Skidding in Sideways

We arrived home today. It is a bittersweet experience: glad to be home but already missing our boat and the boating lifestyle! I get to sleep in my queen-size bed tonight, and sit in my recliner and watch our big screen plasma TV. I get to shower with unlimited hot water or I can take a bath if I choose. Not to mention I can use the dishwasher and look inside a refrigerator with shelves and everything! Ah! The comforts of home.

I want to thank all of my devoted blog followers. It has been a pleasure trying to entertain you with our stories of the water. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughts and prayers. Although we had a few close calls, I am sure your good wishes are what got us through it all. For our family and friends who have been worrying about us, YOU CAN STOP NOW. Those evil sea monsters didn't get us THIS time!

Abby went straight to the haul-out facility today. She has some keel damage from the rock we hit. We don't know how expensive it will be to fix so we are keeping our fingers crossed. She did have quite a few barnacles and even some of those evil mussels growing on all of the thru-hulls and all around the rudder. Time for a paint job!

The next task I have to do is sort through the thousands of pictures we took and the hundreds of videos and find the best ones to show you. That may take me a few days so I will send out an e-mail to let you know when they are ready for viewing. Please stay tuned...

Thanks again for reading my blog!

Love to you all,
Gay

Snoozing Seals at Fort Flagler

Ah! To live the life of a seal! I have to wonder what that would be like. From my vantage point as we pass by Fort Flagler State Park on our way to Mystery Bay, it seems like the life of a nude beachgoer on the French Riviera, although probably not as warm as it is there, I suppose.

Standing-room only at Fort Flagler beach

The sun sure is blessing the beach with the full extent of its rays and the wind is very light so there isn't much of a windchill factor on this day. Ah! Feel the heat! Seal after seal after seal laying side by side on the hot sand, just on the edge of the beach, barely out of the water (and at the ready to dive in if need be.) They snooze and ignore us as we motor by, not the least bit shy about their scandalous nudity and seemingly without a care in the world (but still ready to hit the water should the need arise). Okay, so maybe they aren't that carefree but they sure look pretty relaxed!

Shhhh! Keep the noise down!

Dipping Skinny at Lucky Creek!

We anchored on the north side of Refuge Island. Anchoring there was not just lucky, but strategic, as it is the closest anchorage to Lucky Creek, which is near the entrance to Pipestem Inlet on the west side of Vancouver Island. The guide books say it is a "must see" and that you must go there an hour before high tide and also that one must leave there by no later than an hour after high tide, or you might not be able to get back to your mother ship! It sounded intriguing, like a possible "Hotel California" situation, so of course we had to check it out.

We dinghied in as far as we could go, to a short waterfall that was roughly 10' high, and wondered where to tie up. (The guide books were mum on that score.) I scrambled to the top of the waterfall in an attempt to figure it out. Clearly this wasn't the way most cruisers got to the pools above - too much climbing involved! We finally figured out an appropriate place to tie the dinghy up to: under a big tree with low-hanging branches to the right of the falls. And voila! Under this canopy we discovered a well-worn trail straight up a very steep bank. Maybe these cruisers DID have a bit of climber in them after all: lots of veggie belays (roots for hand and footholds). After a very brief, steep hike we found nirvana! Multiple pools of crystal-clear water with mini-waterfalls in between. A rope swing hung down over the largest pool and there were flattish rocks to lay on for sunning yourself like a seal on the beach. The pleasant sound of rushing water and birds flying overhead and full sun to warm you after an envigorating swim made for a wonderful afternoon. Heaven on earth!

When we first got there, we heard a loud engine approaching so we reluctantly put on our bathing suits. After half an hour, however, no one actually materialized so I scurried over the many rocks back to the first waterfall to see if I could see anyone or any boat coming. I saw no one so I came back and reported to Brad that we had it to ourselves so we should go "au naturel"! We were playing on the rope swing when Brad yelled "PEOPLE!" Wouldn't you know it? Busted! The man and woman that were approaching were kind enough to pretend to be studying the waterfalls long enough for us to dive back into the pool and swim back to our clothes on the opposite side, and allowed us to make ourselves presentable before coming closer.



Biggest pool with rope swing at Lucky Creek



The water was cold but very refreshing, so as long as the sun is out, I would definitely swim here again. This place is an enchanting, fairytale-like spot that has to be seen in person on a hot summer day to really appreciate it to its fullest.

Soothed & Relaxed at Hot Springs Cove

Hot Springs cove is a "must experience" place on the west side of Vancouver Island. The provincial park there has a wooden boardwalk that is most impressive and worth a visit even if it didn't lead to those wonderful hot springs. It is the longest boardwalk (and nicest too) that Brad and I have ever seen. It is 2km (1.3 miles) long and many of the boards have boat names and artwork carved into them from previous visitors. It's an interesting memorial in and of itself. (Brad and I wished we had known about this tradition in advance so we could have brought a board of our own.) And the forest the boardwalk wanders through is definitely worth the trip as well. I found it amazing how some of the trees there have grown up in such convoluted ways. Impressive!

Some of the many boat names along the boardwalk.

Mind if I grow on top of you? Of course you don't!

The springs themselves are HOT, as advertized, and truly delightful! There are several shallow pools and a nice waterfall shower too. And the rocks surrounding the springs are solid and scrambleable. Unfortunately, since it is inside a provincial park, bathing suits are required here (unlike many of the other hot springs we visited along the way.) But the scenery here makes up for having to carry wet swimsuits back with you on your way out.

Brad getting a hot shower. No hot water heater required!

Two dogs were laying in the hot sun snoozing while we were at the springs. The did not appear to have any owners watching after them. Guess they were just enjoying the springs themselves, just like we were. (Who said you had to follow your owners anyway???) When we were drying off and preparing to leave, these two dogs, one black part Aleutian and one white mongrel, came over and watched us. Whe we left, they ran out ahead of us. After a minute or so, they would stop and wait for us to catch up. It was weird! They would run ahead and then wait for us over and over again. We were beginning to worry that they were expecting us to adopt them (or maybe it was the other way around?) Were they guide dogs who just didn't know how to take a proper vacation, or did we just look lost? Was this a park service? Several passing bsathers going in commented how much they liked our dogs. After explaining that they weren't our dogs a few times, we gave up and just started saying "Thank you!" with each compliment. (What the heck?) Kind of made us wish we had a dog of our own.

We never did find out where those two dogs came from but by the time we returned to the start of the boardwalk, they had run off for the dock and were being petted by the folks there. We suspect they belonged to one of the boats tied up there. At least we hope so...

Our 4th Monthiversary Milestone!

From "If God Made You"
By Five for Fighting (weird name I know, but the music is excellent.)

... If God made you
He's in love with me! ...

Today (8/29/11) we have completed four full months of living aboard Abby Normal. I am pleased to report that we are both very happy with our "floating hotel". She is a very comfortable accommodation. And Brad and I are getting along marvelously. It is true that you really need to pick the right partner in life or your choice will literally drive you crazy living in such tight quarters. I can't imagine being with anyone else but Brad!

Bull Harbor Jellies Come A-Knocking!

We anchored at Bull Harbour, which is on Hope Island at the northern end of Vancouver Island. I suspect the island was named as such because the mariners who named her were hoping for good weather to make a safe passage around Cape Scott the following day. (We were too.) The harbor was named as such because way back when it was full of bull seals. Not so today. We saw nary a one.

But what we DID see was millions and millions of jellyfish late in the afternoon swirling and surrounding our boat. They were fascinating to watch, what with all of their twirling and swirling, and their sheer numbers! It was like being in a thick soup of wiggling, writhing translucent sea creatures. (Thank God we hadn't tried to go swimming!) I took several videos of them that I hope to share with you after we return home. Quite an amazing sight, I assure you.

Later that evening we played some Scrabble and then turned to our respective books to do a little reading before bedtime. After a bit of reading, we both realized something was thumping on our hull. It wasn't real hard knocking, not terribly insistent, but just a bit timid. I thought perhaps one of the people from the neighboring boats was tentatively rapping on our hull to get our attention, but we couldn't see anyone out there. It stopped for a bit, several seconds or so but less than a minute, and then started again. How odd!

Brad threw on some shoes, turned on the foredeck lights, and wandered topside in search of the mysterious source of the thumping. Nothing. He came back to the stern and knelt on the swim platform, looking through the water at the rudder. Nothing amiss there that he could see.

I said, tongue in cheek, "Maybe the jellyfish are knocking. Trying to get us to come out and play? Or maybe they are trying to crawl up the side of the boat to colonize some new territory and they keep falling off and thumping as they fall???"

Perhaps I shouldn't have verbalized this thought because we both started thinking of the possibility of sinister intentions of unbeknownst sea monsters lurking below us, just waiting to "get us". (Kind of like telling ghost stories to each other when you are a kid.)

Brad said, "I'll start the engine and go forward and backward a bit to scare off whatever is doing it." I didn't like that idea and talked him out of it as I feared we might foul our prop on whatever was underndeath us.

I thought the sound had something to do with our steering linkage but as yet I couldn't prove it. Since our boat had drifted right over our anchor, (it was dead calm outside), we thought perhaps the anchor rode had wrapped itself around the rudder somehow, (either that or the sea monsters were trying to crawl up our anchor rode.) So Brad pulled up about 30 feet of rode but clearly it wasn't wrapped around the rudder. However, while he was up at the bow pulling on the rode, I was at the stern and noticed that the thumping sound was becoming more rhythmic. I asked Brad, "Did you center the wheel before turning everything off after we got here?" Through the window, I could see the wheel turning ever so slightly. Just as Brad was answering me, the autopilot started beeping and it displayed "PT". Ah! The dastardly culprit had at last revealed itself! Brad had forgotten to turn off the autopilot and our helpful buddy "Auto" was just trying to steer us ineffectually to parts unknown! Whew! The sea monsters were NOT out to get us after all. We had a hearty laugh at ourselves and went to bed.

All Aglow with Bioluminescence

Brad has a penchant for peeing off our swim platform. A harmless hobby, I suppose, as long as one doesn't fall overboard. Were it not for this quirky habit of his, we probably never would have noticed the incredible beauty awaiting us below.

One night Brad yelled, "Come out here! Come out here!" Being the obedient wife that I am, I said "Why?" (I was comfortably ensconced on the couch, happily reading my Kindle, cozy and loathe to move.) "You just gotta see this!" he said. (Like I haven't seen him peeing before???) Okay already. So I got up and came outside. He was right. It was AWESOME!

By the time I got there he had run out of urine and so was spraying the stern hose across the water. The surface lit up with a beautiful blue-green glow. Cool! We got out a kayak paddle and slapped the water with it, making mesmerizing, glowing splash patterns, delighting us both. We were giggling like 10-year olds! Such fun!

Now each night, I ask for a full report when Brad goes out for his pee. So far the dinoflagellates have only deigned to favor us with two nights of light shows, but we'll keep checking and hoping for more...