Westview Harbour, Powell River

COPELAND ISLANDS to POWELL RIVER: 15 nm / 3.25 hrs*
*In our case today - 6.75 hrs

We woke up to rain so decided to leave the Copelands early and head south for Powell River. The trip was the best sailing so far - probably of all our trips. The wind was coming from the south so we did a lot of tacking but we needed the practice. Our wind gauge is toast so we’re not sure how strong the winds were - felt like between 15 - 20 knts. By tacking we were moving faster under sail than motor, but it’s a compromise: take the direct route by motor and get to Powell River in about 3 hours or sail in about 8 hours. The latter is so much more fun and midway the wind took the paddle board right off the boat so we got to practice our man overboard - 4 times! I’ve uploaded a photo of the Navionics tracking at this point - hilarious!

We arrived at Westview Harbour Marina at 8:15 PM - a bit exhausted - but someone was looking out for us, because there was actually a spot on the dock. This marina is first come, first serve so it can be difficult to find room in the summer - especially at 8PM. The plan is to stay 2 nights and do laundry, pick up provisions, and enjoy a hot shower. And let the poor dogs have a good walk to stretch their legs!

Our first night was crazy! We’ve never experienced weather like this - thunder, lightening, strong wind and RAIN. At first I was happy we were in a marina until I realized the SE winds were slamming boats against the dock. The rolling wasn’t as bad as what we had at Tribune Bay, but there, we were at anchor so the bow can turn into the wind - the rolling is more up and down vs. a weird side motion that made me feel sea sick for the first time. On top of all this, the gigantic power boat behind us bouncing up and down looked like it was going to come crashing down on Bisou - which was kind of funny until Michel realized the old guy’s bow line wasn’t attached to the dock. A marina staff person, offered to move us, but there was no way we were going to get out of the slip with the wind pushing our bow into the opposite direction!

Everyone made it through the night unscathed - many left very early in the morning. And it was a beautiful morning! I woke very early to the most gorgeous sky. Today is dad’s birthday and I think about him so much when we’re out on the water. I think he’s happy I finally learned to sail.

We’ll spend the day doing some boat projects, pick up a few groceries and get ready to head out in the morning for the trek to Princess Louisa’s Inlet!Читать далее