Pacific Grace - Trip 2 Summer 2018

 July 15

I am writing from Chatterbox Falls at the very end of Princess Louisa Inlet which is close to the end of Jervis Inlet. It is hot and sunny, most everyone is in damp swimsuits as we’ve spent an amazing morning at the Falls. The water crashes hard from very high up the cliff, down into many different sized and depth pools, which form a river of bathing spots out to the salt water at the head of the Inlet. The water originates from a glacier far up and is very cold. Despite this, everyone, I think, went in. It’s an incredible feeling to swim and feel refreshed/chilled in the cold, clean water of the Falls and then, to be deliciously and luxuriously warmed up by the sun. We are surrounded by indescribable beauty . . . . but I’ll try. The Inlet is quite narrow and on both sides steep, tall cliffs, covered in trees reach up to a blue, blue sky. Some of the cliffs go even higher, soaring above the tree line and are still covered in snow. Waterfalls pour down the faces of the rocks everywhere, disappearing and reappearing in valleys between the trees. It’s majestic, and one feels a deep satisfaction just sitting and looking at it all.

 

We arrived last night, end of Day 2, about 2130 hours after coming through Malibu Rapids on the high slack tide. While waiting for slack, we had Bob Goff and his wife Marie come by in their boat to welcome us, toss us salt water taffy, and deliver a stack of his latest book “Everyone Always.” We then ‘opened the pool’ for 20 minutes and everyone had a refreshing swim. The day had been very hot and the chance to cool off was wanted and needed. After getting through the rapids and anchoring, singing, and pumpkin pie squares, we climbed into our bunks, very ready for a welcome night of solid, quiet sleep.

You see, we motored through the first night and the wind steadily picked up as we travelled north, and the seas became lumpy. For those not on watch, sleeping was difficult. It was worst for the girls sleeping forward where the motion is most pronounced. On deck the wind blew, the seas rose to 6ft., the boat pitched up and down, causing the boat to slow to 1-2 knots. No one slept well although the sky was beautiful and the air was soft.

Partway through the night the seas and wind calmed somewhat, we altered course at Entrance Light and headed across Georgia Strait. By morning we were motoring on a calm sea with the sun shining, entering Jervis Inlet. As we made our way up the Inlet the wind came and went as we rounded bends with different names ie. Prince of Wales Reach, Princess Royal Reach, Queens Reach, Princess Louisa Inlet . . . We raised and lowered all sails twice. Both Junior and Intermediate trainees had lessons after an initial group knot session. It was very hot and the sails at least provided shade if at times there was no wind to fill them. People grabbed an hour or two to nap when they weren’t on watch or in a lesson. By mid-afternoon we were finally sailing along beautifully and making 6-7 knots; it was stunning – moving swiftly, quietly, with high rock cliff faces on either side of us, trees, blue, blue sky, sparking sun on the ocean, and rarely a boat in sight.

The rest of today was spent at anchor waiting for tonight’s high slack at Malibu Rapids when we’ll begin our trip out the Inlet and on to Savary Island. It was wonderful to relax here all day, on and off the boat, swimming, playing games, resting, chatting, laughing, getting to know each other, reading, lessons, etc. After lunch the crew set up a swing with the mainsail gaff and everyone had a chance to swing out into the water, some trying flips and tricks, and all of us staying cool. For supper Susanna, the cook, along with assistant cook Noah, barbecued hamburgers and smokies to serve on homemade buns, with all the fixings, salad, and special cheeses. It was a beautiful evening with the sun setting behind the cliffs and the temperature becoming more tolerable. Mug Up games and singing happened on deck under way. We will again travel through the night but it will be calm and those not on watch should enjoy a good sleep, lulled by the motor, as there is no wind . . . not at the moment anyways.
We have a great group. The trainees and volunteer crew are already beginning to form a supportive community. The discomfort of a new and unknown place is receding and we are feeling that this boat, our home for the next 10 days, is a safe and fun place.

 
July 17

It is 1900hrs and we’re tacking up Calm Channel, east of Maurelle Island and the Rendezvous Islands. The sun is shining and we are in t-shirts and shorts. Every now and then a cooler north wind blows from one of the channels around us and we contemplate a sweater. We left today’s anchorage at Teakerne Arm by 1530hrs after spending nearly 24 hours hanging out with the Pacific Swift, swimming in the ocean off the boats, swimming in Cassel Lake, and standing under the falls.

We’ve had another very hot and calm couple of days so there has been a lot of swimming, that we’ve loved. In between the swimming there have been lessons, singing, games, a night watch, some sleeping, and many delicious meals.

Since the last time I wrote we have spent one night at anchor and one underway. After the night run we arrived, Day 4, at 0700hrs at Savary Island. After dishes, morning cleanup, and a lesson, we rowed the dories ashore. Savary is a moon-shaped island with lots of sand and wooden summer cottages. We hiked across the island to the sand cliff side and everyone played a soccer game with port side bunks vs. starboard side bunks. The final score was 4-2 for Starboard; it was a great game with beautiful plays and good ball control.

After an hour we were covered in sand and sweat and so we ended up in the ocean. Lovely. It was quite cold but we were in need of freshening up. After some free time we headed back to the Pacific Grace via the dories and weighed anchor for Teakerne Arm on East Redonda Island.

We did not find the wind we were hoping for but found an ice cream shop at Refuge Cove where we bought 2 gallons of ‘Pralines and Cream’ ice cream and thoroughly enjoyed it before supper. The Pacific Swift came out of Pendrell Sound and we motored together to Teakerne Arm. The Pacific Grace anchored after supper and the Pacific Swift tied to her. The ‘pool was opened’ and 80 of us enjoyed the cool ocean water, excited to be together. The afternoon and evening had been so hot and the swim was, again, very welcome. There was a mass Mug-Up on the deck of the Swift with 4 guitars, a box drum, tambourine, ukulele, bass guitar, and a kazoo. We have a very musical group, and on other nights the keyboard has also made it out.

The following morning was clear and sunny again and we took zodiacs loaded with trainees to and from the lake and the waterfall all morning. Everyone could have a visit to both places if they wished and experience the beauty of this marine park. We were fresh water cleaned and our hair was fluffy again. There is a nice little hike to the lake. It’s beautiful and very quiet . . . if you’re there alone, not with a boatload of 40! It is a place we’ve been visiting since the early 1980’s and is still always very special. From Teakerne Arm we went north. Soon after weighing anchor we saw a whale breach high out of the water. Then, the wind came up and we raised 7 sails. The Pacific Swift also raised sail. We are still sailing and have gone as fast as 8 knots. The trainees have had a chance to tack the ship as the wind is against us, pulling on lines, letting go sails, turning the wheel ‘hard over,’ etc. often enough to have a better understanding of how to sail this ship. It’s very fun and brings the group together. It’s thrilling and satisfying to experience the big boat sailing well.

We will continue on until late into the evening, through ‘Hole in the Wall’ rapids at 2100hrs, and then to Kanish Bay where we’ll anchor for the night and then leave again early at 0700hrs to pass over enough water into Small Inlet. The plans is to hike to ‘Little Tahiti’ lake, so called by us because of its color, but labeled on the chart as Newton Lake. This may be our last swim before the colder temperatures of the northern end of Vancouver Island reach us.

We are having an excellent trip with something fun and new happening somewhere on the ship or land at all times of the day and night. The time is passing quickly. The scenery is spectacular and we’re finding that this area is still quite remote; we’re finding quiet channels where the Grace and the Swift are the only vessels passing through. It’s quite something to see two tall ships sailing back and forth across the channels in this extraordinary surrounding. Until next time, Bonice.

July 19

It is 2200hrs and both boats are tied up at Alert Bay on Cormorant Island. We arrived during supper dishes after a long, cold, and very windy day moving north from Knox Bay where we anchored late last night. The winds funneling down Johnstone Strait today were blowing 20 knots but the tide fortunately was in our favor so we made decent time. Yesterday the winds were also very strong, gusting to over 30 knots, and the tide was against us, slowing us down to 1.5-2 knots. A trip that normally takes 1.5hrs took us nearly 4.5hrs! The temperature has dropped suddenly and we are wearing pants, socks, down jackets, hats . . . some are bundled in sleeping bags while on deck, opposite to what it was just 24hrs ago.

Yesterday morning trainees from both boats rowed ashore then hiked a beautiful trail through fern and salal forests to a lake up in the mountains. The water is a dark turquoise color, very clear, and a refreshing temperature. There was a log 75metres out and at one point there were at least 30-40 trainees perched on it, hanging out together. The sun was warm and felt nice after the cool swim. After lunch we raised dories and the anchor and left Small Inlet for Knox Bay on West Thurlow Island. Junior level trainees wrote their exams while Intermediate reviewed tides and chart work. Trainees who were not on watch were hanging out down below as it was very cold and windy on deck. In Knox Bay we anchored out of the wind and played a game of “Mafia” on deck, then went below to sing. Our cook, Suzanna made delicious apple pie for dessert.

Today we raised sail and tacked the Pacific Grace up the channel all the way to Alert Bay. The boat was heeled over and we gimbaled the hold table so items on it would stay there. We moved along at 7-8 knots. The trainees are getting more familiar with maneuvering the sails and raising and lowering them. We also saw whales passing along the Vancouver Island shore around Robson Bight, their fins arching out of the water and their blowholes spraying water; it is always quite something to see.

Tomorrow we are celebrating Christmas. We have a live tree tied to the mast in the hold, made of evergreen branches we found, decorated with lights and a cereal box-foiled star on top. The fo’cs’le this afternoon was full of trainees cutting, shaping, and taping origami paper into snowflakes of all shapes and sizes, as well as stringing together strips to make paper chains. The hold looks very Christmassy. Tomorrow everyone will hopefully have wrapped and put under the tree a gift for their secret friend. We are eating tree- and snowmen-shaped sugar cookies for Mug-Up and tomorrow we will celebrate Christmas with a roast beef, gravy, potatoes, vegetables, and Yorkshire pudding dinner. A big thank-you to Suzanna for making this Christmas on the Pacific Grace happen.

Tonight, once we were tied up and dishes were done everyone from both boats walked to the local school field and played a mass 2-ball soccer game, Pacific Swift vs. Pacific Grace. On the sidelines moms, Oma, and babies cheered and played on the slide. The air is cool and there is still a cold wind blowing. We were sweaty from playing but cooled off quickly. We had the rest of Mug-Up below deck, sharing a few things we’ve learned about each other and about living in community.

July 21

This 10-day trip we are finding it difficult to send out logs on time as we are usually out of service. We prefer this of course but for readers at home it makes for sporadic news from the boat. But, in this way, it’s a nice surprise when the logs do make it out and it’s like waiting for the letter carrier of years ago.

The Intermediates have just started writing their exams on deck. Charts are spread everywhere and trainees are using parallel rules, triangles, dividers, and tide tables to work through the problems. It is 1030hrs and we are tucked up, Day 9, in Claydon Bay north of Broughton Island. Yesterday was a super fun, windy, and busy day. ‘Lights Out’ was close to midnight and tonight will most likely be the same with singing, games, the revealing of secret friends, and the usually hilarious Talent Show to fit in.

Yesterday morning we left the dock at Alert Bay after a welcome sleep-in and breakfast on deck with music. We tacked around the south end of Cormorant and Malcolm Islands then north through the Broughton Archipelago. This area contains hundreds of beautiful small islands and tucked-away bays. We were making up to 9.6knt, staying on one tack, on a steady heel, for long periods of time, creating a sense of offshore crossings where we wouldn’t adjust the sails for days. It was truly awesome to spend long periods moving under sail, seeing the water pass along and under the hull, with the sounds of rigging and sails being worked, pulling the Pacific Grace along.

Suzanna and Noah, our cooks, were creating Christmas dinner all afternoon under the most imperfect galley conditions i.e. steeply heeled over, and those up on deck heard regular crashes of pots, cutlery, water bottles etc. sliding from their spots. The mood in the galley though stayed positive and the cooks kept a humorous view on it all. Despite the fantastic sailing on deck, but less than ideal cooking conditions below, Suzanna and Noah did an amazing and impressive job. On time, and perfectly hot, there was roast beef, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrots, spaghetti squash, and gravy. We were satisfied and there was enough for anyone wanting seconds or thirds.

The wind was still blowing reasonably hard so we anchored deep in Claydon Bay so we could enjoy a long Christmas evening of good food, in great company, with lots of laughing and singing of Christmas carols, and an exchange of presents. Day 8 was also ‘boat Sunday.’ As the sun set we sat together in the stern sharing, once again, ideas and thoughts about who we are, our inherent worth, what makes our community on the boat work, and how to take what we’ve learned home with us. By 2300hrs we were still celebrating in the hold with peppermint hot chocolate and green/red sprinkled rice Crispie squares with mini marshmallows; ideal for falling asleep! Night watch shared their watch with a beautiful half moon in a clear starry sky with a silence that was deafening. This will be the final log of this trip. Today we make our way to an anchorage close to Port Hardy, hopefully finding wind on the way to sail. We will have a full night tonight at Mug Up. Tomorrow we will have the morning to hang out with our watches, enjoying each other’s company for a final few hours before we each make our way back home. Thank you for these kids, we’ve had an amazing time with them. Bye for now, Bonice.

check out the photo of all "surfing the Fisherman barrel" as we sail across Queen Charlotte Strait.