After the initial set back....we head off the Desolation Sound and made it there in 2 days. We left Maple Bay in the wee hours of the morning...before the sun rose and I was on the bow with the spot light and Dave with the head light...but an hour later the sun started rising and we were good to see!
We were excited to head off on such a long trip with our 40 foot boat because the last 3 times we went to Desolation Sound it was on our 25 footer with serious lack of water/ fuel containment!
What a wonderful...yet short holiday. The weather held and we hiked...thankyou Charlie (boat dog) for making us get off the boat everyday and getting to see things on land.
We stayed in our 2 favourite places ....Prideaux Haven and Squirrel Cove....plus both places had hiking choices for the dog. We met up with some friends of Dave's Parents, and had beers with another couple on a 32 Bayfield (they were headed further north).
We came home with lots of water to spare, used only 1/2 tank of fuel (we motored pretty much the whole time), lots of food left over....and we even came through a 'gale' storm with out even spilling our coffee!
All in all.... a successful trip. Next year we'll try for longer holidays and go a lot futher a field! Another trip is planned in 2 weeks....just around the Gulf Islands with a friend joining us. So now it's laundry and clean up time!
Ah to be retired.....only 7 more years!
Happy sailing everyone!

Its a miracle or Dave had his 'ah-ha' moment! He was able to fix the engine yesterday....it was a corroded connection to the fuel shutoff valve to the engine. It certainly was music to our ears when the engine started.
We left Maple Bay at 4:30 am and got to Pender Harbour on the Sunshine coast at 2:00. We are tired but the engine ran flawlessly.
Tomorrow we head into Desolation Sound....a few days late but still on holidays
The sun is shining and the weather is warm....happy sailing everyone.

Well...bad hints happen I threes, and despite the extra offering to theses gods...lost engine power about 2 hours into our trip and with no wind we had to go to plan C to get home. We launched Corky, our dingy, and tied midship and to stern we used our 9.9 mercury outboard to tow us for 4 hours to get back to our dock. Now we are doing many boat projects waiting for Monday when the mechanics come into work. Ah well...we are safe, on holidays and on the boat...not exactly an exotic place but here we are having to fix the boat. Hopefully it's just the case of new wiring...more news to come.
Safe sailing everyone!

I know, I know....it's friday and you should never start a trip on a friday....but we are heading out later today, Dave is getting some sleep after working nights. Yes...we are both still working and still trying to coordinate our holidays to have some summer sailing time. One day....retirement will be here and we can head out for however long and where ever we want to go....but until then we get out when we can.
I've spent the last 3 days sorting, packing and planning our trip and Dave has been able to help when he wasn't working but.....hope I don't forget anything! Once we forgot the butter....it called for an emergency stop over on Saltspring Island to do a bit of shopping! Phew...crisis averted!
We are headed north to Desolation Sound for 12 days....this will be the latest in the season that we have gone, so we expect it to be somewhat crowded. Once we went in early June and many days we didn't see another boat!
We'll be posting pictures on our facebook page as we go since we only have our phones with us and ipads....but lots of books and our hiking boots are coming too!
So...off we go on a friday....and we'll give a special offering to the seas as we leave the dock! As Dave says, if you follow all the sailors superstitions, you may never leave the docks!
Happy Sailing everyone!

We had our first holiday on Dakota this last week....and dispite the wind and cool weather- everything went well and no breakdowns, no stalls, and no being stranded!
We took this 4 days to get back into the sailing groove....how to manage the 'stuff' on board, the routine, and cooking and cleaning on board. It took a few days but then we were able to get into the sailing 'zone' again.
We spent the whole 4 days at Portland Island....usually a very busy anchorage but this time very quiet. We had our new Rochna anchor on board...and the first night we had 25 knot winds and that anchor held so well.....as we said we were "rocking on the rochna'.
Hiking, relaxing, reading and all around lazing about...it was an excellant inaugeral sail for the year.
Tomorrow we head out again for another 4 days and hope to get some sailing in this time.....hope the weather is better....but if we are on the boat- that's all that counts!
Happy Sailing to everyone out there!

It's time...it's time to have her hauled out and we really need to clean and inspect the bottom of Dakota. We haven't seen the bottom at all...even when we bought her a year and 1/2 ago! We saw pictures but never up close and personal!
It was a beautiful day and promised to be sunny with a nice cool breeze! She was lifted and Holy Toledo Batman!....we had a whole farm of muscles growing along the bottom of the keel. I'm guessing the previous owner (The Nut) didn't paint the bottom of the keel at all!
We had the sea life scraped off and the hull pressure washed and we got settled on some blocks and stands. Now for the hard part...scraping and sanding and then painting. By the end of the day we were both tinged blue with paint and I wore much of the ablative paint on my legs and hands.....but we got 2 coats of paint on and she looked very nice.
We had our 5 year inspection done while she was out and besides a few minor fixable problems, the boat was sound! Phew! That's a relief! Dave also did a close inspection of the hull and no problems seen! Double phew!
The second day on the hard was polishing and waxing and then back in the water. We took a spin around the bay and noticed a huge difference in the speed and handling....Dave removed a large zinc attached to the rudder right behind the propeller....and the disturbance that it caused was quite noticeable. Now the boat can pretty much steer in a straight line on her own.
Dave has been down at the boat for the last 3 days installing a new waste tank with a mascerator pump, the new barbeque, and cleaning up generally. It's the Wooden Boat Show down at the Marina this weekend and he has been entertained with the various boats coming in.
I've sorted and bought the provisions for an up coming cruise this week and we will start taking loads down tonight and tomorrow.
Let the sailing season on the West Coast begin!