Four full hours of delightful, easy downwind SAILING in Johnstone Strait on a cool, shiny afternoon at speeds as high as 8 kts. in winds ranging from 9 to 23 kts.–marvelous! Walt sometimes used our “whisker pole” for sailing “wing-on-wing,” with the mainsail stretched out on one side of the hull and the foresail (the genoa) on the other, and sometimes deployed both the main and genoa sails on the same side of the boat, depending on wind speed and angle. He had a splendid time “trimming the sails” for maximum efficiency and comfort, and I loved the results!
While we waited for the fog to thin in Lagoon Cove (located at the top of East Cracroft Island) on the morning of Saturday, September 17, my friend Michelle and I walked along the docks, across the bridge over the creek, and up the hill to the lovely house occupied by the marina’s owners, Dan and Kelly. Through the garden and down the slope at the back of the house we went, enjoying views of gauzy streamers of fog drifting over the marina below us and winding around the green velvet hills beyond it.
After exploring the marina’s attractive grounds and spending some time in the “library” containing books, magazines, and an Internet connection, we returned to the docks, and Walt and I were soon on our way to Boughey Bay, about an hour away.
The bay was quite large and scenic, but we decided not to stay and “boogie” but to spend a splendid afternoon traveling east along Johnstone Strait toward Port Neville. The wind rose as we motored and so did Braesail’s sails, and we therefore by-passed the turn to Port Neville and sailed forward to our present anchorage, called Douglas Bay, in Forward Harbour. It’s secluded and very quiet, apart from bird calls, and is rimmed by some small, smooth, white-sand beaches. Because connectivity is good as well (I can make blog posts without using the Iridium GO!), we plan to spend Sunday here also; another lovely “Indian Summer” day is predicted.
Braesail - A grand yacht in the Salish Sea 