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X-Yachting 2013
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x-yachting 2013 87
robert
’s view of skyedancer as he flew in from seattle. of their three dogs, and rate the xc highly for sailing as a couple. “it works great – i chose 45 foot as the largest boat i could handle singlehanded without powered systems. we have one electric winch which we use for hoisting the mainsail, but otherwise all winches are manual. living space is great and we’ve done weekend cruises with six onboard (four adults and two children) and all been very comfortable.” sounding out the area the xc 45 also scores highly with the couple for exploring such remote areas. “the xc 45 is very comfortable and has capacious stowage for provisions. the oven works well and we’ve fitted a gas barbeque on the rail towards the rear. we like all sorts of cruising – my wife prefers to get ashore, i prefer the wilderness.” for wilderness cruising, it’s hard to beat the dramatic scenery of british columbia. “the san juan islands have a micro-climate which makes them significantly drier and warmer than the notoriously ‘soft’ weather of seattle,” explains
robert
. “they are surrounded by three vast mountain chains: the cascades to the east, the olympics to the south west and vancouver island to the north west. these provide some spectacular views.” the micro-climate means sailors and wildlife alike enjoy the mildest climate and warmest waters on the british columbia coast, and visitors to desolation sound are treated to some of the richest sea life in the region with sea lions and seals often spotted sunning themselves on the rocks. dolphins frequently visit the sound and are occasionally joined by orcas (killer whales). “there are amazing anchorages in deep water, small harbours dating back to the early days of pioneers and narrow passages where the currents can reach 12
knots
or more,” adds
robert
. a particular highlight for the pair was anchoring at teakerne arm on west redonda island. “this is where captain vancouver anchored for several weeks and we were able to hike up to the fresh water lake just above the waterfall where vancouver replenished their water barrels, and swim in the warm waters of a lake that vancouver’s men would have used to get clean.” for a committed sailor like
robert
, the only downside of the two- week trip was a lack of wind. fortunately, “the xc 45 sails very well in all conditions,” he reports. “she has a big rig which is very evident at anchorage or in the marina when she is next to other boats of similar sizes. we have a 105% jib which works really well and i’ve never felt the need for anything bigger. we’ve had a couple of passages with 30
knots
and she is very forgiving and very stable. we’ve even broached when the wind suddenly backed on us and went from 8
knots
to 20
knots
with the spinnaker up – it was benign and we quickly got things back under control.” red right return? if you’re thinking of cruising in
america
– or you usually sail on that side of the atlantic and are making a trip to europe or asia - make sure you’re familiar with the two iala regions. the curious system means that in region a - europe, australia, new zealand, parts of africa and most of asia – port marks are red and starboard marks green, whilst in region b – north
america
, central
america
and south
america
, the philippines, japan and korea – the reverse is the case (port green, starboard).
robert
admits this did cause a slight cultural misunderstanding on their delivery south. “margaret had returned to seattle and i was sailing with two friends from the uk. we were just leaving nanaimo on a clear calm morning and were reminiscing when we went the wrong way round a marker and came to a slow halt in deep mud. (the helmsman at the time had got confused between iala a & b buoyage and thought we should round this mark to port.) we were being watched by the local rescue craft who were alongside us within one minute – clearly this has happened before! we didn’t need their help and reversed off with no problems. exchanged pleasantries with the crew of the rescue boat and headed on our way reciting ‘red right returning’ to make sure we didn’t do it again!” refuge cove dates back the 1890s when it serviced the local logging and fur traders.
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