August 16th Baynes Sound to Georgia Strait through Dodd Narrows or “over the river and through the woods….”

August 16^th Baynes Sound to Georgia Strait through Dodd Narrows or “over the river and through the woods….”      

Comox Sunrise

Conditions are not the best on the Georgia Strait but we need to put some miles under the keel so we spend a 12 hour day going down the quiet Baynes Sound and out into and down the Strait of Georgia.  Baynes Sound has an interesting twist.  It is the first “stop light” we have encountered on the open water.  The small cable ferry connecting Vancouver Island and Denman Island.  As you approach you watch the shore.  If the light is red, you stop.  If it is green you can proceed.  This lets the small ferry pull itself along its cable and keeps you from snagging your keel or rudder on the cable as it pulls along the top of the water.

Red Light

Green Light

The weather (again) is not as predicted.  The winds were to be light and variable.  They continued to build and were pretty much 15-20 on the nose with sloppy seas all day long.  The places to pull in an anchor are few to none along this stretch.  As we pass the Winchelsea Islands with the naval radar station and prepare to anchor in Nanaimo Harbour we realize that the timing is right to keep going and go through Dodd Narrows.  Hmmmm….keep going now or get up at 0500 to make the Narrows at slack.  Forward we go. 

Dodd Narrows has a dogleg bend, meaning you cannot see around the corner in the middle of this narrows.  People announce themselves thusly “Securite securite securite, 38’ sailboat southbound Dodd Narrows, any concerned traffic come back on channel 16.”  As we approach we do see a tug with barge on the far side of the narrows but we cannot tell if he is actually approaching the Narrows or not.  We wait a bit; call him on VHF 16 and VHF 13.  No answer.  Not hearing any announcement of northbound traffic we make our southbound announcement and then proceed.  Sure enough as soon as we are committed and come around the dogleg we are face to face with the tiny tug and his ginormous barge.  

Tug and Barge in Dodd Narrows

He gives us a sheepish wave and I give him a, well let’s just say I did not wave at him with one finger but I did give him a two handed “what’s up with this” shrug.  He ducked his head and kept on going.  Carl watched the port side to stay off the rocks and I watched the starboard to dodge loose logs.  Needless to say we were very glad to throw the anchor out at De Courcey Island shortly thereafter.  Our 12 hour day took us through a quiet sound, over the slop of the Strait, and past sawmills, log booms, tugs and tows.  The cedar smell coming from the log booms reminded me of the years we spent working in the woods.

Small Tug and Log Boom