Alaskan Sea-Duction: Chapter 8 Sidney to Nanaimo

The distance was 55 miles. This is significant as you have to arrive at this little split in a hill called Dodds Narrows. You need to cross this as close to slack tide as possible. We left Sidney at 12:30. We were suppose to leave at noon, but the nav computer decided to do a windows update.

Once we started to pick our way through a bunch of small islands such as Portland, Coal Islands and its associated reefs to get to Swanson and Trincomali Channels. We were about an hour into it and according to the nav computer, this speed would put us at Dodds Narrows at 4:30! We slowed way down to about 7kts.

Lots of boat traffic in these channels. BC ferries, whale watchers coming and going. But then my radar lit up and the AIS showed a ship moving very fast! I looked behind me and here is the HMCS Winnipeg and she was not slowing down! I immediately went hard starboard to get out of her way. Her wake rearranged my liquor cabinet. Looked at the computer arriving at 5:30. Still too early. slowed to 5 knots, almost idle. We were following a sail boat and he was going faster than me, but he was making his way to the narrows. Heck if he could do I could do it. It was embarrassing enough that a sail boat was running faster than me.

He approached the narrows went through then got swept to the right around the corner and disappeared. Oh oh. After a few minutes he reappeared. Wellllllll! I started toward the narrows and announced my intentions on VHF 16. A voice came back "U.S. boat there is a sail boat that is entering from the north." I responded that I would back down. Then I realized that we were going WITH the current, not against it. Mmmm lesson learned here. Going to low tide the current flow north. The sail boat announced he would wait, so I poured on the kitty cats (Caterpillar Engines) and killed every mosquitos in the area with the smoke that poured out of exhaust pipes. Went through the very narrow gap and there you go. That wasn't too bad. In fact Cattle Pass on San Juan Island was harder and worse. Cool. Welcome to Nanaimo.

It is amazing that once you go through the narrows, the scenery completely changes. It is all industrial and city. I am told that Nanaimo is the second largest city on Vancouver Island. We decided to anchor in Mark Bay if there was room.

Anchoring....We have not done this yet on this trip. Our experience with this boat is only in the Columbia River where the current basically set the anchor for you, so we were a little nervous. As we entered the bay, there was still plenty of room. We picked a wide spot between two sail boats in about 30 feet of water, so at 5:1, I would have to use about 150 feet of anchor chain. No worries as I have 550 feet on board. We lowered our anchor and once it hit the bottom, I stared to back up slowly while Kay was keeping track how much chain was out. Once we hit 60 feet, I put the boat in full reverse and set the anchor. Once set I continued to back up until we had 140 feet of chain out, the set it again. I installed the chain reliever on the chain, which takes the pressure off the windlass.

Every hour I would check the anchor. Hard set! Still nervous. I went to the bow at about 10:30 last night when I heard what I thought was a couple arguing very loudly. Then I heard :HELP!!!" Help me! What the crap? I asked Kay to listen. She said that was a cry for help. My dinghy wasn't even in the water. I grabbed my PFD and flash light, then got the dinghy in the water. I headed toward the call for help. I traveled about 3/4 of a mile to Mud Bay. As I approached an old nasty dock, there was a lady screaming for "Rose!" About that time some folks arrived on the dock and helped the lady on the dock as I searched the dock. I saw a head barley above the water, holding on to a small rope attached to a junk dock. I yelled and got on the dock to help this person up to the dock. I thought it was a small girl. But when I pulled onto the dock, it was a lady around 34 and once I got her to the dock it was VERY clear she was smashed and very drunk. Oh and she was half naked with no pants. Her pants, shoes and backpack were on the dock. I found a blanket in a boat and covered her up while I called out to the group of folks that had arrived at the docks. Soon the RCMP and Coast Guard should up as well as EMTs. Both ladies were drunk and have no idea if she decided to take a swim or fell in. RMCP took my statement and I went back to my boat. Well not straight back as I couldn't figure out which boat was mine. Took me a bit, but Ms. Kay was waiting on me and I told her we need to go to this Dinghy Pub! It would appear drinking there makes your cloths fall off!

Now what was I doing? Oh checking the anchor. We made it through the night, shifted with the tide and we were set good. I still got up every few hours to check. What a day!