What a treat it was to catch up with family - we’ve been able to see both of my sisters and their families and have some really nice adventures along the way. Travelling by boat is definitely different than visiting by land, so some things were just trickier - like someone had to drive us back to the boat every night (which we were really grateful for), and we couldn’t bring to shore just anything (it always has to go in the dinghy first and be carted to wherever we are being picked up), and you have to pack up for the day, assuming you won’t be making it back to the boat for that one thing you forgot.
Tricky, but not impossible.
It was great to see our families summer hang out spots and see some of what they are up to. We do find that every time we engage with “shore life”, we have to recalibrate somewhat once we are back on our own on the boat. It’s just a bit of a shift and we notice we lose our rhythm a bit, but it’s always worth it to connect.
So after a really good catch up and stock up, we were back to exploring on our own. After Nanaimo, we were well and truly into the Gulf Islands, which Matt grew up visiting as a kid, and I have minimal memories of a select few spots. But the world was our oyster and we could choose our own adventure! Of course, the weather all comes into play, so we had to choose our path depending on the forecast, but it was just up to us.
We all loved a stop at Sandy Island on Denman (or Tree Island, as it is called locally), where we could walk on the spit that is completely covered at high tide. Tribune Bay was also a highlight, with its perfect white beaches and beautiful hikes on the bluffs. Matt loved showing us all Newcastle island and the old quarry that used to be there.
It’s been really great to get out and go by foot, sometimes walking over 10kms to see what every island has to offer. I know there will be times when we won’t have places to walk to, or stuck on the boat, so when there is an opportunity, it’s lovely to just get out there and walk. Our kids have never been the biggest fans of hiking, but once We all loved a stop at Sandy Island on Denman (or Tree Island, as it is called locally), where we could walk on the spit that is completely covered at high tide. Tribune Bay was also a highlight, with its perfect white beaches and beautiful hikes on the bluffs. Matt loved showing us all Newcastle island and the old quarry that used to be there. we are on the path, they get into a groove and just go with it. We’re grateful that they are happy chatting with each other as we trundle along.
We’re inching closer and closer to when we’ll be departing the country, and we have a bit of housekeeping to sort out before then, like a phone plan that can carry us through long term and finding out how and where to best check into the US. It’s still fun to imagine rounding the southern tip of Vancouver island, but I know we have some daunting days coming up, too!
While we’ve been in open and calm waters, we’ve been able to practice a few man-overboard drills as a family, and this gives us all a better idea of protocols if something like that should happen. I am definitely not as confident a sailor as Matt, so I know if he were to go overboard, we’d have to get him back in the boat as soon and as safely as humanly possible. That is what we are practicing for - if Matt falls off the boat.
I was delightfully surprised how keen and capable the kids were at helping out. They are so much bigger than last time, they can hoist and furl and winch all the lines if needed, and work together. It was actually really comforting to be able to tackle a practice like that with cool heads, so that we at least have a starting point if we actually have an emergency on our hands. We have redundancies on top of redundancies in case of emergencies, but it was good to just practice and see how things went.
We continue to be pleased with our boat, as she handles the wind and the waves. We’ve seen some big waves crash over the bow and she just cuts right through them like a dream. We’ve also had a good gusty night in an anchorage and the anchor held firm and we all felt really safe as we danced around the anchorage around other (somewhat questionable) boats. It is such a comfort to feel safe!
The water maker has been a life-saver, too. Matt has a good routine, and is teaching Digory how to turn it off and on and check salinity etc. Wow, it is such a gift to have fresh water whenever we need it. The solar has been really helping with that, too. Matt is so glad he spent all that time and energy building the solar arch and getting new batteries to make this as easy as possible. This boat is a little more systems-heavy than last time, but so much more comfortable, too. Coffee every morning at the flick of a switch, laundry getting washed in a machine every other day, and the ability to do most of our cooking for “free” on the electric element is dreamy. We feel like we are spoiled!
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