Alaska 2018 Blog Post 3 Vancouver to Pender Harbour

April 30, 2018

Today was provisioning day in Vancouver, with walking trips to Costco and Granville Island for fresh produce and fresh oysters, along with trips to Urban Fare for items for which we did not need the Costco quantities.  Later in the afternoon, Frank and Cathy Montgomery arrived and we shared the fresh oysters on board Siprit, followed by an excellent dinner at Provence Marinaside restaurant at the head of the dock.

Some of the people ferries from our marina to Granville Island

Our dock mates at Quayside Marina

May 1, 2018

The skies were overcast to partly sunny as we prepared to depart False Creek’s Quayside Marina.  After filling the water tanks, we cast off the lines at 0930 and motored slowly out of False Creek, which has a 5 knot speed limit and a lot of people ferry traffic, as well as kayaks, stand up paddle boards and other miscellaneous watercraft.

Departing False Creek

Clearing the entrance, we set a course for Bowen Island, crossing the traffic lanes at right angles as the wind speed increased to 15-20 knots.  The seas gradually increased to 4-5 feet as the wind held steady at 15 knots.  Rounding Bowen Island, we set a straight line course for Merry Island and Welcome Passage in confused short seas still running 4-5 feet from the northwest.  As we continued north the seas gradually calmed to 1-2 feet, but the wind remained at 10-15 knots approaching Merry Island.

Merry Island Lighthouse

The seas were rippled north of Merry Island and the wind shifted from NW to SE under sunny skies.  Spirit entered Pender Harbour at 1520.  Garden Bay was our initial choice for anchorage, but a number of buoys, floating barges, crab pots and anchored liveaboard boats used all the safe spots, so we went back to Gerrans Bay and anchored in our usual spot.

Engines were shut down at 1552 as we set the hook in a mud bottom in 45 feet of water. Todays run of 48.5 nautical miles was accomplished in 6 hours 22 minutes, including the slow speed requirement in False Creek and the no wake speed from Pender Harbour entrance to our anchorage.