2012 Trip 2 - Pacific Grace

Trip 2 - Looking forward to welcoming trainees aboard between 1100 hours and 1200 hours on Friday, July 13, 2012 at Ship Point in Victoria´s inner harbour!

Yesterday proceeded as planned, departing Grace Harbour we picked up a fresh northerly breeze and had lovely sail through Desolation Sound. The mountains played hide and seek between the veils of cloud before finally settling into a hot clear day. The breeze departed early afternoon and we settled into Tenedos Bay. the 'bay' is realy a small cleft in a sheer rock face where tenacious arbutus cling to the stony walls that surrounded us. A nice row brought us to Unwin Lake and her incredibly warm fresh waters. Everyone had a wonderful time diving and swimming to happy exhaustion. Back aboard it was time for dinner and an opportunity to enjoy the tranquility of the surrounding shore. Small wavelets lapped and echoed off the cliffs and stars slowly climbed from the hiding places to blanket the night sky.
Today dawned warm and clear and passage was made to Teakerne Arm through the still waters of the sound. Lessons are well under way as trainees learn about various aspects of seamanship. We settled in to a pristine anchorage in the arm just after lunch, with the roaring falls that cascade from Cassel Lake seen just off the stern. It is wonderfully hot and sunny and this afternoon will be spent enjoying the aquatic adventures that the lake and waterfall have to offer. The Pacific Swift will be joining us shortly and we will spend the evening enjoying each others company, playing games and singing. All are well.  

Another beautiful sunrise beneath a clear sky heralding a warm day. The rush of the waterfall close by lulled us to sleep under the stars and called to us in the morning. The watches shuttled ashore beneath the splash and spray while the first golden rays played across the pools at the base of the falls. The water fall belied it's warmth in the powerfall sheets of water that pummeled us clean as we gazed out to the ship anchored securely off the shore. It was an invigorating scrub and everyone felt much refreshed and ready to start the day. Before lunch we were underway and enjoyed a brief sail before the winds fell calm and we reluctantly bid farewell to the temptations of Desolation Sound on the recommendations of the latest forecasts. We are now motoring down the strait under a hot sun in search of wind. If it remains calm we likely enjoy a swim stop mid-strait before resuming our southwards progress towards the Hornby Island vicinity. It seems people are beginning to relax and embrace their lives onboard,laughing and singing in joy as the days pass.      

Yesterday morning we awoke to overcast skies in Tribune Bay and spent the morning reviewing and testing for the juniors. After the intellectual adventures of the test the afternoon was spent playing on the flat white sands of Tribune Bay. An energetic game of sticks was played, with the port side again handing the loss to the starboards. Back aboard in the late afternoon, dories and anchor were weighed and we headed off for False Bay for an evening BBQ. It was another beautiful warm sunset as we nestled in the bay and watched the sun fade off the calm strait and the distant snowy peaks of Vancouver Island. Starboard watch was up early this morning and weighed anchor while crepuscular rays broke through the sullen cloud, lighting the steep bluffs and hardy trees that line the coast. We are now anchored at Jedidiah Island. The morning was spent exploring this beautiful island park. The island was an old homestead and is mostly covered in rich foliage. Maple trees compete with tall cedars for sun, resulting in intriguing relationships between trees as they weave and wind their way together ever upwards. The forest floor is ruled by salal, growing everywhere possible and often is seen growing out of the stumps of fallen cedars, making comical mushroom shapes. We will be under way again shortly to head south towards the Gulf Islands.