Some of you have said you understand that I have been too
busy to write. Others have said you need
to write because we need to know what you have been up to. Here goes but keep in mind to avoid boring
you to sleep I am giving you the abbreviated version. I have not posted since May 3 – wow, that is
two and a half months ago and a lot has happened. 
While at Granville Island the season for Spot Prawns
opened. I thought I would trundle over
to Fisherman’s Wharf to partake in the festivities. Not so lucky me, the festival sold out as
soon as they opened. The line up was
miles (or so it seemed) long. The reward
for those who scored a ticket was to taste prawns cooked by renowned chefs of
Vancouver. All was good for I scored
prawns the next day and shared them with friends Cecilia and Dave for a
scrumptious seafood festival of our own aboard Ta Daa.
As previously written, I was invited to crew aboard Red
Heather and sail her home from Maui HI to Victoria BC. John, the skipper of Red Heather hosted crew
for a BBQ at his Squamish home. To my
delight it happened to be when I was on Granville Island. Crew members, Ian and Gary, offered to drive
me to Squamish. It was a great social
get-together to meet the crew. The
biggest tip I took away from the Pacific crossing was to dress in layers,
layers, layers. I intend to take that
advice seriously.
Crossing the Salish Sea (formerly known as the Strait of
Georgia) can be very entertaining. One
would think that you have all the room in the world to sail and maneuver. Not so!
In one crossing of the Strait I encountered cargo ships, freighters,
tugs with tow, BC Ferries, Seaspan Barge Ferry, trees, Styrofoam blocks,
porpoise, seals, power boats of all sizes and other sail boats. While on the water there is a saying “Might
has right” meaning that anything bigger than you has the right of way. There are also rules to follow in the shipping
lanes. For the cargo ships and
freighters I had to alter course or just plain slow down and wait for the big
guys to move along.
One of my biggest fears on the water is snagging a crab or
prawn trap line. If this happens more
than likely the line will tangle in the prop and perhaps the prop shaft. To rectify the problem someone would have to
dive to the line and cut it free from Ta Daa.
My next stop, after Granville Island, was Ganges. Leaving Ganges is like navigating a minefield. There are prawn and crab buoys everywhere in
Ganges Harbour. I had finished my usual
routine of getting underway and was now scanning the waters ahead of me. To starboard I saw a crabber busy picking and
pulling his traps. To port I had just
motored past some more buoys when they instantly disappeared underwater. Immediately I throttled back and put the boat
in neutral. My heart sank and I felt
sick in the pit of my stomach. Silence
as Ta Daa glided gently in the water. I
heard no thumps and bumps. I felt no
tugging on the bottom side. I scanned
three hundred and sixty degrees. I,
wiping the sweat from my brow, soon realized the buoys disappeared as a result
of the crabber retrieving his ‘string’ of traps. With confidence I put Ta Daa in gear and extremely
relieved continued on my way. Shortly
after I had full sails out making my way to Tsehum Harbour where I would stay
the night. 
In May each year Brentwood Bay Power and Sail Squadron hosts
a cruise. This year is was May 12 and
13. We depart Tsehum Harbour (Sidney BC)
and arrive at Victoria’s Inner Harbour then return. The cruise has been renamed,
in honour of my husband, to the Ron Harris Memorial Cruise. This year we had twelve boats, thirty-five
people and seven dogs. Guests aboard Ta
Daa included friends Janis and Ken with furry friend Coach. A good time was had by all!
May 18 (May long weekend) I departed WestBay Marine Village
for Bedwell Harbour and more specifically Poet’s Cove. It is the annual long weekend Bluewater
Cruising Association rendezvous. Sonia
joined me for the weekend with her husband and daughter meeting up with us at
Bedwell. We managed to sail for a good
portion of the way. At Turn Point
freighter activity picked up considerably.
Sails in! Also on this day Sonia
and I listened to a Mayday call. The
distress resulted in two gentlemen late 50’s, early 60’s in the water. They were pulled aboard another boat. One fellow lived and the other did not. I can only urge all boaters to always wear a
lifejacket or certified buoyancy device of some kind. When on the water you have to expect the
unexpected. It was surreal listening to
the distress and the steps taken to save the two men. We were helpless and so near yet so far.
On a happy note we had and entertaining, social and educational
weekend not to mention great company and scrumptious food.
Not all fun is aboard Ta Daa. It seems some of my friends are catching up
to me in age. They are becoming age 50
and up – thank goodness. My friend
Leanne turned 50 so we girl friends kidnapped her to Whistler. We had an amazing time riding the Peak-to-Peak
chair, ziplining the canyon between Whistler and Blackcomb, eating great food
and basically letting Whistler know we were in town. Nope, not me.
I am not telling any stories - what happens in Whistler stays in
Whistler, wink wink. Suffice it to say
we all came home exhausted and thrilled with a great birthday celebration
weekend for Leanne.
The next five weeks were even more amazing. It all started with daughter Meghan joining
me on June 7 aboard Ta Daa. We set out
together heading for Telegraph Harbour Marina on Thetis Island for the annual
Hunter Rendezvous. A highlight of this
weekend is the blind dinghy race and a spit BBQ pig. Marry the previous items with good friends
and informative lectures and you have a perfect mix for a perfect
rendezvous. Sadly, I put Meghan on the
ferry to Vancouver Island. I was missing
her as soon as I set out for Montegue Harbour.
There I met up with friends for more socializing and a couple nights of
relaxation. Winston and I walked the
beaches and trails and read a lot. Next
stop Friday Harbour, WA.
Washington State sells a Marine Park Pass, which I purchased
early in the year and before knowing about my trans Pac adventure. I was determined to use it as much as
possible in the couple weeks that I could devote to the Puget Sound. Since my friend Karen recently sold her boat
I invited her to join me for some time aboard Ta Daa. She met me in Friday Harbour on the afternoon
June 12.
I am told that there is no such thing as coincidences. Keep
that in mind as you read. Karen sold her
boat, Andiamo, to a friend of the fella they purchased Andiamo from. Karen and her late husband, Jean-Luc,
purchased Andiamo on Bainbridge Island.
She sold Andiamo to a fella on Bainbridge Island. Scott is a gentle soul and understood the
circumstances that brought Karen to sell her boat. He also had Andiamo’s hull repainted and the
rigging replaced. He also renamed her to
Kindred.
On June 12, in the evening, Karen received an email from
Scott telling her that Kindred had been re-launched and he had a set of
Jean-Luc’s initials to put on the stern of the boat – so he could be with her
as long as Scott owned her. And, he was
only going to be home the coming weekend and….
he asked Karen if she could make it to Bainbridge Island to personally put
Jean-Luc’s initials on the stern of Kindred.
There was no doubt in my mind we could make it and I would get here
there aboard Ta Daa. The next day we set
out. We had a good sail across the Juan
de Fuca and into Admiralty Inlet until the wind died. Eleven and a half hours and seventy nautical
miles later we arrived at Winslow Marina.
It was a personal journey for Karen and I could certainly feel the
emotion and feel the presence of Jean-Luc while being embraced by their
Bainbridge Island friends. 
While on Bainbridge, incredible rust-coloured algae grew in
the marina and according to locals it was unseasonably early. To us it clearly looked like an industrial
mishap but not so. Also abundant in
Eagle Harbour was the bioluminescence. At dusk the water glittered and this was a
result of the jellyfish feeding on the algae, which in turn activated the
bioluminescence. This brought out the
kid in us. We grabbed, from the dock,
whatever we could find to stir the water.
Wherever we touched the water it lit up in its blue-white
brilliance. Touching the water was not
enough. We splashed, we wrote with
sticks, flicked rope, and splashed some more with paddles. We were so excited we knocked on the boat of
new friends on Red Thread. They came out
and totally thrilled started to play as well.
That was not enough. I hopped in
the dinghy to see what happened when the outboard engine stirred the
water. It was heavenly to see the water
come to life. 
New friends were made and old friends were re-acquainted
however, all good things must come to an end.
Our next stop was Edmonds for fuel.
Karen and I got caught up in browsing the stores and the time flew
by. It was clear to us both that we had
been swept up in the emotion of Bainbridge and the reason we were there. It was time to move on and Edmonds was the
break that we both welcomed. Edmonds is
a beautiful and clean gem of a marina not to mention the quaintness of the town
itself.
From Edmonds we headed up Saratoga Passage to Cornet Bay at
Deception Pass. For those of you who do
not know, Deception Pass is one of those places where you need to plan your
transit of this pass at slack water. The
current in this pass can run in excess of 7.5 knots. We planned to stay at Cornet Bay a couple of
nights to explore some of the Deception Pass Park trails. As the saying goes, “Expect the
unexpected.” We had an uneventful trip
up Saratoga Passage until we neared Hope Island. Panpan, panpan, panpan was the announcement
on the radio. Mariners know that is
serious and that a boat or person is in distress. In this case it was a 27’ Bayliner in
trouble. As a mariner it is your duty to
respond to a call if you are not going to put yourself, your crew or your boat
in danger. 
I did not respond to the distress call until we scanned the
area and had a visual o n the Bayliner.
We were the only boat in the area and his only chance of help before the
US Coast Guard was tasked. Que Pasa was
the name of this boat. The gentlemen
aboard were not well equipped nor experienced.
We managed to tow them into Cornet Bay and docked them only to realize
they were taking on serious water. They
managed to get the help they needed such as pumps to keep the boat from sinking
before it could be hauled out of the water.
We later found out he hit a log and damaged the transom of his
boat. 
On the morning of June 20 we attempted to leave Cornet Bay
and transit Deception Pass but gave up due to fog encroaching our cruising
grounds. As we positioned ourselves to
transit a sailboat emerged from the opposite direction and informed us it was
not burning off, you couldn’t see fifty feet in front of you and it went on for
miles. We aborted our plans and headed
back into Cornet Bay to weigh our options.
As the universe would have it, the fog burned off in the late afternoon
and we transited the famous and infamous Deception Pass during the early
evening slack. 
Flounder Bay on Fidalgo Island was the next stop. Here we cleaned Ta Daa and spent time in Anacortes
while it poured rain. The next day it
was fog again but luckily it was burning off by ten o’clock. Off we headed for Spencer Spit on Lopez
Island. We had to cross Rosario
Strait. It was very busy with commercial
and pleasure traffic which meant cargo ships, tugs with tow and power boats
everywhere and going in every direction.
Once across Rosario we entered Thatcher Pass. I looked ahead and could not believe my
eyes. Whales, whales, whales, orcas to
be exact. They were heading straight for
us. I throttled back. We were in awe, we were fascinated, we were
speechless, and shocked. Neither of us
expected it. Karen took the wheel while
I ran down for the camera. I was not prepared
for this. I snapped what I could but
mostly I enjoyed the moment. They were
so close we could almost reach out and touch them. This was an experience to be savored. I am sure one of them winked at me. Amongst all of this excitement a vivid yet
transparent vision of Ron emerged and overlay one of the adult orcas as it rode
the surface before diving below Ta Daa.
It is a memory that brings tears to my eyes as I type. 
Both Karen and I were at a loss for words. We could not believe what each of us, in our
own moment, just experienced. We quietly
and slowly continued on our way. When we
snapped out of our dreamlike state we headed for Spencer Spit, hooked a mooring
buoy and enjoyed a lunch of cheese and crackers complimented by a bottle of
champagne, which seemed fitting for our close encounter with the orcas.
We realized time was limited so plans were made to head to
Prevost Harbour on Stuart Island. There
we tied to the mooring line. We did two
hikes, one short and a longer one the next day.
The longer walk took us to Turn Point, a picturesque light station more
often viewed from the waters of Haro Strait.
Sadly the next day we had to head to Poet’s Cove to check into Canadian
Customs then make our way to Sidney for Karen to return home and for me to make
my way to the Comox Valley. 
For the past couple of years I have had a source of water
making its way into the bilge. A part of
deciphering the problem is to taste the water; is it fresh or is it salty?
Fresh it was. The problem was a leaky
starboard window and a leaky hot water heater.
In May these two issues were rectified.
The water in the bilge was not.
It was time for me to investigate again.
First the taste test. This time
is was undoubtedly salty. What the
hell? This means a new problem. On the way to Comox I overnighted at Mom and
Bud’s on Salt Spring Island. In
conversation with two old salty dogs I remembered that the stuffing box on Ta
Daa is not a dripless stuffing box… that means it should ‘drip’ salt
water. I told myself that I would look
into it when I arrived at Comox. The
next day, enroute to Schooner Cove, it was driving me up the wall. When I got docked I immediately pulled the
boat apart to reveal the prop shaft and stuffing box. It was not dripping. It was a steady dribble. AHA! I
know the problem, now I have to fix it.
Thanks to friends Ron and Monica I was able to get a ride to Nanaimo to
purchase the appropriate size pipe wrenches.
Then with Ron’s tutelage the stuffing box was adjusted to stop the
dribbling but seep enough to keep the shaft cool while under way. Another lesson learned and another challenge
has been overcome. Thank you, Ron and
Monica!
.tiff)
Off to Comox I go! On
the way I checked the stuffing box no less than four times and it was adjusted
perfectly – no dribbling and just enough moisture to keep the shaft cool. I can relax now and enjoy a dry bilge. Some would say I was obsessed with finding
the problem and with keeping the bilge dry.
I am a happy camper now and this will help in the winter with the
moisture on board Ta Daa. 
Comox is always wonderful.
I get to invite everyone to my home for a change. Only difference is they do not have to drive
to Victoria to enjoy my hospitality. In
the days at Comox I managed to cook for the kids, have a birthday party for
Amelia, have a girl friend night on board Ta Daa, have a sleepover with Stewart
and my youngest grand-daughters, have oldest grand-daughter Rayna and more
family members for lunch, for daughter and son-in-laws new house I got to pick
colours, bricks and stained shingles, had breakfast with my dad and I managed
to go out for dinner a couple of times.
I barely had a spare moment and I loved every minute of it. Whew, I was
pooped.
Sadly but expected, my little furry fella, Winston was
diagnosed with congestive heart disease.
I had plenty of opportunity to observe him and take note of his
behavior. With the help of the Internet
I was able to research before taking him to the vet. As Winston is terrified of the vet, she was
kind enough to examine him outside on the lawn of the vet clinic. He is now on diuretics. A good portion of his day is sleeping and he
lets me know how much exercise is enough.
Unfortunately it was time to leave and head south for
home. One last event to attend on July
13th and 14th was the Pig War at Port Browning Marina,
Pender Island.
This event has been an annual event for 26 years between
Brentwood Bay Power Squadron and Friday Harbour Power Squadron. It essentially keeps the war over the pig
alive and well. If you would like to
know more about this historic event Google Pig
War San Juan Island. With great attendance we enjoyed a spit BBQ pig with
all the trimmings, games, and great company.
I am happy to announce that Brentwood Bay won the Pig Trophy two years
in a row. The pressure is on for Friday
Harbour to bring it home next year. The
pressure is on for Brentwood Bay to be the first to win the trophy three years
in a row. 2013 will be a year to
remember!
Sadly yet happily it was time to leave Port Browning for
home at West Bay Marine Village. Kathy,
a squadron friend joined me for the trip home.
Weather wise it was dreary and drizzly.
I was thankful to have Kathy’s company.
Surprisingly, we were distracted from the weather by the amount of
mayday and panpan calls on the radio.
There were at least six emergencies that the Coast Guard radio personnel
had to deal with. They ranged from small
craft, with children aboard, being disabled to an airplane down near Schooner
Cove / Nanoose area. 
Happily I was home because I must prepare for my trip to
Maui and the sail home to Victoria. Let
the preparations begin. I had to find a
local vet for Winston. On Len and
Dawna’s recommendation I went to Feltham Pet Clinic. I was thrilled with Dr. Kelli. She now knows Winston and his
circumstances. We were able to discuss
strategies in the event Tim and Tara his doggy sitters need to take him
in. I
had to renew my car insurance, pay
bills into the future, empty the fridge and cupboards of perishables, update
this blog, upload cruising pictures, and ensure I have what I need to pack for
the trip. Packing for the trip is difficult,
as I will be going from warm climate in Hawaii to cool and likely rainy out in
the Pacific to summer on the BC Coast. I
was cautioned to pack lots of gloves and to be prepared to dress in layers yet
pack light and compact. Yikes this is a
tough one but here goes. Stay
tuned. I expect to be home between
August 12 and August 19. You will be
sure to get and update on my ocean crossing.
Until then…
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