Ballet Bay

     Taking a bit of a rest today at Ballet Bay on the mainland, part way up Malaspina Strait. The weather is reported as south easterly's to 25 knots, which could be a little uncomfortable for some.

  The crossing of the Georgia Strait was uneventful, which was welcome. We had calm winds and seas the whole time. We pulled into Secret Cove and anchored with a stern tie to the shore. A kayak ride around the beautiful cove and then a walk on the park trails was welcome.

   Unfortunately during the night a very strong south wind came up over our beam and caused us to drag our anchor, pushing us close to the rocks. About 1:00 am, Dave and Pat braved the wind and dark and placed another anchor in order to keep us from hitting the rocks. In the process, Pat broke an oar lock on the dingy. Dave set an hourly alarm and checked that things stayed stable. It was a sleepless night, but we all learned something, and kept the boats and ourselves safe.

   The next morning, we decided to take advantage of a brisk 15 to 20 knot wind, and sailed two hours north to Ballet Bay. It was a fast run with the wind on a three foot following sea. Dave and I had a wonderful time flying the 100% genoa. Sometimes reaching 7.5 knots. Pat and Betty kept right up flying their jib at about 50%. The first half was rocking and rolling, but it smoothed off nicely later.

   Earlier today, we pulled the hook and poked our noses out the Strait, but the seas were too heavy, so we reset the anchor. The plan is to stick around here until the winds calm down a bit, and then travel on to the Copeland Islands. There are oysters in the bay, so we could have a bit of a feast later.

Cheers! Pete.