Mannion Bay Lunch Hook
June 22, 2008
Sometimes things just line up right.
Pushing aside the fear I may be turning into a big softie, I’ll just go ahead and say it. We had an incredible, magic day on the water.
Madsu is ship-shape after a spring of upgrades/fixes and it’s a real pleasure to see and feel the difference every time we go out.
Today, MB came along (my oldest son) and our friend’s daughter who’s interested in sailing.
We took off from Sewell’s Marina in Horseshoe Bay around 11:30, and at 1:30 we were comfortably on the hook in Mannion Bay on Bowen Island.
(click the image for a large panorama shot from the cockpit)
The bay is pretty deep (a few hundred feet) until you get close in then in drops rapidly. We anchored in about 30 feet of water near a lot of other boats on mooring bouys.
The local Canada Geese were out in full force, with a honking and chirping family paying us a visit within minutes of us setting the hook. Looking for handouts, they stayed a while then moved on to check out a more generous group of visitors. I don’t know how long the immature geese stay with their parents, but this bunch looked not quite ready to take off on their own. 
MB fired up the Sea-B-Q and we had some delicious hot dogs, sitting in the sun enjoying what has to be British Columbia’s greatest asset; itself.
The sail back was incredible - we close-reached across in about half-an-hour, never dropping below 5.5 knots the entire way over. Again, those new North Sails are keeping us smiling every minute under way.
Fathers’ Day Perfect
June 15, 2008
I’m a dad and I don’t really make a big deal, or expect a big deal on Father’s Day.
My two sons and I spent the day sailing on a picture perfect BC day, and I must say it was the best Fathers’ Day ever.
Another great day on the water with a steady 10 – 12 knots inflow wind in Howe Sound. We hoisted the main and didn’t even bother with the jib.
We made great time on a close reach over to Bowen Island. Passing a gaggle of kayakers we did a quick tour around Manion Bay, gybed, and scooted back across on a reciprocal course.
There were loads of sail boats heading over from the mainland to Snug Cove perhaps for a late Fathers’ Day lunch. Hope their day was as fun as mine.
thanks boys.
Sphere: Related ContentFriday the 13th Sail
June 14, 2008
Managed to get through another Friday the 13th without incident. To celebrate, we ordered some pizza and headed down to the boat for an evening sail.
It was a beautiful evening, and we zipped over to Bowen Island and back in no time at all. EB was on the helm and managed to top 6 knots smg at one point.
We managed to see all three ferries - Bowen, Langdale and Nanaimo - and even though I’ve been sailing out here for years I still like the sight of a ferry steaming by like we’re standing still. It sparks memories of every single ferry ride across the Straight when I was on the inside, looking longingly out at boats under sail, wishing I was there, too.
We met more of our moorage neighbours when we returned to Sewell’s, including the folks right next to us who were heading out for the weekend.
Howe Sound Perfection
June 7, 2008
I’m really liking having Madsu moored at Sewell’s in Horseshoe Bay. The downside is that the slip is tight and there’s ferry wash, but its not really a big deal. An extra spring line seems to be handling the turbulent wash all right, and a tight slip is just good practice.
The great thing is that the docks are buzzing with activity. Sewell’s is famous for its power boat rentals, but they also run Sea Safari Zodiak eco tours and I love seeing the participants waddling down the dock in their red cruiser suits ready for a zoom around the Sound. The dock staff are young and friendly (and cute) and there’s a constant stream of tourists checking out the boats.
I had 2 different couples, also with boats on the finger I’m on, come over and introduce themselves in the short time I spent getting Madsu set for a sail. There’s a scuba boat just up the dock that picks up and drops off on a regular basis. Sewell’s also have a boat launch which is surprisingly busy, both with launches and recoveries, but also is used for small barges hauling all sorts of things.
As much as I love the hubbub dockside, the trip out under power is super short - just a few minutes and I’m under sail is marvelous Howe Sound.
I had a spirited sail over to Bowen - Madsu’s never been so speedy thanks to new sails from North Sails. I popped a reef in part way across and still managed to hit 7 knots in the puffs. It was a classic inflow and with very little chop, it was an awesome sail over. After the outbound Bowen Ferry left Snug Cove, I tacked over and played in the puffs for a few hours.
And those new Andersen self-tailers I installed ? Worth Every Penny.
Old Dogs, New Tricks
August 21, 2007
My mom and dad are both in their eighties and grew up on the prairies. Even though they live in an area where there are lots of lakes and rivers, my family heritage is not water based.
Definitely flat landers.
Aside from a short and wet ride once on a Laser, my dad’s never been on a sailboat. My mom is super uncomfortable in anything smaller than a BC Ferry.
So, I really wasn’t sure how they’d take to Madsu, our 22 foot Catalina sailboat.
Both of them totally loved it. I couldn’t get my dad off the tiller, and my mom actually claimed to be relaxed, even when the boat heeled in the puffs. The latter is a feat of immense proportion.
I have an old sailing text book in my nautical library (a corner of the shelf in the living room) and dad feverishly devoured every page in the evenings. Out on the boat, he quickly got the hang of things. Like any beginner we had lots of snake wake, but I was surprised at how fast he got the feel for the boat. It’s no rocket ship, but the little Catalina 22 is certainly forgiving and a perfect little boat for the old dogs (and me).
Watching my 80 plus year old dad head up to the fore deck to change the head sail made me both nervous and proud all at the same time. And the fact that my mom, deathly afraid of small boats, actually pestered me to go out “look, the sun is shining, we can go sailing now” is something else.
All I can hope is that when I’m in my 80’s I’ll still be game to try something new.
Sphere: Related ContentAnother Crappy Day in Paradise
August 4, 2007
On board Madsu on a sunny and windy Saturday afternoon in Howe Sound heading out to the Straight of Georgia. We’re beating to windward doing about 5 knots and heeled about 12 degrees. Britannia is outbound from Squamish to Vancouver. The foredeck was packed with young girls yelling hello. In the foreground, clamped to my BBQ mount is our solar battery charger - it works like a charm.
EB’s on the tiller doing a respectable 5.2 knots SMG - got to like that GPS.
Meanwhile, the boys were up on the weather rail cooling off with a little toe dip in the salt chuck.
Madsu Speed
July 8, 2007
Our little sailboat is no speed demon. For one thing, Madsu is a few decades old and of fairly conservative design. She’s also a swing keel with not a lot of aerodynamics at play down at that end of things.
And with 7 weeks to wait for our new 150% genoa, we’re stuck with a tired 100% foresail.
All that said, we’ve had some really fun nights the last few days, playing with the inflow and/or outflows of Howe Sound - sometimes both over the course of an evening.
We use our handheld GPS in lieu of a knotmeter - here’s a shot of our respectful 5.2 knots on a beam reach heading towards Bowen Island. Fun.
