Imagine That: July 2015

Friday, July 24, 2015

The Salish Sea

This last week Nick, Oscar (Nick's son) and I sailed over to Mayne Island to visit Nick's sister, Kathy, and her partner, John. We had fabulous weather there, back and in between, sailing across the strait in 15-20 knot winds, making about 7.5 knots on average, and then down Trincomali Channel to Montague Harbour for our first night. Excellent moorage there tied to mooring buoy, and good swims at the beach. Genoa sail jammed in the rolling furler the next day taking it in, so went without it for the rest of the trip. Cost us about a knot and a half on our way back across the Salish Sea. Fabulous trip out and looking forward to lots more this August...

Oscar and Nick with Meg and Rose on Spring Moon

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Big Gord, Rose and Meg

Yesterday I visited Big Gord in Long Term Care at UBC. He's only there for Convalescence, so the Long Term part is misleading. He's been battling with a wound that went through to the bone since last December, and has been in the hospital with it since January. The bone got infected and the wound opened up to fist-size. Long battle to recovery with surgery in the near future (hopefully) to put a 'patch over the opening. I took the dogs in, Rose and our new dog, Meg, because for the first time in 6 months, he's in a place where dog's can visit. They loved visiting Big Gord. Took to his bed like it was their own, snuggling up with him, and then falling asleep. Born therapy dogs. Love therapy.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Cardboard Kayak Races - Bowen Island Steamship Days

This Weekend Bowen Island Hosted Steamship Days with all of it's fun & festivities. One of the events is a 'design and execute your own cardboard kayak' using a 4' x 6' sheet of cardboard, a roll of packing tape and an x-acto knife. Our method was to design as we built... trying to hold onto the idea of origami paper folding and applying it to a boat design. Lots of cutting and scoring took place with god knows what design in mind... but gradually a vessel slightly resembling a kayak grew out of the mess we had made of the cardboard. Nick was frantically trying to get it 'structurally sound' all the while I was cutting and scoring with great abandon. Then massive amounts of tape were needed to keep the water from pouring through the seams. Midway we looked at the competition and felt sorrily inept, but in the last 5 minutes before Times UP, it came together as if by magic. And when we put in Tyler, our little brave and skilled paddler, by god, we won! She shipped no water at all, stayed up-right (others were tipping over and sinking, or folding in the middle and going down, or simply going down). But our little vessel stayed afloat like a water bug, skimming to and fro from start to finish line, back and forth many times, all the while passing sinking and abandoned ships. All this to say, never give up the ship: miracles do happen.