Well we had an awesome summer. The weather was amazing and we got to see the Broughtons at their best. To be honest the last time we were there two years ago, the weather wasn’t great and we wondered what the fuss was all about… this year showed us what we had been missing! So now we are home, reminiscing about the summer…. and plotting the future plans for the crew of SV Cariba.. and the plan does not include staying another winter in the PNW!
Basset Bay, Stuart Island
The time had come to leave the Broughtons. All the clues were there….. the morning fog and mist that took longer each day to lift; that chill in the cabin in the morning that made us appreciate the Dickinson fireplace; and the clear blue skies that we could see to the south of us. This seems to be an annual rite of passage for us. The Broughtons provided remote and beautiful solitude in anchorages we could have all to ourselves. But if we wanted to tan rather than rust, it was time to head south.
Our last visit to the Broughtons in 2019 after rounding the top of Vancouver Island brings back memories of fog, rain and chilly weather and exiting stage left for the warmth and sunshine of Desolation Sound. That season made us question why people raved about the Broughtons… well this year showed us what the area had to offer. It was amazing!
Our goal this summer was to expand our cruising beyond Desolation Sound. Last year out of respect to our First Nations communities, we didn’t feel comfortable venturing further north into the more remote villages. The rules now have relaxed and the Covid numbers are inversely proportional to the vaccination rates… so off we go.. beyond Desolation…. just how far remains to be seen!
It is almost a month to the day since we left.. and what an action packed time we have had! It actually feels like we have been gone much longer. What a we been doing you ask? Sailing, and more sailing, hauling out, painting, living on the hard, more sailing, great family visits and lots more. And we have the pics to prove it!
Continue reading “How did a month slip by so fast?”Eight bells is a nautical euphemism meaning a sailor has “finished his final watch”. Dezi finished his today peacefully.
Today was to be the day… the day we left the dock for our 2021 summer cruising season. We had worked and were still working hard to get Cariba ready and complete several projects to make cruising off grid much easier this year. But COVID strikes again…..and so despite what looks like a favorable forecast with SW winds in the strait, we sit and wait for the other storm to pass.
So as we docked last September we did have plans for some fall and winter cruising, but it becomes challenging as the boat transitions to more of a house than a vehicle to move around in. The dock lines magically become velcro and so here we sit at the dock. Covid and some other issues contributed to the inertia…but that didn’t mean we sat idle. Since we didn’t head south as planned, we started to tackle some projects that were on the “nice to do” list as opposed to the “need to do” list which was done as part of the prep for cruising offshore.
Continue reading “Winter projects on Cariba”
Caution.. some pensive musings ahead! But first to sum up our world currently- lock down and social isolation sucks! Don’t get me wrong, it is all very necessary and if we all do it ‘right’ life might be able to return to some semblance of normalcy – what ever normal is in this new world.
Continue reading “A new year: some new hope and plans?”As the temperatures start to drop into the single digits and even below at night, many of our friends ask if we are warm and ok on the boat in the fall and winter months. My answer is we are.. but there are several strategies in use to keep us this way.
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