| Alaska Log #2 Silva Bay, Gulf Islands, British Columbia
May 23, 1999
It's only been a week, but already we've met lots of people on other
cruising boats and had a few small 'disasters.' After several days of poor weather, Friday
was the max. We ran out of water (poor planning on my part), the watermaker quit (bad
low-pressure safety switch), found out the package Jackie sent us wouldn't arrive (DHL
couldn't find Saltspring Island), and then we put Raven on a rock! The proverbial
uncharted rock, of course. We only hit it at one-half knot, but we were stuck for an hour
until the tide lifted us off, and it scared us, probably more than it should have, because
we and the boat were never in danger. Sliding gently to a halt in the mud is one thing
(yeah, we did that once in 'Cyrano'), but the 'clang' of the keel smacking a rock is truly
painful. Sometimes, this cruising business ain't exactly a relaxing vacation!
But the sun came out in earnest today, I got the watermaker running again, the package
arrived, and all is well again aboard Raven. Signe even says she still likes me! We're
attending a rendezvous of the Canadian Bluewater Cruising Association here in the Gulf
Islands. Lots of great people who have sailed across the Pacific, or even around the
world. (Gotta get Signe used to the idea!) Intrepid sailors, these Canucks.
We've only had one chance to sail, but a glorious, sunny day it was. Had her up to 10
knots on a broad reach in 17 knots of wind. Lovely. Hope to have a few more of those on
this trip, but because there's not much wind on the Inside Passage in the summer, we'll
mostly using the 'diesel mainsail'.
This week, the cellphone still works. Next week, we'll be beyond Desolation Sound, into
the colder-water regions, with far fewer settlements and much more wildlife.
Warm regards from 'Raven' . . . Jan |
