Three Wishes, Part 3: Can Nancy Do It? -- July 17 to August 10, 2013

By: Nancy Davidson

Finally, finally . . . after 3 weeks on the boat I am swinging on the hook in a peaceful misty anchorage and I’m alone on “Three Wishes”. My whole body is starting to relax. I’ve worked hard for a year to get to this point and it’s now paying off.

A Normal Cruise to Campbell River

My husband Niel was with me for the first 12 days of the cruise. I was sad to see him go, but glad to be the "master of the vessel" again.

My husband Niel was with me for the first 12 days of the cruise. The husband of my first guests had talked Niel into joining us and we all had a very good time in the Gulf Islands in British Columbia. Niel flew home from Campbell River on July 29th and then I was on my own for a few days to clean, do laundry and re-provision. It had been a bittersweet parting from Niel. The weather had been warm, the way he likes it, and in spite of not wanting to cruise any more, he had been very good company. I knew I would miss him. But at the same time I was glad to be “Master of the Vessel” again – a role I quite enjoy.

Just Peggy and Me

My friend Peggy joined me in Campbell River for the long run up to the Broughton Islands.

My friend Peggy flew to Campbell River on August 2nd to accompany me on the long passages up to the Broughton Islands. I chose Peggy, who had never crewed before, because compatibility was more important to me than experience. By the time we arrived at Lagoon Cove in the lower Broughtons via Gorge Harbour, Dent Island and Blind Channel, she was very good crew including having mastered the wheel. Lagoon Cove, owned by (Bill &) Jean Barber was famous for Bill’s bear stories and a favorite destination for Broughton boaters. The night Peggy and I arrived, we were fortunate to be part of a memorial ceremony for Bill Barber, who had passed away in early April. One of the boaters had come prepared with bagpipes and we all floated flowers in the water, many of us shedding tears. Peggy left to go home on August 7th by floatplane – another bittersweet parting.

We arrived at Lagoon Cove just in time for a memorial service for Bill Barber, complete with bagpipes on the dock. Bill had run Lagoon Cove for many years and was famous for his bear stories.

Gay and Wyman Harris from our yacht club had made a point of arriving at Lagoon Cove when I did and gave me a wonderful warm welcome. They also helped me lower the dinghy from the flybridge so I could tow it. I had really debated towing the dinghy as it’s a lot of work and typically I don’t use it that much, usually preferring to read in the flybridge when I have free time. However, my goal this summer is to become more and more competent at operating Three Wishes and towing the dinghy is an important skill.

And Now I'm On My Own

Yesterday morning, August 9th, I left Lagoon Cove to begin my month of single-handing. A group on the dock saw me off, smiling and waving as I left. There’s an interesting side benefit to my project of single-handing, something I never expected or anticipated. I have apparently become a topic of conversation which seems to start something like “You’ll never believe . . .” It is unusual to single-hand a 60 foot boat, especially when it’s a woman who’s doing it. So at Lagoon Cove, I had the experience of several boaters coming up to me and saying (admiringly, thank heavens), “I heard about you . . .” So my concern that I would be excluded at gatherings of boaters, being a singleton, has not only not come to pass but the total opposite has happened.

So yesterday was my first experience of single-handing in the Broughton Islands. I admit I was a little nervous. I was headed for Waddington Bay, an anchorage I had never been to before, towing the dinghy, which I had never done by myself. Would the anchorage have room for me? Where would I go if it didn’t?

The passage from Lagoon Cove to Waddington Bay in the Broughtons included a common summer challenge in the Broughtons: Fog.

There was mist on the hilltops when I left. Proceeding down a major channel, I could see that up ahead the fog was getting lower on the water so I turned on the radar. Pretty soon it was a pea-souper and I was not alone in the channel. There were 4 to 6 boats coming and going. I had to keep an eagle eye not only on the course line but also on the radar screen. Now I was also concerned that I would arrive at my unfamiliar anchorage and not be able to see the shoreline or other anchored boats.

As I got closer the fog lifted to an overcast and luckier still, there was only one other boat in Waddington Bay. I waved at the man on the boat who didn’t return the wave so I decided to anchor on the other side of the bay. Although this anchorage is formally called a bay, it’s a very small one surrounded by rocky shores. It also has a rock that is submerged at high tide. I prepared the anchor for lowering and seeing I had drifted forward, I put Three Wishes in reverse. Oops. . the dingy floated by the bow. My first mistake. So I dashed to the stern and pulled in the towing line to about 3 feet from the swim platform. After that, the anchoring went smoothly although I did forget to mark on the GPS where I dropped the anchor. Well, hopefully practice will make perfect.

Waddington bay is a beautiful protected anchorage, but it's small and surrounded by rocky shores....a great test for my anchoring skills.

For hours afterwards I took bearings on land to assure myself the anchor wasn’t slipping. I forego my evening wine in case I had to move the boat. Reading on the flybridge later, I just couldn’t quite get comfortable. My body was tense and I had an annoying crick in my neck. This first day out had taken a toll on me.

But today, after a night at anchor not bumping into rocks or other boats (there were 5 boats here last night), I feel relaxed and peaceful, excited about the day. It’s overcast and cool, unlike the hot weather we’ve been having which left me all sweaty and sticky. A perfect reading on the flybridge day!

Next month: Part 4: The Pleasure and the Pain

You can find a complete album of Nancy's cruising photos in the Selene photo gallery on this site (you must login to view the Selene photo gallery).

 
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