baddogg
Crew Member
Actually boats, taxies, planes and ferries would be more like it.
I have been holding back on telling this story. Partly because it is quite a long one and partly because of embarrassment.
A buddy of mine, who I will not name owned a very nice 26 foot Century boat. It was a great fishing machine. Every year his uncle would come up from Texas and we would embark on several days of fishing. Usually it was a trip out Barclay Sound but this particular year was the monster sockeye run so we figured we would do a couple of days of running from Nanaimo to the other side for our 16 sockeye. ( 4 guys )
The first day we looked at weather reports and the call was for NE winds calming down around 7 am. We set out from Nanaimo in fairly good conditions, calm seas and daylight, although the sun had yet to come up over the land on the Vancouver side.
After about 20 minutes running the waves were noticeably larger and were coming from the stern and port side. For some reason I was usually the DD on his boat and that was the case that morning. Without warning things changed drastically and we were in troughs that seemed 6-8 feet deep. The discussion was to turn around but I was not comfortable with that manoeuvre given the size of the waves and the direction they were travelling. At some point we would be broadside and I really felt that we could be tipped over.
Our speed was slow as it was necessary to crest a wave and surf down the other side. The sun peaked over the land mass ahead and with the spray on the windshield it was blinding .
A commercial boat was about .5 km behind us so I was confident that if we sunk they would see us.
As we got closer to land the biggest concern was trying to navigate so that we lined up to enter the Fraser into Richmond. Our tac was close and it was difficult to adjust without taking on water. I have never navigated in waves like we encountered that morning. We managed to tuck in behind the breakwater and found calm water. Despite the early hour the alcoholic beverages were opened and we toasted to survival.
If I haven't yet bored you then hang in there as the story gets even better.
Unsure what we were going to do we found dock space at the River Rock Hotel I believe and got permission to tie up. We went inside and had breakfast and discussed what our course of action would be. The wind warning had changed to gale force winds with no end in sight. We had no overnight clothes and didn't cherish the thought of staying overnight.
Decision was made for two of us to try to get a flight over to Nanaimo and pick up the truck and trailer and come back over and get the boat.
Uncle and nephew made the trip, father of nephew and I would stay behind and wait.
I forgot to mention that it was sunny, warm and no wind at the dock. The two of us that stayed behind, lounged about, drank a few pops and wandered the wharfs looking at all the boats. The other two were not as fortunate. There were no flights out of YVR (float planes) but space available out of downtown.
Here was how it went.
Taxi downtown, float plane to Nanaimo, Baxter Air so not close to Brechin marina. Taxi to Brechin. Pick up boat and trailer ferry from Duke Point to Tsawassen.
While on the ferry, Texas uncle says, lets go to the bar, I need a drink. Uh sorry, this is BC Ferries, no bar.
While on the ferry my buddy phones me, guess what? What? The wind has died down. No way. Yes Way, flat enough to fish. Okay, see you at McDonalds boat launch. When they got close, dad and I sailed to McDonalds boat launch, picked up Texas uncle and nephew, headed out and caught 16 sockeye. Then back to McDonalds, put boat on trailer, headed to Tsawassen, got on ferry to Swartz Bay as the ferry to Duke was full.
They lived in Duncan so dropped dad and Texas uncle off there. Buddy drove me to Nanaimo and then back to Duncan.
Guess what?
Next day was flat calm, ran back over and got another 16 sockeye.
True story.
I have been holding back on telling this story. Partly because it is quite a long one and partly because of embarrassment.
A buddy of mine, who I will not name owned a very nice 26 foot Century boat. It was a great fishing machine. Every year his uncle would come up from Texas and we would embark on several days of fishing. Usually it was a trip out Barclay Sound but this particular year was the monster sockeye run so we figured we would do a couple of days of running from Nanaimo to the other side for our 16 sockeye. ( 4 guys )
The first day we looked at weather reports and the call was for NE winds calming down around 7 am. We set out from Nanaimo in fairly good conditions, calm seas and daylight, although the sun had yet to come up over the land on the Vancouver side.
After about 20 minutes running the waves were noticeably larger and were coming from the stern and port side. For some reason I was usually the DD on his boat and that was the case that morning. Without warning things changed drastically and we were in troughs that seemed 6-8 feet deep. The discussion was to turn around but I was not comfortable with that manoeuvre given the size of the waves and the direction they were travelling. At some point we would be broadside and I really felt that we could be tipped over.
Our speed was slow as it was necessary to crest a wave and surf down the other side. The sun peaked over the land mass ahead and with the spray on the windshield it was blinding .
A commercial boat was about .5 km behind us so I was confident that if we sunk they would see us.
As we got closer to land the biggest concern was trying to navigate so that we lined up to enter the Fraser into Richmond. Our tac was close and it was difficult to adjust without taking on water. I have never navigated in waves like we encountered that morning. We managed to tuck in behind the breakwater and found calm water. Despite the early hour the alcoholic beverages were opened and we toasted to survival.
If I haven't yet bored you then hang in there as the story gets even better.
Unsure what we were going to do we found dock space at the River Rock Hotel I believe and got permission to tie up. We went inside and had breakfast and discussed what our course of action would be. The wind warning had changed to gale force winds with no end in sight. We had no overnight clothes and didn't cherish the thought of staying overnight.
Decision was made for two of us to try to get a flight over to Nanaimo and pick up the truck and trailer and come back over and get the boat.
Uncle and nephew made the trip, father of nephew and I would stay behind and wait.
I forgot to mention that it was sunny, warm and no wind at the dock. The two of us that stayed behind, lounged about, drank a few pops and wandered the wharfs looking at all the boats. The other two were not as fortunate. There were no flights out of YVR (float planes) but space available out of downtown.
Here was how it went.
Taxi downtown, float plane to Nanaimo, Baxter Air so not close to Brechin marina. Taxi to Brechin. Pick up boat and trailer ferry from Duke Point to Tsawassen.
While on the ferry, Texas uncle says, lets go to the bar, I need a drink. Uh sorry, this is BC Ferries, no bar.
While on the ferry my buddy phones me, guess what? What? The wind has died down. No way. Yes Way, flat enough to fish. Okay, see you at McDonalds boat launch. When they got close, dad and I sailed to McDonalds boat launch, picked up Texas uncle and nephew, headed out and caught 16 sockeye. Then back to McDonalds, put boat on trailer, headed to Tsawassen, got on ferry to Swartz Bay as the ferry to Duke was full.
They lived in Duncan so dropped dad and Texas uncle off there. Buddy drove me to Nanaimo and then back to Duncan.
Guess what?
Next day was flat calm, ran back over and got another 16 sockeye.
True story.
