WATERBORNE - A LIVEABOARD BLOG

BLOGGING AGAIN, AND ON THE MOVE

2007-12-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm committed to posting regularly again, but I've started over at a new spot... . Come on over!

Where DOES the time go??

2007-06-14T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well, between being ill and planning for our local (Victoria) FibreFest doesn't leave a whole lot of time for blogging! I HAVE gotten some knitting done, and of course, the weather here is awesome, so we've been out on the water as much as possible. Here's a shot of the harbour this weekend.... one of the 20 biggest yachts in the world came to visit!
The MV Laurel

But while it was visiting, I was kinda busy with fibre friends!

I'll also post some pics later today of recent knitting projects.... there have been many!

A NEW CANOE!

2007-04-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I am 'boat-bound' with a horrid allergic reaction to something that's made my skin burn, so I look like a lobster and I'm stupid from the double dose of antihistamines and lack of sleep from the last few days. I lost day before yesterday completely, which is a drag because the first cruise ship of the season arrived and we intended to go in the inflatable to welcome it properly -- instead, I completely forgot about it.

Anyway, this afternoon, stupid or not, we are driving out to Sooke to get the canoe we just acquired, and I'm SO excited! We had one when we lived in Maple Bay, and we've missed it lots, so it'll be fun to have one again. I'll post pictures of it when we get it home...

Meanwhile, being home sick has meant I've had lots of knitting time ... WIPs include a gorgeous gray cotton/linen blend wrap I'm making for myself in a 12-row repeat lace pattern that I'm really enjoying:

And, in the mindless knitting category, an afghan for my niece (hope she doesn't read my blog!) in two strands of acryllic blends that are both in blues and teals, and it'll be lovely when it's done ....

Off to get a canoe now!

RIVTOW'S CAPT. BOB

2007-04-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

This boat , called the RivTow Capt. Bob, is over at Point Hope Shipyard getting repaired at the moment. At 120+ feet, she's the biggest working tug boat on this coast, supposedly. I'll try to get a pic of her when she comes down off the ways....

ON THE NEEDLES
I forgot to post when I finished Gibson's hoodie, so now both of my youngest grandsons have a hoodie I've made them.Gibson's is made from a double strand of 'Sugar'n'Cream' dark brown cotton, and I designed it.

WHIFFENSPIT

2007-04-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

Today we drove out to Sooke to pick up some room dividers we need for our common room here at the marina. I made a picnic salad before we left, and we took it down to the Sooke Spit -- "Whiffenspit," to locals. From the parking lot, to the left is the entrance to the Sooke Harbour (and the famous Sooke Harbour House is on the right) and to the right is wide open Juan de Fuca Strait -- all the way to Japan, prety much! It was flat calm, very rare for that area, so it was lovely to hang out there for awile ... saw a couple of little boats coming in to the harbour, but not much else going on. So, for today, here is your Water Shot: Sooke Spit beach.

IT'S AN HONOR

2007-04-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, when we were chartering, a couple from Alberta spent an anniversary weekend with us in Silva Bay on Gabriola Island. Ed and Jennifer had never seen ocean before, and they had a great time.

Last week we got an email from them, asking if they could come on the boat again, and this time, bring their 3 little girls. We're not chartering anymore, of course, so we asked them to just help pay for the fuel, and we've put together an itinerary (for the August long weekend) that will take us through Enterprise Channel (and back again) so they'll get to see Trial Island, and then out past the Fisgard Light to Albert Head. We'll have time at Witty's Lagoon, as well, but the big highlight is that we'll come back into the harbour in time for the Victoria Symphony Orchestra's Symphony Splash concert! This is the highlight of the year for US, and it'll be such an honor to share it with these folks from Alberta who are so excited to be on the Wind Walker again!

Water shot of the day ... our favorite beach at Albert Head....

KEEPING UP

2007-04-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

How hard can it possibly be to keep up this blog?? It's so gorgeous in Victoria this time of year, and we've already been out on the water several times.... I'm going to attempt to give you a 'Water Shot of the Day' from now on. Here's today's .... it's a view of Trial Island, just off Oak Bay, from 'Trafalgar Square'. It's a 'de-manned' lighthouse station that apparently has several unique native species of plants, and one has to get special permission to go ashore here.

The passage that can be seen to the left is Enterprise Channel, a tricky piece of navigation even on a good day ... but I'll save the story telling about it for another day!

On the needles: Finished grandson Gibson's hoodie and daughter Hailey's ribbon-yarn sash (pictures one of these days....) and now I'm working on a shawl for myself. More about that tomorrow....

KNITTING PROJECTS ....

2007-01-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention in my last post about my 2007 knitting projects... that's the year 2007, not the number of projects.

The sun had barely set on Christmas when I cast on a black wool hoodie for River, my 8-year-old grandson. Or at least he would turn 8 on January 4th, so the hoodie was meant to be a Christmas present. I finished it....

... but not in time for the birthday! However, he got it a few days ago, and has hardly taken it off since...

I think he likes it! It's a bit big so it'll still fit him for quite awhile, but he likes it 'sloppy'.

Now I'm working on a baby blanket for a friend's boy due in March. I LOVE this lace pattern, but it was making me crazy trying to carry it across the required 240-odd stitches, so I decided to make it in strips so I could ENJOY knitting it. I'll make 4 strips, I think, and then join them maybe with a strip of baby blue cable of some sort. I'll see when I get there. It's an Estonian lace pattern, and I'm using 6mm bamboo needles and lovely white cotton yarn. Each strip is a cast-on of only 34 stitches which gives me 3 repeats, and the strip is about 9" wide. (I think the stitch is called Peacock Feather, but the baby boy I'm knitting it for is First Nations, and I think it looks a LOT like an eagle feather, so it's perfect!)

A January Get-Away

2007-01-16T16:17:00.000-08:00

Well, a 'change is a good as a rest', so just for fun we went over to the Empress docks this past weekend to just hang out. When you live where you work ... managing a marina ... it's nice to go somewhere else!

There were hundreds of Western grebes in the water, diving for minnows.

And on Monday morning, just before we came home, I watched the Lady Rose head out of the harbour. It's been at Point Hope Maritime getting it's annual refit, and it's on it's way back to Pt. Alberni.

It was a wonderful get-away ... but it's always good to be home, too.

It's Winter Again

2007-01-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

This is what it looks like in the harbour this morning... we awoke to 'white-out' conditions! I think I'll just stay home and knit .... I'm working on a black wool 'hoodie' for my grandson River ...

.... so I'll be productive, at least!

And finally ....

2006-12-30T07:46:00.001-08:00

In September we had to 'haul out' our boat to clean and paint the bottom ...

But now that you've seen Michael's bottom you might as well see the rest of him...

Hauling out was a nightmare. It's very nerve-wracking no matter when or where you do this process, but, to make matters worse, we took it to Goldstream Boathouse, where the owners and staff have a GREAT deal to learn about customer service. And I'm being NICE when I say that, but I don't want to get sued for libel. Suffice to say we could hardly wait to get back in the water, because we had a 3-week Gulf Islands cruise planned!

We needed a change of scenery...

We spent time in Todd Inlet, Bedwell Harbour on S. Pender Island, Saltspring Island, and on Mayne and on Saturna this year -- it was lovely!

It's always nice to get away, but equally nice to get home....

Spent October getting settled in for the winter .. and it's a good thing we did, because in November....

And our final highlight of the year has always been decorating the Wind Walker, and participating in the annual Lighted Boats parade.

The year in review

2006-12-30T06:34:00.000-08:00

Since I've once again become slack about posting (those new grandbabies take lots of time and energy!), I thought I'd do a 'year in review' post just to 'wrap up' a whole bunch of posts I WOULD HAVE made. :)

We of course spent lots of time in our favorite anchorage at Albert Head this year

...and on one particular trip we took LOTS of boats ... the Wind Walker, our little sailboat Plumpy, the inflatable, and a canoe ... and the whole family! Had a great time, and we'll do it again next summer!

A few weeks later Michael and I went back alone for our anniversary weekend, and had the most amazing experience... there were schools of herring around, and at one point a huge one went right under our boat -- beautiful!

One of the highlights of the summer for us was the Clipper Race which brought 10 amazing boats in to the harbour on their way around the world! We were a little partial to the 'hometown boat,' Clipper Victoria, which won its leg coming in here (from China).

We also had lots of dinghy picnics in the harbour so that we could watch the comings and goings... like the Coho, and the cruise ships...

Other sites we saw this summer....

A tugboat hauling through Enterprise Channel.

A freighter unloading boats from around the world.

Back again!

2006-08-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I just can't believe how often I say I'm going to keep this blog up -- and then I don't. LIFE just keeps getting in the way! Since I last posted, I've become a grandmother again... Gibson Michael was born to our youngest daughter Mischa on May 25th.

So I'm not just busy being a Grandma, I've also been knitting up a storm for him, of course... I made the shawl he came home from the hospital in, and I've made a sweater, some leggings and a coupls of toques, too. I'm working another sweater for him now.

There's been lots going on this summer in the harbour, too .... first of all, the Bell Blimp paid a visit to Victoria for a week or so in the spring...

Then the Swiftsure Race kicked off the season in May, in June there was the Vic-Maui race, and the Clipper race! I'll post pics of all of these events soon.

We've had a few overnight cruises not far away, and lots of 'dinghy picnics' this summer, too. We're just getting ready now to 'haul out' to do the boat bottom, and then we've got some time to cruise the Gulf Islands a bit before we come home. I'll take my camera!

Still sick, but on the mend...

2006-02-15T14:09:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been almost a month since I got sick, and what a DRAG -- I hate it! I still have no energy for much of anything. We did get out for one little dinghy ride the other day when the sun came out for a few hours, and we went up the Gorge to see a sunken fish boat someone told us about. In fact, we saw the SEarch and Rescue boat go flying by here the other day, and wondered what it was up to.

Sure enough, there it was -- about a 35-footer, it looks like, sitting on the bottom just past the Bay Street Bridge, with the cabin roof a couple of feet above water. And wouldn't you know it? I forgot to take my camera! If we get out again this week, I'll remember, and post pics.

THE STORMS

2006-02-01T10:17:00.000-08:00

Three of the last four nights we've had huge wind storms in the night -- gusts as high as 60 mph! The front page of our local paper this morning shows a nice catamaran up on the rocks at Oak Bay -- sure glad we're tied to the dock. I didn't get much sleep last night, though ... we were 'banging around' quite a bit. Apparently quite a few areas lost power, and there were trees down, etc. -- quite a night!

I'M SICK...

2006-01-31T19:19:00.000-08:00

Got a horrible cold/flu bug and have been 'out of it' for three or four days now -- barely have enough energy to knit, and THAT'S something! We've also had wind storms -- up to 50 kts here for the last several days, so finally tonight I ventured out with Michael to do a little storm watching down on Dallas Road ... it was awesome, but our little jaunt wore me right out again.

OTN: I've finished the white baby blanket for our new grandchild, and the pink receiving blanket; I've cast on the blue one, but not made much progress. I'll post pics tomorrow when I have enough energy to take them!

I'm starting my most ambitious project ever -- a blanket for the aft cabin bed. I'm using a graph of a beautiful beach photo, and attempting to recreate it in cotton and cotton blends. I'll also post that pic tomorrow, too!

OUR DINGHY RIDE

2006-01-22T14:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already the 22nd of January ... can you? We didn't get to go for a dinghy ride the other day, but we did finally go yesterday -- for the first time since before Christmas, and that's a LONG time for us!

First stop, the Esso fuel dock on the way out of the Victoria Harbour -- it's only open limited hours in the winter, but we were in luck, and managed to get the fuel tank full for yet more dinghy adventures. We came back via the Inner Harbour, where there are a couple of big fancy-dancy visiting yachts. It was, all-in-all, a most uneventful dinghy ride!

By the way, in case you're wondering where I get to live... here is the most amazing photo I've ever seen of the harbour. It's not my photo -- someone sent it to me and I haven't been able to find the owner, so if it's you, forgive me for not giving you credit!

Our marina is just barely 'off' the top right-hand corner of this photo.

THE KNITTING OLYMPICS!

2006-01-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you about our dinghy. It's like the 'old pair of jeans' that you just can't give up! Even in the dead of winter, we often go out for little harbour jaunts in our trusty dinghy. She's a 13' Achilles, and the poor thing has seen better days, but she's ours and we love her. This photo is one of our dinghy on a beach in Nanaimo, gracing the front cover of a magazine I once published.

I'm thinking of the dinghy today in particular because the sun is shining, and if you've been following the weather in BC, you'll know that hasn't happened much lately. So I'm hoping that this afternoon we'll have a chance to go for a little dinghy ride. There's lots going on over at the Point Hope Shipyard, where they're installing a new HUGE marine ways, so it might be fun to putt over there and check it out!

ON THE NEEDLES

I'm working on a baby blanket, in white, for our grandchild who is due in May -- it's just a seed stitch border, and the body is the 'hourglass stitch.' It's an old LionBrand pattern, and you can see a pic of it here. . I'm also working on two smaller, thinner blankets -- one in pink, one in blue -- so that I'm prepared for anything! I'll post progress pics in the next few days. But listen to THIS....

The Yarn Harlot has struck again - she's posted a challenge to all to participate in the "Knitting Olympics". One project, 16 days! Check it out HERE! Being of the competitive nature (there's a reason my bumper sticker says, "She who dies with the most yarn wins!"), I couldn't resist signing up -- I'm competing in the sweater event, personally. ;-) I'll attempt my first-ever sweater, for that same soon-to-be-born grandchild. It'll be great fun!

Boeing, Boeing, bon ... voyage!

2006-01-15T15:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Michael and I drove up to Chemainus to watch the FIRST-EVER airplane to become an 'artificial reef' in the world. It'll be a huge boon to Chemainus because of the divers who will come to visit it.

I've seen the HMCS MacKenzie sunk (almost ten years ago now, I covered it for Pacific Yachting Magazine) off Rum Island near Sidney, and then about 4 years ago, we took the Wind Walker out to Snake Island to watch the sinking of the HMCS Cape Breton -- both of these were dynamited and then sunk however they went down. But the 737 was actually lowered into the water by a crane, and there were apparently already divers in the water to line it up against some concrete blocks, so that it will never move.

There were about a hundred boats milling around for the event. We were with my sister in her van, and found a dead-end side street with a perfect view! The weather was a bit overcast, but calm and warm -- and 'lift-off' (off the barge, that is) was just before noon. It was fun to be present for it!

Apparently Discovery Channel has been following the whole story very closely and will air the sinking at some point, and you can read lots more about this event here at www.artificialreef.bc.ca .

Our anniversary

2006-01-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

On Sunday night, Michael and I used our Christmas Parade prize (the gift certificate for the Coast Harbourside Hotel) to celebrate the 28th anniversary of the day we met. The hotel was wonderful -- they have an indoor/outdoor heated pool that was fabulous, as well as a hot tub. I took some great pics from our 9th floor balcony -- well, actually the quality of the pics wasn't great for some reason, but the scenery was.

About 6 years ago, we spent a week at that marina, and somewhere I have a great pic of the Wind Walker in front of the hotel. If I can find it, I'll post it later!

ON THE NEEDLES: I finished several hats for Afghans for Afghans, and have now started on the first baby blanket I'm doing for our new (due in May) grandchild. It's white -- double stranded, one of acrylic something-or-other, and the other a cotton blend with a bit of nubbly texture that I really like. I'm doing something called an 'hourglass' stitch inside a seed stitch border, and it's coming out gorgeous so far. I'll post pics in the next day or two!

Water Quality Testing

2006-01-07T13:02:00.000-08:00

Today is a drizzly Saturday, but out on the water of the Upper Harbour, there is a small aluminum boat repeatedly going back and forth past our marina, and it looks like it's dragging something in the water behind it. It seems to me that last year, about this time, the same thing happened, and it turned out to be a contractor for the government doing bottom soil testing, or water quality testing, or something. I may go out on the dock later to see if I can get the guy's attention, and ASK him what he's up to.

OTN: My knitting needles have been busy in the last few days, too - I finished another Moebius (and that's it for those for awhile -- I have sore thumbs!), two hats for Afghans For Afghans, a baby hat for our new grandchild (due in May!), AND two cable samplers for the class I'll be teaching at Michael's Craft Store in February!

KNITTING Afloat!

2006-01-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

Last year I intended to include knitting information in my blog posts, but never got it together. This year, I hope to do that -- I AM a passionate (and prolific!) knitter, and blogging about it allows me to keep track of my projects. Besides, there are probably not too many liveaboards who knit (or knitters who liveaboard?) - I mean, where do you keep your stash? ;-)

OTN ("On the Needles," for non-knitting readers...): Day before yesterday I started a dusty rose-colored Moebius scarf (double-stranded, mohair and a mohair-acrylic blend)for my oldest daughter (it shoulda/coulda/woulda been a Christmas present, but I ran out of time!) and I finished it last night.

Today I've already started another Moebius -- this time, in navy blue Lion Brand Boucle, which I'll use as a sample for display at Michael's Craft Store -- I start teaching Intermediate Knitting there in February!

The New Year!

2006-01-03T10:02:00.000-08:00

Here it is January 3rd already -- how DOES the time go so fast?

On New Year's Day the wind was blowing 55 knots out on the Strait -- there was about a one foot chop right outside our marina, and we're pretty protected. So we drove down along the waterfront, and it was awe-inspiring! 8 - 10' waves crashing up on the rocks, and even spraying across the road in a few places. And I forgot to take my camera!

Last night we had coffee with David and Marjorie, new owners of the Senang Hati, a beautiful old wooden boat that's destined to become their summer home in Alaska. She was the last of a few dozen boats built by master west-coast boatbuilder George Bruigom - it was meant to be his personal boat, but he died of cancer before he got to enjoy it. Isn't she a beaut?

Lighted Ships Parade

2005-12-12T12:35:00.000-08:00

The Victoria Harbour Authority sponsored a Lighted Ships Parade in the harbour this year, and it was totally fun! We were a bit hesitant because last year's event was pretty lame, but this year there were 16 or 17 boats, and they all looked great. The Wind Walker won SECOND PRIZE, for 'Most Colorful Display.' Although the picture doesn't really do it justice, it looked pretty good -- Santa and a 6' tree on the canvas roof, a couple of smaller trees on the cabin roof, an 8' candy cane on the swim grid, and LOTS of 'icicles' and lights all around! Our prize package was a round trip for two on Harbour Air from Victoria to Vancouver (so our daughter will be able to come home from Whistler for Christmas, for sure!) and a night at the Coast Harbourside Hotel ... which we'll use in January for our 28th anniversary.

But even if we hadn't won, it would've been a great party ... we had our grandson River (he's 6) and my son Jason and a few of his friends with us, and everyone was invited on to the Northwind after the parade, for hot chocolate.

Then we took advantage of the free moorage at the Wharf St. docks overnight, and cruised back to our marina in the fog yesterday morning!

The First Winter Windstorm

2005-11-03T18:09:00.000-08:00

Well, we woke up this morning to wicked winds from the SE, which eventually got up to 40 knots out on the Juan de Fuca. Right here in the marina, a really large cleat tore out of the wood edging on the dock, and we've now had to tie up the Harbour Turtle to a different cleat. As Michael and some of the neighbours were dealing with that problem, there was a shout from the 'north 40' - the Ocean River extra dock was 'separating' - rapidly - from our main docks! It took 5 men to pull it back in and get it re-tied against the wind. Thank God these guys were all out on the docks checking on their own boats.

One of Ocean River's huge outrigger's is probably damaged, too - it was up on blocks on the edge of the parking lot, and got blown against a heavy chain link fence. I looked to see if they'd uprighted it, just before dark, but it's still laying over. I guess they're waiting until the wind stops ... which is supposed to be tonight, or early morning. It's 6 pm now, and it's still blowing 28 knots at Discovery Island, so it hasn't slowed down much yet.

Apart from these anxious moments, I LOVE living aboard in a storm! One of the most wonderful things about living aboard is simply being closer to the elements, and there's no time that's more obvious than during a storm. It's a great feeling to be safely tied up to a solid dock, but rocking to the wind at the same time -- hearing it howling through the halyards of the sailboats around us and funneling through the Upper Harbour just beyond the marina. I love to 'hunker down' warm and cozy in the cabin on nights like this. When we first moved aboard, friends (who didn't know us very well!) would call on nights like this, and invite us to stay 'in town' with them... we always declined, and it took awhile for folks to 'get' that we really DID prefer to stay right here on the Wind Walker!

The wind is supposed to calm down by morning, and that will have been our first major winter storm.

Surrounded by Bucaneers

2005-10-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

I wrote the other day about our friend buying a 24' Bucaneer sailboat from SALTS, and today another friend bought an almost identical one from a fellow who had it moored at the Oak Bay Marina. He'll be bringing it in to our marina before the end of November, so we'll have both of them here. What great little boats they are!

Yesterday there was a huge skulling race in the Upper Harbour - something like 1600 competitors from right across Canada! It was fun to watch, but I didn't have my camera with me!

Driving by Ships Point today, I noticed that After Eight -- the Wheaton's boat -- is in the harbour.

Happy Hallowe'en!

Do you believe in miracles?

2005-10-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I do, either, but someone I care about needs one really badly right now! This person is dying of the cancer he was diagnosed with about the time he 'cashed out,' bought a sailboat, and started making plans to cruise around the world. He never even got a chance to get the sails up, not once!

Now his family and friends, Michael and I included, want to get his sailboat towed (the motor has been re-built but not installed) from Victoria to Comox, where his family is determined to get him aboard, get the boat outside the Spit, and GET THOSE SAILS UP ... even if he dies on the way back to the harbour, he WILL have been on his boat under sail.

This project is going to take time, money, energy, and another large boat to do the tow ... we have 'some' time, money and energy, and we're looking for more of all of the above to pull this off some time in the first week of November.

If you think you can help in any way,and you believe in miracles, email me!

SALTS Society

2005-10-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Our friend just bought a 24' Buccaneer sailboat from the Sail and Life Training Society - otherwise known as SALTS, here in Victoria, so we went over to the SALTS yard to take a look at it the other day. I finally got to meet Martin and Margaret, the driving force behind the place - even though I've been talking the place up for years! They are amazing people, and SALTS is really an amazing organization!

The "Bridges" Race

2005-10-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, Michael and I spent most of the daylight hours in our trusty Achilles (the dinghy!) being a safety boat for the Ocean River Kayaks "Bridges" Race. This is the second year we've done it, and it's lots of fun to be on the water. Some races go up the Gorge (the "inny" races) and some go out to the buoy off Ogden Point (the "outtie" race) - there's kayaks and outriggers, and the participants range from kids to oldsters. It was a perfect day - not cold, no wind, and calm waters! Only saw one kayak go over, and it was because he got 'crammed' into the supports under the Johnson Street bridge and had nowhere to go. (I spoke with Brian Henry, ORS owner, after the race, and he said the guy got back in his kayak and it was like the spill 'lit a fire' under him - apparently he burned through the rest of the race, and was one of the first ones back to the finish!

Anyway, it was fun to be on the water, and fun to watch this race!

Dinner on the Harbour

2005-10-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I am once again going to commit to keeping up this blog -- it's HARD to write about a life we're so busy LIVING!

Tonight we had dinner at one of Victoria's newest restaurants - and, surprisingly, one of the few waterfront ones. It's called the Queen Mother Waterside Cafe and the food, the ambience, and the service are ALL amazing!

The days are getting shorter, and we have to have the heater on all night now ... . We haven't had a dinghy picnic for days, and the last time we went out, I was glad I had a fleece blanket to wrap up in!

Tall Ships!

2005-06-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

The tall ships have begun to appear over the horizon from all over the world, and the Festival officially begins today! We will go out to Royal Roads anchorage in our inflatable to catch a glimpse of them as they up-anchor to begin the parade in to the harbour.

I was parked at Dallas Road the other day and saw the Russian one, not under sail, arriving off the waterfront - it's MASSIVE!

We're taking care of TWO marinas now, so we are busy with lots of boaters coming in to watch the festivities - it's been a challenge to fit them all in, but fun!

For more info about the Festival, check out www.tallshipsvictoria.ca.

Once more with feeling....

2005-06-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I am going to try, once again, to post an entry more often! Yesterday we went out in the dinghy just for a little jaunt around the harbour, and ended up out by the cruise ship dock watching one of the largest we've seen, docking. We whooped and hollered and waved at folks out on their balconies in true 'Welcome to Victoria' fashion!

The Tall Ships Victoria festival is only days away now, and I'll be reporting on that as it happens. Stay tuned!

FOG

2005-02-27T06:51:00.000-08:00

I woke up at least twice in the night to the sound of a foghorn in the distance ... not sure if it might be Fisgard Light or Race Rocks, I'll have to check that out. I got up this morning looking forward to being in the fog, but it has pretty much dissipated, at least in our little corner of the harbour. I'm reminded of an 'anonymous' poem I read once that starts like this... "If once you have slept on an island, you'll never be quite the same..." I can't remember the rest of it now, but it mentions foghorns, and I've always felt they go right 'to the bone' when I hear them. Unbelievable how our government has silenced them now on many of the lightstations!

A Dinghy Day

2005-02-20T17:50:00.000-08:00

We've just spent a glorious day on the water in our little inflatable! Wound our way through the harbour - the Northwind was having its 'launching party' tied up at Ship's Point, with lots of chairs out the back, stereo speakers and the BBQ going, so we waved and said 'hi' on our way by. Then out to Ogden Point, where we passed the big Coast Guard ship (which name I've forgotten!)and then buzzed out on to the open water toward Brochie Ledge. On the way back in, I noticed a woman sitting on the outside of the breakwater, knitting (one of MY other passions in life!) so Michael manouevered the bow of the boat in among the kelp so I could chat with her and get a picture. What fun!

Then we cheated a bit and crossed over the harbour to the 'north' side, which is generally reserved for 'non-motorized' craft (kayaks and outriggers, for example), but it got us out of the wind a bit. At the Delta Hotel Harbour Ferry dock, two young women flagged us down and asked for a ride! So we took them for a little spin (minus the two cans of beer they were nursing when we got to the dock) and dropped them off at the Johnson Street dock. More fun!

Now that spring is arriving, we'll be getting out in the dinghy lots more, and I can hardly wait!

Trouble?

2005-02-19T05:43:00.000-08:00

Last night about 8 p.m., the Victoria City Police knocked on the door of our boat to ask if we'd 'seen anything.' Apparently someone set off a flare somewhere in the harbour, and they couldn't find the source.

SPRING!

2005-02-13T08:53:00.000-08:00

I keep forgetting to mention that I've been waking up to the sound of songbirds around the marina every morning for about two weeks now - I'm sure it's a sign of impending spring!

Yesterday, out on our dinghy ride around the harbour, we encountered some divers just getting back into a little aluminum run-about. We asked them what they were up to, and the non-diver in the boat said that the Victoria Harbour Authority has asked them to do some 'pollution' samples from the mud in the bottom of the harbour. I'm going to call the Authority on Monday and see if I can find out more... why? why now? is this a regular occurrence just for monitoring, or is something else going on?

Today is a gloriously sunny day, so I'm sure we'll be dinghy-riding again...

Ellen MacArthur

2005-02-07T14:53:00.000-08:00

I only have a few heroes, and Ellen MacArther, a 28-year old sailor from England, is absolutely one of them. She's just endured 71 days of gruelling conditions at sea, terror, exhaustion and deprivation to become the youngest person, the only woman, and only the second person ever to sail around the world non-stop, alone, in a multi-hull sailboat.

To put this in perspective, about 1800 people have reached the summit of Everest, about 450 have been into space -- but only five sailors have attempted to race around the world non-stop, alone, on a multihull. Before MacArthur, only one, Francis Joyon, managed to finish, and that was just last year.

As I type this, she is within 15 minutes of crossing the finish line off the north-west coast of France, and I can't concentrate on anything else! There are thousands of well-wishers, including some 300-odd journalists, lining the harbour to cheer her in - wish I was one of them! For more info, check out her website at Team Ellen .

Ellen!

2005-02-05T18:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I can't believe I didn't know about this before now, but I just found out that one of my heroes, sailor Ellen MacArthur, is 500 miles short of setting yet another world record - the fastest time sailing around the world, non-stop, alone, in a monoholl. It's nail-biting action right now, too, as she's just weathering one of the worst storms of the whole trip! You can check it out .... here.

... AND AGAIN!

2005-02-02T21:39:00.000-08:00

Today's ride in the inflatable took us out through the harbour and back - the sun was going down already so we didn't have much time. Not much to see - the Mobro was on the Empress dock, and only the Maple Leaf (a well-known local charter sailboat) and Luigi - owned by Gerry Deiter - on the Fort Street dock. We went to check out an old Monk at SALTS (Sail and Life Training Society) that we heard was for sale - nice old 1950s model, and it had just sold, for $16,000, apparently.

We had to stay out of the way of some scullers who looked like they were practising for a race, on the way home.

INFLATABLE RIDES AGAIN!

2005-02-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

We FINALLY got our 20 hp Merc back from being repaired, and went for our first dinghy ride of 2005 today! It was sunny, warm, and wonderful - Michael 'opened up' the engine as soon as we were past the Johnson Street Bridge, and it took about 2 seconds to plane. Went out past the Ogden Point Breakwater and back before we got cold.

When we got back to the marina, there was a film crew setting up on the dock. They said they were from the set of 'Terminal City,' a local TV show, and they were just filming 'fillers,' like seagulls taking off from the water, etc. They were here for about 20 minutes or so.

FROZEN

2005-01-14T16:43:00.000-08:00

I've said before that when we tell people we live aboard, the question we are asked most often is, "Are you cold?" The answer is almost always "No," EXCEPT at times like this, when the thermometer dips below 0 degrees (Celcius) and the wind blows at the same time. It's an old wooden boat, so it's bound to be 'drafty,' I suppose. All of this is to say that for the last ten days, pretty much, we've had four heaters on onboard, and we're still a bit cool. Pipes HAVE burst and been repaired in the marina, too, in spite of Michael's efforts to prevent that. I'll just be very glad when the weather warms up again!

WATER (of the drinking variety) WOES

2005-01-02T06:55:00.000-08:00

Last night we were informed that the main water valve to the marina needed to be shut off, and taps at the end of the docks opened and drained. The temperature was predicted to go below freezing, and apparently, last year all the pipes here froze. In a marina, it's inevitable that some of the water delivery infrastructure is exposed - tucked under the edges of docks, possibly, but exposed, nonetheless.

It's supposed to hover around freezing temp for the next few days, so I sure hope that doesn't mean we can't have our water hook-up for the whole time. Of course, we have a water holding tank, but it's been so handy to have a hose directly connected from the tap on the dock to a fitting on our hull. Our water holding tank condition is questionable ... it's a 1965 Chris Craft, and even though we've tried to flush it a few times, we've never been convinced that the water we put in it remains drinkable. Even when we're off on a cruise, I bring bottled water and only use the tap water for washing bodies and dishes.

Oh, well, if this is the worst suffering we do as a result of living aboard in the winter in usually-balmy Victoria, I need to stop complaining and count my blessings!

CHRISTMAS SEASON

2004-12-31T20:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I posted! Now that the Christmas craziness is history, I have time to tell about it...

First of all, we decorated the Wind Walker big-time this year. I'll try to post some pics in the next few days - it looked fabulous, anyway. Then, on the 19th, we cruised over to the dock below the Empress and just 'hung out' for a few days - it felt like we were in the middle of a Christmas card!

Speaking of Christmas, Michael's Christmas present from me was a 27' 1950s Herschoff design sailboat that needs some TLC, but is otherwise sound. We may live on a power boat, but my hubby's got a passion for sailing, so this is a dream come true for him. It should be fun to fix her up a bit and sail her in the upper harbour this spring!

CHRISTMAS DECORATING

2004-12-19T20:39:00.000-08:00

Well, we didn't get the Wind Walker decorated in time for the Christmas Boat Parade here in the harbour - which is a crying shame, because there were very few boats in it, and the cash prize was $500! However, she's all decked out for the Holiday Season now, and will be "struttin' her stuff" on the causeway docks at the Empress Hotel for the next three days - until mid-day on Thursday, Dec. 23rd. Here's the harbour webcam link, and you might be able to spot us on the dock ... centre right.

I'll definitely get back to posting more often after the Christmas Kafuffle is over!

COMPUTER CRASHES

2004-12-13T19:52:00.000-08:00

My last post was several days ago, because I had a major computer crash and I'm just now getting back online and able to post! Arrgggghhhh - I wouldn't wish a crash even on someone I don't like. :-)

In the interim, we've managed to get the Wind Walker decked out for Christmas, so that's nice! We love decorating the boat, although we didn't get it done in time for the Inner Harbour Boat Parade this year. 'Pity,' as the English would say - there were only 4 boats in it, and we would have easily won the $500 cash prize!

I'll see if I can post a pic before the season is over. It's just great to be back!

COLD

2004-11-30T09:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my birthday, and the night before, some up-Island friends came for dinner to help me celebrate. If you've read my archives you've 'met' them before, but Ray and Sandy own a converted prawn boat that was built originally in the 1940s. They cruise 3 or 4 months of the year on the 'Karen N' and are currently planning their first trip to Alaska, in the spring of 2005. I'm jealous!

Speaking of Alaska, it's been really cold here in Victoria for the last two nights, and last night it snowed on the Malahat for the first time this season. This is our first winter at this marina so, even though we are NOT cold on the Wind Walker, we're not sure what to expect. We do know that occasionally, in the winter here, Dallas Road gets closed to traffic because of the ferocious winds coming off the Juan de Fuca Strait and blowing spray (and the occasional loose log) up onto the road.

Today is a bit warmer, but gray, foggy and drizzly. I'm contemplating Christmas... :-)

LIVEABOARD BLOGS

2004-11-28T10:11:00.000-08:00

Just did a search this morning, and came up with a few other related blogs... there aren't that many, but here's a start....

We have Jim, a 45-year-old fellow on his sailboat in Texas, at Smoke on the Water.

Then there's Fresh Bilge: A Salty Journal, by Alan Sullivan - who is only temporarily aboard.

And check out Brent Ozar, another sailor in Texac.

And then you can visit 'Rivrdog' in Portland, Oregon.

Finally, check out GrannyButtons, an English 'longboat' liveaboard experience.

By the way, if a web log is called a 'blog,' why isn't a Ship's Log called a 'slog?'

THE MONSOONS

2004-11-24T17:11:00.000-08:00

The Vancouver Island winter 'monsoons' have begun. We've really been very lucky to have an extended autumn of decent weather, but it started to rain last night, and it hasn't stopped. Good thing Michael got the tarp rigged up over us! The marina parking lot has a plugged drain, too, and there's water gushing up out of it. . . may not be able to do anything about that until there's a break in the weather now. It's supposed to blow 35 knots on the Juan de Fuca tonight - we LOVE this kind of weather. People often call to invite us over when it's like this or to ask if we're warm enough - no, we don't want to come over, we LOVE it when we're cozy on our boat in a storm, and yes, we're plenty warm! It might be different if we were anchored out, but we're tied up to a dock and plugged in to power, so it doesn't take much electric heat to be 'toasty' when you have less than 400 sq ft to heat.

WINTER READING

2004-11-22T19:21:00.000-08:00

I am currently reading two books that should turn up on lots of liveaboarder's wish lists this Christmas. One is called simply The Essentials of Living Aboard:An Important Guide for New Liveaboards" by Mark Nicholas, and it really is as basic and practical as it sounds. The other is my heroine Alexandra Morton's latest offering, called 'Beyond the Whales: The Photographs and Passion of Alexandra Morton. It's a much less 'necesary' book ... unless you're me. :) And I'm sure anyone who shares my passion for the ocean, and for this lifestyle, would love it, too.

I'll post full book reviews on the Marina Mirror website as soon as I can!

VAN REPAIRS

2004-11-20T18:49:00.000-08:00

One thing about living aboard - you have no yard. In the summer, when others are sweatin' it out mowing their lawns and working in their gardens, that's a good thing. :-) But on chilly fall days (we had frost on the docks last night, and had to spread 'Ice Melt' first thing this morning) when the van needs work, it's not a good thing. So Michael had to block the thing up somehow out in a corner of the parking lot (trying to be inconspicuous) and work outside for the better part of the day. At least it's calm - there was a 35 knot wind in the night, but it had moved on by this morning.

FIRST POST ... AGAIN.

2004-11-19T19:11:00.000-08:00

Well, I've tried at least 3 times before to create a blog. Let's hope this one 'takes!' lol