Mariner In Training
Let's set the record straight right off the hop here. I grew up on the prairies of Canada in a province called Saskatchewan. While we have many freshwater lakes, and I was not a stranger to boating, the ocean is a different beast requiring additional training.
I used to say "when I get back to the coast, I want to get a sailboat." When moving to Vancouver Island back in 2016, I wasted no time preparing for that dream.
Searching online to see what kind of deals I could get on a starter boat, I found an elderly gentleman that could no longer go sailing and was looking to sell his boat and mooring.
Wasting no time in scooping up this bad boy, in 2017 I was officially a sailboat owner. She isn't overly pretty, but it doesn't need to be to put a smile on my face.
Meet "Sunray" a 1982 Riviera Star.
As I tend to do with many things, I jump towards ideas at a turbo pace. Here I had this boat, but no training, licensing or radio certificates to operate it legally.
Well, to school we go!
After taking a plethora of courses covering navigation, plotting, signs, markers, buoys, deviation, charts, rope knots and receiving my radio certificate, I was legal but barely ready to hit the ocean.
Since the boat is floating off of a buoy in the ocean, I had to find a way to get back and forth comfortably.
Luckily I found a good deal up island for this little zodiac, which I still have to this day. I attach an electric trolling motor and away we go.
Having a little getaway to head out to is such a great feeling. Even if there are no plans to take it for a ride, sitting on the deck enjoying the surroundings feels like a mini-vacation in itself.
I enjoy reading, writing, and listening to music on it. Just being on the water brings such a feeling of relaxation.
When the lockdowns happened, you could find me socially distancing right here, no complaints.
One of my favourite parts of this boat is the table. It is a Mercator Chart of coastal BC and Vancouver Island. Since the boat was made here in Richmond, it has some local features that are neat to have.
As I said earlier, you do not need the nicest of things to put a smile on your face. This old girl has given me some great memories.
In return, I have tried to give it as much of a facelift as possible and within reason.
I believe this is a photo of the first time I took it out. Because I am still really new at the sailing part, most of the time I have taken it out, it has been under motor power. The rigging on the main sail needs some upgrading that I have not completed yet.
That is alright, because I can still enjoy beautiful scenes such as this one while I slowly chip away at things.
Some think it is silly to fish off of a sailboat but I would like to think otherwise.
We have caught many Lingcod, Rockfish, and Salmon off of this tub.
Great memories!
While I wish we could get our daughter out more often, she does have a great time playing with everything each time we get out there.
Mariner in training part 2!
Now it is not always all sunshine and rainbows. It is no secret that boats can be a never-ending pit to toss your money into.
When I bought the vessel, the owner had said that the chain connecting it to the mooring should still be strong. Well, I did not know any better to check. One day a fellow mariner in the bay who I have since befriended, was surprised to feel a nudge against his boat.
Upon walking up on deck, he noticed my boat had broken off its mooring at the other end of the marina. His boat was the last one before mine had a chance to be pulled out with the tide out to sea.
Thankfully, he hopped into his runabout and attached it back onto a mooring then contact me.
Not sparing any expense, I hired divers to assess the seafloor, and install a new chain, along with adding additional weight placed at the bottom.
Thick chain and monster shackles is the way I chose to make sure this did not happen again.
Here I am bringing out my additional weight to put on the seafloor for my new mooring setup.
The divers are down there looking for my tie-off at the bottom.
They came up to let me know that a sunken sailboat close to the size of mine was only 40 feet beside my spot with the tip of its mast only 10 feet or so from the surface.
You always need to be sure to have your info on your mooring with a clear "PRIVATE" marker on it. There are a lot of drifters out there that attempt to test people's spaces out.
There she is. Nothing special, but special to me. I still have such a long way to go but at least I have started to embark on this pastime. Hopefully one day we would be fortunate enough to have the capabilities of pursuing a longer voyage to somewhere exciting.
We will likely need an upgrade before that would happen. But this is a great start still.
Here is a cool shot two days before Christmas in 2018. It is with my boating instructor. We left a marina in Oak Bay and travelled to Victoria's Inner Harbour for a pint and food, then sailed back to the marina. It was an awesome experience for me and a reminder of how much fun this community can be.
Thanks for stopping by!