Day Three

Bad night last night. Too much shakin' goin' on. I'd just start to doze, when some waves would hit and shake me awake.

     I'd looked at the current atlas for best homeward (ebb) tide, and it showed early, early. I decided that, if I got up in time, and if the weather was good for it, I'd head home.

     Woke up to rain in the night, then woke again later because all was too calm. The wind had died completely, after shifting to more from the west. The water was darkly glassy.

     Woke up at five and decided this was it: I was going home. Had a slice of bread with pb&j, made a pb&j sandwich and put it in a baggie for lunch later, handy to the door.

     Filled the small gas can with the great spout, after emptying its contents into the engine.

     The bottom of the cove was clearly visible, with my anchor line in white showing clearly, snaking around through the thick leaves of sea weeds. There was a rock that showed, 100 yards or so to the east, that wasn't visible at the higher tide. Lucked out on that one! I put the daggerboards in and weighed anchor, fired up the engine and headed out at 5:40.

     Went south back the way I'd come, except this time I stayed to the east of d'Arcy Island, in the main tidal bore. The tank of gas took me past the Chathams. I didn't want to be running out at an importune time, so I put more gas in once I was inside Oak Bay. Kept motoring past Gonzales Point (golf course) and through Enterprise Channel (Trial Island), where the current from the rising tide was already against me. The tide here generally ebbs in the morning and floods in the afternoon.

     The gas ran out off Holland Point, and I had a bit of a time getting the engine started again after it'd run dry, but eventually up she fired and off we went. I've grown to appreciate the engine.

     Lots of fisher people were out, off Oak Bay (photo above) and at the entrance to Victoria Harbour. The Coho had to slow down to get through the rag-tag fleet.

     I almost fell asleep after Clover Point, as I was so tired. When I finally got to the dock I had a headache and everything was moving. The return was four and a quarter hours of solid motoring. I packed a few clothes and headed home. 

     Slept an hour; expected to sleep three. It was a very deep sleep. Had cereal and two coffees, wrote an email, caught up on some web stuff, and came back to the boat to sort things out and clean up some. Now it's raining. I just put the green boom tent up. Time to pack up the food and head home again. 

     Very nice to be back at a sleepy dock again! Things don't move quite so much.

14° Nearby Fog

Salish Sea, BC, Canada