Boat Maintenance
Living Aboard a Boat
Sum It Up Sunday | What Happened to Saturday?
Monday, July 18, 2016TheCambrians |
| The view from the webcam at the Hakai Institute with Cambria and JouJou rafted together. |
What
happened to Saturday? It was the biggest question on my mind this week. I didn’t forget to pull a page
off the calendar. It didn’t get lost in the shuffle of a busy week. And it
didn’t, by some super natural means, just vanish into thin air. No, I slept
through the whole day, missing it entirely which is why I’m summing up our week
on Monday rather than Sunday.
We had a plan, but plans are meant to be changed: David got
the oven working again Sunday morning, so we were going to up anchor and leave Pruth Bay behind for Burke Channel until he
received an email from some friends of ours. They were six miles south of Cape Caution and on their way to meet us. So,
we stopped getting the boat ready to go and sent them an email back saying we’d
be waiting.
For the next three nights, we rafted together in different
anchorages – Pruth Bay, Sea Otter Inlet and Shearwater. During
the day we moved, taking advantage of the southerly winds blowing in Fitz Hugh Sound. And in the evening we shared
stories and meals aboard each other’s boat, doing our best to make the most of
our short time together before they continued on to their final destination: Alaska.
 |
| Thanks to Laurie, we finally have a picture of us aboard Cambria. |
It was a lot of fun, but it was also tiring. Not used to
being so social, I was wiped out by the time we said our goodbyes. So, we upped
anchor and motored through Gunboat Passage to a canny little spot called Forit Bay for the night. Come Thursday, it
was David’s turn to be tired but he was able to push through his fatigue and we
finished off the passage to Ocean Falls where we tied up to the dock and walked
up to the lodge to say hello to our friends who own the place, Rob and Corrina
Darke. By now you must be picking up on one of the major themes for this
cruising season – visiting friends. And because I finally fessed up about our
plans to sell Cambria and move
back to England, it’s all probably starting to
make sense.
The barometer had been on the rise over the last several days
and the sun finally showed its face on Friday. I got to work first and pulled
out the hose and brushes to give Cambria’s topside
a good cleaning, leaving David to his own devices in the afternoon while I went
out for a walk around town to take some pictures. I stopped by the lodge on my
way back to the boat to see if Rob and Corrina were headed to the pub in Martin Valley, a big event in Ocean Falls. They said they were going at 4
o’clock
but needed to be back by 5:30 pm to get dinner out for the logging
crew that was staying with them. An hour and a half? Perfect! I’d have a couple
of beers and still have plenty of time to get dinner ready myself. David wanted
to finish what he was working on, so I hitched a ride with them and said I’d be
home soon. I’ll just end the story with this word of advice: Don’t go out
drinking with loggers because they’re very generous when it comes to buying rounds
but, if you do, make sure you read the alcohol content on the can before you
start throwing them back.
Saturday’s a blur. My best guess is that David spent the day
working on the boat and poking his head into our cabin every now and then to
see if I was still alive (unfortunately, yes). He also made a decision: Neither
one of us could seem to figure out how long we wanted to stay in Ocean Falls, hemming and hawing every time we
broached the subject because being tied up makes getting things done so much easier . . . and we hate being tied up. So, he took the bull by the horns and booked us in for a
full month. Sound drastic? Yeah, I suppose it is. But we’re both eager to put Cambria on the market and move on to our
next adventure.
It’s not going to be all work and no play: Eucott Bay and its natural hot springs are only 30 miles away and Roscoe Inlet, one of British Columbia’s most beautiful fjords, is
equally as close. Corrina and I are hatching plans to do some kayaking on Link Lake. Rob wants to take us out salmon
fishing. There’s supposed to be a good hike or two leading to an overlook
around here. And we still plan to make a trip up to Gardner Canal before we have to be south of Cape Caution the first of September. But,
in the meantime, there’s a long list of jobs to do and, now that summer has
finally arrived, we can finally get to it!
8 comments
It so so nice to be flexible! Enjoy your stay at the dock. I mean, take advantage of the dock for the projects and enjoy your time away from the dock in nature in between prepping Cambria.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Liesbet. Now we just need it to stop raining so we can get back out there!
DeleteThat's a great picture of the two of you! I can't say that I've ever been out drinking with loggers, but if I ever find myself in that situation, I'll know that the next day will be a wash :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ellen. We don't have many pictures of us together, so that was really nice. As far as the loggers go . . . great guys, but I recommend avoiding them at all costs!
DeleteLove all the pictures in this post! It's funny - before cruising, we wanted to get out and anchor. Now the treat is to be at a dock to get projects done, have wifi and do laundry!
ReplyDeleteIt's especially nice now that we're back to rain!
DeleteStephanie/David.....
ReplyDeleteI have not had occasion to comment or contact you previously, but have followed your travels with interest for some time. Firstly, thank you for a beautifully crafted blog through which to share your perspectives, and, of course, I wish you good fortune in your next chapter in the UK.
I would be interested in having a brief conversation by email on your history, in the Northern latitudes, with managing Sally vis-a-vis the bear problem. We will be venturing to the mid-BC coast next season with our youngish pup and I'd love to hear how you managed co-existence on the beach. I can't seem to resolve the contact message box at the bottom of your page, so am hoping you will be willing to share a contact address so we might discuss?
Regards,
Steve
Sorry about that, Steve. Thanks for bringing the problem to my attention . . . and for your kind words! I wasn't able to fix the contact form but would be happy to discuss cruising the Inside Passage with a dog. You can reach us at thecambrians through gmail.
DeleteCheers, Stephanie