 We departed Ship Point marina by eleven AM and proceeded outbound, following the marked lanes for vessels 65ft or less. A mile and a half later, our private harbor tour was over. Beautiful as it is, Victoria is home to a busy shipping port, as well as a very busy water airport. New to the area, or not, you will need to stay vigilant regarding the traffic rules. (pictured: the ever present harbor patrol, off our starboard quarter). We exited the harbor, hoisted the main and set the autopilot for home, approximately 20 nautical miles, due South. Outside the harbor, the conditions can vary from dead calm to rough and windy. Drake Passage, the stretch of water that connects South America to Antarctica, is known for having some of the most brutal winds and biggest waves on Earth, earning it the nickname “Drake Shake” when the waters are rough, and “Drake Lake” when they are calm. I think the names “Strait Shake” and “Strait Lake” are fitting for the water that connects Victoria to Port Angeles, albeit, on a much, much smaller scale, of course. If you’ve crossed the Strait of Juan de Fuca during gale force winds with an opposing current, you’ve probably experienced the “Strait Shake”, type 2 fun for some, type 3 for others. On the last leg of our trip, we were definitely on the “Strait Lake”, flat seas and no wind. For the next three hours, we enjoyed the placid ride home under power, tidying up the galley, organizing the salon or just relaxing on the foredeck. After passing the Pilot boat, Ediz Hook buoy, the CG station, the Landing, Terminal 1 and finally our beer-can start mark/Boat Haven’s entrance buoy, the sails were packed and the mooring lines prepped to make our final landing of the trip. We look forward to Falling around Van Isle again.    Home again, home again, jiggity jig…almost. Pulling into Victoria’s Causeway/Ship Point Marina (pictured) on day seven was almost like coming home. Strictly speaking, it is the closest marina to Port Angeles (15 nm), and we, inevitably, end up sailing here quite often. Another Fall benefit, September thru June is considered the “low season” in Victoria so the Harbor Authority reduces the moorage rate by 25%. Earlier in the day, we departed Sydney, called to reserve our slip, and took advantage of a warm afternoon breeze (pic: approaching Baynes Channel) sailing the entire 25 nm leg,furling our canvas just outside Victoria Harbor’s lower breakwater at Odgen Point. Note: Sails are not allowed inside the harbor due to potentially heavy boat and seaplane traffic- and is strictly enforced. After securing Jomo’s bow and stern line around Ship Point’s dock #2 bunk boards (pic: top), we chatted with our live-aboard neighbors (a popular winter hole for cruisers because of the winter rates) and headed to one of our favorite eating and drinking spots for dinner. The following morning we walked into town to stretch our legs and grab a coffee before sailing across the Strait, back to our land home.
 We departed Maple Bay the morning of October 10th, day 6, bound for Sydney, approximately 17 nautical miles south. In between work meetings, we cast off the dock lines, exiting Bird’s Eye Cove by 1030. Erika had a work meeting from 11 to noon but was happy to power up the Starlink and take em underway (pictured lower left). As I noted earlier, our passage down Sansum Narrows was some of the best sailing we had all week, flat seas with a warm and moderate breeze off our port quarter. We used the term “Office Sailing”, instead of the classic “champagne sailing” to describe the most agreeable conditions for Erika’s Zoom meetings. By 1230, Erika was done for the day, allowing us to double hand the remaining 10 miles under the asymmetrical sail (pictured above, passing Separation Point). While underway, we called Sydney Marina to arrange moorage. The office confirmed our reservation and passed along the slip assignment and gate info before they left for the day. With the “paperwork” out of the way, we continued to enjoy our sail, across Satellite Channel, thru the small archipelago between Swartz and Tsehum Bays knowing our slip was patiently waiting for us. Just before dusk, Jomo arrive at the marina entrance. We motored to our assigned spot, all ready to tie up and cook some dinner, but someone else was sleeping in our bed, specifically a super yacht. We parked Jomo at the nearest empty slip, walked up to the moorage office, and found an “emergency contact” phone number posted on the window. A couple affable conversations later, we were reassigned to another slip. Whew, it was a little more than planned but we settled in for the evening, made dinner and watched the Northern Lights (pic). Just another day, and night, “falling” around South Van Isle.
|
AuthorA UCSC graduate in Marine Biology, Keith holds a 100 ton USCG Capt. License and is an ASA/US sailing certified instructor. Archives
January 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed