Saved the day.
Yesterday was not our best day. Sure, we've had a few that didn't live up to our expectations… but yesterday takes the cake so far.
The dastardly high winds were finally abating and we felt confident it was time to leave beautiful Grace Harbour and carry on with our itinerary. Roscoe Bay was selected as our next destination. We were looking forward to a swim in Black Lake and the quiet ambience provided by the shallow entrance requiring careful planning to arrive at a high enough tide.
Up early and ready to go - tick. Motor out into Malaspina Inlet - tick. Finding literally no wind, carry on under power and head for Roscoe Bay (approximately 12 nautical miles away) - tick.
All was going well; it was a beautiful morning and we were very pleased with ourselves for getting up and getting going. We were motoring along at a steady pace of 5 knots and so close to our destination we could see the entrance and two sailboats coming out of the Bay (actually two solo sailors we had met in Grace Harbour the day before). They passed by us heading west and we continued on our course.
And then…. everything changed.
I expect the worst fear of every sailor is sinking your boat or worse, falling off it. No, we didn't fall off or sink. We did, however, hit something. The water was flat. There were no floating logs in our path, but we hit something submerged. I was at the helm and I heard and felt … a 'thunk' and then the vibration started. What a sinking feeling those two occurrences can cause. There's only so much you can do; put the engine into neutral and coast; check for any water coming in; gently go back into gear and try forward and reverse to try and rid the prop of whatever has grabbed on to it; hoist the sail even though there is no wind in case it does come up and allow you to get going.
Realizing we were effectively dead in the water I turned the boat around intending to motor slowly to Refuge Cove (about 10 miles west of us) but I quickly realized the vibration was too violent and the potential risk to the drive shaft etc quite clear. I shut the engine down and we drifted.
Having run out of self-help ideas except maybe trying to tow our 34' sailboat with an inflatable dinghy and a 4HP outboard, I tried calling one of the sailboats that had passed us as we were putting up our mainsail; and lo and behold a 'very nice man' answered our call.
After hearing our story Bill quickly agreed to give us a tow to Refuge Cove while we attempted to locate a diver in the area to clear our prop; and so the fun began.
Towing a boat doesn't actually mean towing as we know it. It requires significant lashing of the two boats side by side so that the towee (with no brakes) doesn't ram the tower at any given time. Thank goodness it was a warm, windless day with flat water.
Bill saved us from a bleak future and delivered us handily to the dock in Refuge Cove. He would not accept payment for his time or his fuel but we were able to force a bottle of good red wine into his hand, along with a promise to pay his kindness forward at every opportunity.
Enter the brave woman. After many calls to potential links with a diver, we realized there were none to be had… unbelievable. The closest possibility was in Campbell River! I won't bore you with details of all we called without success but suffice to say our independent nature took hold and Kathy (the very brave woman) stepped up and became the hero of the day. She dug out her snorkel and her mask and donned her neoprene vest. She found her under water camera and over she went, into the fairly chilly water. With the help of a boat hook Kathy was able to clear away the long pieces of cedar bark that had spun themselves around our prop and shaft. She was and is, amazing. We tested the engine…forward and reverse; no more vibration…phew! Vacation back 'on'.
I can't tell you how relieved we both are. This could have been a show stopper. Thanks to a very nice man and a very brave woman we are back on vacation. I continue to be amazed and grateful for the wonderful people in my life… our dear friends and the strangers we meet along the way.
I hope you also share life with good friends and kind strangers. Adios Amigos. The adventure continues. CJ
