Cary wrote:8GCBC wrote:Cary wrote:If you decide to take some time in Nanaimo, it's a wonderful place. Some 14 years ago, I had to weather over there in my 19' boat for several days (read about it in my book, "The Ultimate Small Boat Adventure", still available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc.) --the Georgia Strait was too rough to cross. We've been there by larger boat several times since then. Last summer, the day after we got there and had planned to go on to the Gulf Islands, Marilyn asked if we could stay over another night. Sure--and then we stayed over a third night. We really love the town.
FWIW, best fish and chips anywhere (I really mean "anywhere") are at Trollers, a little place literally on the docks in the boat basin. Also good food across at the dock at Protection Island--a tiny ferry boat makes several runs every day. And of course, you can't go to Nanaimo without getting a delicious Nanaimo Bar, a chocolate, creme, coconut concoction that will make you gain weight with one bite. There's a terrific intra-city bus service--I don't know if it goes to the airport, which is actually about 7 miles south of the city. On a rainy day there 3 years ago, we spent the day touring on the bus.
Cary
Hi Cary,
Thank you for the insight to Nanaimo. I known the Coastal weather may keep me in various places longer than planned. What is your book about? I love sailing and adventure stories.
Three rules I have learned on the Coast; (1) Don't push the weather, (2) Don't push the weather and (3) Don't push the weather.
Do you know of a Canadian named Brent Swain? He designed and helped build the hull on my 37' cutter that is moored in Hawaii. Very talented shipwright.
Cheers from Kirra, Australia Mate!
The book is about my solo (with dog) trip in my 19' Sea Ray from Port Orchard, WA, through the San Juan Islands of Washington and BC and the Gulf Islands of BC, up north to Princess Louisa, Campbell River, Desolation Sound, etc., about 1000 miles and 28 days, sort of a glorified log. Lots of fun, one of those "once in a lifetime" adventures. I really fell in love with the whole area--incredible scenery (
especially Princess Louisa, which is only accessible by boat or float plane--a place not to be missed and worth a diversion). And with the exception only of the twits that run the Bathgate marina store at Egmont, BC, who were both decidedly the grumpiest imaginable, a land populated by superbly friendly and helpful people.
To keep this in the flying genre, because of having to wait for the Strait to calm down some over several days, I spent hours and hours watching the floatplanes of both Kenmore and Baxter come in and out of the Nanaimo boat basin. Of course, they come into almost every other marina, too, but they're like bees to the nest there. I'm pretty sure it was then that I said to myself, "Cary, you've got to learn to fly one of those things!"
Since most of the marinas are very sheltered, even when the more open water is ruffled up, a float plane could be safely landed at most of them. I wouldn't even think about trying it on the open water, which from my boating experiences up there is more than almost any type of seaplane could handle. My Sea Ray handled it only because I'm such a superb boatman
, but it was a lot easier in the trawlers we have chartered, a 32' Nordic Tug and a 36' Grand Banks. Even when relatively calm, most of the open water has 2-3' chop.
Cary
