Friday, 20 October 2023
Tuesday, 5 September 2023
The Essential Galley Companion by Amanda Swan Neal
Monday, 14 August 2023
A cloudy day
North Kent Island |
In the anchorage, the day started well ... at 6 a.m. the sun shone brightly. However, by 8:00 the fog had rolled in and there was a total white-out. Later and even as the fog dispersed, it was unreleningly cloudy.
Undeterred, we jumped in the water and into the amazing colourful world Beneath. I marvelled at the beautiful plumose anemones ... Larry captured some amazing photos. The World Beneath is spectacular here in Supernatural British Columbia!
plumose anemone |
Clown nudibranch with eggs |
Our Underwater World |
Saturday, 5 August 2023
Excitement in the Narrows
Approaching Rait Narrows |
Wednesday, 2 August 2023
Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest
This beautiful book is by Dr. Andy Lamb and Bernard P. Hanby. It's invaluable for everyone sailing or living near this coastline. The assembled photographs and basic information introduce one to all the amazing plants and animals gracing this coast from Alaska down to mid-California. We live in one of the BEST scuba-diving and adventure regions on earth (at least that's our prejudiced view).
Nearly 30 years ago, we took up diving to allow us to clean, monitor and dive under Traversay's hull. However we were not happy together underwater ... Larry was too fast-moving for my leisurely pace. That changed once we enrolled in Andy's Marine I.D. course and Larry started photographing animals we saw. We really enjoyed the course - particularly savouring Virginia Lamb's breaktime cookies! Discovering the New World underwater became one of our paramount pleasures.
We never imagined that scuba diving would become one of THE most fun, people-meeting and important skills we could have during our travels. Shortly after we met Andy we spent significant time on Lamb-organized West Coast Dive Charters. Bernie was also 'on location' using his skills to photograph the tiniest and most improbable-seeming underwater creatures. His images literally took our breath away.
During our travels, in order to meet local people, we would sometimes print extra photos of endemic underwater creatures so people could see the wealth of beauty underneath their boat hulls. Some marine folks we met (including Dr Paul Brickle in the Falklands) wanted to use this book as a model for future Marine I.D. books for their dive areas.
Tunicate Siphon Hydroid (endocrypta huntsmani) |
A few days ago, I decided to start reading the book rather than just using it as a reference. I admit I didn't get very far into the first section (on Flowering Plants and Marine Algae) ... my attention span began to falter with the enormity of knowledge present in these pages. Progressing a little further, I was amazed to find the I.D. of a species Larry had just photographed under the later Hydroid category.
This ANIMAL lives with a more advanced life form - the tunicate - but rather than attacking and eating the tunicate itself, it harmoniously shares it's food in a commensal relationship. Thank goodness we had Bernie's picture and Andy's description of the Tunicate Siphon Hydroid (see it on page 103).
Emily Carr Inlet |
We couldn't have guessed that such incestuous goings-on could be happening in this beautiful location!
Saturday, 29 July 2023
Emily Carr Inlet 52-55.67N 129-08.77W
K'tzim Bear habitat |
Ranger Station |
We arrived here yesterday after a 30-hour offshore sailing trip from Khutzeymateen Inlet assisted by excellent winds. Another distinguishing feature was the almost total white fog which accompanied us. By using the radar and AIS we were able to sculpt a safe course.
At the Park we saw at least 8 bears ... alas they were at a considerable distance. I saw a cinnamon-coloured Mom with 3 babies .O.. but L only saw 2 babies .O. Regulations are very strict and we couldn't bring the boat very close. We didn't see other tourists ... a few small fast boats sped past. There's the opportunity to stay in a nearby Lodge or to pay authorized guides to take you in closer. The Lodge must be a lot of fun ... we saw people breakfasting in a dining room and the number of crabpots in evicence suggests that people get to dine on our favourite seafood ... Dungeness crab!
We tied up to the dock at the Ranger Station and Tsimshian Nation guides Norm and Al (from Port Simpson) answered questions and showed us the well-documented information boards about these bears.
Can You See the Face? |
Tuesday, 25 July 2023
At Khutzeymateen
In Kent Island Anchorage |
Friday, 14 July 2023
Summer 2023
Forward Harbour B.C.
Our summer trip started with purchasing new anchor chain ... this happened 2x as the first chain got ensnared by rocks in Brentwood Bay near our Home Port of Victoria. The 100m of good chain is still there ... if anyone is adventurous enough to try to retiieve it!
log boom on the Fraser River |
Baby racoon at Newcastle Island Nanaimo |
We've visited friends in Nanaimo and spent time at Milltown Marina on the Fraser River near Vancouver. We spent a glorious week swimming and sunning in Prideaux Haven in the George Vancouver-named 'Desolation Sound'. This is not an apt name for the area which boasts excellent anchorages, spectacular mountain scenery and warm summer waters.
We have seen moon snail egg shell masses, ochre stars, dolphins, and hooded nudibranch in the shallows. Soon we'll be diving underwater. Above the water we've seen masses of dolphins, whales and bald eagles.
We sped through the rapids at Yakulta and have been here now for 4 days of Boat Projects for Larry and piano playing (Bach n Brahms) for me.
Moon snail |
Ochre stars (purple variant) |
Moon snail egg casing |
Hooded Nudibranch |
Monday, 16 January 2023
A close look at green surf anemones!
The above GREEN SURF ANEMONE photo was taken last February.
We've managed to dive several times in Effingham Bay. If you choose to sail here, BEWARE as there's a high wooden deadhead which is grounded to the seabed. It shows up on radar if you come in at night.
I was anxious to see the green surf anemones which are clustered around the islet in Effingham. The best time to see and photograph them would be at high tide, so we anchored nearby and Larry tied 2 lines to the islet shore as a precaution. We hung on to one of the lines and snorkelled over ... they are very beautiful. Unfortunately, when I tried to descend I wasn't able to dive down this time (that has happened to me about 5x over the last 30 years).
In addition we realized that a horrid accident had happened (due to a minor oversight) and our faithful camera was flooded! Fortunately, 40 good pictures taken in our earlier dives here this year are stored as well as this favourite photo of green surf anemones taken last year. We'll have to decide about whether to get a new camera.
Thursday, 12 January 2023
A Sunny Day!
We awoke today to another rainy day. In the forseeable future only rainy days parade across rhe weather forecast.
So we were fortuntate to have a day with mostly sunshine on Tuesday ... that's the day that we detached from our secure anchorage and motored to Refuge/Toquaht Bay to see the waterfall. We saw our first other boat far in the distance. We theorize it might have belonged to the owner of an aquaculture farm in the vicinity of Refuge. The boat left from a brand-new caravan parked up above some wooden buoyed platforms which betoken aquaculture activity.
Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Back to Barkley Sound
We then follow up with the same system for our other rolled sternline and Larry we connect the 'flaked' line from the forward hatch to the bow and yet another tree. We now feel perfectly secure here. Not only that, but we've been able to dive and take some beautiful photos. I/m grateful to the folks who fixed my knee to enable scuba diving once again: Dr Galas, Dr Torstensen, Dale Rainsford (physiotherapist).