Changed plans, more travels

September 29-October 1

Because Walt and I arrived on Gambier Island on Braesail on Sunday evening and Martin needed to be back in Vancouver on Wednesday, work schedules changed and we spent more time traveling than we’d anticipated. I decided to post on the Braesail blog once she and her crew were in Deer Harbor on Orcas Island and preparing to go north again.

Monday, September 29

Walt and I enjoyed a very still but very rainy Sunday night moored at the dock belonging to Martin’s good friends, the Murphys, and after a pleasant, relatively lazy morning, Walt and Martin transported tools and materials up the hill from the docks where Braesail and Sagres were moored to the large boat-building workshop on shore and began their labors on the cover for the new engine recently installed in Sagres.

Sagres and Prince Hal at the docks with Karen in Sagres’ cockpit.

Karen and I decided that we should remove the goodly quantity of rainwater from the belly of Sagres’ wooden dinghy, Prince Hal, so we removed the water pump from Coracle, pulled Prince Hal around to the side of the dock so we could get the pump into place in the bottom, and took turns pumping away until we’d had a good upper-body workout and the dinghy’s interior was relatively dry. Later, we hiked up the muddy trail to the workshop to watch the engine cover being constructed, and later still we shared a hearty supper featuring a rich and comforting borscht that Karen and Martin had made and brought along with them.

Tuesday, September 30

Following another equally silent but less-rainy night, a pretty, partly sunny morning encouraged Karen and me to climb the hill near the docks to view the wonderful wooden gazebo under construction there. We then walked down to the area around the Murphy house, got some good photographs

Views from the front docks and rear docks

and a video (taken by Karen) of two seals playing near the dock, and we later enjoyed a good lunch of sandwiches and left-overs with Martin and Walt.

In the afternoon, we loaded the new engine cover onto Sagres, left the dock under cloudy skies, encountered some strong wind gusts and bumpy seas while approaching the Union Steamship Company Marina in Snug Cove on Bowen Island, but moored both boats safely. We four enjoyed ice cream cones on a very wet bench near the docks, Martin turned on the heat in Sagres’ main cabin so that the finishes on the new engine cover would dry, and he joined us on Braesail for a shower and supper and an overnight stay. We spent a restful evening in quiet work on our computers while Karen returned to her Vancouver home by ferry and bus. Martin and I put in some work on his engine cover in Sagres’ main cabin after supper and had a great time working together and seeing that success was near! I was sad that he’d have to return to the mainland on Wednesday to take care of various non-boat-related tasks. We have such huge fun together!

Wednesday, October 1

A very rainy night was followed by a very soggy day, a good one for reading, completing small tasks on the boat, and doing German exercises over a mug of hot tea. In the afternoon, the rain decided to take a break and I was happy to treat myself to a very nice walk up the docks, around the Union Steamship Company marina,

Buildings near the Union Steamship Company Marina

and on into the village of Snug Cove. I visited the marina office and store, the beautiful Crippen Regional Park’s main path into the woods and the curving beach (I found the sea water surprisingly pleasant to my dabbling fingers’ touch at the beach’s fringe!), and the well-stocked gift shop, and then I hiked up the hill past the main grocery store, finding nearly all the restaurants and the bakery closed for the day (as is usual on islands during mid-week). One short downpour caught me near a closed restaurant’s covered entry (where I took shelter for a few minutes) before I made my way back down to the docks, and I loved spending some time in the warm, comfortable boaters’ lounge decorated with various boat parts and furnishings and photos. After a tasty “snack supper,” Walt and I worked on our various computer tasks and considered travel possibilities for the next few days.