Sailing with Ralph and Chuck

Orignally posted on June 19th 2007.

Well it went off with out a hitch. Well sort of anyway. This year's weekend free of femine distraction was spent in Silva Bay on Gabriola Island. Friday afternoon we set sail from Mosquito Creek in 10+ knots of wind and a mix of Sun and Cloud. We made it out past UBC under sail until the wind died. We motor sailed the rest of the way to Silva Bay arriving at 1930. Anchoring was easy and the dinghy inflated and was easy to use. Thank you Craig's List! The best rower was Curtis by far. We made it to the pub for a feast and played pool all night. Rowing the dinghy back was a interesting affair with all 4 of us jackasses piled on it rowing back in the dark with a storm filling in. Saturday morning was disgusting. The storm had settled in and it was raining heavily. We gave up the idea of moving on to Thetis Island. Instead we made the fateful decision to explore the island. While you don't expect a busseling metropolis on a Gulf Island Gabriola gave a new definition to one horse town. Granted much of it had to do with the rain. The farmer's market consisted of a few stands selling fridge magnets and beats. Later that day we entered into a poker marathon. Losers frequently had to row out to the boat to bring back supplies. As the rain let up in the evening we made our way back to the weasel. We cooked steaks on the new BBQ and had a great dinner.After dinner we checked our crab pot to find one giant starfish and a lonely one armed crab. We chucked them all back. We also tried our hand at fishing of the boat and I caught a small flounder.Sunday it was time to leave and while the rain was gone the wind was there in force. 25+knots and six foot seas. We motored into rough water. I was worried all the crashing through waves would stir up sediment in the tank and cause the engine to stall leaving us to be dashed on the rocks of nearby islands. Of course I was worrying too much and we sailed out under battened main.Crossing the bay was pure hell. We were tossed about as we sailed North East towards Gibsons. Darryl faired okay as did I. Dave and Curtis were not so lucky. Overcome by seasickness the two took turns vomitting over the side. Dave at one point ran to the rail and having the presence of mind to remove the flag vomitted over the railing. He later said that he just wanted to fall overboard so it would end sooner. The winds finally lightened and we put up a full spread of sail and made 6+ knots on a close reach back to the marina. Lesson learned. Make sure crew takes seasickness medication prior to heading out. It does little good when you are out there in the mix. Where is my nice weather for summer???????