Friday, July 10: Day 37: On Our Way South

⛵ Morning Explorations and Dockside Wildlife

This morning we awoke, and because the weather still looked feasible for us to leave today, we finished up everything we needed to do. Greg even managed to take a few photos of the local wildlife before we took off:

Land wildlife while on the dock. Is that someone's pet - it looks like he's wearing a collar!

Two of the deer near the marina - photo taken from the dock in the shallows.

While Greg was busy filling up our water tank, I guess Artemus decided it was a good time to check out the other boats at the dock. He actually climbed right aboard the sailboat parked in front of us! I didn’t see him board, but I did catch him exiting the boat. I guess there was no one home to visit! Luckily, when he decided to go on his little walkabout, Greg was quick enough to snap a photo of him.

Anyone home?`

🌊 Heading for Hornby Island (and Avoiding Past Lessons!)

We are currently on our way to Hornby Island. The wind is turning out to be a little bit stronger than predicted, (14 knots so far) and it is coming straight from the south. Because of that, we already know that staying in Tribune Bay might be out of the question. It gets way too rocky and rolly in there when the wind blows from the south!

We know this from firsthand experience. The last time we came down to Hornby from Comox, we ended up anchored in Tribune Bay completely by ourselves—which is crazy, considering there are usually 60 to 85 boats packed in there! We experienced gusts up to 25 and 30 knots, and it honestly felt like we were out bluewater sailing. Lil' Ollie was actually sailing on the waves right there in the anchorage!

It was a very good thing that no other boats were around because we were able to put out at least five times the scope on our rode [Greg says 7 X) to handle the conditions. We got through that day and night, and the next day and night, feeling like we had officially gained some serious offshore experience—haha, not really, but it sure was a wild ride! Greg even got seasick that time, which tells you just how rough it was. Needless to say, we didn't eat too much while we were stuck there!

Perhaps the wind will calm down as it quite often does towards the end of the day, and we will be able to anchor there safely. This is going to call for a real judgment call when we arrive. If it's still blowing around 14 knots but there are lots of other boats already tucked in, we will probably chance it. But if it doesn't look right, we can easily head back up the west coast of the island to Ford Cove and grab a spot in that anchorage, which sits right between Denman and Hornby just south of the ferry terminal.

💨 A Change of Tactics Underway

Our ETA is still about two hours out, and the wind has decided to park itself right directly on our nose. Because of that, Greg had to take the headsail down, and we are motoring into it. We could try to tack our way there, but if we ultimately need to pivot and head to Ford Cove instead, we are going to need the extra time.

So, we've decided on a new plan: we are going to check out Ford Cove on our way down to see if there is any available room there. If it looks good, perhaps we will just stop on the way and call it a day! I’m jumping online right now to check out the layout, and I've got our VHF radio ready to go so we can give them a shout if we need to.

Ford Cove as we sail by.

🧭 A Midnight Shift and a Final Decision

As we continued chugging along, we re-checked the latest marine forecast. It turns out the wind is predicted to shift to the northwest right around midnight tonight!

This changed everything for us. While Tribune Bay is miserable in a southerly wind, it offers fantastic protection from a northwester. When the wind comes from that direction, the island blocks the swell and leaves the water in the anchorage beautifully calm and flat. We realized that if we could just handle a slightly bumpy afternoon, we’d be completely safe and comfortable for the night.

With that piece of the puzzle falling into place, we made our final judgment call: we would bypass Ford Cove and keep Lil' Ollie’s bow pointed straight for Tribune Bay. We will have to ride out a bit of a rolly evening until the wind officially flips, but knowing we have a peaceful night ahead makes it well worth the effort!

⚓ Settling Into Tribune Bay

We dropped anchor in Tribune Bay around 2:30 PM, after motor-sailing in at about 6 knots. The wind was sitting around 13 knots from the southwest, which was actually a bit less than when I last wrote. However, rounding the bend between Denman and Hornby Islands completely changed our angle to the wind and waves, making the final stretch of the ride a bit choppy and sporty!

The sailboat anchored just east of us in Tribune Bay.

Looking out from the cockpit after anchoring in Tribune Bay.

Looking back at the beach in Tribune Bay - the tide is up!

Now, it’s 3:49 PM and we’re sitting comfortably in the cockpit, unwinding with some prosciutto-wrapped dates, fresh cherry tomatoes, and an ice-cold gin and tonic. The mast is humming a little tune, but the wind has dialed back to 11 knots. It is a ghost town compared to the usual crowds—there are only three other sailboats and four powerboats sharing this massive bay with us. We’ve decided to hold off until tomorrow to take the dinghy to shore and explore the village. I can’t wait!

Artemus enjoyed his late lunch after we got settled in Tribune Bay.

The wind is still quite variable in Tribune Bay right now. Just a moment ago the instruments read 14.4 knots, and we've already had a few gusts up to 19+ knots. Hopefully, it gets over this gustiness soon and lays down for us tonight like the forecast promised!

UPDATE: 6:30 PM

Spoke too soon! The wind has just surged up to 18 knots, with gusts now slapping us at 23 knots. The waves are steadily building right here in the anchorage, turning our relaxing afternoon into a bit of a bronco ride.

In fact, the conditions got just rowdy enough that the other three sailboats sharing the bay with us decided they'd had enough—they just pulled up their stakes and left! Now, it's just us and four powerboats left braving the swell. We are staying put, trusting the marine forecast that everything will lay completely flat when the wind flips to the northwest at midnight. Until then, we’re battening down the hatches, keeping a close eye on the anchor rode, and riding it out!

To top it all off, the motion just became too much for our furry crew member. About five minutes ago, poor Artemus threw up twice on the floor in the V-berth. This is officially the first time he has ever gotten sick onboard! Greg and I are comforting him, and we are staying put, trusting the marine forecast that everything will lay completely flat when the wind flips to the northwest at midnight. Until then, we’re battening down the hatches, keeping a close eye on the anchor rode, and riding it out!

UPDATE: 7:00 PM 

The current state of the wind has dropped down to 10 knots, with the average being 14 knots over the last 10 minutes. It feels like the worst of it might finally be over. Fingers crossed!

💤 UPDATE: 11:00 PM

The wind has finally dialed back immensely after tossing us around for the last few hours! We are now averaging a gentle 4 knots, and the direction has officially flipped to the northwest. The bay is smoothing out beautifully—finally, it looks like we might actually get some sleep tonight!