Ladysmith to Princess Cove to Genoa Bay – 20151009 to 20151012

Deb and I planned to meet friends (James and Sue of Hound’s Hollow) for a little rendezvous at Genoa Bay for a weekend of eating, drinking and laughing.  We were at the tail end of a hurricane that just came up from Hawai but the eye made landfall up near the Queen Charlotte Island and therefore most of the high winds had passed us by and have had gone northward.  I had to finish up work before we could leave Ladysmith at 14:00 (17:00 EST).  Genoa Bay is about a 5 hour chug from Ladysmith when using the diesel and I didn’t want to count on the SE winds (which were in our face) for more speed so I figured we’d stop for the night somewhere along the way.

20151009 Voyage
20151009 Voyage

We left the dock shortly after 14:00 and, as forecast, the winds were blowing pretty good (25 knots) which made for some pretty exciting sailing for the first 1.5 hours or so.  The wind was on our nose so we tacked out of Ladysmith Harbour and across Stuart Channel towards Thetis Island but were making little progress towards our destination.  I decided that since it was getting close to 16:00 we might as well bring in the jib and motor thru the little pass between Hudson Island and Thetis and head toward our known little stopover at Princess Cove.

Cold and Windy Day at the Helm
Cold and Windy Day at the Helm

We motor-sailed around Kuper Island, up to Houstoun Passage and pulled into Princess Cove around 17:15.  Princess was sheltered from the southerly winds we were getting and there was only one other boat in the anchorage when we arrived so this was a great spot for the night.  We dropped anchor and she dug in well so we uncorked the wine and put steaks on the BBQ.  We sat on the deck for a while but it started to rain a little and the wind was howling above us so we ducked into our cozy little cabin to eat and relax.  The wind dropped off and we decided to hit the sack around 21:00 so that we would be ready for a long sail tomorrow.  I woke around 04:00 with the wind howling and the boat being pushed around the cove with each wind gust.  Although the cove was protected the high winds above push gusts down over the tree line from different directions and the anchored boat drifted which ever way the gusts were blowing.  I didn’t get much sleep after that as I had visions of the anchor dragging and Treylya being slammed into the shore of this narrow little cove.  I set the anchor drag alarm on my GPS at 05:35 and finally drifted off to sleep around 6:00 (as it was getting light) and woke again around 08:30 to find that and everything was fine and that we made it thru another night.  Deb put on coffee and made breakfast and I prepared to weight the anchor and set out again.

Vegan Breakfast Loaf
Vegan Breakfast Loaf

We pulled the anchor at 09:26 and motored out into Houstoun Passage and with a nice southerly wind behind us we raise the main and sailed downwind around the peak of Saltspring Island.  Saltspring shielded us from the heavy wind so I unfurled the jib and tried to take in a bit of the breeze.  Here on the north side of Saltspring the wind was almost gone and since we were making very slow progress I furled the jib and motored toward Parminter Point.  Once we rounded the point the southerly wind picked up again and we sailed into it for the next hour or so.  The wind made for great sailing but on one tack near the Vesuvius Bay ferry terminal the port side block flew off the runner and smashed into the winch while I was tightening up the head sail and took a couple of notches out of the plastic wheel thingy (not sure of official name).  The rope was jammed, we couldn’t bring in the jib anymore and the wind was howling.  This made for some hairy moments so I removed the jam during our next tack while the port side line was free.  I was adjusting the block positions during my last outing so I probably didn’t fasten it properly in the track a week ago.  Another project…

Broken port side block
Broken port side block

Since we had a damaged roller I was worried about using it anymore and cause a bad jam so we took in the jib at Sherard Point and motored the rest of the way to Genoa Bay.  It was a pretty uneventful few hours except for the current at Sansum Narrows.

We arrived in Genoa Bay around 14:10 and pulled in to a space at the dock just forward of Hound’s Hollow and James and Sue were there to grab our lines and welcome us to Genoa Bay.

Welcome to Genoa Bay
Welcome to Genoa Bay
Treylya is Dwarfed By Hounds Hollow
Treylya is Dwarfed By Hound’s Hollow

We met several interesting and cheerful people around the marina’s restaurant and store.  The gentleman who checked us in was very witty and easy to talk with and Gordon, the restaurant owner, was a pleasure to chat with.  We talked and laughed as Gordon treated us to a wine tasting of several of the local wineries.  We were delighted with the quality selection of wines and ordered a few bottles to have with lunch.  He even joined us for a glass of wine after the restaurant closed and invited us over for big New Year’s Eve bash which we will try to fit into our plans.  Great to meet people of such character…

Lovely Little Marina with Great People
Lovely Little Marina with Great People

The girls spent Sunday afternoon setting crab traps and within hours were treated to four crabs for dinner and three small ones (which they let go).  We will feast tonight…  James and Sue treated us to a “surf and turf” aboard Hound’s Hollow and we enjoyed many hours talking and telling stories until I put my head on the bunk and drifted fast asleep while the party raged on.

We Will Feast Tonight
We Will Feast Tonight

Life is so pleasant when you are surrounded by warm, loving people and not a day goes by that I am not thankful for this little beauty that has come into my life.  We share so many of the same qualities and dreams and are very closely aligned in our day to day thinking.  I didn’t realize life can be this easy and this refreshing every day.  Looking forward to a lifetime of living our dreams together as we sail thru this beautiful existence together.

Enjoying a grey foggy day on the dock
Enjoying a grey foggy day on the dock

We said our good byes and cast off by 11:34 and motored to Maple Bay where we filled our tanks and then motored all the way back to Ladysmith as the winds were too light for sailing.

Total Distance: 60.66 NM (112.34 km)
Engine Time: 11:19
Sail Time: 2:25

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