Around Vancouver Island 2013

Vessel Name: Reborn
Vessel Make/Model: 1952 Wood Ketch out of Orkney Islands
Hailing Port: Nanaimo, BC Canada
Crew: Moe and Laurie
About:
Moe, the Skipper, has many years of sailing experience. He owned his first sailing dinghy when he was 15 and sailed with his friends around the Sunshine Coast of BC. Later he discovered windsurfing and devoted many years to his board. [...]
Extra: Reborn is a 42' fibre glass over wood ketch built in the Orkney islands in 1952. In her life time she has been redone enough times to carry her name with pride. Reborn has served as a pilot boat, a pleasure motor craft and now as a ketch.
21 August 2013 | Winter Cove to Nanaimo
21 August 2013 | Sidney Spit to Winter Cove, Saturna Island
21 August 2013 | Victoria to Sidney Spit
21 August 2013 | Sooke to Victoria
14 August 2013 | Bamfield to Sooke
13 August 2013 | Ucluelet and Ucluelet to Bamfield
06 August 2013 | Ucluelet
06 August 2013 | Joe's Bay to Ucluelet
06 August 2013 | Tofino to Joe's Bay
06 August 2013 | Tofino
02 August 2013 | Bacchante Bay to Tofino
02 August 2013 | Hot Springs Cove to Bacchante Bay
02 August 2013 | Friendly Cove to Hot Springs Cove
02 August 2013 | Bodega Cove to Friendly Cove
02 August 2013 | Tahsis to Bodega Cove, Kendrick Island
28 July 2013 | Dixie Cove to Tahsis
27 July 2013 | Walter's Cove to Dixie Cove, Hohoae Island
25 July 2013 | Bunsby Islands to Walter's Cove, Kyoquot
25 July 2013 | Columbia Cove to Bunsby Islands
24 July 2013 | Walter's Cove, Kyoquot
Recent Blog Posts
21 August 2013 | Winter Cove to Nanaimo

Day 39

Day 39 – August 29, 2013 Monday

21 August 2013 | Sidney Spit to Winter Cove, Saturna Island

Day 38

Day 38 – August 11, 2013 Sunday

21 August 2013 | Victoria to Sidney Spit

Day 37

Day 37 – August 10, 2013 Saturday

21 August 2013 | Sooke to Victoria

Day 36

Day 36 – August 9, 2013 Friday

14 August 2013 | Bamfield to Sooke

Day 35

Day 35 – August 8, 2013 Thursday

13 August 2013 | Ucluelet and Ucluelet to Bamfield

Day 33 and Day 34

Day 33 and Day 34, August 6 and 7, 2013 Tuesday and Wednesday

Day 39

21 August 2013 | Winter Cove to Nanaimo
Laurie / Sunny
Day 39 – August 29, 2013 Monday

We planned an early start for the day in order to get the good current moving through Navy Channel. We noticed in our current atlas that the current in this channel never changes direction. The strength changes and the tides move up and down, but the water always flows in the same direction. We wanted a light current, please. I had also checked the ferry schedule and was pleased to see we wouldn’t have to deal with one in Navy Channel on its way out of or into Lyall Harbour on Saturna.

By 7:10 we had the anchor up and said goodbye to Winter Cove. The day was overcast and calm as we motored through the channel. We had the place to ourselves until we got to Trincomali Channel and the entrance to Active Pass. A lot of ferries transit Active Pass and as we entered Trincomali Channel we could see one approaching. We intended to hold our course, assuming that we knew where the ferry was going. As he got closer and closer and continued to head right toward us, Moe quickly did a 360 and let him pass. We had noticed a small sailboat going into Active Pass a few minutes earlier and pretty soon heard the Coastal Celebration tooting his horn at the small sailboat. I was surprised that he didn’t toot us.

Right after the ferry passed and we had good sea room we put the genoa up. It only lasted about half an hour before we had to lower it due to light wind. We didn’t give up hope for better wind and just before 11:00 we had it up again and had a very nice sail all the way to Stuart Channel. Our speed had been better than expected and we bypassed all the ports that I had suggested we could go into. In fact, we found that we would be arriving at Dodd Narrows about half an hour early. We were going home!

There was a lineup of boats at the entrance to Dodd Narrows when we got there. We had slowed down a little and decided to transit the narrows when we arrived even though we were early and going on an opposing current. We entered the narrows at 1:52 and were through at 1:57 with a flotilla of six powerboats right behind us. Of course, they all quickly passed us in Northumberland Channel. As we motored along we noticed how busy the waters around Nanaimo are. As we rounded Jack Point we saw the large Seaspan Challenger quickly gaining ground on us. We held our course until he tooted us out of his way. We slowed and let the big boy go by on our starboard side as the Canadian Navy ship ‘Caribou’ passed on our port.

Though we had been away from our home port for 39 days, once we were back in our home ground it seemed as though we had never left. By 3:20 we were tied up at our own slip. Home Sweet Home!
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