Wild Blue Yonder

Vessel Name: Shala
Vessel Make/Model: Sceptre 41
Hailing Port: Nanaimo, B.C.
Crew: Skipper: Harry Nichols Mates: Moe Graham, Laurie Graham
About: Moe and Laurie Graham will be accompanying the boat on the first leg to mexico, departing aug 2017. both are seasoned sailors and wonderful folks.
Extra:
this blog ( and associated philosophy ) has given me cause for much reflection , discussion , and eventual compromise , for the ones i love , and i havent even made a post yet. apparently the time for fence sitting is over. welcome friends and family and loved ones. and for all you spies and [...]
13 September 2017 | ensenada, mexico
07 September 2017 | Ensenada, Mexico
23 August 2017 | off the coast of oregon
15 August 2017
13 August 2017 | ukee
10 August 2017 | uclulet
07 August 2017 | Nanaimo, BC
06 August 2017 | currently in the gulf islands on the shakedown cruise
28 July 2017 | Nanaimo, BC
Recent Blog Posts
13 September 2017 | ensenada, mexico

sittin at the dock of the bay

so i sit in paradise…a week has gone by…more…i cant remember how long ive been here. my crew left me today and suddenly the “irma” of activitiy is over. the first few days were surreal. i awoke the first morning and had to pinch myself. here i am in paradise…somehow ive managed to get my [...]

07 September 2017 | Ensenada, Mexico

Post by Moe

Post by Moe

23 August 2017 | off the coast of oregon

a day at sea

23 aug 2017

15 August 2017

Pedder Bay to Ucluelet

Post by Laurie

Pedder Bay to Ucluelet

15 August 2017
Post by Laurie

August 12, 2017

As previously noted, Harry and Shala departed Nanaimo in an inauspicious manner sometime around or on July 25 and went to False Creek in Vancouver, where the HF radio decided to give him grief. He spent some hours and some more money (you know, BOAT = Bring On Another Thousand) making it work and purchasing an Iridium GO as an alternate weather and communication device. Currently, both seem to be working. Better to sort that out in False Creek than the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

In the meantime, over in Nanaimo, I sorted out and organized our paper charts, purchased Sailing Directions for US and Mexican waters and planned the dry goods shopping trip. Moe picked up some needed plywood, patiently endured my panic attacks with love and patience and conferred with Harry via text and email to help solve any issues he faced. Undoubtedly, Moe is the most unruffled by this venture. He doesn't have the responsibility that Harry carries, he has the experience of sailing for many years, he's been out on the deep blue sea as a commercial fisherman and he's a calm man by nature. I'll have more to say about that later.

On the 30th of July, Moe and I took the ferry over to Vancouver and met Harry and Moe's daughter, the family doctor. After a delicious and huge feed of sushi, we had a short but sweet first aid refresher. She kindly reminded us of the skills we need and sorted our first aid kit into manageable chunks. This bag is for gaping lacerations, this bag is for minor wounds, this is the burn kit and this is the CPR bag and much more. Thank you, Dr. Kaitlin!!

Over the next few days, Harry meandered through the beautiful Gulf Islands to Victoria, anchoring in Cadboro Bay by Wednesday, August 9. Is there never a problem to iron out before the big sail? He soon found himself redesigning the water maker fill-tank! As of today, I can only trust that he made it work because I haven't heard anything further on that front. He planned to sail to Pedder Bay the next day as he and Moe were meeting there to take Shala up Juan de Fuca Strait to Ucluelet, our intended point of departure. Last night, Friday, I delivered Moe to a friend in Cobble Hill who generously drove him to Pedder Bay. Pedder Bay, where the wind blew 20 knots as Harry rowed the dinghy to the dock to pick up his first mate...

Did I mention the fishing derby scheduled at Pedder Bay the very day they planned to leave? Myriad fishing boats and a gale warning, what could possibly go wrong?! As I lay in my still and quiet bed last night, I thought of my companions as they attempted to get some sleep while Shala was tossed about and the wind howled through the rigging, hoping to get a head start on the fishing fleet. (As it turns out, there was little sleep with a 30-knot wind knocking on the door all night.) I was up early checking the weather - "Gale force winds of 34 to 47 knots are occurring or expected to occur in this marine area" - anxiously awaiting some kind of contact. What would they do? At last, I heard the 'ding' of a text message just after 0700! The plan had changed. They were heading back to Victoria due to bad weather, wind over waves (ouch!) and a military closure. Connections were poor so all I could do was asked to be kept up to date. 0908 - another 'ding'! They have decided to head out to Race Rocks and "give it a go and good luck to us all"! At that point, I was chewing my heart for breakfast. I sent my best wishes and prayers and prepared to go dry goods shopping for the trip. What else could I do?

When the shopping was done and I sat at my kitchen table having lunch when I heard another ding. They decided to proceed up Juan de Fuca Strait after all! By 1300 they had 17 miles behind them, 20-25 knots on the nose and estimated another 17 hours to Bamfield. I was told 'so far, so good, just an awful pounding'. Holy smokes! They are surely testing their mettle, their teamwork, their friendship and their sailing skills. I won't lie, I'm quite happy to be on land, sorting foodstuffs, but I am also very proud of the two men with whom I will travel on the craziest venture of my life to date!

At last, by dinner time I had word from the sailors. All was well, they were past the worst of the weather and seas and expected to be in Ucluelet by 1000 the next morning. I relaxed and settled into my evening chores. I was happily awoken from my sleep at 0430 to an incoming text message. They were safely anchored in Ucluelet! Yay! I did hear later about the trip coming into Ucluelet... black night, fog, unsettled seas, and a tow coming out of Ucluelet and - wait for it - both GPSs and the depth sounder chose that time to stop! Oh boy. They are survivors these men. They hastily solved the problem and, as noted, safely dropped anchor and did a little jig of joy for their accomplishments.

I've been told they did learn some good lessons about comfort at sea, stowage, watch keeping, sleep deprivation and their joint problem solving skills. It was a valuable journey indeed.
Comments
Shala's Photos - Main
9 Photos
Created 10 September 2017
A few photos from the journey
19 Photos
Created 5 September 2017

About & Links

Photo Albums
10 September 2017
9 Photos
05 September 2017
19 Photos