British Columbia
In August 2002, and again in 2003 I had the good fortune to go to Nanaimo, BC and charter a boat, the Lazy Rebel. This was a 42-foot, single-screw diesel trawler type boat with a single stateroom, galley and quite large salon area. What really impressed me was the navigation system on board: a laptop computer connected to the GPS which was loaded with real-time charts. So, when we wanted to know where we were, all I had to do was look at the computer and the little arrow on the chart would show me our position, precisely within a matter of feet. And more, it would show our course with a little dotted line on the screen. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
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Oh, yes: there actually are a few pictures of me. This one shows me doing what they say I like best. (Well, why deny it, when the prize is a meal like this: Oysters Rockefeller!) |
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Desolation Sound, British Columbia (actually it's Waddington Channel just outside Walsh Cove, about five miles from Desolation Sound). |
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| Two views of Lazy Rebel at the dock (right and below). She was very comfortable except in a beam sea due to her rounded bottom which caused her to roll mercilessly. Our only defense was to tack incessantly so the swell would be either from directly astern or head-on. (I apologize but these images are inside-out due to the slides being reversed going through the scanner.) |  |
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Here's the harbor in Lund, BC the last evening we were there. Lund is an interesting little community. Located at the end of the road (Highway 101), it's isolated from most parts of British Columbia by land. But the harbor is the last "jumping off" point for boats on the way to Desolation Sound and the island groups further north. There is a quaint hotel with some shops, a little market/general store, and two restaurants. It's also the last place enroute north to fuel up and take on fresh water. |
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The weather and the water could not have been better on both trips, in 2002 and 2003. The 2004 trip produced a thunderstorm or two, but not bad enough to alter any plans. Sunsets at this time of year are invariably spectacular. This was from the aft deck of the Lazy Rebel, about 30 minutes before the shot of the harbor, above. |
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This is a typical scene in the islands north of Nanaimo BC, not far from Desolation Sound. This particular location is Walsh Cove, just off Waddington Channel. It's great because it's protected from wakes from passing boats by a tiny island, seen just behind the anchored boats on the right of the photo. |
