Saturday-Sunday, October 3-4, 2026
The wind actually DID return from its extended absence on Saturday afternoon, but, since it was blowing almost directly over our stern, it wasn’t conducive to effective sailing as we traveled to Vancouver. A lovely sunrise had greeted us in Smuggler Cove at 7 am, and the sun had done a masterful job of illuminating of the islets and rocks in the cove, but I was too busy getting us ready for departure (mainly cleaning the condensation off the cockpit enclosure’s windows, inside and out, and turning on our little air circulating fan), to take photos.
As we moved out into the Strait of Georgia, a tailwind rose to speeds of 12 to 14 kts. (about 15 mph) and the water became increasingly choppy, causing the boat to rock and roll as “following seas” swept us along. Walt raised the genoa sail (the large one in the bow of the boat) to provide stability, and continued to run the engine to produce a speed of about 7 mph so that we could pass through the First Narrows Bridge in Vancouver when the current was running slowly. As I was looking out at the water, I noticed a black fin slicing through the water at a considerable distance away, and—behold!–a humpback whale! Soon we glimpsed a second fin, and then the misty clouds of the whales’ spouts, and finally their tails breaking the surface and disappearing back into the sea. We were so excited to see them!
We could also see thick, cottony bands of fog ahead, and we were soon sounding Braesail’s horn every three minutes and using our radar to track nearby vessels in the fog. Visibility gradually improved as we approached Vancouver, and by the time we passed under the First Narrows Bridge, at about 2 pm as planned, all was clear and the afternoon was very bright, warm, and summery, and we switched on the cabin fans! After we’d tied up the boat, with the help of some friendly dock hands, at the Burrard Yacht Club,
we prepared for Martin and Karen to arrive in the evening for a shared pre-Canadian-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner.
Our guests arrived around 7 pm with the food they had prepared (both are excellent cooks!), Walt added more dishes from our supplies, and we had a marvelous time dining and visiting at length over wine, several splendid cheeses, and crackers. Martin and I made the 10-minute walk down the docks to the parking area so that he could show me his latest clever customizations to his elderly Sprinter van, Walt and Karen chatted, Karen finally drove a car-share vehicle home (she is going through chemotherapy and needs extra rest), and Martin spent the night in the comfortable double bed in Braesail’s forward cabin so that he could help with transportation to church on Sunday morning. We’d enjoyed a superb evening!
Sunshine flooded the Vancouver area as we prepared to worship at St. James Anglican Church at 10:30 am. I rode with Martin in his camper-van, Walt tucked himself behind the driving cabin for the very short drive to the SeaBus terminal, and Martin dropped him off so that he could ride the vessel across the water from North Vancouver (where the yacht club is located) to the downtown area and walk to the church. Martin drove me to his office area so that he could park the van easily, and we walked about a mile on a beautiful, crisp morning to the church to meet Walt.
The Eucharist was gorgeous, with outstanding choral and organ music, beautiful ceremonial, and a good sermon celebrating the dedication of the church building, and there was PLENTY of incense (the church is often referred to as “Smoky Jim’s!”). Karen met us after the services at a very good local restaurant, where we ate outdoors and had another fine visit. Karen and Martin then went on their way and Walt and I walked through the surrounding high-class shopping/tourist area to the SeaBus terminal, stopping at a superbly-stocked candy store to purchase an assortment of licorice pieces. After the 20-minute trip across to North Vancouver, Walt went off to do some shopping by bus, Uber, and on foot, and I walked the lovely “Spirit Trail” for pedestrians and cyclists along the waterfront and back to Braesail at the yacht club dock. The 15-minute walk left me wanting a short rest before gathering up two shopping bags of laundry and hiking to the yacht club’s laundry room (another 10-minute walk), where I spent about two hours baby-sitting the washing and drying cycles and doing some German exercises and some email reading.
After online Compline (celebrating St. Francis’ Day), we enjoyed some Nanaimo bars (YUMM!) that Walt had bought on sale and looked at sailing guides, tide and current tables, wind predictions, and weather forecasts to decide on a destination for Monday; we finally settled on Clam Bay on Thetis Island. Now it’s time for bed—we have to be on our way by 8 am in order to take advantage of slack currents in First Narrows and then in Polier Pass, and I hope we will not encounter fog (the most anxiety-producing weather condition for me!).
