Reflections on a Mirror Mirror Cruise

There is nothing worse or better than when you are called to the sea. Nothing worse, because all you think of is slipping the bonds of earth. Nothing better because you gain an extraordinary appreciation for land’s stability. This summer, Mirror Mirror voyaged across the Salish Sea from Ambleside to as far south as South Pender Island, visiting many isles along the way, meeting with old friends and new. To tell the tale, I will omit such formalities as timelines or plots, focussing rather on some pertinent themes.

Heather and Dan on Mirror Mirror

Theme #1 Gumption

Gumption is overrated. Planning and experience are not. But still, it takes a bit of courage to pile into a 16-foot, unballasted boat and sail it across the Salish Sea. I know a few people (Ian, Matt, Pheobe, Jared, Adrian any more?) who have felt the need to cross in a ridiculously undersized boat. This year the crossing from Gibsons to Nanaimo was bumpy and required a double reef at times. Crossing time: 6 hours. The second crossing from Gabriola passage to Ambleside was Mesmer calm. Normally we don’t take the engine—an ancient Seagull we affectionately call “Giddagidda”. The only times we used her were on the crossings. First on the way out of Gibsons in no breeze and second in Gabriola passage due to current. On the second crossing, Giddagidda died after an hour (natch) and row sailing ensued. For once the Straight was dead calm. It was so cool to be sitting in its heart without feeling stressed: gumption totally unrequired. Crossing time: 10.5 hours. That’s a lot of moving slowly. Dan spent hours figuring out how to entice Ian to come get us from the middle of the straight. Ugh! No way were we finishing on a tow. Row, Danny, row.

Theme #2 Define “Pub”

No matter where you go, there you are. And so too with a good pub. At the outset we had the goal to stop in as many pubs as were available. The term “pub” was loosely defined. Many a beach and our onboard table (pictured above) served a few good drinks. CBC-2 or local coop radio CHLY accompaniments were welcome and we often tuned in at rest or on the run. In Nanaimo, on the boat-pub Dan began reading what seemed like an endless supply of vintage science fiction. Sometimes a marina pub had WiFi. Best Wifi password: LivingtheDream4Ever! Remember too, a handy dock can always break out in a party.

Theme #3 Sail, Sail, Sail

Whatever your boat, learn to sail it well in all conditions. Sailing around for 20 days is a great way to improve your skills. This trip, we met up with the usual unlikely crowd with whom to raid the coast. Raid it we did. There was everything from 0 knots wind plus 3 knots of current against us to 20+ knots of breeze behind us. Our top speed: 7.6 knots. It was super sailing with such a diverse collection of watercraft. A big skill, which we apparently have not learned, is coming into an unknown beach. We hit bottom hard a few times and repeatedly needed to fix the centreboard stirrup. Doh.

Theme #4 Enjoy the hang

Sailing around is one thing, but doing nothing under the sun is next-level fun. At Telegraph Harbour we spent a couple of nights enjoying the harbour, the pub and the company of an old friend from work. She and her husband were moored across the way in the “nicer” marina. Totally random meeting up with her and so great to catch up. That evening the 85 foot “caravan” boat, Amara Zee arrived, causing a minor stir on the docks. The boat sails around with a moveable theatre company onboard. The boat is the theatre. Notable hang moments included Blackberry point where a large group was celebrating a birthday, Annette Bay with all that mucky mud, Bedwell bay where the sun warmed us and a raven came for the evening, the James Bay orchard and Herring Bay which was just… well it was calm.

Theme #5 Vive La Difference

The Barefoot Raid that we join each year celebrates difference even as we all congregate to worship the same wind. The Raid is a 7 day adventure with 2 races per day. After a first week of sailing by ourselves, we started the Raid. This year we enjoyed sailing with 3 catamarans (two Tornados and one Nacra), an Ian Gartside design traditional boat, a Scamp, an Angus Row Cruiser, a one-off design monohull with massive sail area and leeboards, a 12-foot traditional clinker hull with gaff rig, and us in the M16.

As sailors, we don’t always fly down the strait and narrow. Hippie Greg, captain of the support vessel, Dame Gracie, was patient with his craft and crew. Hauling all that gear was a great help for those not sailing on “liveaboards.” The Dame Gracie was all about the music. Soooo much goodness in all genres. Plus who would take a dog on a racing catamaran for seven days? Why Sam and Simon of course : ) Simon lives on a James Wharram designed boat in Silva Bay. The people who sailed the Gartside live on a communal 30-acre property on Denman. Meghan is a Ph.D. in biology. Quill, the person “in charge” of the raid built three 17th century Japanese boats for a film this year. The raid winner sets sail on his Tornado every year in May and does not return to work on land until the end of Sept. We are all different. And yet the same: sea junkies.

This cruise was about having the “gumption” to hang with friends who are different in as many different “pubs” as possible while sailing, sailing and sailing. It was a spectacular cruise in all respects. Thanks to Dan for being the ballast and for having the idea that water moves slower along the edges. That really works!