Closer to Home: Heavy Weather Detour

Sheltering in Plumper Cove.

With Cheryl going to Oregon with a girlfriend it meant I had some time to do some much needed sailing. That's when I came up with my ambitious plan to head to Jedediah Island single handed and spend the week there. The night before I started making detour plans when I saw the weather report calling for winds in the Strait between 25-35 knots and building to 45 knots over night. While a gale warning gives me pause for thought it by know way means I stay home. The wind would be from the South East and I could reach all the way up with the wind behind me. What did give me pause for thought was the fact I would be single handing and dragging a dinghy. Dragging a swamped dinghy is no fun.
I decided to head out bright and early and see what developed. My plan of Jedediah could be changed to an outside passage to the Gibson's area instead. I was rigged to go with the small jib lashed to the deck the main reefed and myself harnessed in. Kingsley was the only company as we motored out into English Bay. By the barge buoy the wind was blowing over twenty and I cut the engine.
Being on a run I shook out the reefs in the main and left the jib on deck. The boat was doing six knots and handling well. As I reached Jericho the wind started to really fill in and I found the boat picking up speed: six and a half, seven, eight, nine... The speed just kept coming and I was overtaking waves and riding down them. The dinghy was skidding wildly behind me. The run was almost all straight VMG as I rocketed towards Gibsons.
I quickly realised this would be a mistake to keep going to Jedediah and made my plans to duck into Plumper Cove as I passed it. Without a doubt this was one of the quickest runs I have ever made getting there in just over three hours. My average ground speed was 8.3 knots! I had a great run but had nothing to prove and was more than happy to get out of the weather.
I found Plumper Cove deserted except for one boat. I opted to tie to the dock as it would make walking the dog easier. There were no park fees at this time too so it was a easy decision. With the boat put away I explored the empty park with Kingsley before settling down to a night at dock.


Drip Dry.

As night fell a fishing boat rumbled into the cove to take shelter from the building storm in the strait. I rowed out to the boat. I found the two crew processing a big catch of Prawns. I handed them $10 and in return received a huge bag of prawns still twitching and alive just hauled from the ocean. I rowed back laughing as the prawns wriggled around in the bag; what a deal! At the dock I stood up and threw the bag on the dock. At that exact moment unseen ferry wake hit the cove and was knocked off balance. I took a step back and the dinghy filled with water and capsized and I lunged for the dock. Grabbing the side I was able to hold on two the dock. I worked my way along the dock until I reached the WEASEL and pulled the swim ladder down where I was able to climb up into the boat. While I am not going to say the water was warm, it was less cold than I expected. In the cockpit I stripped naked and hung the clothing to dry before running down below to change. All cleaned up and with the dinghy recovered I fired up the diesel heater in the main cabin and fried up some prawns.


Camp fire in one of the sites on Keats.


Kingsley can do this for literally hours.

The next day was a lazy one. I spent my time reading, playing with the dog and eating fresh prawns. I met my neighbour at the dock. A retired Swiss man who had been living aboard his 26' sailboat TABASCO. I had seen this boat all the time anchoured out in False Creek. It was a little odd but "to each his own".

Ugh...

The next day I headed over to Gibsons to spend a day or two. I had plans to spend only one night, resupply and head over to Gambier but it was getting colder and rainier so I opted for two days at Gibsons. I find the marina staff friendly and the rates extremely affordable.

After my time at Gibsons I motored and sailed back through the inside route making the usual five hour journey back to Vancouver. While it was smart not to reroute to Howe Sound rather than the epic run to Jedediah, the island is still on the list of must dos.