happylife

After a Long Break

The other day, I went to Wakayama to enjoy sailing after a long break. According to my blog, it was more than two years ago when I sailed in Vancouver last. I hadn't even touched a sailing boat since then because sailing is not so common in Japan. It's really weird as Japan is surrounded by the ocean. Anyway, I sailed my friend's friend's boat this time, which was way more gorgeous and well designed than any other boats I have boarded in Canada. It sailed at more than seven knots with a gentle breeze and we could enjoy dinner watching a high-vision TV in the cabin. They are planning to sail to Okinawa to watch the eclipse of the sun this July and I was invited to the eclipse cruising. That must be great. I'm really looking forward to it, but I'm scared of the hard weather -- July is the Typhoon season and Okinawa is one of the most notorious mecca for Typoon!

Sailing after a long break

The weather condition was just the same as the forecast said; the fog in the morning had gone way by noon. I sailed out early in the afternoon after pumping out three bucketful of bilge water. The engine could start by drawing the starter cord three times. Everything was perfect. I enjoyed sailing in English Bay after months of break. As it was Saturday, other sailors were enjoying their first sailing this year just like me. The wind was weak and the swell was a little bit high, but they were completely compensated by the clear blue sky. I stopped my boat out at sea and boiled water to enjoy tea time. What a happy time! I was sorry because I had to come back in a few hours because another fog came close. Choosing the best hours is the key of winter sailing. It's a little bit difficult and different than in summer season. Anyway, this weather is going to continue for a few more days according to the forecast. I hope to enjoy some more sailing before going back to Japan.

The temporaly bule sky

When did I see the blue sky like this last time? Thanks to the storm last night, we had a blue sky after a long break. I went to the marina for the first time in this month. I though about enjoying sailing but the wind was too strong. It was not impossible for me to sail under the conditions, but simply I didn't like it. I pumped out the bilge water using a handy pump instead. I had to pump out five bucketful of water because my boat leaks badly. I know where are the leaks but I had been too lazy to repair them because it is not a critical problem. Leaking from the bottom is critical, but it is from the roof in my case. After drying up the boat, I was thinking about riding to Stanley Park but I couldn't because another cloud was coming to cover the sky. I wonder when I can see the next blue sky.

Leaky boat

I went to the marina after a long break. It was not for sailing but for checking my boat. The roof deck of my boat is a little bit leaky and I have to pump out the bilge water using this hand pump after having a lot of rain. It's not a hard work but I often fail to do it causing an outbreak of mold. It might be the time to cover the boat with a waterproof sheet, but if I did it, it means that I can't enjoy sailing this year anymore. It's hard to decide when to give up sailing. I wish we had only one clear day a week at least in winter in Vancouver.

The calm sea

We got up around 10:00 in the next morning after the ideal camping night. As I had to come back to Downtown by the late afternoon to do some stupid procedure about the car insurance, we left Plumper Cove before noon. The weather was as good as yesterday, and the sea was quite calm without wave and current on the way. Although we couldn't sail under the conditions, we could enjoy this fantastic view. My boat proceeded by the motor, cutting through the mirror surface of the sea. Sitting on the bow deck and watching the sea surface is one of the most pleasure feeling except in rough conditions.

To hog a camping site

I sailed to the Keats Island with my friend to enjoy overnight camping again. When we arrived at the dock of Plumper Cove, there was only one power boat which was to leave in a few hours before the night. The camping site can hold more than 20 tents and is usually full of campers in the summer season, but it was weekday in October, and there was no one except for us. Plus, there was no one who collects the camping and docking fee which is usually $30. We could hog the huge camping site for free! We occupied the best camping site where we can enjoy both sea and forest view, and of course we enjoyed bonfire with a delicious dinner under the bright moon. It was really an ideal and perfect camping.

Heel

It was a windy condition, and I dared to sail in English Bay singlehandedly. The purpose was taking an exciting shot of a heeling boat. I chose the largest fore-sail and tightened the main sheet. Sailing boats are to heel most in this sail pattern. The heeling angle was more than 40 degrees and the sea surface looked like a wall, but thanks to the keel, a heavy weight under the bottom, my sailing boat would never summersault. Of course, too much heeling is inefficient and we rarely do it intentionally. It was just for fun.

Howe Sound sailing

After coming back from the Rocky Mountains and seeing off my family at the airport, I went overnight sailing with my friends to Howe Sound. It was a kind of ideal sailing; relaxing and not hectic because every member was a sailing instructor. We bought fresh seafood at Granville Island Public Market in the morning of the departure day, and we arrived at the Keats Island after four hours. As it was Monday and the season was autumn, there were few visitors and no disturbing noise. After exploring the island on a small dinghy, we cooked Paella on the boat. It was so delicious that we ate up three cups of rice by three people in addition to Boccontini salad. After the dinner we made a bonfire and had marshmallows. The bonfire was so interesting that it was almost four hours later when we went to bed.

Seals in English Bay

One of the most popular wildlife in English Bay is the ear-less seals. We often see them not only while sailing off the coast but also around the marina. It's easy to see them but not so to take their good picture, because they would dive soon after popping out of the sea to take a breath for seconds. When I was sailing with my friends, we heard a sound just like a snort. It was a breathing of this black, slippery and round creature. One of the friends said that he seems to be Darth Vader! Anyway, it was several years ago when a seal appeared in the lower reaches of the Tama River in Tokyo. He suddenly became a TV star and was named "Tama-chan." For this reason, when we Japanese see the seals in Vancouver or any other places, we always call them "Tama-chan."

After arriving at Vancouver

We got up around 6:00 and left Silver Bay. We had a moderate NW wind and could enjoy comfortable sailing across the Straight of Georgia. It was around 10:00 when we arrived at out home town, but we couldn't land before clearing customs. We docked at a custom's dock and our skipper called the custom. He had to talk with the custom's officer for thirty minutes by phone and we waited for minutes before three custom's officers come to our boat place. They ordered us to leave the boat and asked some custom's questions to each of us. It took rather a long time as there were Canadians, an American and Japanese on board, but after thirty or forty minutes later we all passed  customs and we really arrived at Vancouver. I thought that crossing the border was way easier than I had expected. It would be interesting to sail to the U.S. area on my boat next time.