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September 10, 2009

Our first family sailing adventure...

I've got to say that the sailboat is the perfect blend of family-together-time and adventure.

Making the transition to a sailing family has been easy, thanks to the wisdom and expertise that has been shared by Scott. Scott has the same boat that we do, but with just about every creature comfort that you could imagine, including a furnace. Scott is the Commander of the Yukon Power and Sail Squadron, which Fawn and I will definitely be joining. They've got a lot of great courses, including the Pleasure Craft Operator Card (which you'd better get if you haven't already got).

Scott's MacGregor 26M, loaded with all the bells and whistles.

A beautiful day for a sail.

Although we mostly stayed around Richthofen Island there was no shortage of great scenery. As we savored the views, some tourists on the "Great River Journey" were doing the same.

Great River Journey's first vessel, "Shakat".



After beating to the north end of the island, we ran to the south end. The wind was strong and there were large, rolling waves. We were using only the genoa. We want some practice time without the kids on board before we run up the mainsail.

Running with just the genoa.

Looking north, sailing alongside Richthofen Island.

Eventually, we made our way into Jackfish Bay. I instantly fell in love with it. The sun was shining on the rocky outcrops, which made for a great harbour. We furled our sail, motored into a nice spot, and dropped anchor into the muddy-clay bottom.

Having fun in Jackfish Bay.

Cuddling in the cockpit.

Happy in the forward hatch.

Playing in the cabin.

After a meal and some snacks, we hoisted the anchor, made our way back to Deep Creek, and went home, planning to return the next day.

After some extensive preparations for our first night on board, we finally made it back to Lake Laberge. Fawn took care of meals and pajamas while I sailed and motored us back to Jackfish Bay. The wind was calm and evening pleasant. Waterfowl floated lazily as we made our way by.

Booktime before bedtime.

Just like when we go camping, it took a while for the kids to fall asleep. It was a cool night, but the boat stayed fairly warm, just from our body heat.

Evening out the "porthole".

Moonrise.

When I finally crawled into the rear berth and snuggled under the blankets, I fell into a deep sleep as the boat swung gently back and forth on the anchor.

The next morning, we were greeted with overcast skies, a little bit of rain, and a stunning rainbow. I got the boat underway while Fawn dealt with a cranky, teething baby and a temporarily jealous sister in the cabin. It wasn't the idyllic way that I was hoping to spend the day, but it was still better than being stuck at home.

Rainbow off Richthofen.

The plan was to sail to the north end of Laberge, but the south-wind that we were running with soon died off. I turned on the outboard, but started having mechanical issues. The nice thing about owning a boat that is driven by either power or sail is that, when one won't work, there's always a back-up. Instead of trying to get further down the lake, we played it safe and made our way back to Deep Creek, where the sun came out and we spent the rest of the afternoon aboard, napping, eating, and relaxing.

Tomorrow, I'll be taking the new outboard to the shop to see what's wrong. I hope they can fix it quickly - I really want to get out on the water this weekend!

4 comments:

Matt, Kara, Hunter and Cavan said...

Glad it seems to turning into the family-friendly activity you wanted it to be!

Megan said...

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Let me know when you'd like to take over the blog. You can do as many posts as you like in the 24 hours: just e-mail them to me and I'll schedule them to go up during the day.

Here are the last winner's posts, in case you'd like to review ancient history.

Anonymous said...

Hey! I grew up on Jackfish bay - I'm nostalgic looking at your photos!

Meandering Michael said...

Very cool! Welcome to the blog!