Thanksgiving on the Boat!!

Friday Oct 10, the family loaded up and headed for Elliotte Bay. It was the EB work party on Saturday and potluck thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. The work party turn out was one of the largest I have attended to date with 14 boats and willing crews. Many many tasks were completed. Sunday morning I was hoping to dive Alexandra island. While preparing my gear, I noticed what appeared to be Rumrunner tied at Alexandra. I headed over in the dinghy to confirm and found Gord getting ready to dive. We made arrangements to buddy dive in 15 minutes. I hurried back, three the gear into the dinghy and donned my dry suit. Within 20 minutes we were submerging below the surface going "to look for Wolf Eels". During the decent, I found a large octo den and attempted to get some video of the octo with my gopro camera, but quickly found that my light had flooded. Gord snapped some pictures with his DSLR camera and we were off swimming to where the wolf eels were reported to be. Within 5 minutes, Gord was pointing out a lone male under a large rock.  I spent a few minutes observing this make and then swam on to the next rock were Gord was taking pictures of another male eel. This male was partnered with a female who was around the other side of the rock. We spent a few minutes watching the two of them and then decided to swim on. Being the first cold water dive in years for me, I was going through air much quicker than I had planned.  I called a turn around to Gord and waived bye.  I surfaced most of the way back to the boat. A GREAT DIVE. I dove two more dives over the rest of the weekend, finding many octo and going back to visit the eels on one of the dives to find them out swimming around.  

The boat was performing well for our family base and everyone had a great weekend. 

Vic-Maui wrap up...

It is September 27^th….. where has the past month and a half gone???  

To complete the VicMaui return story... 

We got into Victoria at 7:30 am on August 14^th after a long night of motoring through the fog, dodging ships and fishing boats down the Straight of Juan De Fuca.  Jason B from the race crew and Dave's family were at the docks to greet us and we all went for breakfast in Victoria. Elisa and I left Victoria on the boat by about 11am and had an uneventful motor to Vancouver arriving at about 7pm, where I loaded the dinghy and promptly left for Secret Cove.  

Two hours after leaving Vancouver, the sky totally covered over and there was a long lasting electrical storm. I guess the ocean gods figured I had too relaxing a trip home from Hawaii to let me off easy. The wind came up to about 25-30 south east and I ran under jib alone from Gibsons down to Merry Island hoping the storm would not take out the electronics.  I arrived in Secret Cove at 1:30 tired, but safe and a greating by my dad at the dock.  It was GREAT to be back J. 

A couple of days of tidying and converting the boat back to a cruiser (well… a comfort cruiser, I don't think it ever really turned into a racer;) and the family moved on.  The kids and I spent the next three weeks cruising up and down the coast with Catharine spending everyday she wasn't working on the boat with us. It was an amazing way to wrap up the summer. 

Catharine and I are currently anchored just on the east side of Gabriola pass spending a weekend with just the two of us out on the boat. We had a nice relaxing sail across from Vancouver today, and it looks like it will be a motor home tomorrow. 

The first rough version of a Vic Maui video has been posted to the channel (turnagain50) on Youtube.  There is hours of footage to still go through and there should be more videos coming.  

Catharine is working on a book of the entire trip, and I have been asked to speak at a couple of yacht clubs about our experience on the race. 

Again. Thanks to everyone for such an amazing experience. 

Travis