I'm Baaaaack!

[zelatore]

We're back in CA (California) from CA (Canada).

We did finally hook up with Lenny and his wife for dinner and a couple beers one night. With the rain and wind we had that night it wasn't really the best time for Lenny to break out the LE, so no inter-island Donzi rides for us but we made do with our charter boat and dinghy.

I found the Gulf Islands to be more built-up than the San Juans. Seemed like there was a lot more private property around. Still plenty of parks and public areas, and lots of little towns/communities to visit if you want. We covered just about everything from Victoria to Nanaimo. Had some rain most days, but a couple of really clear nice days as well.

I'm not much of a photographer when driving the boat (nor is Michele) and half the pics are taken looking through a rain-splattered windshield so they don't even remotely do the area justice. But here's a couple shots anyway.

Next time - Desolation Sound!

[zelatore]

And a few more...

[zelatore]

....and a few more.

[zelatore]

We ended up putting 30.1 hrs on the boat, burning 245 gallons of diesel (plus a few gallons of gas in the dinghy) running at an average of 3000 RPM when cruising which gave around 21 knots.

[Just Say N20]

Beautiful pix.

And the boat was a . . . ?

[The Hedgehog]

Did you do a bareboat charter? Looks like a cool trip

[zelatore]

Bareboat charter. The boat was an '07 33' Back Cove. It's a Maine-built downeast style cruiser. I think I put at least one pic of the boat up - it's called 'Mainely Ours'. Single Volvo 435 with bow and stern thrusters to make docking easy. Diesel heat (must-have for the PNW). No gen, but an inverter and extra battery bank. Raymarine radar, chart, GPS, sounder, but no autopilot (not that important in this case).

Back Cove is built by Sabre Yachts; it's sort of their 'junior brand'...they build 26, 29, 33, and they're just launching a 37. All single screw downeast boats. It's actually a brand I was trying to get the owners here interested in picking up.

We picked the boat up in Bellingham. Spent the night aboard at their docks Friday and took care of all the check-out procedures, then left first thing Saturday morning and headed to Sidney to clear customs. Nice marina and town. We provisioned there so we didn't have to worry about bringing anything illegal over the boarder, then took a bus over to Buchart Gardens. The next morning we headed over to Poet's Cove were we were hoping to meet up with a few of the BC Donzi guys, but a few signals got crossed and we missed them. Instead we took the dinghy exploring around the island and stayed the night on a mooring just up the bay. The next morning we left early for Victoria. Moderate to heavy fog and light rain, so we ran slow about half of the way down watching the radar and plotter. Once it cleared up we picked up the pace again to about 24 knots (ebb tide was with us south-bound) then docked right in front of the Empress and spent the day walking the city. No high tea, but we did have a nice dinner.

Next morning we headed back north. This time we went around and headed back down the Saanich Inlet. Hung on the hook at the head of Tod Inlet for a few hours for a nap/lunch before running all the way to the end of Saanich. Little did I know, Lenny could have practially been looking down at us at this point. We ran right past his normal launching spot. We ended up running back north and dropping the hook in Winter Cove for the night. I took the dinghy through Boat Passage (that's the pic with the small white water) at near low-tide and about 5 knots current. I've seen pics of people running real boats through here, but I gotta say you'd have to be crazier than me. 5 knots may not sound like a lot, but given that the inlet is only about 30 feet wide at low tide and there are whirlpools and all sorts of nasty edies, I'd never try it in a big boat.

While on the hook there, I was able to pick up somebody's wifi signal, and checked my PM's - Lenny had got my message, so we got in touch and the next day we ran around the central islands (sorry, don't have a chart in front of me), took on 400 liters (liters? what's a liter?) of diesel in Cow bay as well as some more coffee and wine, then we met Lenny and Denean (sp?) at Brentwood Bay for dinner. BTW-although the fish and chips were good at the pub, they seriously don't understand the 'hot' in hot wings...but at least they had some Tabasco on hand. We spent the night on the dock there at Brentwood Bay (lots of rain and wind that night) and headed out early with some great sunshine. That day we ran up to Nanaimo before heading back south and spending the night on the hook at Pirate's Cove - a great anchorage!

The next day we ran out to Reef Harbor on Tombolo (sp?) island and hung out for a while, then ran down to Friday Harbor to clear US customs. Then we ran north again and spent the night on a mooring in Reed Harbor, one of my favorites from my last trip. Then back to Bellingham the next day.

One of these days, I'm going to have to just keep a boat up there. I have yet to find a better cruising ground, even if it does tend to rain a bit.

I don't think we'll do it next year, probably the year after, but we'll be back again to run further north to Princess Louisa Inlet and on up to Desolation Sound next time. I think that will actually be a little more to our liking since we usually like to get out away from everybody and just hang out in a little cove by ourselves. But still, it was good to explore the Gulf Islands since we hadn't been there before. I was quite impressed with the little Back Cove. Good economy vs speed, and plenty of room for the two of us. It also made Michele very happy as the first mate, since it has wide side decks and it was very easy for here to move around handling lines and fenders. There were a few things that didn't work great, but nothing major. The owner had put a lot of weight on the back/port side due to the dinghy/davit/general storage layout, and that made the boat run unbalanced. I ran with a lot of port tab down any time I was on plane. Also, because of the aft weight and the prop pocket, she ran a little bow-high. And without a keel, she didn't track great in sloppy water (but of course the lack of a keel led to improved speed and less draft...trade offs). All in all though, a good boat that I'd seriously consider owning myself.

I suppose I'd better get to work. I've got a few hundred emails backlogged from last week....

[The Hedgehog]

That is a really cool trip. I would love to do a bearboat up there. I may have to get some details from you later on.

[zelatore]

Hedge, this was our second bare-boat with two different companies in that area. It's really a must-see cruising ground. I'd be glad to tell you what I can about the whole deal if you want.

[Donzi Vol]

Hey zel,

You need any good salesmen over your way? The food business is about to get the best of me!:mad:

[McGary911]

Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for the pics.... I'll be the first to ask. What the heck is a bareboat charter? Chartering a boat without a captain so you have it all to yourself?

[chrisc2]

Thank you for the excellent report Don. Like I said before, when in doubt 'go north' and keep going.

[The Hedgehog]

Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for the pics.... I'll be the first to ask. What the heck is a bareboat charter? Chartering a boat without a captain so you have it all to yourself?

I will answer, yes, No Captain. Lot's of fun.

[Lenny]

Great pics Don :yes: Sorry about the weather, damn rain. :bonk: Anyways, it has been nice out since you left, still cool tho. About 75F the other day. We are getting there.

Sorry for the mix-up but I was unable to find a couple people and FogDucker went to Kentucky (but never made it apparently)

Next time :yes:

After talking with you at the Pub it was apparent that you can run and navigate a boat, ANYWHERE.

Good on you :)

[Just Say N20]

It looked like a Sabre, but a little different. Pretty impressive performance from a single.

Our Wellcraft 3100 Express had twin Crusader 350/270 hp V-drives, and would cruise nicely at 22 knots, getting about 1.5 mpg. It was a big 31', 11.5' beam, 11,600 lbs dry (& and before all my "improvements" like reverse cycle heat/AC).

Thanks for sharing.

This is about my favorite picture from our trip last summer. One of those beautiful days. My boss took the picture from his boat. In an effort to "conserve" we cruised slowly, about 8 knots for the 300 miles we did. Improved my fuel economy from 2.5 gallons/mile to 1 gal/mile!

Carl can tell you which lighthouse this is (mid-eastern shore of Lake Michigan).

[Ghost]

Carl can tell you which lighthouse this is (mid-eastern shore of Lake Michigan).

That does look like one of those perfect water-weather days. As for the lighthouse, my money's on Pt. Betsie, just north of Frankfort.

[zelatore]

Hey zel,

You need any good salesmen over your way? The food business is about to get the best of me!:mad:

Only if you bring plenty of clients with you! At this point, if you pack your bags and get on a plane tomorrow, we might still be in business when you get here. OK, it's not that bad, but it ain't good...


Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for the pics.... I'll be the first to ask. What the heck is a bareboat charter? Chartering a boat without a captain so you have it all to yourself?

Hedge already answered this and yes, you rent a boat without crew. I have no interest in having somebody else drive the boat, or having a crew waiting on me to make me dinner or whatever. For that matter, I don't even want a really big boat. I tend to prefer a smaller boat as it's easier to deal with, cheaper to book, cheaper to operate, maybe faster, and can get into smaller areas than a big boat. This trip was originally supposed to be heading further north to Desolation Sound in a 42 Grand Banks, but the other couple had to cancel. When that happened, we changed our plans a bit and went with this boat - I was very happy with it.

It goes without saying you need to know what the heck you're doing before they'll hand over the boat to you. Typically they want you to give them some sort of resume. Some companies have a first timer's classroom session they have you sit through for a couple hours. All of them will have you spend an hour or two with a captain on the boat before turning you loose just to make sure you can actually run the thing and to familiarize you with the systems aboard. I perhaps have an easier time than most with these things because my job has me running a lot of different boats, but anybody with some basic boating experience on a similar sized boat would be able to handle it quickly.

The only other thing I'd say is know what you want vs what you need in the boat for the area and how you'll use the boat, and check out the company/boats carefully. Most companies are pretty good, but I've heard horror stories about people chartering from one-man shows and the boat is a complete POS with half the systems in-op and repeated failures underway. Not exactly a great way to spend your vacation.


Thank you for the excellent report Don. Like I said before, when in doubt 'go north' and keep going.

Chris, you nailed it. The Gulf Islands are nice, but too populated for our taste. Many times when I was looking at the charts my eyes would drift north and I'd start thinking 'hey, it's only a 100 miles to....' But I deliberately didn't stretch things. Better to keep the goals modest since I don't really know the area that well and wanted to keep things easily under control. While I would enjoy a long run, I've got a pretty simple routine that keeps Michele and I both happy: Get up in the morning and sit in the wheel house having coffee and a simple breakfast while the sun comes up (best time of the day, hand's down - just look at the pics of the mirror smooth harbors above!), then run a couple hours to another anchorage. Stop there for a walk/nap/lunch/etc, then run again for a couple hours to that night's anchorage for dinner/dinghy exploration/etc. At night, look over the charts and books and decide where you want to head in the morning, then repeat.

But yeah, I probably should have just came out of Bellingham, turned north, and not stopped for about 6 hours.

Oh well, that's what the next trip is for. Who knows, maybe I'll put my own boat up there by then (you know, just as soon as Michele gets a new job making twice what she was....)

[Just Say N20]

As for the lighthouse, my money's on Pt. Betsie, just north of Frankfort.

We have a winner!

[zelatore]

It looked like a Sabre, but a little different. Pretty impressive performance from a single.
Our Wellcraft 3100 Express had twin Crusader 350/270 hp V-drives, and would cruise nicely at 22 knots, getting about 1.5 mpg. It was a big 31', 11.5' beam, 11,600 lbs dry (& and before all my "improvements" like reverse cycle heat/AC).
Thanks for sharing.
This is about my favorite picture from our trip last summer. One of those beautiful days. My boss took the picture from his boat. In an effort to "conserve" we cruised slowly, about 8 knots for the 300 miles we did. Improved my fuel economy from 2.5 gallons/mile to 1 gal/mile!
Carl can tell you which lighthouse this is (mid-eastern shore of Lake Michigan).

Back Cove is a pretty new company. They started as a tooling shop the supplied sub assemblies and parts for some of the Maine builders like Sabre, but a few years ago launched their own line of boats under the Back Cove name. Then Sabre bought the brand.

Compared to a Sabre, the styling is very similar but there are some clear areas where they are cutting costs to seperate the two brands. Sabres are all (I think) currently twins while the Back Coves are all singles. Gens are optional on the Back Coves. And if you look around inside, you can see things that save labor/cost, like the headliner in the cabin is textured fiberglass with teak 'battens' attached to make it look a little dressier while a Sabre would have an upholstered head liner. The sole in the cabin is a synthetic teak and holly laminate instered into a fiberglass pan where a Sabre would have a full teak and holly sole. Nothing that hurts the quality of the boat or it's performance, but a little less up-scale on the finish work compared to the higher end Sabre.

Pretty good numbers from the Wellcraft. My current Carver 32 Montego has twin 454/350 Crusaders w/v-drives. I cruise at 3000-3100 and see about 20 knots. I haven't really figured it out, but I estimate that's about 1 mpg. The boat is a little over 32' long, 12' 4 beam, and about 15,000 lbs.

You're making it too easy on Carl ..... let's see if he (or anybody) can identify some of these lights from my trip!

[Lenny]

Pic#1 is Stuart Island Lighthouse, Turn Point Washington.
http://terryandjan.net/terry/photos/Kayaking/Photos/TurnPtLighthouse_Stuart.jpg

Pic #2 , Discovery Lighthouse, (Discovery Island)
http://images.marinas.com/med_res_id/128353

Pic#3 Trial Island lighthouse
http://marinas.com/view/lighthouse/1592_Trial_Island_Lighthouse_Victoria_BC

Pic #4 is Mayne Island lighthouse at Georgian Point.
http://marinas.com/view/lighthouse/1606_Georgina_Point_Lighthouse_Mayne_Island_BC[/URL]
Pic #5, Entrance Island Lighthouse, Nanaimo
[URL]http://marinas.com/view/lighthouse/1577_Entrance_Island_Lighthouse_Nanaimo_BC (http://marinas.com/index?tab=&category=lighthouse)

[zelatore]

First pic is Stuart Island Lighthouse, Turn Point Washington.



4th pic is Mayne Island lighthouse at Georgian Point.


oooohhhhh.....he's good!

for hints, 2 are further south, while another is further north. (I need a chart in front of me to name them, but 2 are from the run down to Victoria and the other is off of Gabriolo from our run back from Nanaimo.

[Carl C]

Pic on post # 15 is Point Betsie Light

pic 3, Bonilla Island Light
pic 5, Lennard Island Light

?????

[Lenny]

Carl, even seen this Website? http://marinas.com/index?tab=&category=lighthouse

Choose a Country, a state etc, and view basically everything marine about it...

:D

[Carl C]

Carl, even seen this Website? http://marinas.com/index?tab=&category=lighthouse

Choose a Country, a state etc, and view basically everything marine about it...

:D

Cool. I was flipping through a book. Remember books? lol I guess I got 'em all wrong :(.

[Donziweasel]

Sounds like a great trip Don. We had lunch at Poets Cove. Really cool spot. I would love to go back one day. Glad you had a good time.


Most companies are pretty good, but I've heard horror stories about people chartering from one-man shows and the boat is a complete POS with half the systems in-op and repeated failures underway. Not exactly a great way to spend your vacation.

Been there done that. Rented a houseboat for a week in The Exumas in the Bahamas. The list of what didn't work was much longer than the list that did.......:mad:

[chrisc2]

Thanks for your comments and insight again Don. I like your 'routine'. Mine is about the same. I agree you could do well with a long first push out of Bellingham though.

[Cuda]

The girl I am currently seeing's brother is a captain. He has a big sailboat, but you can only rent it with him on board, but you can be the crew. He lives somewhere near Miami now, but he usually sails anywhere in the Carribean, and he knows other captains all over the globe.