After I dropped Deb off at the airport I headed over to my good friends’ Wayne and Joe’s place on the mainland.  We had a nice week hanging out at the boys’ place drinking coffee and margs.  Yum!  Some good…

Wayne and I went to see The Flaming Lips concert at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Mon. May 15.  They rocked and we had a blast.  It was a wild concert and lot’s of fun.  Always a good time hanging out with Wayne.

We decided to head out for a few days sailing so we packed up, caught the ferry over to Vancouver Island, loaded our things aboard Treylya and cast off around 14:30.  After we got out past the ferry traffic at Swartz Bay we decided to head over to Genoa Bay for the night and then planned to continue on around Saltspring Island tomorrow.  We called and booked moorage for the night at Genoa Bay Marina and enjoyed a couple of hour voyage over to Genoa Bay Marina.  We called to book a table at the Genoa Bay Cafe (http://www.genoabaycafe.com/) restaurant and when we arrived at the dock Wayne cut up a few limes and popped the tops off a couple of Coronas to get us started.

It turned out to be a great evening with lots of laughs as we were entertained by our friend and restaurant owner Gordon and his business partner Diana.  They run a great restaurant and really make you feel welcome.  We enjoy visiting there several times every year.  Can’t wait to return…  Thanks for your hospitality Diana and Gordon.

The next morning we awoke with fuzzy heads, but had a great breakfast and cast off around 10am.  We motored up thru Samsung Narrows and past Maple Bay and finally raised the sails just out from Osborn Bay.  The winds were light and we sailed around the north tip of Saltspring and back south towards Montague Harbour.

We pulled into Montague around 16:20, dropped the anchor and watched the sun disappear as we indulged in drinks and good food.  Ah, life’s good.  Montague is starting to fill up with boats and we watched as a few boats drifted very close to each other. At one point the owner of a large power boat had to reset his anchor when the winds faded and his boat drifted together with another so that they were almost touching.

Next morning we weighed anchor at 10:30am and steamed out into Trincomali Channel and raised the sail.  There wasn’t much wind but we weren’t in a hurry so we drifted along until we got to Prevost Island and we steamed between Prevost and Saltspring and southeast toward Sidney.  We were able to kill the motor again and enjoy a light sail for most of the afternoon until we got near Coal Island where we started up the motor and steamed into our berth.

We tided up and caught the ferry back to Vancouver.  It was a very nice few days.

 

Deb and I hung around Victoria for a couple of days to take care of some business and then we provisioned the boat,  fuelled up and cast off on May 6th destine for Mill Bay to meet up with Sue and James.

It was a beautiful day on the water and we enjoyed a light sail most of the way to Mill Bay.  When we got close to Mill Bay our friend hailed us on the radio and we met up with them for a short sail in formation.  They captured some nice video of Treylya which I’m very happy to have.  It’s a perspective you don’t get to see often when solo sailing.  Thanks James and Sue.

After James and Sue checked their crab traps we headed across to the Mill Bay Marina.  Mill Bay is a beautiful little marina with a magnificent view across the bay to the east.  We spent a couple of day relaxing and drinking aboard Hounds’ Hollow or eating at the marina restaurant.  Sue gave us a lesson on crab fishing and set a few traps right from the marina wharf.  After 5 or six hours we checked them again and were delighted with the catch.  We had a few keepers and spent the evening cleaning and cooking the crab.  Lot’s of cruising fun…

The morning of May 8th we cast off and headed north.  It was another beautiful sunny morning and we had the full day in front of us so we hoisted the sails and slowly made progress towards Montague Harbour.  The winds were fairly light which made for slow going but a peaceful and relaxing sail.  Life’s good…  I was in the presence of the woman I love and doing what we love to do so all our cares and concerns faded as we passed the hours away.

We arrived at Montague, tied up to a mooring buoy and enjoyed a romantic evening in our secluded little harbour.

Next morning we went for a stroll around the park and hung out at the beach for a while.  Still not many people around which made for a quiet few days.

We had appies and Deb made vegan whisky sours in the afternoon so we hung out, listened to tunes and got a little silly.

Next morning, May 10th, we untied and went over to Ganges for a few nights.  There wasn’t much wind so we motored most of the way.  We decided to take a detour and check out the bottom of Long Harbour.  I’ve never ventured down to the end of Long Harbour and it was fun to circle in around the boats moored down there.  We continued on to Ganges and tied up at the marina just before noon.

We spent the day wandering around downtown Ganges and stopped in to sample the baked goods at Barb’s Bakery & Bistro, a cute little coffee shop.  Yum…

The morning of May 12th, we fuelled up and were off by 9:35am.  We steamed out and rounded Beaver Point and raised the sails for a nice sail back to home port.  We arrived and tied up at 12:40pm.  A great end to a fun couple of weeks of sailing.  Glad my sweetheart was able to join me for most of it.

We had a day to kill before Deb flew back east so we spent it downtown Victoria taking in the sights and sounds…

With the haul-out done we were looking forward to spending some time relaxing on the boat.  We still had a few days before Deb showed up so we decided to head out sailing and after we launched Treylya, we headed towards Ganges, Saltspring Island.

We steamed out past Swartz Bay and although the wind was fairly light but we decided to raise the sails and enjoy the peace and quiet of the gentle breeze.  Ryan took the helm for most of the trip as we progressed towards Ganges.

We enjoyed the light breeze and Ryan handled her like a pro.  After tying up at Ganges Marina we headed up for a beer and a bite to eat.  We hung around Ganges for a few days.   The weather was nice and we hung out drinking coffee in the mornings and watching hockey in the evenings.  Ryan is an Ottawa Senators’ fan and we headed up to the pub in the evenings to watch them.  They beat the New York Rangers in the 2nd game of the 2nd round of the playoffs 6-5 in the second overtime period.  Great hockey and everyone at the pub was pretty pumped.  The summer crowds haven’t descended on Ganges yet so we were able to enjoy a quiet little community and the warm spring temperatures in peace.

On April 30th we decided to head over to Montague Harbour, Galiano Island for a night.  The winds were light so we motored most of the way but the weather was very pleasant for the end of April and it was nice to be out on the water.

Upon arriving at Montague we tied up to a mooring buoy as one of the only boats in the marine park.  Montague is pretty sleepy this time of year and we enjoyed a walk in the park there and a nice BBQ on the boat afterward.

Once the sun went down the evening grew cool so we put a fire in the Dickinson and went on deck for a cigar.  These are the moments that you realize all the hustle and bustle are just noise and when you slow down and take it all in you realize that life is pretty sweet and has so much good to offer.

The next day we got up, made some breakfast and headed back to Ganges.  Deb arrives from back east in a few days and I’ll catch the ferry over to meet her at the airport.  We were able to get a bit of nice sailing in as we left Montague but the wind dropped off and we motored most of the way back to Ganges.

We arrived in the early afternoon and headed up to Moby’s Pub for dinner.  Next morning I left Ryan on the boat, said goodbye to Ganges and headed over to meet Deb at the airport.

After a quick trip on the Saltspring Island bus and a short ferry ride and I was back in Sidney.  I caught a taxi back to pick up the truck and headed to the airport to pickup Deb.  She arrived looking chipper and in good spirits after her long flight across the country.

Our friends James and Sue had decided to head to Ganges today so we hitched a ride over.  It’s always a good time hanging out with James and Sue and their dogs aboard Hounds’ Hollow.  There wasn’t much wind so we passed the afternoon under motor as we eat and drank wine, played with the dogs and caught up on missed time..

We got back to Ganges and met up with Ryan.  He had spent the afternoon in the pub cheering for his fav team The Ottawa Senators….  They are having a good run in the playoffs this year so he’s a happy fan.

Sue and Ryan set out some crab traps the next day and we enjoyed fresh crab later that day.

The next morning we cast off and headed back to Sidney as Ryan’s flight was later that day. We got Ryan to the airport on time, said our goodbyes and watched as his plane disappeared out of site.  It was great to have him join me for a few days and I appreciate all the help with the boat over the past few weeks.  Thanks bud.  Hope you’re up for it again next year…  🙂