Monday, July 20: Day 47: Saysutshen (Newcastle Island)

 ⛵ Day 47: Strait Sailing, Shower Shenanigans, and a Birthday Pub Dinner

We had grand plans to get an early start today, but our bodies apparently had other ideas. Greg woke up around 6:00 AM, and I didn't stir until about 6:25 AM. I must have been completely exhausted because I didn't even hear the alarm go off, let alone Greg getting up! We enjoyed our usual breakfast and coffee in the cockpit under beautifully sunny skies. Despite our talk of leaving early yesterday, we didn't actually manage to pull up the anchor and get away until around 8:30 AM.

We wound our way through the islands, and the water was so agitated it felt almost like navigating a river. Once we finally broke out into the Strait of Georgia, Greg hoisted both sails and it was glorious! We had a west wind—the forecast had called for a north-west wind, so it was a little uncomfortable at first, but not too bad once we readjusted from the calm anchorage back to the wavy seas.

Winding through the islands.

Saying goodbye to the islands.

Looking out towards Vancouver Island.

Looking out at water that was making the water feel uncomfortable - of course you can't see it here.

Head sail and Reefed Main sail.

Another view of the two sails.

We made fantastic time. We sailed at about 6+ knots over ground across the Strait with winds ranging mostly from 15 to 20 knots. They dwindled a couple of times but always picked right back up. The autopilot handled beautifully, and we were thrilled with our day of sailing. No whale sightings this time around, and Artemus stayed completely hunkered down for the entire passage.

We finally arrived at Saysutshun at about 2:30 PM. Navionics had estimated a 1:00 PM arrival, but there’s a shallow section just past where the BC Ferries come in to get around to Saysutshun. I always tend to take it slow through there, which accounts for the extra time. We picked up a mooring buoy in what I just discovered (thanks to Apple Maps!) is actually called Mark Bay. I had no idea!

Once we were settled, we hopped into Big Mack and buzzed over to the dinghy dock. We walked up to the marine office to pay for our mooring ball for the night and grab a couple of shower tokens. We only plan to stay here one night before heading to Kendrick Island (where we anchored at the very beginning of our trip!). The showers here require specific tokens rather than coins, so you have to make sure you stock up while the office is actually open.

After a quick recon mission to the showers to see what we’d need to bring, we hit the concession stand for ice cream in a cup. I should have taken some photos but I was too hot and all I could think about was getting cool. It was a scorcher today! It’s usually chilly at night and mild during the day, but today hit about 29°C. Coming across the Strait, I was actually chilly; we didn't feel the heat at all until we pulled into Mark Bay.

The plan was simple: head back to Lil' Ollie, rest for a bit, go tackle the showers, and then dinghy over to the Dinghy Dock Pub so I could finally buy Greg the birthday dinner I owed him.

After our rest, Greg and I went to our respective showers. I got into my stall, stripped all the way down, got everything perfectly prepped for this highly anticipated shower, dropped my token in... and nothing. No water.

I admit, I was a little upset. I gave the token machine a good whack with the side of my hand, praying the coin would drop where it was supposed to. No such luck. I had to get completely dressed again in my warm clothes, pack everything back into my bag, and march back to the office to report the robbery.

As I was leaving, another woman walked in. I explained my dilemma through the door, and she opted for the other stall—which I had avoided because it looked completely dark. She went in and yelled out that the light was motion-activated!

I finally got to the office only to find a sign in the window: "Back in 5 minutes." Oh no. At this point, I was practically fuming, but I knew getting mad was just going to make me sweat more in the heat. I vaguely remembered having some sort of issue the last time I showered here, too! I walked around the building trying to find someone, vented to a few sympathetic strangers heading to the showers themselves, and finally made it back to the office just as the two attendants returned from checking boats.

Thankfully, they were incredibly helpful. They figured the machine had jammed, handed me two fresh tokens, and promised to come fix it. I marched back to the showers, waited a moment for the motion-sensor-light lady to finish, and finally got my shower.

And let me tell you, getting that cool water on my head felt so incredibly good.

When I walked out, a woman waiting outside with her daughter told me I looked refreshed. "I feel refreshed!" I told her. I found Greg relaxing under a tree outside, reading on his phone (what else is a guy to do?), and we walked back to the dinghy to carry on with our evening.

We dinghied over to the Dinghy Dock Pub and kicked things off with a couple of cold IPAs. The food was pretty good—I had the Prawn Linguini with a salad, and Greg had a burger and salad to celebrate his delayed birthday dinner.

I should have gotten pictures of this dinner - but nope - by this time, the ipa was hitting me.

Now we're back on the boat. I'm finishing up this post, Greg is back to reading, and the sun is finally going down. It's getting dark out, so I'm going to head inside for the night!