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!