Pirates Cove and Tranquility!

June 23, 2008
From the books we have to educate us about the different spots that cruisers enjoy visiting, Pirates Cove had several facts to observe; the ground is muddy and many have troubles with anchors not securing, and the skipper must pay attention to the entrance as not to get stuck on the shoals on either side of the narrow entrance. To Pat, the marina on the starboard side as you enter, is a surprise to him. Boy has time allowed things to change.

This was another of Pat’s family favorite places to stay, and I can see why. There were several boats when we arrived, but half of them left before sunset. The cove was serene and a slice of heaven on earth. We are positioned not far from the entrance and as the boat pivots on its anchor, there is an opening between the main island and an islet. This is where I sat in the cockpit last night after dinner and watched the sun go down. It wasn’t a dramatic sunset with vibrant shades of red and gold. Rather shades of blues to cream gave the sky elegance, the stillness of the cove was a symphony I could understand and appreciated. I am in no hurry to leave this sanctuary.

This morning after a leisurely cup of coffee while reading our books, Pat installed a handle to assist us in getting back into the boat after kayaking. When purchasing the boat we thought the stern of the C & C 115 was going to be easy to use for entering and exiting kayaks or the dingy; but not necessarily so. The transom juts out just enough as to keep the little boats away and the only thing for us to grab onto is the backstay. If ONLY we were a little longer in the waist, reaching for the back stanchions could offer us what we needed. Today after kayaking around the cove, poking in and out of the water’s edge, we used the handle quite successfully.

I shall close for today. I smell my cinnamon-sticky buns so that must mean that they are about ready to take out of the oven. We have been invited to dingy over to some neighbors, Jan & John, at 6 tonight for appetizers and cocktails. I will bring the remaining Greek Pizza I made for dinner last night and the buns will be a hostess gift for their breakfast tomorrow morning. If all continues so peacefully for the next six weeks, the time will definitely fly by.

June 22, 2008 Northbound to Telegraph Harbor

After a refreshing and rejuvenating sleep the start to week four is beginning with a cheerful start. I made Pat a frittata this morning with bacon as a side. This is a treat for Pat since he had always banned cooking bacon, unless cooked on the BBQ. The oven worked wonders on the bacon and no mess as a bonus! There is virtually no wind and we are motoring north through Trincomali Channel, west to Houstoun Passage, then north again through Stuart Channel with a pass through Telegraph Harbor so I could connect to the internet to download his messages and upload the blog. He did offer the option of residing here for a night; I showed no interest after two nights in Montague Harbor and the feeling of living on a freeway. There are many sailboats playing more with the current than wind. We thought about joining them, but we were still in our first hour “run the engine mode”. By the time the second hour began we were sailing too. From that point we put up the sails and had an easy but delightful sail up to Ruxton Passage. For the racers out there, it may have been a little too easy and you may have tried to maximize every ounce of momentum the wind – sail positioning, pointing up or down. For the cruiser which I am, it was simply delightful!

Now going into Pirates Cove where we are staying for a couple of nights, maybe more.There is quite a trick to it. The trick is to read the articles that pertain to this marine park, look at one's charts and trust the depth gauge reading, (provided you know that it is calibrated), and using the tides to ones advantage is a bonus! Pat knew that it would be close and was he right. After lining up the big white arrow on the rock wall to the big white X on the tree, turning sharply to port and head in between a buoy and marker (and I don’t think that the margin is more than 25 feet) you head in s l o w l y. I was at the bow watching for any rocks or deadheads that could not be seen from the helm and all looked well. All of a sudden Pat exclaimed, “Oh! We’ve got .1 feet of clearance below our keel!” Thankfully, it got deeper, by a whole 4 feet.

We anchored for the first time on this boat. Yes, to the race crew, it is a heavy anchor and I thought we might have manually place it. The windlass was slipping as well as the rode insisted on snarling; even with having stretched the chain and rode out at home and untwisting down the sidewalk. Pat did a little research and discovered that the mystery tool that came with the boat was a wrench with many purposes, was made to adjust the clutch on the windlass. I can’t wait to try bringing up the anchor tomorrow or Wednesday when we leave Pirates Cove.