The beaches close to Columbia Cove is the big drawing card for us. The paddle/surfboards got blown-up and we hit the beach to spend a couple of glorious days in the warm sun. It was so hot, walking on the sand required foot wear! Josh Sue and I spend may hours in the small surf, we made a temporary camp and sun shade for lunches; in general hung out taking in the seemingly endless beauty.
Josh on the paddle board.
Lunch with our new beach furniture.
Al and Sandy aboard Marova
The trip to Winter Harbour was uneventful even though we stopped for an hour to try our hand at fishing. Boats around us were catching fish but alas our limited fishing skills were not enough fool the fish there. Winter Harbour was once a center of the busy trolling fleet and after that a sports fishing center, today its is VERY quiet with maybe 20 sport fishing boats and the odd cruiser of which we were one of three present. We wanted to walk the boardwalk and decided to moore on the dock to support the local facilities, besides that SE was going to blow through. Here we met Al and Sandy aboard Marova and Fraser 41. Al had in previous years done a circle through the South Pacific returning via Japan and now were doing a little shake down cruise before heading south to Mexico and the Caribbean. We truly enjoyed their company and listening to cruising stories over the occasional drink! The wind a Solander on the end of Brooks Peninsula (windiest headland on Vancouver Island) was supposed to switch back to NW in the morning so we would leave for Columbia Cove to spend a few days.
Josh holding his Red Snapper, Yummmm!
The next morning heading out of Quatsino with Marova we were surprised to find glassy seas. In fact it was flat calm all the way to Solander. We took the opportunity to get up close for a look at that rugged headland and give Josh a chance to fish. Not only was the Solander a beautiful site but in 15 min we caught a Coho Salmon, Red Snapper and a large rock cod. Whales we feeding off the bow of our boat while all this was going on! Almost on cue the NW started and we sailed off around the corner to enjoy a salmon feast with the Marova crew.
Map of Cape Scott area.
The bird with its new adornment.
With the NW looking like it would take a day rest in a few days we headed North. Our first destination was one of the largest native settlements in Queen Charolette Strait. Here we met for the second time Angus on Nootka Rose who was headed north this summer. We searched the beach in front of the village site for treasures and Sue was the big winner finding a trading bead which was added to the boat bird!
Next morning we were off to Port Hardy for fuel, water, food and beer. The first foggy morning was present and I had a chance to check the radar out. Hooray works great, though I must say the operators manual of the Raymarine E80 is not light reading!! As Adesso is new to us, and has many systems, its always great when I try one for the first time in real situations and it just works as it should! I must mention here that the Port Hardy’s fuel dock is in a tight spot and Adesso with out a bow thruster can be a challenge maneuvering. This is a skill that is improving but … I’m sure that am the subject of others entertainment as I learn! From here a quick trip to Port Alexander for the night and off to Sea Otter Cove in the am.
At anchor in Port Alexander
I think Josh’s truck needs some repair!
Port Alexander was new to us and proved to be a surprise. With NW gales blowing late in the day we were anchored in this beautiful inlet while the wind raged at its mouth. A trail across the island lead us to an old logging site where Josh tried his hand at driving. The wind dropped over night and the fog returned. The summer “high” weather pattern on the west coast is NW gales late in the day, that fall off in the evening only to return the next after the morning fog burns off. The early morning start for Cape Scott found confused seas, fog and no wind but we did have company, a Fraser 41 left Bull Harbour as we went by so we could just see each other through the fog or on radar as we rounded Cape Scott. The NW started up, and we sailed out of the fog into another spectacular sunny day. Sea Otter Cove is a great hurricane hole but we stop because of the hike to Lowrie Bay. Here we had our first ocean swim on the Pacific side of Vancouver Island and Josh found another Japanese glass ball on the beach! The weather was calling of a burst of SE to arrive but the sunshine to continue (very unusual) so at 6 am we were off to Winter Harbour to walk on the board walk.
Our trip up into the Broughton Group was uneventful with the wind gods giving us a short break in the relentless NW gales in Johnston Strait that we were beating into. Our first extended stop was with Bruce and Josee McMorran in Simoon Sound just north of Echo Bay. We have known them since our Cortes Island days and they own the Paddlers Inn.
Adesso at rest infront of the Paddlers Inn
This beautiful spot in the Broughton’s caters to kayakers that want a break from camping or a base to paddle out of. The cabins are rustic but have all the important amenities, bed, hot water, shower, kitchen and spectacular views. We spent a couple of days visiting, hiking and in general, hanging out. Josh and I successfully did our first engine fix on the fly. The kill switch stopped working when we arrives at the Inn. It turned out to be a loose wire on the kill solenoid which should have taken maybe 5 min. to fix but….. To access this wire and get a screw driver on it we had to take the whole solenoid off the engine. Yanmar gets a negative on this design feature which took us an hour to correct! It was here that Sue and Josh made the decision to head around Vancouver Island and not north, so plans were made to head for fuel, water and groceries.
We needed to get out of town for the summer and our inclination was a trip around Vancouver Island. I was thinking of heading north of Vancouver Island but you do risk leaving the warmer weather behind, which is hard to do in the Pacific Northwest where the warm months are so few. Josh’s cousin Matt was coming out to the coast for a 10 day trip through Desolation Sound so that is where our summer plans would begin. The first thing these two boys did was to build a potato gun and stock the boat with amo ( potatoes ) and fuel ( Finesse hair spray ). They then proceeded to impress all with their marksmanship both on and off the boat!
Desolation was sunny, warm, beautiful and uncrowded. We feel so lucky to have such an amazing cruising ground close to home! Our first stop Henry Bay just got us off the dock and on the beach. The plan was to end up in Gorge Harbor on Cortes Island in front of Wendy and Hubert’s for a couple of days. The short story is below with potato gun activity a common thread through all of the days.
Unwin Lake for swimming,hiking and beach fires.
Forbes Bay for paddleboards up the river, hikes and prawns!
Walsh Cove to swim and heard the fish stories of those big ones that got away. Here we met Garth, Merrien and Nolan on Ocean Frog who invited us for happy hour. It always great to meet like minded sailors who care for the impact we humans are having on space ship earth!
Von Donop Inlet with a stop to swim in Robertson Lake, more fires and the boys got stuck in the tidal lagoon for a few hours!
Lambert Beach in Evans Bay on Reid Island to hike trails and more fires.
It is amazing that even having lived in the area for over 25 years we still do not tire of the beauty and cruising diversity. The BC Coast is a spectacular part of the world and the people of Cortes hold a special place in our hearts. Our couple of days with friends on Cortes was filled with music, great company and of course food but alas Matt had a bus to catch in Campbell River so off we went to send him off and head north.
Adesso came with 2 stainless 60 LB CQR anchors. The CQR is an example of good anchor technology of the past and decided to give it a try before considering a replacement. The main point here is an anchor is a small investment compared to the boat and more importantly we have to trust it. During our first months cruising in the Pacific Northwest it was decided to replace the CQR. Slow to set, awkward to bring into the bow roller were the main reasons. My first sail boat had a “Bruce” which was a great anchor with the exception of not setting well min kelp or ell grass and occasionally would pick up a bolder resulting in its inability to set at all until it was removed. “Indigo” our last boat had an early generation Rocna that we were very happy with, excellent holding, positive setter and excellent at resetting in a wind shift. It so happened that Practical Sailor was reviewing anchors from a number of different points of view this spring which helped us greatly in making a choice for Adesso. One of the first factors was that roll bar anchors were a questionable fit because of the Passport bulwarks and stainless roller configuration. To top this off the “Spade” anchor was getting top ratings with Practical Sailor, and I was told its geometry was very similar to the CQR. So the “Spade” it was! This was a fantastic choice not only does it fit and look great on the Passport it is surpassing our experience with the Rocna. The curved anchor shaft makes for smooth release and return, it sets every bit as well an the Rocna did even in grassy bottom and though we have not experienced a big wind shift yet Practical Sailor test had this anchor at the top of that list. We love our new Spade!
Spade on the bow of Adesso
Adesso came with speakers everywhere!! These were all car audio speakers and very tired! I prefer a higher quality sound and this does not have to cost more! In fact if you have a little DIY streak you can create amazing sound for very little. Renown for its sound quality the Lepai’s amplifiers are 12volt and are amazingly cheap. These work well with todays digital player world with both RCA and 3.5mm inputs. I used the 168AH ( approximately 50.00 ) which has subwoofer capabilities in the main salon. This coupled with a pair of DIY Fonken speakers and a built in sub under the navigation table. Check out www.planet10.com for plans and drivers for these amazing speakers ! I then put a separate Lepai 2 channel ( less than 30.00 ) connected to a couple of marine Jensen speakers in the cockpit. This allows sound volume to be separately adjusted between the cockpit and the salon.
Lepai Stereo amp with outboard key for scale.
Fonken book shelf speaker
Sub woofer under navigation table
On Hubert and Wendy’s mooring in the Gorge.
Well its not often that we would head off to a destination 30 nm away for the weekend but our good friends and neighbours for many years the Calino’s were leaving Cortes Island and throwing a party! Lucky for us Friday after work delivered 15 to 20 knot of wind going in the direction we were going! By 8:30 pm we were tied up to Hubert and Wendy’s mooring in Gorge Harbour just in time for a late dinner and libation! Saturday was sunny and glorious with so much visiting old freinds that spilled over onto waterfront decks at happy hour. Cortes Island has such a great community and is surrounded by one of the great cruising grounds of the world ( in my opinion of course)! Fathers day pancakes followed Sunday am and off to Comox but today the Yanmar did the heavy pushing. Still a beautiful trip that ended with salmon BBQ on our boat. Whew, my cheeks were worn out from smiling. We appreciate so much, Adesso, the friends and the water born life we have the opportunity to experience.
A view down Gorge Harbour .
Since splashing Adesso in the Pacific Ocean, Adesso would motor about 6.4 knots at 2700 rpm on her Yanmar 4J2E-HTE. Not only did this seem too slow but the engine rpm’s seemed high. After researching with the manufacturers of the Max Prop and doing load testing I decided to change the pitch from 16° to 22°. We had to do a half lift to do the job which would require taking the Max Prop apart to reset the angle. For reference our Max Prop is a Classic 17 inch 3 blade. We took a quick weekend trip to Lund and back to do the change. Now I am happy to report that under full throttle the Yanmar loads up to about 3400 rpm max which is close to 80% of the governed max rpm of 3600 rpm. I can now cruise at a 2400 rpm and make over 7.3 knots in calm water! The other benefit was the engine and gear ran smoother with less noise and vibration. To top off the weekend we had a light NW breeze to take us home. Thanks to Roy on his Contest 38 who took the video as we sailed by!
Adesso’s canvas was very tired when we bought her and as we are in the Pacific Northwest ( cool and wet ) a full enclosure was desirable. This would give a “mud room” going on and off the boat in wet weather but also made cruising on wet cold days almost civilized! This space would also double as Tilly’s home. We have always been impressed with the design and quality of Iverson Dodgers over the years and after an exaustive share and price comparison we decided on them. This meant a trip to Everett Washington and week’s wait while the job was completed. I can not say enough good things about the dodger, professionalism and speed in which this job as done.
The trip to Everett was sunny warm and windless but we made the best of it! Boat neighbour Mal Walsh and my son Josh came on the trip which was a little longer that expected but a good time was had by all! Arriving in Everett after a stay in Friday Harbour and Port Townsend put us in time for our appointment! On the first day we removed the old canvas and metal, new metal was bent ( we went with the 1.25 stainless tubing ) and the complete pattern was taken for the full enclosure. After this we had a week to wait while the dodger and panels were created. During this time I was working on installing our Webasto heating ( winter was coming!!!) and numerous other small projects . Nothing like a week away from distractions to get work done on a boat!
One week later our canvas arrived and was installed. What was most impressive was the fit, tight as a drum! By the end of the day what was to become known as our bubble was done and we were dry inside!!
