Havin' Fun...well mostly

[freshnel]

We're finally down at Nanaimo for some fun and action! After a long break from noise, people, and anchoring concerns at False Bay, we sailed a brisk (25-30 knots!) and fantastic wing on wing straight down to Entrance Bay Nanaimo. Helmit the auto-helm was in control right up to 30 knots where Genny the genoa started flopping because of building seas. I decided to wrap the furling under on the winch at the halfway point, rendering it useless, then right after wrapped the starboard mainsheet winch ! Luckily there's 2 winches for that, or we'd have been in a pickle for sure. It was fun all the same.

Then when we were approaching along Newcastle, an idiot in a large power boat, full out, bow way up so he couldn't see where he was going, almost hit us! The bathtub races were in full swing and he was too busy watching his contestant and not where he was going. I got that on video but can't post it as way to much swearing there lol.

Never a dull moment in one of the busiest marine areas in BC.
Anyway, after doing some shopping I got to eat an ice-cream cone! Wow did I ever miss ice-cream! We've been doing lots of swimming and sunbathing in this heat which is like paradise as the water is warm. Yesterday as we were pulling the dinghy away from the swimdeck Gena gunned the motor and we would have rammed into the sharp edges of Helmit had I not reached out backward with my left arm to deflect us. Unfortunately that pulle something out in my back so today I'm a bit of a cripple.
We were on our way over to fly my big stunt kite, which I haven't flown for nearly 10 years. After setting it up, it roared to life whizzing back and forth making the buzzing sound I had forgotten about, amazing some kids watching from the playground. The wind died and down it came. Gena had set it up before so I offered her a turn. Right away she crashed it hard, breaking the aft strap which in turn snapped the main hub in the center in half. So much for my kite!
The metis owned restaraunt/clubhouse serves up the best onion rings, so Gena squelched my anger with a plate of those.

She spent 3 hours fixing it last night with some brass rod so I'm going to try again today, once there's wind.

We're not sure where we're going next, perhaps to Howe Sound or Pender. That's the beauty of having a boat in this amazing place:
you can take your time, stay as long as you want, not have to worry about the cost of a hotel room, and play in the most beautiful places in the country!

The Marquesas can wait for another time.
Cheers all!
S&G