It was foggy as we exited Comox Harbour, but once at Goose Spit a mile out, it cleared. Instead of cruising the west side of Denman Island and avoiding the new "Cable Ferry" Baynes Sound Connector, we chose to recross the bar and head directly to Vancouver via Sabine Channel. Flat waters and light winds contrasted yesterdays gusty wind and sloppy waves. We arrived in Vancouver late afternoon. We'll stick around Vancouver for a few days while picking up another Benson crew.
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| The Queen of Oak Bay bears down on Wild Blue. |
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| The first tree to turn to Fall on Bowen Island |
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| False Creek cement plant gets artsy. |
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| Sunset over Quayside Marina, False Creek. |
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| Brothers under the bridge. This week's Wild Blue crew are Ryan and Max Benson. Ryan, a consultant with Lewin Group, is now 33 and lives in DC. Max, a Dev Ops engineer, is 30 and lives in Chicago with his adorable wife Katie. It's great to have the family aboard. |
We have enjoyed the highlights of Vancouver: a bike ride around Stanley Park, dinner at Blue Water Cafe, shopping at Urban Fare, snacking on Urban Fare's garlic truffle hummus, and perusing the shops on Granville Island. Today we are off to Ganges on Saltspring Island.
Environment Canada's marine forecast for the Southern Georgia Strait calls for 15 to 25 knot winds. Should be a bouncy ride until we get into the inside waters of the Gulf Islands. We were up at 6:30AM to view westerly gusts blowing inside False Creek and decide to hold off departing. These winds softened by 7AM but due to a miscommunication with the Admiral, we didn't get going until just before 11. We noted a sailboat tied at the public launch and grounded at low tide. By noon, the winds and waves are up again as we turn south, once clear of the Spanish Banks.
There are no other pleasure boats around and two others, having watched us exit False Creek and following us on AIS, called for sea conditions. With waves and spray pelting the boat's starboard bow, we eventually turn further south, deciding on Active Pass as our exit from the Georgia Strait, aka the Salish Sea. At the south entrance to the Fraser River, the seas are 4 to 5 feet, close spaced and the boat is rolling plenty with stabilizers on at 100%. We need to alter course to avoid a ship which has drifted out of the traffic lanes while the pilot is boarding. Once past this obstacle, an unnamed Benson crew becomes seasick, even with Tums and Club Soda remedies. The wind pipes up from the north and we're turning 9's, 10's, and even 11+ knots with the big seas on our quarter. Eventually we steam into Active Pass at 2:30, with flat water and just a light adverse current. It's an easy motor in calms seas and medium winds to Ganges.
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| Sailboat tied to float at False Creek public launch. The tide was high when tied up, but the keel is now supporting the weight of the concrete float at low tide. Next the cleats or line will fail, and the boat will float free. |
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| Ganges and various marinas. |
Wednesday, September 28, 2016: Ganges to Victoria
Calm winds and flats seas made the Ganges to Victoria motor comfortable.
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| Tug and barge tow weave through narrow Enterprise Channel. |
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| Yikes. They removed the ivy from the Empress. But there's this beautiful Orcas topiary in front. |
