May 23, 2016

Our Adventure Concludes

May 23, 2016

May 23, 2016

Latitude 48°03′06″ N
Longitude 122°10′37″ W

Marysville, Washington, USA

The quest for my Alaska adventure, for the time being, has come to a conclusion.  It was not the one we signed up for, but was still an adventure.  I’m now sitting at home in Marysville, Washington cozy and warm. 

We left Nanaimo on Wednesday at 0450 (4:50am) with high hopes that all our engine problems were now behind us.  A week and a half of precious travel days had been spent waiting in Nanaimo.  We had provisioned the night before at the local grocery store with enough food to last weeks.  We had even stopped at the liquor store to buy gin and vermouth.  We were going to have martinis and gin and tonics in the evening at our picturesque anchorages.  
Crossing the Strait of Georgia towards Texada Island was different than last time.  The winds and waves were much calmer.  Making our way north through the Canadian military Whiskey Gulf missile launching area was our top priority.  We had to be out of there by 0700 when it closed to civilian traffic.  The S/V Our Tern, with its crew of three, made it out of there just in time and didn’t become cannon fodder for the Canadian military. 

Mary put her fishing pole out for the first time! We were hoping for a salmon dinner.

Vaughn

Mary

This time we were traveling on the west side of Texada Island


It was decided that we would continue north along the western side of Texada Island this time.  Our trip up and back on the eastern side had given us the view of Texada Island and we felt like we needed to see something new.  Everything was going swimmingly until 1130 or 1200 when Mary had noticed a new rattle in the engine.  She called Vaughn up from the cabin to investigate.  After indications determined it might be the transmission, all of us knew the trip was ending. 

Disappointment was the word of the day.  Texada Island had turned into the Bermuda Triangle for our sailboat.  Believe it or not, we had engine problems in almost the exact same spot on the eastern side of the island.  After checking the chart plotter to confirm, Mary said it was within a half mile.  The engine was turned off and we turned the sailboat around to head southeast.  The sails were already up because we were motor sailing.  The north western wind was at our back so we were in a prime position to sail back to Bellingham.
 
Since the trip was now over, I decided I wanted to ride in the dinghy being towed at the back of the sailboat.  I had been eyeing it since we had left Nanaimo.  The dinghy had been transported on the deck of the sailboat until we sailed back to Nanaimo the first time.  Since we had encountered engine problems, we had decided to tow it behind.  It could be used for an auxiliary motor in an emergency. It had already proved its usefulness for this purpose.  The dinghy ride was a lot of fun as I relaxed and took pictures.  I was probably in it for a few hours.  When the winds and waves increased and the sky darkened with threatening clouds, it was time to get back into the sailboat. 

The northern tip of Texada Island.  We were so close!!!

“Running” back to Bellingham

Vaughn and Mary

Relaxing in the dinghy

Making lemonade out of lemons

Vaughn and Mary had decided the best course of action was to sail through the night.  Due to the strong winds predicted, sailing back to Bellingham was the prudent move.  If we stopped anywhere for the night, the winds might calm down and it would take us days to get back home.  Vaughn was going to take a nap for the first shift.  Mary and I were going to be on the watches together.  I’m so happy I didn’t have to stand a watch by myself.  I still don’t feel I have enough experience for that. 

The first shift Mary and I stood was uneventful and seemed to go by quickly.  Vaughn was up for his shift and I wasn’t tired so I stayed up in the cockpit for part of his shift too.  I think I headed down into the cabin about 2200 to get some sleep.  Mary and I started our shift around 0230.  By this time it had been raining a while.  We were both bundled in our “foulies”, our foul weather gear.  It was a cold wet night sitting in the cockpit.  The wind and rain were at our backs and we drank hot tea to stay warm and alert.  We watched for ships in our path and used the vhf radio to let them know we were there. 

Around 0430 sunrise started to lighten the night sky and our job became easier. It was still cold and wet but you didn’t have to strain your eyes as much scanning the horizon for obstacles.  I stood watch with Mary until 0830 when Vaughn got up.  I then laid down for an hour or two to rest. 

While I was sleeping Vaughn had called US customs and checked us in.  We were able to clear customs by phone because all of us had previously obtained an I-68 boaters form.  It was lucky for us we had this form because we would have had to make an extra stop somewhere else to clear customs without it.  Bellingham Washington is not a port you can check into.

We smoothly sailed into the Bellingham public dock around 1230 (12:30pm).  Our adventure to Alaska was over.  Vaughn is talking about possibly taking the boat out again for a couple weeks to the Broughtons in Canada when it is repaired and I will be able to go along so who knows.  But for now, Alaska is off the table. 

I had an adventure!  It wasn’t the one I thought I was going to have but it was definitely an adventure.  I learned so much and am so thankful to Vaughn and Mary for sharing their knowledge of sailing with me.  What a gift I was given to be part of the crew of the S/V Our Tern.

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