Madsu is still sporting her doubled up lines – a series of gales last week rocked the docks at Horseshoe Bay.
I had to replace a stern line that parted due to the surging – opted to up-size while I was at it. From now until I pull the boat out of the water later this month I think I’ll keep the lines doubled up – we seem to be getting lots of those big winds from the North (which is pretty normal for this time of year).
A sure sign of fall in Horseshoe Bay – aside from the colour of the leaves.
Sewell’s has started pulling some of their rental boats out of the water.
Usually this side of that float is full.
I was going to take advantage of the sunshine today for a bit of sailing. I arrived at Horseshoe Bay around 11 to find not a stitch of wind, and lots of fog-banks still hanging around the sound.
Beautiful day, even if I didn’t get out sailing.
It takes a bit longer for the sun to warm things up, but still able to sail barefoot in October, pretty grand.
I completely forgot my cameras, and had to take this with my cell phone.
Even though it’s the middle of September, we spent the afternoon swimming at Plumber Cove.
I’m not sure what the daytime high was, probably in the low twenties, but the sun felt hot, and it was a delight to swim and play with the kids in the salt water.
Around 10:30 on Sunday, we got word that the normally ‘bear free’ Keats Island had suddenly become home to a black bear. He or she swam over from the mainland, and park managers were running from camp site to camp site asking visitors to pack out their food.
Black bears are strong swimmers, and Dane, the park guy, told me that there usually is one incident a year of a bear swimming over.
I guess the bear thought the water was just too fine to pass up, like the rest of us.
It was a pleasant surprise to find Erramus at Keats Island while we were there for the weekend.
She’s Ron and Merideth’s beautiful Valiant 40, and they were up for the night with some other friend so ours. I first met Ron at SFU doing the summer publishing series.
I had a good look at Ron’s freshly healed hand – he had a pretty scary encounter with a windlass while they were sailing up coast. All’s well, though hand modeling is apparently out of the picture.
Madsu feels mighty small after stepping aboard Erramus for a quick visit.
Spent a good part of the afternoon swimming in Plumper Cove on Keats Island.
Friends and their kids were camping on the island, so we spent a fabulous afternoon playing in the crystal clear cove.
It’s pretty quiet on Sewell’s east docks now that the long-weekend has gone by.
Great September sailing ahead !
I spent most of the afternoon swimming off Madsu while at Plumper Cove. With record temperatures in BC this week, a dip in the ocean is about as refreshing as it gets.
All around the anchorage you could hear the sound of people diving into the water – unusual on any but the hottest days on the BC coast.
Plumper Cove, Keats Island, British Columbia.