Archives for category: - Canada

Getting Closer!

May 31, 2013 //

We’re up on Vancouver Island on the west coast of British Columbia. Monday, after months of planning, we left the Bay Area, our truck loaded with supplies for our months-long sailing trip, en route to meet a boat we’d never seen, except for its online profile.

After several trips up north and still no boat, we found an an Aloha 32, a well-regarded, Mark Ellis-designed, cruising boat named Carmana, on Vancouver Island. In mid-May we decided to make an offer.

Shortly thereafter we hired a surveyor to assess the boat. We waited a bit anxiously for the day of the survey. When that day came, however, the surveyor pronounced her a well-found little ship. All systems were go.

The Saturday before we left we had a little grilled pizza bon voyage party with friends. When I dropped off ice for the party, though, and tried to repark the truck… nothing. The starter, that had been acting up, had decided to pack it in. We were meant to leave in two days and it was Memorial Day weekend. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags adventure, buying a boat, sailing, trip, trip report, WCXC

Categories - Beach & Ocean, - Canada, - Pictures, - Ships / Boats, - Trip: Sailing the Pacific Northwest, — British Columbia, FEATURES, MEDIA, North America, PLACES, PLACES TO SEE, VEHICLES

Spotted: Cruising Boat, Aloha 32

May 20, 2013 //

We’ve been looking for a boat for our Pacific Northwest trip and spotted this one for ourselves. We put in an offer on it last week. Traveling up to the Pacific NW four times since last fall, looking for a boat to call our own was getting expensive. We saw this boat online and made an offer. We haven’t even seen it in person.

It’s an Aloha 32, a Mark Ellis design that’s similar to the Niagara 35, a capable boat that was, alas, out of our budget. Both are well-built, spacious, and do away with the ubiquitous v-berth to make room for more galley and salon space. (The berths in these boats are aft.) From what we hear, the boat does have some delamination issues in the deck. Whether they are major or minor issues, the survey will reveal.

We’re leaving to head up north in about a week, boat or no boat. I hope this one passes it’s survey. If not, at least we’ll be up there to continue our search. Good luck, Carmana!

Tags adventure, Aloha 32, Pacific NW, sailboat, WCXC

Categories - Canada, - Pictures, - Ships / Boats, - Spotted:, - Trip: Sailing the Pacific Northwest, - United States, — British Columbia, — Washington, FEATURES, MEDIA, North America, PLACES, VEHICLES

The Museum at Campbell River

May 1, 2013 //

If you ever find yourself in Campbell River, on Vancouver Island, I highly recommend checking out the Museum at Campbell River. It features exhibits that cover history of the area from native tribes to whites settling and the subsequent logging, fishing, and tourism industries. The exhibit is very well designed and displayed.

Native ceremonial masks were lit on the wall of one darkened room. We barely had time to take them in before a voice spoke up to tell their story. Natalie jumped and grabbed my arm. After we both relaxed a bit, we listened to The Treasures of Siwidi, a story of the supernatural exploits of an ancestor of the Kwakwaka’wakw people.

The rest of the museum was equally well done with room-sized recreations of logging shacks and old hotels, interesting displays explaining fishing techniques, and so on. As I said, highly recommended.

More photos below. Read the rest of this entry »

Categories - Canada, - Museum, - Pictures, — British Columbia, MEDIA, North America, PLACES, THINGS TO DO

Boat Shopping

April 23, 2013 //

We were up in Seattle searching for a boat a couple of weeks ago. We’ve been seriously looking since fall of last year for our upcoming Pacific Northwest trip this summer and fall. We saw several from Tacoma, Washington all the way up to Campbell River, BC. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags adventure, boats, WCXC

Categories - Canada, - Pictures, - Ships / Boats, - Trip: Sailing the Pacific Northwest, - United States, — British Columbia, — Washington, —- Seattle, FEATURES, MEDIA, North America, PLACES, VEHICLES

Spotted: Clean Toyota 4×4 Pickup

April 14, 2013 //

While driving around the Pacific Northwest last week, looking at boats, we spotted this nice, mid-1990s Toyota 4×4 Pickup. I don’t know anything about it except that it looks clean and stock. For a nearly 20-year-old Toyota 4×4, that’s saying something.

The other interesting thing is that it’s located in Point Roberts, an odd little little piece of Washington state that’s connected to Canada, instead of the rest of the United States. The only way to get to this 4-square-mile hamlet, with its own border crossing, is to drive through our neighbor to the north or take a boat.

If you’re interested in the truck, the number’s on the windshield. I posted another picture and a map after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »