Cruising with Bert & Darlene

The day was overcast with a slight possibility of rain. Just another perfect day to go cruising in the Gulf Islands. Very good friends of ours from Campbell River, Bert and Darlene came along with Sherry and I to spend the day on Springer. Winds were up Southeast 5 to 15 knts but protected waters in the Gulf Islands made a real nice day. The idea was to go down to Porlier Pass and then come back on the east side of the island's, and then back to our marina.

After going through the pass, we experienced three-foot slop coming from the southeast. It made for a bit of an uncomfortable ride as the three-foot slop was on our starboard beam but we kept on anyway because I wanted to see how the boat would handle in a bit of rough water. We ended up tacking back and forth to keep the waves on our stern and bow.

Bert has extensive boating experience however Darlene has never operated a boat like this. She grabbed the steering wheel and I noticed a big grin on her face that didn't come off for a couple of hours after. All in all, a fantastic day. We tried back up at the marina just before dark, then went out to Beefeaters in Nanaimo for a fabulous meal and vino.

New Bimini and Fly Bridge Cover

Yesterday, Springer had a new flybridge cover and bimini installed from A&M Marine from Nanaimo. For more info his company you can contact Stu Austin at 250-716-0403 or email stu@a&marine.ca

We have had a lot of rain over the past month, and I've had my electronics engages covered over with a tarp that has done the trick for the short-term.

Winter Cruising

Today was an amazing day. Sherry and I took out Springer for a little run on a beautiful sunny day. The past couple of weeks have seen a lot of rain and heavy winds. Last night I was checking out the marine forecast and it stated that there would be winds of NW 5 knts and sunny for the 2nd. The temp would be 3 degrees. It took about 2 seconds to slam the computer shut and start grabbing the gear.

This morning there was heavy frost, however the sun was shining and winds non existant. Today is my daughters birthday and we called her at work to sing happy birthday. I wish she was here with us to enjoy the day on the boat as I know that loves it as much as we do.

We drove to the marina and to my amazement, we were the only ones that were firing up. Needless to say, we probably didn"t see more than a dozen boats on the water all day. We grabbed some fuel from the Petro Canada fuel dock in Nanaimo and proceeded to make the slack tide at Dodds Narrows. We were running a little late and missed slack by a half hour. The water was churning but no problems at all.

As we passed through Dodds Narrows we entered the inner sanctuary of the Gulf Islands and protected water. We cruised at a liesurely 7 knts and enjoyed the sunshine. Even though it was cold outside, the inside was toasty due to the new Hurricane furnace we had installed. The furnace is incredibly efficient and we had to dial it down a bit as the sun was cooking us through the window.

It amazes me that more boaters don"t take advantage of days like this. The water was calm and we saw the usual seals and eagles. I cranked up Johnny Cash on the stereo and continued down to Galianno island and decided to cut through Porlier Pass. We proceeded back up the other side. When I fully retire, I can see myself going on extensive winter cruises. You just have to be patient and pick your weather. Have plenty of books on board and maybe some scotch for when you are at anchor.

We made it back to the marina just before dark and tied up for the night. This is as good as any cruise that we would do in the summer.

Family Boating

My sister and brother-in-law arrived for the weekend from Alberta. I was hoping for a sunny weekend to take Springer for a good run, unfortunately the rain gods played against us and it remained windy with intermittent rain for most of the week. We managed to take off from Palm Harbourside Marina on Saturday and spent a few hours close to Gabriola Island. I didn't want to make anybody seasick by venturing too far out, so we stayed fairly close to home.
My sister has never operated a boat, but I conned her into sitting in a helm chair
and I left for a cup of coffee. She did really well. She kept the boat straight and didn't hit anything.

After returning back to the Marina, I noticed one of the boats had a total winter cover. The cover was built by Lohman Sail and Covers in Ladysmith,
( www.boatcovers.ca ) and I noticed the material was like a sail cloth material, very lite and easy to work with. After talking to the owner of the boat, I was sold on the idea. Winter covers like this in the past have been very difficult to work with. The material was very thick, heavy to work with and very expensive.

On Sunday, Sherry and I drove to Ladysmith to discuss the pros and cons of the winter slipcover with the Lohmans. It didn't take very long, and I decided to have one built for Springer. We paid the deposit and will have delivery in 12 weeks. To view the boat, go to www.boatcovers.ca
We should be able to get 10 years of use which is quite cheap when you consider not having to pay for a boat house. Installing the tarp for the first time will take approximately 2 hours, however when you've done it a few times they say it is easy to install in less than one hour.

New Logo for Springer

Jensen Signs from Vancouver worked a design that Sherry and I came up with. We included a modified North Pacific logo to go with it. They just installed it the other day and I am really impressed.

Palms Harbourside Marina Fire

Picture by the Calgary Herald

A fire broke out on Wednesday, 21 October with a huge loss for many of my fellow voting friends at the Marina. The fire is still being investigated at this time, and it is still unsure of the cause of the fire. As you can see from the picture from the Calgary Herald 3 to 4 boat houses were completely destroyed and I am sure several other boat houses may have some damage to them. My slip where I keep Springer was untouched fortunately, and with even greater luck, Springer is currently at the Shelter Island Marina undergoing a refit.

The fire department was at the Marina minutes after the fire started and contained the blaze. The Marina is brand-new, and is equipped with the most up to date fire systems as per the new fire codes. The firefighters simply had to plug in their hoses at the docks and go to work. Springer will have her refit completed by the end of the month. Hopefully the cleanup at the Marina will occur by then so that we can bring her home to our slip.

Shelter Island Marina

October 5, 2009 The weather is beautiful and the water is flat. After talking to Trevor at North Pacific Yachts, we decided that this would be a good time to bring the boat to Shelter Island Marina and get the " small" list of warranty items and general maintenance done. Unfortunately the small list is approx 20 items long and growing.

We crossed the channel from Nanaimo to the south leg of the Fraser River where we travelled for another two hours up the river. We arrived at the south leg at the same time as a monster freighter, so we decided wisely to let him go first. Within a half hour he had pulled out of site. When we arrived at Shelter Point Marina, Malcolm Ellison, our mechanic was there to greet us as well as Bob and Ella, the owners of North Star ( 52 ft North Pacific ). Very friendly and outgoing, we made instant friends.

Malcolm dropped by to discuss the small list and it looks like it will be here for 3 weeks. We are installing a tender sea wise system on the swim grid as well as a new hydronic Hurricane heating system. This has an inline water heating system that eliminates a hot water tank and gives you an endless supply. The heat throughout the boat is channeled into three separate systems and is very efficient. We will take the ferry to Nanaimo tomorrow and fly home on the week end for a couple of weeks. Life is good.

Shelter Island Marina and Boatyard Inc. Latitude: 49" 9 min. 57 sec. N Longitude: 122" 59 min. 16 sec. W.

Springer is Ours

Sherry the Admiral

Daniel at the Helm

Home slip in Nanaimo

We met up with the crew from Emerald Bay yacht sales on Wednesday afternoon Sept 2,09 . All of the paperwork is done and the celebration is on. Sherry brought along a platter of smoked oysters and lox and we all sat around drinking beer and eating the tasty treats.

Thursday morning Sept 3,09 , Sherry, Dan and I arrive at the boat at the break of dawn ready to head out only to find her battery is dead. A small inconvenience, however we installed the charge cord and an hour later fired up the engine's. We made her way out of the Marina and headed north of Bremerton and out into the Puget Sound. The weather forecast was supposed to be a little unsettled however the gods were looking out for us and the weather was superb all the way to Sydney, BC. Not sure why the battery was dead however some switches could have been left on or the possibility of a bad battery. Danny and I spent the day traveling and going through all of the switches to find out what they did. It will take a few days and a few trips to fill comfortable with all of the functions of this boat. The Bow thruster and Stern thruster are marvelous as they can spin a boat on a dime and give you pinpoint accuracy. We arrived at Sydney BC at Van Isle Marina and phoned customs. They were actually quite pleasant and had no problems at all with documentation. We tied up for the night and celebrated our first night on Springer.

The next morning, September 4, 09, our lawyer arrived and we finished off the rest of our paperwork. He paid off our duty and taxes and now we are legal for Canadian water. Over the next several months Sherry and I will be adding a lot of little items to the boat to truly make it ours.

Haul Out & Survey, Olympia Washington

Sherry and I traveled to Olympia Washington, with our brokers from Emerald Bay Yacht Sales. They arranged to have our North Pacific 42 hauled at a shipyard called Swan town. We had pulled up to the lifting slings, and their professional crew took over from that point. I made a call first with Trevor Bryce from North Pacific to ensure that we place the slings in the right spot so that we wouldn't put undue pressure on an unsecure portion of the hull. The boat was picked up and traveled to the yard to have the bottom cleaned.

It's amazing that after only two years in the water the amount of barnacles and scum that sticks to the bottom of the boat. Significant growth can dramatically alter the boats speed and handling characteristics. The bottom paint was worn, however we decided to leave it one more season and have it repainted in the spring. The zincs however were almost gone, so we had the yard crew replace the zincs while the boat was in the sling. I didn't expect the survey to find anything dramatically wrong with the boat, as it is only two years old with minimal hours. There were a few lights that were not working, and the heat sensor on the generator didn't work. These will be fixed and are definitely not a dealbreaker. There was also some warranty items to be taken care of. All is good.

T/T Springer arrives today

Robert Brown from Capstan Marine in Richmond, BC trailered our 228 Seafarer Grady White - ( It will be named "Tender to Springer" ) to Campbell River, to commission the boat and conduct the final signoff. I was impressed that Robert would decide to do this on a Sunday morning for our benefit. We put the boat in the water at the Discovery Harbour Marina, and reviewed all of the systems on the boat. We headed out of the Marina and made our way up to Seymour Narrows checking boat functions and reviewing the systems. There is nothing on the market that handles and drives like a Grady White. This boat has the technical engineering and hull strength to go through rougher water and I have the ability to operate in. I feel quite comfortable knowing that this is one of the safest fishing boats on the market. Robert spent the entire morning with us reviewing boat functions and handling procedures, and we finally tied up in our slip at the Marina.

I can't say enough about Robert's professionalism in this boat transaction. From the day we purchased this boat, Robert arranged for all of the upgrades with little fanfare or questions required. Sherry and I have been quite fortunate in our last few choices of boats. Our 26 foot Commander was an exceptional boat with a high degree of quality throughout. Ken Stewart from Canmar Yacht Sales is an excellent broker that was always there to answer technical questions. Our Grady White follows that same theme. I consider Ken and Robert to give both exeptional technical advice and great service.

This will be our primary fishing boat as well as a tender for our 42 foot North Pacific when we go to Alaska next year. It has radar, fish finder, GPS and the boat is powered by a 250HP 4 stroke Yamaha.

A Deal is Made, Springer is born

We have been dealing on a 2007 North Pacific pilot house for the past couple of weeks. The brokers and I have been trading phone calls on a daily basis seeing who can get the best deal. Finally today we have come to a compromise and settled on a price which all parties agree to. So it looks like we are going to be the proud owners of a 42 foot North Pacific pilot house. The next step will be to start the surveys on the hull and mechanical which will be done next week. There has been a couple of small issues with the boat already noted, such as a window that leaked and stained the teak wall as well as a broken window that was repaired but not to my standard. These are warranty items that will be taken care of by the company later on this fall. We are hoping to go cruising the latter part of August once all of the surveys are complete and we take possession.

Cruising for Springer

The hunt for our retirement boat is officially on. We have spent dozens of hours on the internet site http://www.yachtworld.com/ checking out countless pilot house trawlers. A 42 ft North Pacific pilot house is for sale in Gig Harbor Washington. It's a 2007 model with very low hours so a decision was made for a road trip. We jumped in our red demon and drove to Sydney, and jumped on the ferry to Anacortes. While there, we stopped at a marina and looked at Nordic tugs. Very nice trawlers but still not exactly what we're looking for. Onwards down through Seattle, Tacoma and finally Gig Harbor. We met up with the salesman at Emerald Bay Yacht Brokers and traveled to Olympia to view the North Pacific 42. The owner of the boat happened to be on board and we spent the next few hours viewing the boat and all the systems. The owner thought it would be a good idea if we flashed up the engines and went for a ride. We stayed within the bay and tied up a slip beside an oyster restaurant and had just a great afternoon overall. Presently we have an offer on the boat, however we are still apart on the price and are still negotiating. In the meantime, Sherry and I drove to Vancouver to Capstan Marine and purchased a new Grady White 228 Seafarer. It will take a week to commission the boat and have delivered to Campbell River. Can't wait.

Last voyage of Los Suenos'

Good friends of ours, Todd and Corrine arrived this morning from Costa Rica. Today was going to be a great day as we were taking out our precious boat for its last voyage as we have sold Los Suenos' to new owners that will take possession next week. We left Campbell River and made our way across the channel through the Baker Passage and into Desolation Sound. Our first stop was Teakerne Arm. Capt. Vancouver and his men anchored here for an entire winter and camped behind the waterfall at Cassel Lake. This is a very popular place in Desolation Sound as most cruising boats will show up here to view the falls and walk back to the lake and go for a swim.

We took a slow cruise over to Squirrel Cove. Years ago there was a Baker that set up shop in a dilapidated old shack on stilts. The Baker would make special cinnamon buns that were half dark rum. Boats from all over the world would come to Desolation Sound at one point or another and would end up with cinnamon buns from the Baker. Squirrel Cove is also a protected little bay where we have spent several days in the past waiting for good weather. I noticed in the corner of the bay there was still an old rope hanging from a tree limb where our children used to swing from the shore out into the bay playing Tarzan. In the summer the bay can get quite warm and quite often you would see several people swimming around their boats.

We pulled anchor and made our way back to Campbell River and tied up for one last time. The new owners will be getting a terrific boat and I'm sure it will serve them well. Todd and Corrine will be going back to Costa Rica with great memories of Desolation Sound. Sherry and I are off to Washington tomorrow to find our new retirement boat.

Cordero Lodge

July 4, 2009 Travelling On Los Suenos'
My wife and I have created this blog for your enjoyment and for you to follow our adventures. We have sold our 26 Ft Commander called Los Suenos" and the new owners will take possession in a couple of weeks. So as not to confuse anyone, our new boat, Springer - not purchased yet will be featured soon. We are travelling to Washington this week to view and hopefully finish a deal.

We travelled from our slip in Campbell River, up through the Seymour Narrows. The weather was clear and warm. The water had a 2 ft chop. As we passed Browns Bay, we encountered a sudden change of weather. The winds gusted approx 30 knts and the waves became confused and we encountered 5 to 6 ft waves. Our vessel burroughed and slammed its nose into a wave ( wall of water ) . Water blew around us and over the top. It was like being in a washing machine for a couple of miles. As suddenly as it started, it abated to a 2 ft chop and all was normal. There was no damage at all to the boat which reafirms my faith that "Commander" build some of the best quality fibre glass boats on the market in the 26 ft range. We travelled through Nodales into the Cordero passage and tied up to the Cordero lodge. Excellent docks and very friendly staff. We decided to stay the night and had dinner at the restaurant. It is worth the trip to have a meal here. It was excellent. For more info on Cordero Lodge go to http://www.corderolodge.com/

We met up with Mike & Betty from Shamon 11 on their 48 ft Gulf Commander and enjoyed a great evening.