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Re: Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do Barkley Sound
Mon 23 Jul 2012
The night passed quietly with no rain and the wind dropped a little overnight. We set the destination rendezvous for the day as the campsite on Gilbert Island, near Effingham, towards the outer edge of the Broken Group. The day started to brighten while we were having breakfast and by the time we got going at about 1000, it was partially sunny. By this time the wind had stated to pick up again and it was blowing right through the pass near the campsite.
Bandwagon and Big Food outside the lagoon with the white sand beach
I rowed over to a white sand beach in a lagoon-like setting on Dempster Island I remembered from previous visits, and after a false start, found the entrance. James joined me and later Tim came in but Eric never found us.
The beach/lagoon
We looked at the tide pools and admired the setting then moved out, intending to stop at, perhaps, Keith Island for lunch. By the time we got there, though, the wind picked up more and was blowing right on the beach so stopping was out. I changed my rig down to the main mast in the centre position but found that as I got out into the main channel for the reach to Gilbert, I was dipping the lee rail more than I liked in the gusts, so down came the main and up went the mizzen in its place. That was just right for the gusts, though perhaps a little underpowered for the lulls, but I was willing to give up overall speed for keeping the boat more upright. We later estimated the wind at about 18 kts. Prior to this, I was gaining on Big Food and Bandwagon, but Eric passed me after I changed to the mizzen, even though he had a reef in.
From this point it was a beat/close reach all the way across Coaster Channel to Gilbert Island, starboard tack all the way. James had forged ahead – ideal conditions for Rowan with just one reef. I started to catch Eric when I found the groove, but Tim found the conditions to be exactly wrong for Big Food in terms of the period of the chop and the sail area he could carry and so he fell behind. James went back to shepherd him along. As we got closer, I found I couldn’t quite fetch the light on the small island we had to get round the north of to get to Gilbert so had to throw in a short tack to clear it and then carry on, on a close reach to the campground. We had been seeing another small lug yawl who converged on the campground at the same time. It turned out to be Chris from Delta, BC, in his Welsford Walkabout. He’d been out 6 days and was anchoring in various protected nooks around the Broken Group. It was unusual to have this many sail and oar boats in this area at once. Last year I was a decided rarity with Hornpipe.
By the time we landed, it was a late lunch for me and about ¾ of an hour later Tim and James came in. It had been a great sail, fast and challenging, although the glorious sunshine of earlier had given way to low cloud. Clothesline moorings were rigged and camps set up and the crab pot went down.
Gilbert Island campsite
(p.s. the white horizontal thing on the bow is a detachable lifting handle to prevent the arm strain I experienced last year on these same beaches while hauling the boat up on the sand as the tide comes in. I can now strain both arms and my back at once!)
There is a trail through to a cove on the other side of the island that yielded enough firewood for a fire that evening. Normally a crowded campsite, the only other people there was a couple kayak camping with 2 very young children. What a great way to introduce them to an active life. As they grow older, it will just seem normal.
Mon 23 Jul 2012
The night passed quietly with no rain and the wind dropped a little overnight. We set the destination rendezvous for the day as the campsite on Gilbert Island, near Effingham, towards the outer edge of the Broken Group. The day started to brighten while we were having breakfast and by the time we got going at about 1000, it was partially sunny. By this time the wind had stated to pick up again and it was blowing right through the pass near the campsite.
Bandwagon and Big Food outside the lagoon with the white sand beach
I rowed over to a white sand beach in a lagoon-like setting on Dempster Island I remembered from previous visits, and after a false start, found the entrance. James joined me and later Tim came in but Eric never found us.
The beach/lagoon
We looked at the tide pools and admired the setting then moved out, intending to stop at, perhaps, Keith Island for lunch. By the time we got there, though, the wind picked up more and was blowing right on the beach so stopping was out. I changed my rig down to the main mast in the centre position but found that as I got out into the main channel for the reach to Gilbert, I was dipping the lee rail more than I liked in the gusts, so down came the main and up went the mizzen in its place. That was just right for the gusts, though perhaps a little underpowered for the lulls, but I was willing to give up overall speed for keeping the boat more upright. We later estimated the wind at about 18 kts. Prior to this, I was gaining on Big Food and Bandwagon, but Eric passed me after I changed to the mizzen, even though he had a reef in.
From this point it was a beat/close reach all the way across Coaster Channel to Gilbert Island, starboard tack all the way. James had forged ahead – ideal conditions for Rowan with just one reef. I started to catch Eric when I found the groove, but Tim found the conditions to be exactly wrong for Big Food in terms of the period of the chop and the sail area he could carry and so he fell behind. James went back to shepherd him along. As we got closer, I found I couldn’t quite fetch the light on the small island we had to get round the north of to get to Gilbert so had to throw in a short tack to clear it and then carry on, on a close reach to the campground. We had been seeing another small lug yawl who converged on the campground at the same time. It turned out to be Chris from Delta, BC, in his Welsford Walkabout. He’d been out 6 days and was anchoring in various protected nooks around the Broken Group. It was unusual to have this many sail and oar boats in this area at once. Last year I was a decided rarity with Hornpipe.
By the time we landed, it was a late lunch for me and about ¾ of an hour later Tim and James came in. It had been a great sail, fast and challenging, although the glorious sunshine of earlier had given way to low cloud. Clothesline moorings were rigged and camps set up and the crab pot went down.
Gilbert Island campsite
(p.s. the white horizontal thing on the bow is a detachable lifting handle to prevent the arm strain I experienced last year on these same beaches while hauling the boat up on the sand as the tide comes in. I can now strain both arms and my back at once!)
There is a trail through to a cove on the other side of the island that yielded enough firewood for a fire that evening. Normally a crowded campsite, the only other people there was a couple kayak camping with 2 very young children. What a great way to introduce them to an active life. As they grow older, it will just seem normal.
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