Wednesday, April 07, 2010
The past few days have been a test of our sailing and a good time too! We left Gorda Sound on Monday and sailed dead downwind down the channel all the way to the bight. At times we were wing on wing, and it was a good test to see how well she held her course. The autopilot could not steer as well as Jim, so he did most of the way hand steering. Generally speaking I feel like we are on a big boat, however as we were dousing sails next to the cruise ship coming in, I felt very insignificant... The bight was crowded, and because the cruise ship anchored off, the shore bar hired a band and we had really great music from about 8pm on. Saw another shooting star tonight.

About 10:30 the rain started and it poured for quite some time on and off throughout the night, however the day was bright and clear, and the boat looked clean and salt free...for a while.

Tuesday we decided to hike Norman Island, motivated by the back-seaters from a few days before, so took off with our backpack, a liter of water and a few granola bars. There is what looks like a 4 wheel drive path that runs up and south, and ends up running along the ridge both east and west. After a steep climb you get to the peak and can see the open sea to the south and beautiful coves with coral. We didn't hike down as they did, but vowed to comeback sometime with our snorkel gear as the water and coral look amazing from this vantage point.

We took the east path and it eventually takes you to the eastern side of Norman, overlooking the pass between Norman and Peter. There is a beautiful anchorage below with about 5 boats in it, looks like a place we would enjoy. On the return we noticed a smaller path to the left and so we took it thinking it should eventually lead back to the eastern side of the bight. Well, it did, Eventually. Unlike the road (using the term loosely) we were on before, It is clearly a path bordered by rocks, but we can't imagine who created it or when, however it is easy going until we come to the top of the south ridge where the antennae array is...we try to get down from there but it is too steep, so we continue on and find the foundation of a stone structure. We can't tell what it was, a house or a barracks, but it extends in several directions. Very cool, maybe they built the path which is now is just a trail and I think no one has come this way in a very long time.

There are brambles and branches that slap and catch our bare skin, and the breeze is almost non-existent up here. At the moment, the thought of going all the way back around from whence we came looks like the only option...however, as we double back we discover a small red ribbon tied to a branch, and so as we duck across we find a spectacular view of the bight laid out in front of us. We find the way down, however I hesitate to call it a path, more like a water runoff...but it does the trick, and we make it back down to the beach in short order, tired, hot, and hungry...but exhilarated. Later in the afternoon in a flurry of color and noise a Parrot, all bold red and green and bright blue swooped over into the trees near our mooring. It made quite a ruckus, but was beautiful to see.

Today we left at 8 am to make our way up to Trellis Bay for our airport pickup. The winds are blowing 15-22 and so we test out our reefing and put a double reef in the main (shortening the sail by about 40%) and pull out the whole jib and sheet in tight to sail to weather. Who says a cat can't point? We were 30-50 degrees to the wind, in winds up to 22 (WHY is it always blowing like snot?) and sailing 7.5 kts easy and even pushed it to 9.3 at times (under a Reefed Main!). It was work, and we had to tack oh, about 100 times (ok, more like 10)...but we sailed up the channel and except for getting within about 100 yards of the edge of Beef Island before Jim was willing to concede that we had to tack to clear it! It was great! However, picking up the can in Trellis was a bit of work, as the winds have not diminished a bit. Step by step we are getting used to our girl and the requirements for sailing her. Of course, she is now covered again in salt as the spray at times came ¾ of the way back on the boat. Perhaps it will rain overnight...however, I certainly hope not NOW! As we left the boat wide open to catch the breeze, and are sitting here at the airport watching dark clouds roll in from the east. Grrr! I just do not have this weather down yet...in the Midwest almost ALL storms come from the west. Here all the weather seems to come from the east where the trade winds blow!