“Thunder” in Ladysmith

Friday, October 10

We heard a few water-claps and slaps on Braesail’s stern during Thursday night and some raindrop finger-taps too, and woke to a drizzly, gray morning. By about 11 am, we were leaving the Maple Bay Yacht Club docks and motoring north toward the Yacht Club in Ladysmith, a port town whose economy is based on wood products, agriculture, and tourism. Wind was absent from the area again, and it was damp and chilly outside, but our heating system kept us cozy in Braesail’s cockpit, and the rain waited until about 1:30 pm, as we were docking in Ladysmith after a pleasant, scenic journey, to visit us again.

The Yacht Club’s guest moorage is located in an industrial sector of the town with wood processing going on next to the docks, but despite the noise, we enjoyed long naps as the rain fell steadily outside. After taking showers and sharing supper, we planned our visit to Newcastle Island near Nanaimo and then to Vancouver, via ferry, on Monday for a Thanksgiving celebration. Tomorrow morning, we might don our foul-weather gear and walk the 1.5 miles to Ladysmith’s downtown area and back. The cruising guides say it’s a very lovely “old town” with some great eateries–I expect that we will find the bakery!

It seems that the rumbles, rattles, booms, and bangs from the surrounding docks will continue all night, but the water is quiet and the rain has stopped for now, so I will pretend that the sounds are coming from distant fireworks and be thankful that we are securely docked.