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Time To Plan

2/23/2019

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I’ve been working on the route we will be taking this summer. In some respects it’s very much like planning a long car trip. You use maps to find the best way to go, decide how far you can go each day, and then look for services to keep you and the car fueled.
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The First Leg, north bound. Otter Bay to Boat Harbor.
With cruising guides and charts at hand I’ve started to plot our daily course. I don’t plot by date, I can’t. Bad weather can hold us up at any number of spots along the way, even the day we leave Otter Bay. With a boat speed of 5-6 knots, we can’t outrun a storm, so we don’t expect to be anywhere on any specific day.

We are also at the mercy of the tides. I haven’t counted how many rapids we must transit on our way up, but each one must be dealt with in a particular way to keep boat and crew safe. There will be times when the only thing we can do is sit tight and wait for the tide to change.
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Boat Harbor and Dodd Narrows Detail.
Even on our first day there is a decision to make dictated by the tide. We will have to transit Dodd Narrows on our way to the port city of Nanaimo, but this pass is six hours from Otter Bay at best speed. That’s a long trip considering our arrival at the Narrows must be precise, with only about a 15 minute window where it is safe to cross.

Because of that timing and the long run, I think we’ll stop somewhere just before the narrows, most likely Boat Harbor. After a nights rest we can head for the pass without being in a rush.
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Charted course from Boat Harbor through Dodd Narrows.
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Short Run

2/21/2019

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Winch, not Wench.
We took Odyssey out yesterday for a short jaunt into Swanson Channel. The wind was calm and the sun gave a good effort as we headed out of the bay, dodging ferries. It was very cold, about 40 F. This was the first time this year I’d had a chance to run the engine for any length of time, but it did well. 

We discovered in December that the alternator hadn’t been working for a long time, and only our good fortune and solar panels had kept us out of trouble during our summer cruise. Now, after repairs, all was well as it happily charged the batteries.

Though we didn’t stay out long, it felt great to be off the dock, away from land, water all around us. When it was time, Sarah took us back in while I sat and enjoyed it all. The docking went well, one of those you wish there was an audience for. 

As spring approaches we will keep our eyes open for fair weather days that we can take advantage of. We haven’t anchored out for ages, and we both are feeling the need to.
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An Invitation

2/15/2019

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Well, here it is the middle of February and the planning for our summer cruise has just started. By the calendar, we will pull off the Otter Bay dock about May 15th. That’s only three months from now! How can that sound so far off and yet feel just around the corner?

I have all the information I need at my finger tips, including what looks like a great new guide to the Broughtons from the folks at Salish Sea Pilot. I’ve also been bookmarking every hopeful been-there-done-that article I can find.

It’s been interesting, and I certainly am learning the scope of what we plan to do. Last year we traveled about 850 miles in four months. I think we’ll come close to 1200 miles this summer.
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Dusting the dream off after a long winter.
These three months will be busy, not just planning the trip, but repairs, upgrades, outfitting, and provisioning. It will be an interesting lead-up to an amazing summer.

I’d like to invite you to join us for the next few months. On these pages I’m going to report on our progress, the pitfalls and triumphs, and all the humor and love that brings. I’d like to share all of the interesting things that happen till the day we leave.

But then, when we head out in May, I’ll keep writing. I hope you’ll stay with us while we journey throughout the Broughton Archipelago. There are sure to be some great stories, lovely art, and beautiful sunsets.

​Hopefully we will encourage you to follow us as we travel the most spectacular cruising grounds in the world.


​Jonathan & Sarah
​SV Odyssey
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Survival In A Snow Storm

2/11/2019

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Snow, and lots of it.

It’s been snowing for most of the last two days. They say it’s been twenty years, to the day, since it has snowed so much.
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Looking out the hatch. Now that's a lot of snow!
The storm had come in hard, and we lost dock power the first night. Luckily it was only out for a day, and our diesel heater kept us warm. When power was restored we used our two little electric heaters as well. It’s very effective and keeps the diesel heater from cycling too often, saving us fuel.

We took advantage of a break in the winds this afternoon to clear about seven inches of powder off the deck. The scuppers were ice clogged, as were the cockpit drains. A copious amount of sea water was applied to everything, a mariners approach to salting the walkway.
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15 F Wind Chill. "Honey, may I PLEASE have my gloves back?"
Now it’s 4 pm and 28 F. Blowing snow is quickly erasing all signs of our efforts. It seems that, after all, resistance is futile.

In an effort to do everything possible to survive this snow storm, Sarah put a loaf of homemade cinnamon bread in the oven, and, while that was baking, served us the last of her delicious naan and tzatziki that she made last night. A bit later we’ll scoop up some of the snow into glasses and pour chocolate sauce over it for some Canadian style ice-cream. It'll go great with warm cinnamon bread.

We really suffer at times like these. The great news is I’ve discovered the vodka slushy.
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Problem: The olives froze solid.
It may be true that our house rocks a bit during bad weather, but trust me, we sure have fun while it does.
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The Next Adventure

2/1/2019

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Im getting married!

I never thought Id say that again. Too old, too much history, too tired of conflict and too much of a mess for anyone to get close. I wanted to be alone.

In desperation, I had daydreamed a plan to escape responsibility, to disappear. I would go away, sail off and never return. Naive of me, but I felt like it was all I could do.   

But, someone found me. She helped me rest and heal.
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She didn’t care about the history or age. As I started to sort myself out, she nurtured my self esteem and gave me the strength (and permission) to move on.

As it turned out, she had a dream of her own, a dream of change and growth, exploration and creativity, love and respect. The best part was, I could come along with her if I liked.

We shared and talked and mixed our dreams like kids sketching a make-believe world. “We can’t” never came up so we just went with “why not” and kept going. And, like all good stories, it just happened.

We sailed away together.
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I’m not sure if you can get any closer to someone then living with them on a boat, and we have gotten very close. But the time is right for us to get a little closer.

Sarah has agreed to marry me.

And so, I’m getting married and I couldn’t be happier.

Soon we set sail on this new adventure, to explore the world and love as we we had always dreamed.
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    Odyssey


    Live as if you were to die tomorrow.
    Learn as if you were to live forever.
    -Mahatma Ghandi-

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