Secondly, you must watch this video.

As far as I know, I am the youngest captain to circumnavigate Vancouver Island. That is definitely something to put on my resume! 

*Note to self: Update resume.

After 6 weeks aboard Themistocles, it is amazing to have a dishwasher, an electric stove, unlimited showers, a REAL bed… The list goes on.

However, don't be fooled. I do miss the 'sea life'. I miss the sunrises, the sunsets, the sound of waves lapping against the hull and the sights that we saw everyday. It was truly the most powerful experience of my life. It is something I will never forget.

The trip from Powell River was a day of motoring. The biggest gust we saw was 8kts. Unfortunately, I timed it so we were rounding Cape Mudge as the biggest flood current in a while was flowing. We nearly went backwards as we motored though 6.5kts of current. I decided to scoot over towards the shores of Campbell River as the currents are always less powerful over there. In 60ft of water just off the shore, we were able to make 4kts over ground as we made our way towards the Discovery Harbour. I would like to give them a big shout out, they are a great marina. Truly the best of all the ones we stopped at!

The moment I returned to Campbell River, I felt a sense of belonging, a sense of relief. The moment I held Taylor in my arms, I lost all of the stresses that burdened me. The moment I gazed into her dark brown eyes, I knew that this young lady felt the same. She has my heart and I have hers.

While my life in Campbell River isn't perfect, it is pretty darned close.

Today is the fourth day I have spent on dry land. 

I still have a lot to sort out, but I have a plan. 

- Themistocles will be repaired and transported to Vancouver where it will be sold (I can't afford this beautiful old boat). If you want a fully outfitted cruising boat, send me an email. 45k and its yours!

- Funds will be sorted out and donated to the JDRF as soon as possible.

- And after much thought, I have decided to obtain my Real Estate License and try to slug it out in the tough world of commission based salaries. Do you know any real estate agents in Vancouver looking for an assistant?

- I will be contacting publishers and trying to build relations to have a novel published chronicling my experiences building up to, on, and after the trip. Prepare for a page turner full of adventure, stress, love, and laughs.

I would like to give a huge thank you to everyone who has supported my journey, and everyone who continues to support. Every word, every dollar; everything helps.

Please stay updated on this blog to follow the events! I will try to post once a week if possible. 

Over and out. 

Looking a little grungy; but home.

As I approached the office, I quickly learn that they aren't open until 8am! It is currently 7:05 and we are leaving ASAP.

I decide to write a short note and include the keys in the envelope. As I go to slip the envelope in the mail slot, I see someone moving in the office.

I knock.

Eventually, a dark haired lady makes her way to the door. She greets me with a not so pleasant, "What do you want?"

I try to explain that I would like to speak with her regarding having moorage donated, but I am quickly cut off and told off. Great.

I hand her the marina keys and the letter which has my contact info and hurry off as quickly as possible.

I make my way back into the marina, start up Themistocles and putter over to the fuel dock to top off our tanks.

As I approach the fuel dock, I see that they also aren't open until 8am either! Fantastic.

I check my phone. It is 7:41. We will wait a little before buzzing for the fuel dock attendant.

After waiting for 15 minutes, I wander over to the buzzer and 'press for service'.

Minutes later I am greeted by a very upset old man. First he unleashes a passive aggressive attack for getting him up so early, but after a few light hearted comments I clue in to the fact that he is serious.

Seriously?

Soon he unleashes a tirade of attacks for being a couple minutes early. The old man makes complaint after complaint. I ignore.

As I go to uncoil the diesel hose to help him out, he quickly barks "JUST WAIT A DAMN MINUTE"

"WOULD WAITING A COUPLE MINUTES REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO YOUR DAY?"

I quickly take my paws off the hose.

He uncoils the hose, walks it over to the boat and hands me the nozzle. I throw some diesel in the tanks and then re-coil the hose and walk over to the office. I pay with cash and let him keep the change. I don't want to spend another second in his presence. 

I won't be stopping at that fuel dock ever again.

Once again, I fire up ol' trusty and we get the heck out of the marina.

We motor through Shoal Channel at low tide and after a few tense minutes of 14ft deep water, we emerge to the other side and are back into the triple digits.

We point our bow towards Powell River.

The day is boring. We pass a few beautiful sand cliffs, but that is the highlight of the journey. 

I spend the day attempting to catch some rays, but as my wicked 'farmers tan' shows…. I wasn't very successful.

As we near Powell River, I call over VHF to the Westview Harbour. I wait but receive no response. I try again. No response. 

We begin to motor in and after being blown around in 15-20kt winds in this tight marina, we manage to tie up securely.

It is 4:45pm.

We contact Carsen's family and end up meeting his cousin who lives nearby. We head up to his small apartment for a quick dinner.

After munching down some pasta, I make my way back to the marina and have a LONG and VERY HOT shower. It feels so good to be so clean. 

All of the marina facilities in Westview Harbour are nearly brand new; having only been constructed a couple of years ago.

After looking at future careers on my laptop, and dreaming I wander back to the boat. I am exhausted.

As soon as my dark, tanned cheek touches my pillow I drift off into the world of dreams, of fairy tales.

I dream of an angel. A true goddess. A girl with a smile that lights up my world, and deep, dark brown eyes that capture my soul. Captivate me with their gaze. This girl light up my world; both dream and real. I can't believe she is all mine, and not just a dream.

I wake up to the unpleasant sound of a BC ferry. The only downside to Westview Harbour is the fact that the BC ferry dock is RIGHT THERE. As it readies to leave, I can even hear the onboard safety announcements. I hear THREE ferries before I manage to pull myself out of bed. Shortly after waking up, my phone begins to buzz.

It is Kierra, from the Powell River Peak! She is coming down in 20 minutes for an interview. I scarf down a quick breakfast, slurp back some water and check my hair.

Good to go.

I meet her 5 minutes later. We start the interview, and part way through I realize I haven't brushed my teeth. I cant help but smile to myself.

At least you wont be able to tell in the newspaper photo. Right? 

… Right?

After the interview, we decide to meet up once again with Carsen's cousin and are soon joined by his aunt and other cousin! We hit the town and spend the afternoon running errands, after a couple of stops, we head to the pool hall for some nachos and a quick game.

Afterwards, we take the whole gang down to the boat to give them the tour. A mere seconds later and we are done. It is sure easy to give the full tour on a small boat!

We are invited for dinner. I am excited! I've been told countless times by Carsen how amazing his aunts cooking is.

After a spectacular home cooked meal, we head back to the boat. We are loaded up with goodies for desert.

After munching on some of the goodies, I spend some time blogging. I now think it is almost time for bed!

NOTE: TOMORROW WE WILL RETURN TO CAMPBELL RIVER. PLEASE COME DOWN TO VISIT US AT APPROXIMATELY 3:30PM AT THE DISCOVERY HARBOUR!

Over and out. Homebound.

Before I hopped out of the car, I gave her one last peck on the lips. A farewell. Her chocolate coloured eyes penetrate my soul as I make eye contact one last time before I leave.

I board the SeaBus and begin my journey back to Kitsilano as the sun begins to set. On the ride across I nearly fall asleep as I am consumed by my daydreams. The ferry thuds into the dock, shuddering from the impact. Startled, I am broken from my daze.

I stand up and wander into Vancouver's Waterfront Station. As I walk the street to my bus stop I can't help but notice the homeless residents of Gastown. I have never seen such sights of despair, the look of sadness, pure and simple, in their eyes.

As I enter the bus, I find it nearly empty. I sit near the back and watch as buildings, lights, people and cars seemed to drift by. Once again, I daydream and I nearly fall asleep. My stop is called and I exit the bus, and begin to walk home. Darkness has nearly consumed the city. I make it to my fathers house just as the last of the sunlight fades away.

I clamber into bed and prepare for the next day. Tomorrow we head off to Gibsons, after I see Taylor for one last time as we visit a local Culinary School.

I awake early. My phone and laptop have both died, so I charge them. I grab myself a bowl of cereal before I begin to pack all of my gear to bring back to the boat. My father has already left for Langley; for work.

I pack everything into one 35L backpack and after a cup of coffee and some fruit, I am good to go! I begin to walk towards the culinary school and after passing countless road construction sites as the sun beams down on me (There are two seasons in BC… Winter and Road Construction) I arrive at the school, hot, sticky and thirsty.

As I round the corner, I once again lay eyes on the most beautiful girl in the world. After dropping the 40lb backpack I run up and bear hug her. 

After a short meet and greet once again, Taylor, Sherry, Chace and I wander up to the school for Taylor's tour at 11am. We are quickly introduced to Farooq, the schools career placement assistant/tour guide. After an introduction, Farooq gives us a run down on the programs curriculum and begins to give us a tour of the teeny, but passion filled school. 

I am dazzled by the intimacy of the programs, with only 12 students per class, it is a very hands on learning experience. Fifteen minutes into the tour, I know I must go. I shake Farooq's hand, hug Taylor, and wave goodbye to Sherry and Chace. Donning my 40lb backpack, I briskly exit the building and meet up with Carsen who has just arrived outside.

We are late. I begin to jog towards the bus stop to catch our 11:44 bus. We manage to make it to the stop as 11:42 rolls around. We hop onboard and hope we can make it to the Seabus in time!

As we get off at Waterfront Station, we are the only people on the bus. Eerie.

As I saunter into the station, I notice the SeaBus has just arrived, and i about to make another trip back.

Already late, I know I cannot afford to wait another 15 minutes for the next SeaBus. I begin to run. 

Just as we board the SeaBus, the gates close and the doors shut. Just in time.

During the 15 minute ride across, I am consumed by teenage angst and worry. I find that I always get a little stressed before we leave a port that we have been in for a while, but this one is different. My heart is throbbing and I feel sick.

I feel like Vancouver is home. It is such a beautiful city, my dad lives here, and Taylor is planning on attending school here as well.

I know also, that we discussed with the marina a relatively strict 12pm departure time. It is 12:06 already. Great.

I also do not know how much fuel we have left. Do we have enough?

We are on a strange side tie moorage, are we blocked in?

However, all of these worries are overwhelmed by the single most powerful emotion I know. Love.

I miss Taylor beyond what I ever thought was possible to miss a person. My heart strains when I think of her.

I am shocked out of my angst by, once again, a shudder as the SeaBus hits the dock. These things must get a beating!

As Carsen and I hop off the SeaBus, I begin to walk briskly towards the marina. I sort out moorage and race to the docks. We are not blocked in. We have enough fuel for the day.

We fire up ol' trusty Themistocles and within minutes we are out of the marina and under way towards the Lionsgate bridge.

After nearly three hours of motoring without a lick of a breeze, I see a BC ferry. I know, that onboard that ferry right now, is Taylor, her mom and her brother. 

Taylor texts me. She can see our little boat!

I wave, but I know she cannot see us. My little heart flutters with joy.

As we near Gibsons, I am relieved. It has been a short day of sailing, and I cannot complain. We are nearly home.

As we enter Gibson's I call up the marina on the VHF and we are given our directions to our slip. We enter the marina, find our slip without issue, and tie up. Today has been an uncharacteristically issue free day on the boat.

Today marks week 5 onboard Themistocles. Thanks for keeping us alive you old boat!

After a quick breakfast, I start up our now seemingly trusty diesel and begin to putter on out of the Sooke Basin. Slack tide is reported to be in approximately 15 minutes; we have no time to waste. I weave through the maze of channel markers and avoid countless crab trap floats before nearing the area that we hit just days before. 

I tense up as we pass only a couple hundred feet north of it, but mere seconds tick by and we are safe.

We are back out on the open waters, heading towards Victoria, and the East coast of Vancouver Island!

Unfortunately, all marinas in Victoria are full; every single one! So, today is going to be a long day! We are headed directly for Wise Island; a small island just West of the popular Gulf Island get-away - Galiano Island. Carsen has family friend who have a cabin… and dock on the island. BIG shout out to the MacNab's for allowing us to stay there.

As we leave Sooke, the haze of light mist on the horizon begins to lift and burn off as the temperatures begin to exceed 20 degrees Celsius. Unfortunately though, the wind is light and not a single sailboat is sailing. As we near Victoria, the wind begins to pick up and we start to see 10kts off our beam. We hoist the genoa and continue motor-sailing… Just like everyone else.

As we begin to get closer to Victoria the amount of water traffic begins to pick up! Ferries, fishing boats, freighters… You name it, we see them all! We are forced to weave and dodge for a couple hours are we pass alongside Victoria.

As we round Discovery Island and the Oak Bay area, the amount of traffic begins to die down. I can lessen my guard a little.

We continue to motor-sail as we hug the Canada/United States border for miles as we head north to Wise Island.

After dodging various reefs and rocks, we can almost see Wise Island! Near Sidney, the water traffic begins to pick up again! Over the period of an hour we see 12 ferries! As we pass alongside Stuart Island in the United States, I take a photo for my beautiful girlfriend. Stuart is her surname.

After rounding Parker Island and the little rock known as Turtle Island we can see the back side of Wise Island! I motor alongside the teeny 1km long island and within seconds, the cove and the MacNab dock is in sight. I am shocked to see it is MAYBE 18ft long… A wee bit short for our heavy 34ft long sailboat. 

Not deterred, I nose in and pull alongside. With 8ft hanging off either end of the dock, our boat looks a little overpowering in the teeny cove. 

As the sun sets, I see just how majestic this place is. It is no more than a giant rock covered in a hundreds of young Arbutus and Cedar trees, but it holds a feeling of peace. It is easy to walk from one end of the island to the other in just a few minutes and not see a single soul. Subdivided into 50 lots in the 1960's, Wise Island has been dotted with many amazing summer homes and cabins ever since. It has no power, no sewage, to internet. NOTHING. Every single cabin is self sufficient, drawing water from a well, using solar and wind power and having their own septic system. It is perfect.

We spend our days reading, kayaking, catching rock crab and exploring the many nooks and crannies.

One day, I kayak the 4km over to Montague Harbour and manage to Hitch-Hike up to the local hotel/pub to use their wireless internet. I am welcomed by many kind faces of the happy locals of Galiano Island. Everyone is so at peace, so happy and not hurried on this tiny island. After quickly checking my email, I wander back down to the kayak and endure the 4km ride back to Wise Island against a slight current. Torture. 

I log approximately 9-10km of kayaking that day and walk at least 6km. That is enough excersize for me! After walking back up to the cabin, I slump into the couch and curl up with a book. After another hearty dinner, we settle down and watch a movie. Something so foreign to us. Television. 

I fall asleep half way through the film. I manage to get myself back into my bed. Somehow. 

I awake at 7:30am in preparation for our 9am departure. We must leave at 9am in order to make our passage though Porlier Pass at slack tide.

We depart the dock at 8:58am. Perfect.

As we motor towards the narrows, we are joined by an entourage of a number of other sailboats and motor boats all trying to make a passage through Porlier at slack tide.

We are the first to pass through the narrows in our group of sailboats. We are followed by seven others, many of whom turn Northwards. We are tailed by a beautiful ~45ft long wooden ketch all the way to Vancouver. As we round UBC, they turn towards the RVYC, and we continue to motor onwards through the field of tankers towards the Lionsgate Bridge.

As we ready to pass underneath, I see a HUGE tanker coming towards us, heading West. I hug Stanley Park and wave at the people on the Sea Walk. 

We slip alongside the tanker without a worry.

As we near Mosquito Creek marina, I send my dad a text letting him know that we are here!

Mosquito Creek is a confusing marina to say the least. The entrance is hidden, and the layout is strange. Getting lost in a marina is definitely a stressful experience. However, after avoiding numerous multimillion dollar yachts in the Burrard Yacht club, we find our slip back in the Mosquito Creek Marina and tie up without a worry. We sort everything out, plug in to shore power and begin to pack up our clothing.

We are staying at my dads!

A half hour after docking, my dad rolls into the parking lot and picks us up. After a quick hello, hugs and happy smiles, we clamber in to his car and speed off to Kitsilano Point; his home. Travelling at 80km'h is nerve wracking! Weaving and dodging traffic is so foreign. I miss it.

I say very little during the ride. I am exhausted. I am exhausted everyday.

We arrive and I explore his new place. It is a cute little townhouse just blocks from the beach. It is fantastic. 

I see my little sister, and the glow in her eyes lights up my heart. I smile. I've missed the little goof.

After an amazing dinner and a walk on the beach, I pass out in bed. I have amazing dreams and I wake up to the sound and smell of coffee being made. Perfect. So perfect.

I rouse myself from the clutches of sleepiness and go have a shower. When I emerge, I am greeted by fresh coffee and waffles! I feel so spoiled, so pampered. So relaxed.

After downing a HUGE breakfast I wander out onto the patio and enjoy the morning sun as I type this blog you are now reading. 

Enjoy the photos folks, and don't forget to donate! 

Over and out.

As I near the community school/library I send Taylor a text letting her know I will Skype her in five minutes.

I clamber on up the steps, whip out my laptop and within seconds I see a familiar face on my tiny macbook screen. I see a face that makes my heart flutter, butterflies form and my head spin. I see a face that I love more dearly than anything. Ever.

We talk plans. What Taylor is doing for school. Her life plan.

She is smart. More than coherent. She has her head screwed on right, and knows where she wants to go in life. This makes me very happy and I cant help but wear a smile the whole time we talk.

After a quick chat, we hang up and I begin to wander down to the RCMP boat to see Phil one last time. After graciously accepting his bail out money, we chat and realize that we may see each other in Sooke!

After our goodbyes, I begin to speedwalk back to the boat. We had a departure deadline of 8:30 and it is already 8:35.

I get back to the boat at 8:45 and fire the ol' beast up.

We pass the RCMP boat, Inkster, soon after departing our moorage. We wave as we pass them and we receive a couple of friendly waves back. We are out of Bamfield inlet before 9am.

As we are motoring westward Cape Beale the wind is non-existent, but the fog is thick. 

I hear a rumble in the distance… off our stern. I turn around and see a 60ft long aluminum boat flying. ABSOLUTELY FLYING. It is the 'Inkster' cruising along at 30+kts heading for Tofino.

They wave as they pass, and we return the gesture with a couple of waves.

We head south, toward Port Renfrew in a debilitating fog. Visibility is no more than a couple hundred feet.

Wind is non-existent, and so is sailing.

We enter Port San Juan around 4pm and head in towards the community dock. All of the sudden, it appears out of the fog. I spot and empty space and head straight towards it. Just as we are approaching the dock space, we are 'told off' by a number of rather blunt locals. As I begin to reverse out, the wind shifts, quickly. The 20kt breeze is no longer in our favour in blowing us towards the dock. It is now off our starboard quarter and blowing our blowing our stern quickly towards a number of other boats. Our prop walk which pulls us to port is no help either! I crank the wheel all the way over and apply 'ample' amounts of throttle as Carsen fends us off one aluminum sport fishing boat. We spin out of there without touching a single boat.

We head towards the our next best bet, the 'Pacific Gateway Marina'. As we near the marina, I see that nearly all the slips are full and they appear to only be 24ish feet long. As we near the marina, we are told that if we wait until 6pm we can tie up at the fuel dock. That sounds perfect!

I yell out "thank you!" and we motor off to go kill an hour. As we putter on out under idle, Carsen tries to fish as I keep our bow pointed into the wind.

After 50 minutes of unsuccessful fishing, I put our stern to the wind and head back to the marina. As I enter, the depth sounder reads 10, 9, 8. Scary for our 6ft of draft!

We make it to the fuel dock without an issue and after tying up, I notice the sounder reads 11.9ft. Perfect!

As I finish creating our spring lines, I hear a familiar voice. 

It can't be the voice of my grade six teacher can it!? I turn around and see Linda Dwyer. My grade six teacher! I am surprised to say the least! 

After a quick introduction, I realize it was her husband Dan who helped coordinate the fuel dock tie up! 

What a small world!

We chat for a bit, I learn that she is retired and living the 'good life' on the West Coast now. I am thrilled to see a familiar face.  After some photos, our moorage is donated to us. We thank them, and let them go for dinner. We wander up to the local grocery store. We stock up on some sausages, bananas, dried fruit, and other small snacks.

After a quick dinner, I leave my dishes in the sink, and convince Carsen to go explore the beach just hundreds of feet from us. I am drawn in by the big swells breaking over the San-Juan River bar.

We go explore the dark, iron rich sand beach and discover all sorts of neat skipping stones. The sun begins to set over the mountains, and the fog begins to roll in. We walk through 'downtown' Port Renfrew and after a quick walk to the bridge, we bee-line back to the boat.

I slump into my bunk with freshly brushed teeth and curl up with my favourite blue blanket.

Seven hours later, I am roused by the familiar cranky alarm of my phone. I hit snooze. I fall asleep. 10 minutes later I hear the same upsetting noise. I hit snooze once more, but remain awake. 

I hear the many fishing charters heading out for a day of action packed fishing. I roll out of bed and wander up to the marina office. Fresh, hot, GOOD coffee is being served. I talk to the kind lady and after purchasing two coffee's for me and Carsen she kindly donates to the cause and wishes me good luck.

As I step aboard the boat, I find Carsen up and making breakfast. I set the coffees down. A small wave rolls underneath us, I feel the boat shudder.

I pause.

Another small wave rolls under, and the boat shudders again. Immediately I know we are nearly resting on bottom. The tide is on its way out, and if we wait around, we will be stuck! I holler at Carsen to untie us as I fire up the engine. I motor in reverse, but we are stuck!

I tell Carsen to hop onboard and after once again using 'ample' throttle I pull us off the sand bar back into 7ft deep water. Travelling at nearly 3kts backwards in a 34ft long sailboat with a skeg hung rudder and nasty prop walk in a tight marina is quite the wake up! We barely slip out of the marina with 6.5ft under our keel.

I feel bad that I never said goodbye to everyone we met at the marina, but desperate times call for desperate measures. 

Once outside and in 10ft deep water, I spin around and begin to head out of Port San Juan. We slowly reach deeper water. 20, 30, 40, 50, 60. Each foot deeper brings relief.

Carsen finishes up cooking up breakfast before we exit Port San Juan. We eat it just as I turn south, towards Sooke. On route to Sooke isn't very interesting. The waves reduce in height as we seek protection behind Cape Flattery, and the wind remains around 8-10kts. Perfect for motorsailing.

As we near Sooke, I begin to have to weave between small fishing boats. As we round Whiffin Spit, the tide begins to turn and we begin to get sucked around in the strong currents. 

I have a hard time keeping control, and as I am about to turn to enter the Sooke Basin, everything stops. Time pauses.

All I hear is CRASH. We must have run aground! The current sweeps us away in a small whirlpool of water. Carsen dashes below to check all the through hulls and bilge, but finds no ingress of water.

I thread the narrow channel into Sooke and find an open spot at the Government Wharf. I tie up and immediately begin inspecting the boat. The bilges are dry. The through hulls are solid. I inspect the area surrounding the keel. No noticeable cracks or fibreglass damage.

We are lucky.

Although everything was tossed about down below, the boat appears sound. Using our boathook, I feel the front of the keel. All feels undamaged except for the fibreglass at the forefoot of the keel feels rough. 

This is going to require a haul out.

Well, at least the boat appears unharmed. The bilges are dry, the rigging appears sound and I see no fibreglass damage.

I take a break on the dock. I sit down and stretch my tense back. I realize i've been clenching my jaw since the incident. It hurts.

I unwind. I know we are in no immediate danger.

Carsen and I wander into town, find wifi, peruse the local grocery store and then head back down to the boat for a relaxing pasta night with extra, extra ground beef!

As I begin to boil the water, I hear a tap on the hull. Luckily it isn't us shuddering on the bottom. It is the harbourmaster, Linda coming to welcome us and take our dues. 

Even after calling ahead to explain our situation, and talking to her on the dock, we are forced into paying moorage. However, she gives us a VERY stellar rate and she donated some of her personal money towards the cause. Thanks Linda!

After dinner, I climb off the boat to go enjoy the benefits of dry land once again. Here I am, blogging away.

Please note that due to a number of reasons both personal and due to todays touching of earth, the route of the rest of our journey will be been modified. Even though the boat appears unharmed, it will need to be hauled out to be inspected and the keel repaired. We are no longer entering U.S. waters and will be taking a slightly shorter route home, to Campbell River.

The boat will continue to be sailed in its current condition, as it appears sound and safe. It is a slight mishap which scared the living daylights out of us, but we (including Themistocles) are 'A okay' and you need not worry.

Please enjoy a couple of photos!

Over and out.

After our experience of having a very hard time finding moorage in Ucluelet at 4pm a couple days previous, I am set on arriving in Bamfield before 2pm… So we will actually have a chance at getting moorage!

We both eat a simple breakfast of cream-of-wheat and a half of an orange each. 

Energized, I fire up our still trusty Universal 5424 diesel and motor out of the marina and off to the fuel dock to top off our tanks. As I approach the fuel dock, rather than switch our mooring lines and fenders to the starboard side, I decided to pull a U-turn in front of the dock and tie up on the port side. Simple.

As I pull the U-turn, I realize the current is sucking us quite quickly passed our planned tie up point. We are moving at nearly 2.5kts sideways! We soon reach the end of the fuel dock and are no were near ready to tie up… We are 8 feet from the dock and still sideways! No amount of reversing/prop walk can save us now!

Embarrassed, I spin back around so our bow is pointed into the current and motor back up to the fuel dock. Quickly, we switch over the fenders and mooring lines and tie up safe and sound. I chat with the dock boy for a bit and discover his best friend actually graduated high school in Campbell River! Small world!

I quickly top up our tanks, pay the ludicrous bill and prepare to motor off without too much of a worry. As Carsen begins to untie, I pop Themistocles in gear at idle and fight the 2.5kt current, making our departure swift and smooth!

As we motor out of Ucluelet, we marvel at the many rocks and reefs that dot the area. The sun is already out and the rays are beaming down upon our heads. I go below to use the head, and I slather on some sunscreen while I am at it.

I am excited for a fine day of sailing with predicted 15kt winds. I head back out into the cockpit and keep an eye on the windex. I watch for over half of an hour and never see it exceed 5kts true wind speed! 

Feeling a little down, I check the engine gauges and make sure that everything is well. 180F, 50PSI and 20AMPS at 2000rpm… Perfect. Our trusty Universal is ticking along just fine.

Once again, I head down below and this time I grab a magazine and a pillow. Today is going to be a hot day of doing nothing!

As we exit the protection of the reefs and rocks outside Ucluelet, the waves increase to sizeable 6-8ft rollers and the wind remains no higher than 5kts true!

I keep myself occupied with taking photos, whale watching and perusing 'Wooden Boat' magazines finest articles. I take the time to truly read every word. To think about and examine everything. I realize the art of creating a magnificent wooden boat is truly beautiful. From forest, to showboat or workboat… or somewhere in between. 8ft to 80ft. They are all amazing pieces of art.

As we near Bamfield, the swarms of fishing boats begin to dot the horizon. Zipping and buzzing about like the mosquitos that are eating me alive as I type this!

We motor into the harbour and tie up at the government wharf in 'West Bamfield'. We are soon turned away as the wharf is full and make our way over to the 'East Bamfield' dock. After searching high and low, we end up rafting up against an aluminum Herring skiff. The sun is still beaming down and the temperature is rising into the high twenties. 25. 26. 27. 28. They all go by as the sun heats the inlet on this day without a breath of wind.

I spend the afternoon reading and trying to stay cool. Both Carsen and I are unaccustomed to anything above 20 degrees! Nearly our whole trip up until this point has been below 20 degrees Celsius!

As 5pm rolls around, the aluminum Herring skiff leaves, and we are able to tie up directly to the dock.

I fire up the barbecue and we enjoy and decadent dinner of pork-chops and fresh veggies. 

After dinner, I make my way over to the local community school/library and manage to find free wifi! I am ecstatic! I quickly get ahold of Taylor and soon we are skyping! It is amazing how comforting it is to see the face of someone you love, even if it is just on an 11.4" macbook screen.

After skyping for over and hour, we say our goodnights and wander back on down to the boat and curl up into my bunk for an early bedtime. I enjoy the delights of 'Wooden Boat' one more time, but as soon as my cheek touches pillow… I am out for the count.

I awake at 8:30am to the sound of a fellow sailboat puttering by. I grab a quick breakfast of eggs and toast and leave Carsen to sleep as I hop off the boat to run for the showers! After waiting in a short line, I manage to get in the shower and find that it is free. A nice change from having to pay a dollar for every 2 to 3 minutes!

After my shower I notice I am late for my Skype session and I run uphill all the way back to the library to skype Taylor. We talk about life, careers, aspirations and our future together. I cant stop smiling at this beautiful, smart, driven girl gazing at me through a laptop while she is sitting hundreds of kilometres away.

After 45minutes we say our goodbyes and hang up. After quickly checking my emails, Facebook and route planning I leave the library and head back to the boat for lunch. 

I barbecue up some HUGE hotdogs for lunch. The sun beats down as the temperatures exceed 30 degrees, but I do my best to hide under the bimini cover.

After lunch, I hop in the "dingy dinghy" and row over to 'West Bamfield' to explore and walk the shoreside boardwalk.

I pass cute pastel coloured cabins, puppy dogs, beautiful wooden sailboats, an old seine boat from Victoria which had been lovingly converted to a motor yacht. It is like a fairly-tale. So beautiful, so serene and so colourful.

As I near the end of the boardwalk, I spy the police boat "Inkster" on the other side of the inlet in 'East Bamfield'. I quickly recognize the name as the boat my uncle Phil works on! Without missing a beat I send him a text and realize that he is indeed onboard!

He invites me over. I leap at the opportunity. I stroll back along the path, hop in the dinghy and row back to our mooring. As I walk along, I text Carsen and tell him that Phil is in town!

After finding Carsen at the library skyping, I convince him to come along. We wander down a gravel road and find Inkster… And Phil, who is buried deep within one of the engine rooms. After clambering up, Phil gives us a full tour of the amazing 65ft long aluminum vessel. We get a photo alongside and before we leave, Phil gives us two freezies each for the walk back. Much appreciated on this cooking hot day.

After quickly exploring the infamous 'Marine Sciences Centre' building. We wander back to the boat for a quick dinner and then back up to the library to use the wifi and type this blog! 

Mosquitos I killed whilst typing this blog: 27

Mosquitos I missed: ALOT

Check out this newspaper article, an excerpt from my blog made it in!

Over and out! Off to Port Renfrew tomorrow.

I roll over and gaze in the sleeping face of the most beautiful girl on the planet. A plant small kiss on her cheek and she slowly fights off the last of her sleepiness. We lay, half asleep, in each others embrace until I muster up enough energy to hop out of bed and round up something resembling a breakfast!

Today is the day we leave Tofino. We have been here for four nights, and every minute has been amazing. I know that as soon as 11am rolls around, I will have to leave this amazing town and leave my amazing girlfriend. I feel down, down to leave, but energized to keep moving, to keep exploring, to keep meeting new people.

As 11am rolls around, Taylor and I exchange our goodbyes… Actually our "see you laters" and she rides her cruiser bicycle off to her place where her dad is waiting to take her home to Campbell River. I wander up to Breakers Cafe to use the internet to do one last check of my emails, and the weather.

All looks good.

I wander back down to the boat, fire up the now repaired and hopefully trusty Universal 5424. Big thanks to my extended family for buying and bringing in the parts from Port Alberni along with some much appreciated groceries, a home cooked apple crisp (the crisp is already eaten!) and for delievering a banner made by the children in the park!

After warming up the engine, we cast off our lines and set sail onwards and outwards. Back onto the open Pacific for a few hour sail down to Ucluelet.

The sail is tedious, with only the occasional 12ft rogue wave hitting us abeam to spice things up. Within minutes of setting sail, Tofino is obscured by a haze or mist and Ucluelet is much the same.

I spend the day 'enjoying' the throws of teenage angst and dream of Taylor and our lives together. 

As we near Ucluelet, the waves die down and the sun start to peek out from behind the mist. The rays of ultraviolet light scorch our tender noses and ears before we smarten up and apply ample amounts of sunscreen! Entering Ucluelet is an experience to say the least! We have stellar timing and start entering the harbour right as EVERY fishing, tour and sailing boat is deciding to enter as well! We are passed by swarms of 20ft Trophy and Grady White's. They fly by us buzzing like packs of mosquitos. 

We call the Ucluelet Harbour over VHF, but we receive no response. We try again, but receive no response. We motor by the narrow entrance and it looks PACKED! We instead turn around and tie up the Island West Resort. I wander up to the office, and despite all my 'A' game sweet talking, we are turned away as the marina is full! We head back to the Ucluelet Harbour and I spy an empty spot on 'F' dock! I begin to beeline for the spot, but I am soon being yelled at by an angry harbour master.

Standing at the end of 'D' finger, he shouts to me "We are full! There is no room!" I begin to get worried and question him about 'F' dock and once again he tries to turn me away. I ask if there is a temporary spot to moor so I can ask around and see if we can raft up with someone. He yells back in a snappy tone nearly telling me to get lost.

Not deterred, I find an open spot on the 'derby dock' and tie up there temporarily while I run the docks trying to find someone to raft with. After ten minutes I spot a bright yellow 32ft long sailboat that looks perfect for us! As I run back to the 'derby dock' I nearly bump into the harbourmaster and he tells me "Hey kid, no worries. Just stay where you are. That'll work perfectly until noon tomorrow, we will move you then."

I feel as if a weight is lifted off my chest. I mosey back to the boat and settle down in the cockpit to have a nice cold drink after an hour of trying to find moorage.

Carsen and I wander up the local Co-op and gather up some groceries. After a decadent dinner of barbecued chicken and corn on the cob, I relax in my bunk. All alone. 

After a half hour of perusing a magazine while curled up beneath my covers, I manage to work up enough energy to go explore the washrooms and shower facilities. As I wander up to the door, I find I need a code… which I wasn't supplied. I ask some other folk if they know the code, but no one does, or they aren't willing to tell. 

I see the harbourmaster, Steve, and decide to test my luck and ask him. As I approach him, I can tell his mood is different. He is relaxed. I ask him about the showers and he gives me the code, along with the internet password! I tell him my story and that we are circumnavigating for juvenile diabetes and he is thrilled! He asks question after question and apologizes for his mood earlier. It had been a very busy and stressful afternoon for him. His wife joins us and she is also very intrigued and asks question after question. 

After a 20 minute long conversation, I say good evening and begin to head back down to the boat. I text Taylor, fire up Facebook and enjoy an evening of internet excellence. My macbook dies about an hour after I first started facebook'ing and without shore-power (since we are on a temporary dock) I cannot charge it. I text Taylor goodnight, roll over in my bunk and fall dead asleep.

I hop aboard and after a quick bedtime snack, I curl up into my bunk and as soon as my cheek touches pillow, I am out like a light.

I awake just before 6am as the sun is rising and cook up some hot porridge, tea and hot cocoa. I jostle Carsen awake and in the blink of an eye, we are both up, enjoying the sunrise while dinning on some hot oats and liquids.

After a short, but scrumptious meal I wander my way out into the cockpit and prepare to fire up the 'trusty' diesel after our fuel filter fix the day before. I position the throttle, insert the key, rotate it to fire up the fuel pump, flip the glowplug switch and wait for the solid 'click' of the solenoid… But nothing!

I try again. Nothing.

I go below, and remove the engine cover before checking the leads to the solenoid. 

They are all perfect. Just great.

It appears that although I managed to fix our scary fuel filter problem, yet another engine related item decided to call it quits.

Not one to be set back by something small, I manage to devise a jumper to re-route current around the solenoid so we can warm those darn glowplugs and start the engine! After 15 seconds of rerouting dangerous amounts of current through a jerry-rigged jumper, I fire up the starter and all 24 horsepower we have chuff to life with a satisfactory rumble.

We navigate the maze of buoys, rocks and reefs and hurry on out of Kyuquot and rocket towards Hot Springs Cove. We spend the 13 hours taking alternating cat naps and whale watching as we speed towards the sulphurous waters of Hot Springs Cove.

As we round Estevan Point, the winds begin to die and the whales begin to come out and play! We see hundred of orcas, grey whales and humpbacks! They swim all around us, sometimes coming so close you can feel the mist from their spout.

As we near Hot Springs Cove, the faint smell of sulphur permeates the air around us and makes us crinkle our noses in response. We near the dock and after an effortless maneuver into our side-tie moorage we tie up, grab our bathing suits and run the 2km trail towards the springs! As we round the corner, the smell of sulphur singes our noses.

After changing, we go to explore the small pools, ponds and waterfalls that Hot Springs Cove is famous for. As the sun sets, we hop out and begin to meander back to the dock, reading the infamous carved boardwalk as we go.

As we get back to the boat, the sun has set and beautiful Hot Springs Cove is dark, and silent. I climb in to my bunk and set off dreaming of tomorrow, of Tofino, of Taylor.

I awake at 8:30am sharp. I hop out of my bunk, boil some water and make some tea and hot cocoa for Carsen. He awakens to the smell of the cocoa being poured.

I fire up the stove, and within seconds I have some giant flapjacks grillin' away. 

As I go to flip the third pancake, I hear something above me, I glance up to find an inquisitive dog off of a fellow sailboat sticking his snout in the open port above my head! I shoo him off and finish cooking up some decadent pancakes.

After a quick meal I decide not to head back to the hot springs, and instead decide to set off ahead of schedule to Tofino!

I quickly use the head, but as I go to drain the toilet bowl into the holding tank the handle won't move! I've clogged the head! GREAT. Something else to fix.

I fire up the trusty diesel once again using the 'jerry-rigged jumper' and it chuffs to life, once again. We motor out and within minutes we are on a broad reach under full sail in 20kts of breeze surfing waves on route to Tofino. As we get within eyesight of Tofino, it is quite clear that it sure is a foggy day there! The whole area is obscured by a thick, heavy, white fog.

As we race towards Tofino, the fog burns off and we hit nearly 9.5kts for extended periods as we surf massive rollers!

We near Tofino, and the fog completely disappears. We are welcomed by a bright, warm, sunny day in the most beautiful town on the West coast of Vancouver Island. 

As we enter the Harbour, we see it is a hustling and bustling little place with whale, bear, salmon charters and hot springs tours zipping by in every direction!

I text Taylor and tell her to keep an eye out for us before I call up the Tofino Harbour Authority and arrange a spot on 'E' dock (ANOTHER ONE!) of the 4th street marina. As we near the marina, I spin around and line myself up for a simple and easy docking maneuverer. 

As we motor near the dock, we come to a stop and the boat begins to list over in the 20kts of breeze in the harbour. WE'VE RUN AGROUND! I glance over the side and I am greeted with the sight of seagrass everywhere.

I pop into reverse and after ample application of throttle I manage to power off of the shoal. 

Once again, I try, and this time we successfully make it in to our slip. As I am prop-walking into position, I glance up towards the dock and see an angel; my beautiful girlfriend, the most amazing girl in the world. Taylor.

My heart misses a few beats and I nearly take out a small aluminum fishing boat as the biggest butterflies form in my stomach.

As we snug up against the dock, I toss the mooring lines to Carsen and leap off of the boat. I run over to Taylor, my little heart flutters as I grasp her in my arms. I bear hug her so tightly I am scared I may squish her. I kiss her with the most passionate kiss the world has ever seen. The butterflies subside, but my heart still flutters franticly.

After tidying up, we head in to explore Tofino, grab lunch and grocery shop for dinner.

After an exciting afternoon exploring Tofino, we head back to the boat to cook up dinner and I try to sort out moorage. We are given a $60 'credit' but our moorage fees are still nearly $100! Slightly upset I wander back down to the boat, but I soon relax with a freshly bbq'd burger and a cold lemonade.

We spend the evening and the next days causing shenanigans, ordering MORE boat parts to fix the failed items, properly mount our replacement fuel filter and I get the ungodly task of fixing the clogged head… Which isn't pretty. (since when has pressurized fecal matter spraying everywhere been pretty)

Now try to erase that image from your memory with the following photos.

Over and out.

I rustle from underneath my covers and awaken Carsen. We whip up some oatmeal and tea and fire up the trusty diesel.

Releasing the mooring lines, we set off at a quarter to seven with not a lick of wind, but a ferocious fog bank rolling in quickly. As we motor away from Winter Harbour, I realize I am happy to leave. As nice as Winter Harbour was, it is relieving to escape the swarms horse flies and get back in to this millennium.

As we motor out of Winter Harbour we experience 150ft of visibility and not a lick of wind under the thick fog! We round Brooks Peninsula around noon under motor with still not a breath of wind, but the fog has cleared and only a low lying cloud hangs around.

Motoring towards Kyuquot we see six whales! Everything from Orcas to BEHEMOTH humpbacks. We have a massive humpback breach less than 300 meters of our port bow! As we near Kyuquot, we are navigating our way through hundreds of rocks and reefs when our previously trusty Universal 5424 diesel begins to fluctuate in RPM from our cruising speed of 2000rpm. First it drops to 1700rpm and then after mere seconds it resumes to 2000. Another 15 seconds pass before it drops back to 1400rpm and stays there. I try to increase throttle, but after climbing back to 1500 the engine suddenly quits! We are only 3 miles from safety!

Worried, I try a restart, but after exhibiting the same symptoms the engine dies again! Thinking the culprit may be a clogged fuel pickup, I tear open the fuel tank and check, but it is clear!

I try to restart, but still no luck.

Realizing we are not going to have a running engine anytime soon, and not able to sail through the maze of rocks and reefs, I light up VHF channel 16 and send a PAN-PAN call to the Coast Guard based out of Kyuquot. They launch their inflatable and within a half hour we are tethered up and under tow to safety.

As we near the entrance to the cove, they switch us to an alongside tow and bring us to the government wharf where we see folks on 'True North' a Hallberg-Rassy 36 that we previously met in Winter Harbour.

We tie up safe and go explore all of what is Kyuquot/Walters Cove.

It is an amazing area. Everything and everyone has a purpose.

The town is linked by a series of trails and wooden boardwalks; it is simply beautiful.

As we wandered the paths, we stumbled upon the Kyuquot Inn and the owner Eric invited us in for an AMAZING fish and chips dinner - the best I've ever had! Make sure if you come out this way to come to the Kyuquot Inn!

After an amazing evening, we retired the to boat after a hectic day!

After a restful sleep, I awake to the sound of fishing boats leaving for the day and after a quick breakfast I set on taking our fuel system apart.

The culprit is a DISGUSTING fuel filter. I look all over for a replacement Racor R24S but to no avail. Luckily, a fellow sailboater has a spare fuel filter setup and when he offers it to us, I leap at the opportunity.

As of now, we are simply looking for the proper brass fittings to rig it up. We should be leaving Kyuquot tomorrow morning.

Culprit on the right, replacement on the left... But the barbs are too big.

Over and out.

After zig-zagging between a number of small fishing boats, we were in for a quick hop to Bull Harbour. As we passed 'God's Pocket' marine park, the eerie fog parted and we were greeted by the gleaming rays of the much anticipated sun!

Passage to bull harbour was fairly boring with nothing to note other than BEAUTIFUL geology and perfect weather. The majority of my free time was spent day dreaming and taking photos. As we turned in to Bull Harbour, we were greeted by protection from the building rollers and wind by sheer cliffs and ancient fir and cedar trees.

It is a strange feeling to be just twenty or thirty feet from 'shore' - a sheer cliff face, and have the depth sounder read over two hundred feet deep! As is the norm on the entrance to Bull Harbour.

As we entered the harbour we were amazed by the summer smell blowing off of the shore. Our noses were tingled by the aromas of grass fields, flowers, berry bushes and a warm breeze. After a quick spin around the dock, we found ourselves a 36ft long open side tie surrounded by fishing boats and yachts alike; without a second of hesitation, I leapt at the opportunity. 

We motored over, and with our Campbell Sailer propellor I prop-walked us perfectly in to the tight area. After tying up we were greeted by a young first nations man who collected our moorage payment. Once that was paid, we went and wandered towards the infamous "Roller Beach" which faces almost directly North and is pounded by massive rollers all day long. All of the rocks and pebbles on the beach are rounded and smooth from the relentless waves.

In addition to round and smooth pebbles, the beach was littered with Japanese trash. We discovered hundreds of Japanese water bottles, fishing floats and pieces of assorted garbage.

After a two hour long exploration of the beach, dinner time rolled around. I cooked up some eggs, bacon and toast slathered in jam! A perfect end to a great day.

We curled up into bed at 10:30pm and we were out like lights.

Seven hours later, I woke up startled to the sound of an iPod touch declaring it was 5:30am and time to get up!

I rolled out of bed, dressed myself and woke Carsen up in his bunk. I whipped up some coffee, while Carsen prepared some oatmeal.

Just as our oatmeal was ready and the sun was rising, I started up the engine and we began to motor out of Bull Harbour following a group of fishing boats. As we exited the protection of the sheer cliff faces, we were shocked to see the huge breakers over the bar on a slight ebb current. Massive rollers were passing over the shallow forty foot deep bar and were transformed into twelve to fifteen foot tall weapons of mass destruction.

Unfazed, we stashed all of the electronics below decks and powered onwards towards the menacing waves.

The water grew shallower and shallower until we found ourselves in forty feet of water, surrounded by huge breakers. We continued onward and were beaten for nearly forty minutes as everything below decks was sent flying. Still not fazed, we sped onwards to the well known Cape Scott.

As we rounded the Cape, we were met by a mixture of sizeable rollers and nasty breakers that chucked us about in the shallow waters just off of the point.

Finally, nearly five hours after we left Bull Harbour, we were back in water over two hundred feet deep and the waves had lessened to mild six to nine foot rollers that were evenly spaced far apart.

On the West coast, we were greeted by scorching sun, but a freezing Northwest breeze that kept us in heavy jackets.

After countless hours of daydreaming, thinking, soul searching and philosophizing we were less than an hour out from Winter Harbour! Rounding Kains Island, we were less than pleased to see over forty small fishing boats zigzagging around. It was overwhelming after ten hours of seeing only two other boats. 

We zigged, and they zagged. We dodged and they dived, and after fifteen minutes we were free of the fishing boats and we could almost see WInter Harbour. As we entered the inlet, we were immediately greeted by thirty degree breezes - a HUGE difference from the eight to ten degrees we had just spent the day in!

As we reached WInter Harbour, we tied up, were nearly eaten by horse flies and after slathering on some extra sunscreen, we went to get ourselves some freezies and settle down in the shade. It didn't take long to realize we must have entered some sort of time machine that sent us back twenty years - Picture the early 90's at a lake in the heartland of the United States… That is what we are currently living. It is sooooo eerie.

After a refreshing stick of frozen sugar water, I wandered back to the boat and tidied up everything that had turned into a projectile over Nahwitti Bar and set out on preparing some freshly bbq'd hamburgers. Carsen fired up the grill and cooked us up some flame broiled patties, while I prepped everything else.

I now lay in my bunk with a food coma from a burger with double beef patties for twice the goodness as Carsen fishes off of the dock.

I would like to tell everyone who has been supporting that I really appreciate it, and keep it up! I would like to tell my family that I miss them and I cant wait to see you guys again, and lastly, I would like to tell my beautiful girlfriend that she is AMAZING. She is the most supportive person I know, and I thank her for standing beside me in times of stress and anguish. I love you Taylor.

Please view the photos on our facebook page, as the internet is much too slow to upload them here as well.