sails away in Canada!

Hello everyone

My weekend started with a Thursday night drive back up I-5 to Bellingham. I was happy to get out of the car and relax at Sara’s house for a little bit before loading up her car and continuing across the border into Canada. We drove to the marina where Jeremy keeps his boat on the Fraser River just south of Vancouver. We loaded all our stuff up onto the boat and Sara found little cubbies to put everything away. We had beers and hung out before going to bed, hoping for an early start in the morning.

In the morning we would find out that a drunk driver had thwarted our attempts to leave early. Just a few minutes up the river is a bridge that has to be opened in order for the sailboat to get through. Thursday night a drunk driver had plowed into the gate that closes the bridge to traffic when the bridge is open. They wouldn’t be opening the bridge for us until the gate was replaced. Awwww nuts! We ate some breakfast and then I left with Jeremy to run some errands. First up we stopped at the bridge to talk to the guys working on the repairs. They were hoping to be done in the afternoon sometime. We thanked them and drove to the store. It became a wild goose chase to get propane, water and ice. Eventually we got all our supplies and went back to hang out on the boat and wait. Finally around 3 pm we were able to leave, motoring past the open bridge and continuing onward on the Fraser River towards the ocean.
The Fraser River is a working river full of tugboats, huge tankers and giant flotillas of logs on their way to the mill. We passed under the Alex Fraser Bridge, an impressive span with huge cables. As the river flowed out into the ocean we saw bald eagles along the water’s edge and seals swimming. The sun was shining and all was good. We passed Sand Heads and could see the Gulf Islands in the distance. We were motoring across the Strait of Georgia when suddenly the boat lost power. Jeremy tried to start it again to no avail. We were in the middle of a shipping channel with no power and no wind to sail with, not the best place to be bobbing around. A sailboat on its way out to the islands towed us out of the channel but had to catch the tidal push and the last of the sunset to make it to their destination. We waited for a boat headed inland and ended up getting a tow from a sturdy fishing boat going to Steveston. We were pulled into the government docks just as the sun was setting. We spent the night hanging out on the boat and I went to bed early.

In the morning, Pat, their mechanic friend came up to help Jeremy figure out what was wrong. They went to a marine supply store and bought two new fuel filters. It’s great to have a new fuel filter but they discovered that was not the problem. The boat was out of fuel! The fuel gauge was broken and Jeremy had been told that the boat used ½ gallon per hour. The problem is the guy that owned the boat before used it as a cocktail boat and never motored hard. When Sara & Jeremy moved the boat from the States to Canada they had to motor hard for 9 hours. It turns out that the fuel is consumed at a much greater rate at higher rpms. After apologizing again and again Jeremy gassed up the boat and we were finally on our way. As we approached the islands we started seeing Dall’s porpoises. They are similar to orcas but much smaller. We stopped the boat to watch them swimming all around us. It was fantastic to listen to them sucking in air through their blowholes and splashing in the water as they leapt into the air. We were all mesmerized by them. The salmon are running so they were surely all eating like crazy. Mmmmm salmon!
We approached Galiano Island and checked out the maps for good places to drop anchor for the night. We went through Porlier Pass, a gnarly stretch of water with whirlpools and crazy tide rips. We poked around in Lighthouse Bay where there were some old houses rotting into the water’s edge. We approached Clam Bay but decided there were too many boats there and went around to the north side of Thetis Island. We found a great place to stay called North Cove. After dropping anchor we had some snacks and enjoyed the lovely pastel sunset. Sara made halibut cheeks wrapped in bacon which were unbelievably good. A bottle of the New Glarus cherry beer was also cracked open for the occasion. It was the perfect combination. Once it was dark we splashed around in the water with the grab pole. Jeremy wrote my name in the water using the pole, the bioluminescence lighting it all up. We hung out, drinking beers and listening to music (David Bowie on the boat!) until finally sleepiness overtook me.

Sunday morning we awoke to sunshine trying to burn through the clouds. We had our coffee and then began heading back towards Porlier Pass. Our trips through here had to be timed to work with the tides as the current rips through at 9 knots, faster than the boat can go at full speed. From there we sailed for a while across the Strait of Georgia, enjoying the sunshine while the surrounding islands had rainclouds hovering over them. As we re-entered the Fraser River we saw lots of seals hunting for salmon. It was incredible to see them eating the salmon while flocks of seagulls descended upon them, hoping for some scraps.

Around 7:30 we reached the marina and Sara and I unloaded our stuff off the boat and into her car. We headed south and then waited in line to cross the border. Once over the border in Blaine we called our Aunt Liz to let her know we were close and headed towards our grandparents’ house on Drayton Harbor. It was great to see my grandparents and aunt, even if we couldn’t stay long as I had a long ways to drive still. We talked in the living room for a while before hugging and saying goodbye. At Sara’s house in Bellingham I loaded my stuff into my car and began the long drive south. It was uneventful except for the occasional meteor streaking through the sky. That’s right, while driving down the freeway I got to enjoy some of the Perseids meteor shower. Such a treat!

So that was my weekend! Please let me know how you are and what you’ve been up to!

Xoxo,
carolyn