Planning: In Pursuit of the Epic Trip

Now that David and I are in the peak of our 2nd sailing season with Ge'Mara, we've fallen into a sort of pattern.  We each sail on our own across the year with friends, family, etc, but we make sure to carve out time every few months for what we now refer to as an "epic" trip.  By this we mean a trip  that pushes our existing boundaries of distance, time and sailing skills.  The first of these was our week-long sail to Desolation Sound in August 2013.  The next one was our fairly recent sail to Princess Louisa Inlet this past May.  The nature of the epic trip dictates that by definition it must get bigger and/or more adventurous every time.  To some this may not seem sustainable but for me it keeps the element of excitement in the boating experience, lest we fall into a pattern of "camping on the water."  And if this gradual escalation of adventure means that ultimately we'll be circumnavigating the globe in a blue-water boat one day, so be it.

We are scheduled to depart for our next big trip on July 31 or August 1, depending on tides, schedules etc.  David is finishing his year end run at work so there will be no sailing for him until the end of the fiscal year at ACL.  The destination we are considering is Barkley Sound on the western side of Vancouver Island.  This will be a bit of a stretch given the time we have allotted (10 or 11 days) but it meets the criteria for "epic" in several ways.

• Most distance we have traveled in a trip.
• First time to spend a night tied up in Victoria Harbour
• First time in the (often temperamental) Strait of Juan de Fuca
• First time in the open ocean and far side of Vancouver Island
• First time to Barkley Sound and the Broken Island Group

And as a possible bonus (as if one is needed)

• First time taking Ge'Mara into a US port.  (David has already purchased a US courtesy flag)

One proposed route to Barkley Sound

The initial few days of the trip will be pretty much business as usual.  We'll begin by crossing the strait and heading into the Gulf Islands with the goal of staying in Ganges Harbour on Saltspring Island.  It's not clear yet wether we'll make the easy crossing to Porlier Pass and proceed south inside the Islands or make the longer crossing to Active Pass, which would constitute yet another "first" as neither of us have yet transited Active Pass.  The former plan will be more leisurely and include a potential stop at Clam Bay on Thetis Island.  The latter will involve quite a bit more sailing and will save precious time.  From Ganges we will proceed South to Victoria and tie up in the inner harbour, most likely at the Coast Hotel as it has a marina.  We are looking forward to bringing a decent set of clothes and going ashore that evening to see what kind of trouble we can find in Victoria.  This will likely include but not be limited to, the venerable Sticky Wicket Pub.

The Sticky Wicket Pub & Restaurant in Victoria

Upon leaving Victoria will have a big decision to make.  If the weather outlook for the Strait of Juan de Fuca is foul for the foreseeable future, we may need to abandon our hopes of getting to Barkley Sound and instead make for the San Juan Islands, home of two famous sailing destinations, Roache Harbor and Friday Harbor.  But assuming the best, we will continue south past Race Rocks and into the Juan de Fuca (often referred to as Juan de Puka, because of it's reputation for high winds and rough seas).  We will likely head up the strait as far as Port Renfrew where we will take refuge for the night.  From here it isn't clear where are next stop will be.  The route I have charted in the map above calls for crossing the Strait and making for Neah Bay.  This mostly commercial harbour is the last stop before heading into the open ocean and is often a point of refuge for boats of all description that are either running from, or waiting for, calmer seas and better weather.  From Neah Bay it is pretty much a direct run northwest to Barkley Sound.

Barkley Sound is reputed to be a nature lovers paradise.  By all accounts it is at least equal to Desolation Sound in beauty but benefits from its remote location and shallow waters, making it less of a haven for the mega-yacht vacationers.  Inside the sound is the Broken Island Group, which as its name suggests, is a tightly clustered group of islands which hold endless possibilities for exploration by kayak or, more carefully, by sailboat.  This is one of the unfortunate ironies of this trip;  Our timeline dictates no more than a day of exploration in the sound before we will need to turn around and head for home.  Even at that we will be running the risk of possible delays for weather which could result in some very long travel days getting home.  I have a flight to catch to the BC interior for a fishing trip the day after our scheduled return so there is no wiggle room.

The trip home will be pretty much a reversal of our route with one possible exception I plan to suggest to David.  I lived for 20 years in White Rock and spent many leisurely hours walking along the White Rock promenade and the famous pier that extends for almost a kilometre into the shallow bay.  Years before I had done any sailing on my own I would linger at the end of the pier looking at the sailboats there, including the ones that might stop at the public dock for a brief visit with friends.  It would be fun to close the loop and pay a visit of my own on Ge'Mara and invite some mutual friends to visit for lunch or dinner on the boat.  We shall see...

The White Rock Pier

Tonight David and I will meet to plan the final details of our trip.  I can tell he's taking it seriously because he suggested we shun the usual steak barbecue and immediately get down to business.  He is, however, bringing a bottle of wine.  We're not barbarians, after all.