Sam Landsman 
Several years ago, I replaced the 15-year-old Norcold refrigerator aboard Safe Harbour with a shiny new NovaKool RFU9000. The new fridge reduced power consumption and was quieter, but it was far from perfect. In fact, it (along with the Force 10 range with the heat output of a Bic lighter) are among the most frustrating pieces of equipment onboard. Temperature control in the NovaKool is, at best, imprecise. The rudimentary … Read more
The process for clearing into the U.S. by water has changed (you can still do it the old way if you prefer), and it’s WAY better. Customs and Border Protection has a new app called CBP ROAM. We just tried it on our way back from Victoria, and it’s awesome! Here’s the key information: The app is free. Download it on iOS or Android and follow the prompts to set … Read more
September 14 – We’d hoped to spend a couple nights in Effingham Bay, but today looked like a great day on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Rather than push our luck for one more night in the Broken Group, we decided to take advantage of the calm and head towards Victoria. We were spoiled again by the ocean. Light winds, decent visibility, favorable current most of the day, and … Read more
September 12 – We’re starting to analyze the weather for our run in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria. Based on the current models, it looks like we’ll have a good two days to make the run this weekend, September 15 and 16. With three more days in Barkley Sound, we figured we’d head to Bamfield today, explore a bit, and then head out to Effingham Bay for the … Read more
September 11 – Barkley Sound is nearly deserted this time of year. We’ve only seen a couple other cruising boats, so we figured we’d likely be able to get at least a few spots at the dock at the Port Alberni Yacht Club outstation in Robbers Passage. This is a wonderful stop, with short trails to walk around on ashore and an amazing coastline nearby to explore by dinghy. The docks … Read more
September 10 – Since we arrived earlier than scheduled in Barkley Sound, we have some extra time to visit additional anchorages. Although the Broken Group is small—only about seven miles by five miles—there are many interesting anchorages. Today, we made the short run over to Nettle Island. This is another large anchorage in Barkley Sound, not quite as well-protected as Joe’s Bay, but perfect for most weather conditions. Sam took the … Read more
September 8 – The weather in Ucluelet was breezy and foggy, with pouring rain this morning. The forecast called for worsening conditions through tomorrow, when winds were predicted to climb to 30-40 knots with heavy rain. Might this be the first taste of fall? With a lousy forecast, we headed for Joe’s Bay. This is a huge anchorage, with moderate depths, excellent protection, and good holding. We’d stay for a few … Read more
We’ve been spoiled by the weather this trip. Other than a few hours of beam seas around Cape Scott, and maybe 45 minutes of head seas north of Seymour Narrows, conditions have been pretty darn calm. What little wind we’ve had has been from behind us—northwesterlies are typical during summer—and we can’t imagine a smoother trip around Vancouver Island. Unfortunately, the summer weather pattern is beginning to fall apart. Today … Read more