Sailing from the Gulf Islands to Victoria // Living on a Sailboat in Canada Ep. 1

Welcome to Blue Moon and we hope you enjoy our trip around the southern gulf islands. Day one. Jillian and I had a late start to our first day. We'd come back from a trip to Victoria on the one o'clock ferry and had a few chores to finish on Pender Island to get ready for the trip. I filled up our water jugs and fuel tanks while Jillian got the cabin ready for travel. We departed our mooring ball in Pender just after 4 30 and set a course for Lyle Harbor on Saturn Island. It would be a short sailing at just 4.9 nautical miles. Jillian and I brought the jib to the bow in preparation for raising the sails but after some back and forth we decided to stay under power. We were traveling upwind Anxious to anchor in full daylight we let the diesel engine take us into harbor. While crossing north we passed two large shipping vessels anchored in the deepest part of the channel. It seemed they were a long way from their home port of Singapore. As we turned east at the horn of the island we heard a seaplane on approach and slowed down to let him come in ahead of us. They must have been on a tight schedule because within 10 minutes we watched them take off again and turn northeast and suspect on route back to Vancouver. Lyle Harbor was deep and spacious. We dropped the anchor and let the wind and current turn the bow to face northwest towards Galiano Island for sunset. Dinner was passed out with vegetable sauce and it was early to bed in anticipation for an early departure the next day. That day was actually pretty wild because that was sort of like the first time we had been able to use the engine because when I got the boat the prop was so caked with mussels and oysters and stuff that, not oysters, mussels and barnacles that it actually like we can hardly move. Day two. Our alarms woke us up at quarter past six. We checked for fog and everything looked clear so we put the coffee on and went over our plan for the day. We would be sailing 11.4 nautical miles northwest from Lyle Harbor past main island and active pass to Montague Bay on Galiano Island. While lifting anchor we incurred the first loss of the trip when my favorite hat fell off my head and into the water. We turned around to look for it but the current was moving fast and the water was still dark in the morning light so we chalked it up as a sacrifice to the sea. Leaving Lyle Harbor we felt the first raindrops and noticed a weather system developing above us. There was a decent swell and good wind from the southeast so we raised the jib and sailed at a decent clip past main island. Within an hour the showers turned to a downpour and we lost our wind. This came as we were about to cross active pass, a high traffic area busy with ferries and other commercial vessels, so we started the engine again and brought the jib down to get across the pass as quickly as possible. We didn't know it yet but we were extremely lucky to have made it through active pass under power. Shortly after crossing active pass as we were coming into Montague Bay our engine stalled. Initially we thought it was due to a quick shift into reverse when going under some transmission lines. We're gonna make it. Once it happened a second time I opened up the cabin to find it full of smoke. I called for Jonas to get to the bow and killed the engine. Luckily we had made it far enough into the shallows of Montague Bay that we were able to drop the anchor and lay the chain with our forward momentum. After a phone call with my dad we diagnosed the problem as an overheated engine due to a blown coolant line. We let the engine cool down and got a tarp set up over the cockpit to give us a bit of extra space out of the rain. We were cold and hungry so we took a break for egg sandwiches. The last couple hours trying to figure out what's going on and Jillian just found it so she'll tell you what it is. So there was um I found antifreeze had sprayed or not antifreeze coolant had sprayed sort of all over here um and so obviously there was a leak in the coolant but basically what happened that's the bilge pump going now um coolant was like right dry and smoking hence why the engine overheated and basically what happened is these right here they went all the way down they went down there that uh that sort of round bottom round thing yeah it spins it's part of the it's connected to the drive shaft on the prop and it was rubbing against that black hose there and it put a little hole in it and that was full of coolant and then it started spraying coolant everywhere uh then we ran out of coolant probably and the engine started smoking because it was overheating. Jillian's working on taping the hose right now we went back and forth on whether we should put a a barb fitting in but if it doesn't fit then we'll have cut the hose and we don't have anything to repair it so we're gonna try and get to uh Salt Spring Ganges where there's a marine supply store before we chop the hose but hopefully this works. We decided to tape the hose instead of doing a full repair because Jonas was anxious about cutting it too short. We would wait until the next day to test it because we had allotted ourselves a day off to explore around Montague and we were in no rush. It was pretty wild so to start from the beginning um there was these transmission lines that we had to pass underneath when we were going into Montague harbour. I had read that our mast was not tall enough to go under. Yeah the navionics chart said that we were too short but I'd spoken with a friend of mine who said um we were definitely gonna fit and I could tell when we were going and up to the lines that we were gonna fit under but but Jillian was very anxious about it and uh she kept saying we're not gonna fit we're not gonna fit and I was like oh yes Jillian we are gonna fit. I was sure we weren't gonna make it. And then right as we were going under I was like look we're gonna fit and Jillian was like no we're not so she slammed the transmission into reverse and the engine stalled which is what we thought had happened. I just figured it was like too quick like I should have just given it some time to chill in neutral or something. Anyway we we did fit under the lines uh Jillian got the engine started again and the the lines were right they're right at the entrance to Montague so we were basically there. It was another early night to bed after a long and somewhat stressful day but we were grateful to have arrived in Montague safe and sound. Needless to say if the engine had quit coming across active pass things would have been a lot worse. Day three. With no rush to get anywhere and fatigued from the previous day's excitement we decided to sleep in. We made egg sandwiches for breakfast and took the dinghy for a tour around Montague Bay and Little Parker Island. Around noon we decided to test the hose repair. We tested the engine this morning and uh the tape didn't hold so we had to cut the hose to try and to try and get a barb uh fitting on and hopefully make it to Ganji's. Get it onto the clean end. And it is a perfect fit. Nice. Oh sick. Oh wait hose clips. You good? Yeah. I gotta put the camera down to help Jillian. We started up the engine this morning and the hose uh the tape on the hose did not so uh we threw the double-sided barb fitting on. Oh show the piece we cut off actually. Oh yeah so this is what torn and you can't like it's a pretty significant hole you can't really see it maybe if I do that. It's a pretty significant hole. Um yeah so then that's what the drive shaft is rubbing against. Yeah and just kind of melted it off. Melted away the rubber. Um so we cut this piece out um connected the two pieces of the barb fitting, threw some hose clamps on. Yeah should do the job I think. You can see it in there. There's the one piece and then kind of hiding down there. Yeah. We're filling the coolant again because we had to drain it all to cut the cut the line. Hopefully this time it stays. We're just in Montague Bay running the engine in neutral to heat up those lines and test our our uh patch job with the clamps but Jill and I think there's probably some sort of a race going on because we have three boats coming in. They another one came in and they were just going through there. Jill's just brushing her teeth. Once the uh once the lines heat up we should be able to get the um get the hoses on a bit further and tighten them up. Satisfied with the new and improved repair job we packed a bag and took the dinghy into Montague Bay Marine Park for a chilly October swim and a picnic on the Midden Beach. The beaches in the park are made white by the remnants of shells left by indigenous people over hundreds of years. It is interesting to think how many clams and oysters would have been eaten to cover the beaches. Millions probably. Honestly it was just super nice to take a little break and have a little beach day. Yeah beautiful Montague Park is uh Montague Bay Marine Park is beautiful. There's a nice little loop trail. The beaches are amazing. There you'll see they're covered in in tiny white shells which are it's almost like sand. It was also the first day of sun in what seemed like weeks um and so it's super nice just to be warm and just to have yeah have the sun out and not we'd been soaking wet and like everything in the cabin had just been damp even prior to us leaving and so it was really nice to just dry things out and have a really relaxing day. We finished the evening with a walk around the park's loop trail and took the dinghy back to Blue Moon for an early dinner of stir fry and rice. As usual we confirmed our plan for the morning checking the weather and current charts. Things looked good and we were optimistic that a repair of the hose would carry us across the channel and into Ganges harbor. Day four we got up just before sunrise. As usual Jillian had the water boiling for coffee before I could get my socks on. One thing about our boat during this trip is that it was hard to heat the inside. There is a small wood stove that could be used but the mornings are so damp and busy that it was better just to bundle up in all of our clothing and wait for the sun to heat the cabin later in the day. Most mornings I wore a fleece and down jacket until 11 a.m or so. If I was lucky I would steal Jillian's toque as well. We brought our coffee into the cockpit and Jillian got the engine running while I hauled up the anchor. Once again we had very little wind so we motored the three miles across the channel and watched the water bus ferry early morning workers from Salt Spring to the other gulf islands. There was no large vessel traffic, few shoals to worry about and the sky was clear. Better still the repaired coolant hose showed no signs of leak or weakness. It was a pleasant change from two days prior and made for a relaxing trip. Coming into Ganges we straddled the line between the dead man islands and the seaplane runway. Small vessel traffic zipped around us and we seemed to be the slowest thing on the water that morning as usual. Inner Ganges is a busy anchorage and we kept to the outside to avoid navigating between other sailboats moored in tight rows stretching to the town's center. We took the dinghy in to fill up our water jugs and pick up some goodies at the grocery store. I spent the day catching up on my online classes and Jonas read a book in the cockpit and watched the planes come and go every 30 minutes or so. That was a good day. I just spent the whole day lying on the deck watching the planes. The seaplane runway was right beside the boat. Harbor airflies seem like they fly into salt spring a couple times every hour or so. Yeah no it was nice and relaxing. Again fantastic weather no wind like zero wind but just a really gorgeous sunrise. That evening we planned what would be our longest route yet from Ganges to Cadboro Bay finally making it to Vancouver Island. We hoped for a fogless morning so we could leave at first light and get past some tricky currents before max flood. Day five. Jonas and I were both up before the alarm eager to start a long day on the water. Setting our destination as Cadboro Bay felt like a dream. Over the last four years we had spent countless hours on Cadboro Beach looking out at the sailboats and imagining what it would be like to live aboard in such a beautiful place. We finished our pre-departure checklist early and sat in the cockpit waiting for enough light to crest from the east for us to navigate out of the harbor. Jonas hauled up anchor and I pointed our bow to the western tip of Salt Spring. The current was in our favor that morning and we did almost seven knots in our first hour. As we turned off Salt Spring towards Portland Island we noticed the morning ferry from Vancouver en route to Sydney. I was initially convinced that we would not have conflict with the large vessel's path and I waited anxiously for it to turn south of Portland. We waited and waited until I realized that I'd been reading the chart wrong and that it would actually pass north of the island which is exactly where we were going. Jillian turned 90 degrees or so to starboard and we tucked Blue Moon off to the side of the island to let the ferry pass and to try and avoid its large weight. I imagined the staff on the bridge of the ferry had a good laugh watching us try to race them through the passage. Any longer and we would have been in a bit of trouble but as it was we had learned a good lesson. We continued to ride the current past Portland Island and on between James and Sydney Island. We were making very good time and had kept a speed above seven knots all Once the two islands were at our stern the wind deck showed us downwind and we decided to raise the sails. I climbed up on deck to prepare the sails. When I gave the word Jonas headed up and I hauled up the jib and then the main and tightened off the sheets. Our path put the wind directly behind us and we were able to sail wing on wing for the last seven or eight miles to the entrance of Bains Channel at the tip of Vancouver Island. We arrived at the channel just after noon happy to be avoiding max flow. Tidal waters move through the narrow gap and create strong currents. We dropped the sails and used the engine to power through against the current. The engine did just fine and it was good practice to steer through the eddies but it is a good thing we arrived before max flood. As it was with the engine running near 2700 rpm our speed through the channel went down to around one knot. For context earlier that morning running the engine at 2500 rpm gave us six knots. Cadboro Bay Anchorage is just on the other side of Bains Channel and we arrived in just over six hours from departure. Time flies on the water and it was perhaps the shortest six hours of our life. That afternoon we took a dip in the water and enjoyed a new perspective of the beach after so many years of looking out at boats just like the one we now live aboard. We would stay in the bay for a few days so that Jillian could catch up on classes and some friends could come and see the boat. Okay going through Bains Channel was it is that what it's called? Yeah. Okay going through Bains Channel was wild. I had never seen currents like that before coming from like I'm a freshwater sailor. Jillian grew up sailing in Manitoba. Group sailing in Manitoba. I grew up sailing nowhere. I do not sail or I don't know how. I didn't know how. Yeah so Jonas actually steered through the channel and I was just kind of chilling and just watching things happen but it was absolutely crazy like I've never seen the water swirl like that purely from a tide. It felt like we were in a river. Day six. We had planned for a nine o'clock departure but when we woke up the fog was so thick we couldn't even see our neighboring boats let alone the beach at the mouth of the bay. Environment Canada issued a severe fog warning that was expected to last into the afternoon. Jonas and I killed time on the boat and watched a keelboat regatta anxious to finish our last day of sailing and tuck Blue Moon safe and sound into the harbor for the winter. Visibility improved slightly after lunch and we decided to leave. By the time we were turning out of the bay fog rolled back in and visibility was back to an eighth of a mile. We had taken a couple friends on board to help us navigate the harbor and the four of us were confident that our Navionics GPS app was sufficient to guide us safely through the fog if we went slowly. Jonas stood at the bow and banged on a steel bowl to act as a foghorn, one of the many items on the wish list. We emerged from the fog bank while passing by Oak Bay, a timely improvement to deal with some more strong tidal currents. Out of the fog the sky was clear and there was a good swell that had us rocking the rest of the way to the harbor. We reviewed the traffic scheme and turned around the breakwater to make our final approach to the marina. We admired the Coast Guard station and pilot ships on our way past Laurel Point and Fisherman's Wharf. When our destination came into view we noticed that a large cabin cruiser was in our designated spot, so we made the decision to dock at an adjacent finger and wait for the dock crew to sort out the confusion. With assistance from some skilled friends, Jillian successfully turned the boat and backed her into the finger while I and another friend jumped onto the dock to catch the lines and guide in the harbor. Now we're here, home for the winter. We made it. Let us know if you're interested in seeing more.