2010 Vancouver Island Circumnavigation (part 4 the final installment)

Note to Reader:  This site is under construction.  Photos and maps soon come.

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Count  Enrico

June 18, 2010:  Friday  36.1 nm Victoria to Ganges, Saltspring Island, Gulf Islands

Ahead of schedule and no place to go

We have no idea where we are going but most likely up to the Gulf Islands to play some disc golf for a couple of days before going back to Friday Harbor to clean up the boat and then head to Anacortes.

As previously noted we had a good time in Victoria and if one is in this town, one should always eat at Pagliaccis which opens at 11:30 and was full by noon.  Fantastic food and staff!  It is on Broad St., just south of The Bay if you walk along Fort you will see Broad which is between Government and Douglas.

After a GREAT lunch we departed at 13:15 (checkout was at 13:00) from in front of the Empress Hotel in the inner harbour.  Going out we had to duck seaplanes, water taxis and large wooden boats firing cannons at each other.  The sun was out in full regalia and there was a light wind so we tried sailing for about 2 miles and then the wind went totally away as we motored up towards Sidney.

There was a distress call for a tow north of James Island on a 30 sailboat but by the time we arrived it was under tow and we were happy just to watch it crawl towards Tsehum harbour without us.  Since the day was so nice and now had a wind from the north building to 8k or so we nixed our thoughts on Sidney Spit and kept on to Ganges.

Arrival there was late, around 19:30, but our hook was down and we were eating spiced sausage red sauce on brown rice pasta with Waldorf salad at 20:15.  CB had been cooking just prior to coming out to set the hook, the Count put the salad together and VOILA, another good meal!

We watched the final bits of the Guardian and rated it 2.5 stars and hope we never have to experience the nasty weather issues depicted in that movie about Coast Guard rescue swimmers.  We are happy they are out there and admire their presence.

June 19, 2010:  Saturday  Ganges, Saltspring Island

the discs come out to play, hippies everywhere, cases of Worsten na beer

It was another sunny day to wake up to and the goal was to depart the boat by noon which happened very close to the moment.  The town of Ganges has a street fair every Saturday and today brought in all kinds of boats coming in and dropping anchor or tieing up at the Public Wharf (full).  The marinas were pretty empty but they are charging double the price of the public wharf.

A stop at the local liquor board found cases of near beer, unavailable in the US for $9.50 a six pack and CB availed himself of the opportunity and purchased 8 six packs.  We had it packaged and made arrangements to return to pack it back to the dink.

With discs in bag, we walk through the street vendors in the park and make our way up to Hart Memorial Disc Park up above the Performing Art Center and the Emby Bakery (two good places to check out). 

The scores were not particularly good after a 6 week layoff.

CB = +8

CF = +4

CF met some local disc dudes and started a round of doubles and then had to make a rendezvous to meet CB for beer hauling.  Back to Jah Mon (with 75F in the cabin on return) for cocktail hour of popcorn and cribbage where CF had a good game and equaled the wins for the voyage at 6 wins pp. 

Dinner was BBQ salmon with leftover (and still good) Waldorf salad and the final baguette from Tofino with some good aged Gueyer cheese.  The movie was an overlooked one we really enjoyed as it was off the wall.   Two Days in the Valley, with a very young Teri Hatcher and others.  3+ stars.  The second night in row without using the furnace!

June 20, 2010:  Sunday  15 nm Ganges Saltspring Island to Port Browning, North Pender Island

Catching up on the Leisure Log, Disc tournament, to the Pub for dinner

There are 969 nm on the odometer for the GPS so far before we leave Ganges.  It appears the total distance around Vancouver from Anacortes is to be well over 1,000 nautical miles if one were to follow our path.  (About 30 of these are in the dink and only 90 of pure sailing).  Totals soon come on completion with access to home working computer, as CF will have to abandon CB’s computer in Friday Harbor and haul his own laptop to the nerds for repair.

Sunday in Ganges brings out the local disc dudes for a tournament @11:00 which CF will attend.  A broken cloud morning with no wind starts the day so there is hope for sun later.

The run to Port Browning will take about 2+ hours towing L’il Mon (the dink) and the anchorage there is a familiar one with a very good holding ground for the hook and lots of room to anchor.  The Pub there is a favorite spot for any meal with friendly locals and maybe redone showers.  The fresh water pump on Jah Mon is acting up and may be on it’s last legs (no spare) so it is a two man situation for taking a shower aboard as the pump cannot be left on with no water running for the thermal cutout kicks in and no workee for the pumpee.  We do have a hand pump for drinking but that is very slow work when one is used to pressurized water!

June 20, 2010:  Monday  18.7 nm Port Browning, Pender Island BC, Canada to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, USA

Homeward bound for CB, customs, boat cleaning, crew scrounging, hot tub at CB’s

The route shown is speculation as the computer access is coming to an end.  The cellular modem from Telus, purchased in Vancouver, BC will cease to work aboard the mighty Jah Mon once we cross into the USA a bit.  The cellular access here in Ganges is tentative but that modem has been almost as good as a cell phone down inside the cave of Jah Mon’s interior. 

CF has a couple of crew tentatively coming out from Anacortes and Arlington to assist in moving the boat home to Atown.  Lord Ling, Royal Rocky, and Diplomat Delaney are the prime able body seadudes who on online for this little side adventure to Sucia or ???  A bit of banging around with the other tourists is the order of the area.  Dealing with all the other boats just was not an issue on the outside of Vancouver Island!  Safe journeys to all who waded through this epic (?) log.

Submitted by Count Enrico Alfredo Ferrari, June 20, 2010, Sunday after completion of the 2010 Vancouver Island Circumnavigation on the mighty Jah Mon.  Ganges, Saltspr