helen and Katrina rented a stand-up paddle board and two paddles for an hour and had fun paddling it (usually with one of them paddling, the other being the passenger). Getting the board was a bit of a bother, though. From our mooring location at the end of the dock they walked to the rental place, $20 in hand, since a sign advertised 1 hour rental for $20. But they were told there was tax to pay as well, so they came back to the boat for another $1.40. When they got to the rental place the agent told them someone over 19 had to sign the forms. So they came back to the boat again, and I went with them to the rental place. And once we were there we found out that a credit card was needed as a deposit. Mine was on the boat. Helen was ready to forget about the whole rental by that time, but she prevailed and went back to the boat for the third time. Oh well. The agent was a young guy of 18 or so, and it was probably the first time he was in charge, so he felt he had to do things by the book.

On Friday, weather forecast permitting, we wanted to stay in a little bay between Gooch and Rum Islands. We got there around 4:30 pm and found that anchoring was a bit of a challenge. Ours was the only boat, but the bay was very small, and it was difficult to let out enough anchor rode without having to worry about drifting into the rocks should the wind shift. We anchored outside the bay in about 10 m depth, but we did not feel quite confident to be there the whole night. So we just stayed for a while; Katrina and Helen rowed ashore and went exploring while we lounged on the boat and enjoyed the beautiful scene – Haro Strait, the little islands, various birds, the quiet, the clear blue sky. We had dinner, and then we went on towards Sidney, arriving at Port Sidney Marina just as it was getting dark. We even had the running lights on for the last 10 minutes.

Saturday was our last sailing day. After breakfast in the restaurant on the pier we started out around 12 pm. The forecast was for 10-15 kn winds, increasing to 20 or so in the southern sections. Quite enough wind, but it was a head wind all day. The wind even changed direction when we did! And the current was towards the north most of the time. We sailed at 6 kn for times (heeling up to 20 degrees which Katrina found a bit alarming) but because we zig-zagged our progress between James and Sidney Islands was quite slow. Then the wind almost stopped, and we motored a bit.

Luckily the wind started up again, at about 8-9 kn, and we did one very long tack, from the southern end of Sidney Island all the way past Little Zero Rock. I had locked the steering wheel and could sit back and enjoy going along at 4.5 to 5 kn without doing anything except looking ahead every now and then.

By the time we reached Baynes Channel the wind came from the SW (where we wanted to go), but the current had finally reversed direction, and for the first time that day our speed over ground was larger than the boat speed.

The wind increased to 15 kn or so, and we sailed into Oak Bay in nice form.

On this trip the weather was just great; I think it rained only once (during the night). We had almost all our meals at the little folding table in the cockpit. And when Helen and Katrina had the V-berth, I slept outside in the cockpit under the stars – so nice!!

We used both water tanks on this trip, and we got three practices at emptying the holding tank, including how to unplug the pump. Ask Barry for details!

The wind continued to amaze me. Blow, blow, BLOW…. and stop. Change direction. Blow nice and steady. Stop again. And so on.

I think 9-10 kn is my favourite wind speed. No thoughts about reefing, and the boat is going along at good speed. Interesting, however, how little wind is needed to move the boat – even 4-5 kn of wind will get it going at 2-3 kn through the water.

Another fun trip with Felix and Piggeldy!

Navigation seminar for co-op members, led by Jim McLauchlan:

Monday, July 11, 2016        6:30-9:30 pm

Another informative evening for 10 of us - looking forward to the next one!

Jim encouraged all of us to keep all our navigation equipment together: 

Tide and Current tables (good to have your own personal copy), Ruler, Notebook, Soft lead pencil (B or 2B), White eraser, Douglas protractor, handouts and own notes from the seminars, Tide and Current Atlas, etc.

Co-op outing to Maple Bay June 30 - July 3 (story by Uschi)

Our co-op went for its first bigger "whole fleet" (of 2 boats :-)) overnight cruise. Felix and Phoebe left together on Thursday afternoon around 3 pm, with Doug, Lynne and Uschi sailing Phoebe, and with Barry, Bill A., Dorrie and James on Felix. Phoebe got stuck in Baynes Channel - the wind was not very strong and directly from behind, and the tide was against us. We crept through that passage ever so slowly, sailing wing-on-wing. Since we had no whisker pole one of us used the boat hook to hold out the foresail until Lynne cleverly stuck the end of the boat hook into the companionway hatch handle. Both boats sailed most of the way to Sidney and only motored when we realized that it was getting REALLY late. Arrival at North Saanich Marina in Sidney was 9:30 pm or so, just before it got dark. Phoebe got in first, and we managed to land at a slip with the correct number but in the wrong channel of the marina. Felix came into the wrong channel, too, if only so that Barry could call over "you are at the wrong dock!" before Felix did a slow but elegant three-point turn and then headed out of the wrong channel towards the correct slip. Phoebe followed meekly behind. We all had a good time. Barry, James and I slept on Felix that night; everyone else went home.

On Friday we started out around 10:30am. Barry, James and Jennifer sailed Phoebe; Uschi, Doug, Keith and Carol sailed Felix. Since there was little wind and we had to go through the fairly narrow channels near the ferry terminal, we motored almost all the time. Calling Phoebe by direct DSC and also by cell phone, Carol solved the puzzle of why we had been able to call Phoebe ok, but Phoebe calling Felix did not work as well. - Getting near Samsun Narrows we were a bit early for the tide turn, and there was almost no wind, so our two boats rafted up and just drifted along with (mostly) the current while we all sat around on Felix, made coffee and had lunch. North of Samsun Narrows there was enough wind for sailing, so we did that for a while before going in to Maple Bay Marina.

Some of the boats from Van Isle Sailing Co-op were there already, and Keith and Carol had a happy reunion with their Nanaimo friends. In the evening lots of us had dinner in the marina restaurant - very nice. This time Keith, Carol and James stayed on Felix while Barry and I moved to Phoebe. 

Saturday we only went sailing for a short time - James, Carol, Keith, Uschi, Barry - short but nice, with a ton of discussions about the best sail trim. It was a short sail because we only had two designated co-op skippers (Barry and I), and both of us wanted to watch the soccer match (Italy-Germany in the quarterfinals of EURO 2016). Later in the day I rowed around in Piggeldy, and I found a nice swimming spot and went in the water off a little island. Just in time, since temperatures dropped after that, and swimming wouldn't have been so much fun later. In the evening we joined the Van Isle Co-op BBQ with lots of excellent food, music and great company.

Sunday was our return day. Isaak, Lynne, Doug and Dorrie arrived by 9 am. I returned to Victoria driving Isaak's car (with an unplanned detour to Genoa Bay); Doug, Lynne and James took care of Phoebe while Barry, Carol, Keith, Dorrie and Isaak were on Felix. This time there was quite enough wind and they sailed most of the time.

At 2:30pm the boats arrived at the public dock in Sidney (just south of the Anacortes ferry dock) for a crew change. Since the dock was very busy, everybody who needed to get off scrambled onto Phoebe. Phoebe then had to raft up to another boat at the dock, with everyone climbing over the other boat to get ashore, and the new people coming on. 

From Sidney to Oak Bay Felix sailed with Barry, Dorrie and Isaak, while Phoebe sailed with Patrick, Bill K. and James. There was good wind for most of the way; at bit before Zero Rock however the wind died, and the boats started motoring. But as soon as they had passed Zero Rock the wind increased from zero to around 20 kn, and after some fast sailing everyone had to reef. Both boats arrived at Oak Bay Marina around 7 pm in great style.

This was a fun outing! It was great to spend a longish time on the boats together and get to know each other better (for example, I learned that Doug can do the cryptic crosswords - I usually haven't the faintest idea what the clues might mean). And it was so nice to meet the Van Isle Co-op people and some of their "associates". Hopefully we can do something like this again in the not-too-distant future.

Our event manager Bill A. got this organized, with Keith and Carol also spending lots of thoughts on the trip, and in particular figuring out who would sail when on which leg on which boat, who would drive when and where, .... The emails were just flying, and the boat crews changed until the last morning. But it all worked out well - thanks everyone!!!

AGM:

Our third AGM was on Monday, June 20, 2016 at 7 pm

World Oceans Day  - June 8th

World Oceans Day, held every June 8th, is the United Nations-recognized day of ocean celebration and action. People all over our blue planet organize celebrations to support action to protect the ocean. The theme is Healthy oceans, healthy planet, and special efforts to stop plastic pollution. Lots more info here: http://www.worldoceansday.org/

World Oceans Day has been unofficially celebrated every 8 June since its original proposal in 1992 by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. And one of the people who worked on the original proposal, and presented it in Rio, is Carol, who was a member of our Co-op last year.

We thought World Oceans Day while sailing during the week of June 8. And we collected some nice ocean pictures to put up on our site (which will happen soon, I hope!!). 

Doug and Lynne hosted our Annual Spring Potluck Garden Party on Saturday, May 28. We were a small group, and the weather did not cooperate, but it was fun. The food was excellent and the company was great. Next time with more sunshine!!

Felix and Piggeldy to Bedwell Harbour

May 14-15, 2016 we took Felix, with Piggeldy in tow, on this year’s first overnight trip. We had thought of going west, to Pedder Bay or Beecher Bay, but there was a gale warning in Juan de Fuca Strait. So we went north instead, pushed along by southerly winds in Haro Strait. Most of the time we sailed “wing-on-wing” which made Barry happy since he got to use the “whisker pole” to hold the foresail out. He also connected a boom preventer. There were no accidental gybes, but having the preventer was very soothing!

The wind was about 5-10 kn for quite a while, and we went along at about 3-4 kn over the ground (but 5-6 or so through the water) until 3 pm when, just as Environment Canada had forecast, the wind increased markedly, and whitecaps appeared everywhere. Knowing about the “strong wind warning in effect” we took down the mainsail and continued with just the genoa just as fast as before. Barry eventually noticed a maximum wind speed of 28 kn.

Our destination was Bedwell Harbour on South Pender Island where we spent a quiet night at a mooring buoy except that Barry got up around 12 am to re-arrange our tie-up to the buoy; it kept bumping into the boat (Uschi slept through it all).

Next morning we left at 9:30 am and arrived back in Oak Bay at 4 pm. This time we went south of Moresby Island towards Sidney and then between Sidney and James Islands. The winds were light some of the time, so we motor-sailed for part of the day. But south of Sidney Island the wind picked up again, and we came through Baynes Channel at good speed, sailed to the marina, and tied up at the dock without problems (except that we knocked over our sandwich board, and it almost fell into the water).

Uschi and Barry Leslie