We were greeted in English Bay by a fresh breeze, a nice change from the norm. So for once we only motored a safe distance off shore before raising sail. The wind these weeks has been coming almost straight in from the West which makes it difficult to get out of English Bay. For a while we made some long tacks in moderate and changeable winds and it almost seemed as though we might be disappointed again. Then, out of nowhere, the wind came and we were off for a ride. As often happens, the wind had lulled us into raising all of our sail so when about 20 knots started hitting us off Pt. Atkinson it was a little unsettling. To add to the ride, we were on a beam reach and the rollers coming in from the Strait were hitting us broadside. Various items we (I) had failed to secure crashed around in the cabin. One of these was the morning coffee pot. Fortunately David had emptied the coffee into his thermos but it still sprinkled the coffee grounds liberally around the cabin.
Right around then is when you realize how important it is to reef the main early. "Reefing" is simply adjusting the main sail so it is smaller and holds less wind. The saying goes "If you're thinking about reefing, it's time to reef." I had thought about reefing several times earlier but the wind seemed manageable at that point. Now, heeled way over and taking the waves broadside, we realized that we had never practiced reefing together without a 3rd man in the boat. Hmmm... So instead we shortened the Genoa (the sail in the front) and the boat seemed manageable.
Initially we were thinking of taking full advantage of the wind and not stopping for lunch but after a while on this beam reach we were ready for a break so we sailed into the channel toward Bowen Island and Snug cove. As we motored into the marina we listened to the VHF radio as the Coast Guard responded to a distress call - a sail boat blown onto shore back in English Bay.
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| David by the boat at Snug Cove on Bowen Island |
There is nothing like a pub lunch when you're sailing and the experience this day did not disappoint. The bacon cheeseburger was the best I'd had in a while - super juicy and very tasty. As I washed it down with a cold beer I ran through the mental exercise of pushing my non-existent Sensible Eating Regimen back another day. Bowen Island is just a few minutes from Horseshoe Bay by ferry but when you take half a day to sail there it seems much farther. We enjoyed chatting with the locals about the closing of the tourist pub Doc Morgans and the local baseball team.
Back on the boat, David took her away from the slip smartly and we motored back out into Howe Sound. I was a bit worried that our wind would be finished and we would be forced into a long motor home. Thankfully there was still a good puff around Point Atkinson and we raised the sails once again. We shot past the point, again on a beam reach, waiting for the right time to make our turn and head downwind directly towards the Lions Gate Bridge in the distance.
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| Wing on wing sail configuration |
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| On a beam reach in a fresh wind |
After a while we made our turn and changed our sail configuration to "wing on wing." This is the only time when the foresail is on one side of the boat and the main is on the other. It's a fun way to sail but a little dangerous because with quartering seas like we had, the main can come crashing over to the other side quite easily. At first, in the turbulent water off Point Atkinson this was a problem. Soon however, the seas calmed a bit and we returned home in that wonderfully quiet downwind state where you'd swear there is no wind at all, even though the GPS indicates a boat speed of 6 knots. The jacket came off and I let the setting sun warm my back as we cruised home. Finally we had our perfect day of sailing.
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