Desolation Sound Cutwater Group

Matt Ouilette

Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2012
Messages
13
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Non-Fluid Motion Model
All Cutwater Models
As this Spring passes us by at a rapid pace, we are that much closer to the BIG Desolation Sound Cruise which I'm sure a lot of you have been looking forward to. I know have! The Cutwater group meeting in Roche Harbor on July 26th should have all received an email Yesterday with our itinerary and event plans. If you did not personally receive this email and wish to join us please let me know ASAP as space is very limited.

Our first stop on the cruise is Roche Harbor on San Juan Island. Arriving on Friday July 26th and departing on Sunday July 28th. Reservations have been made for these dates. You DO NOT need to contact Roche unless you are arriving prior to July 26th. If you are arriving prior to July 26th then please contact Roche Harbor marina at (800) 451-8910

Our second stop on the cruise is Nanaimo Boat Basin in the Port of Nanaimo where we will be meeting up with our Ranger tug friends! Arriving Sunday July 28th and departing Monday July 29th. Reservations have been made.

Our third stop on the cruise is Comox Harbour. We will be arriving on Monday July 29th and departing on Tuesday July 30th. Reservations have been made.

Our final destination is Gorge Harbour Marina on beautiful Cortes Island! http://www.gorgeharbour.com/ We will be arriving on Tuesday July 30th. We have reserved two nights at Gorge Harbour. Departing on Thursday August 1st. If you would like to stay at Gorge Harbour beyond August 1st then please contact Gorge Harbour directly at (250) 935-6433. Gorge Harbour is the gateway to Desolation Sound. If you prefer to stay at a dock rather than anchoring out this is a great place to return to each night after a day of exploring Desolation Sound and the surrounding area.

We will have a captains briefing each evening at 5:00 P.M.. During the captains briefing we will cover our plans for the following morning including route, tides/currents, departure time, and departure and arrival procedures.

Events
Friday July 26th our Cutwater group will make their way to the San Juans and arrive at Roche Harbor. ( if you can’t make it until Saturday that is fine, but most will want to arrive Friday in order to take in all that Roche Harbor has to offer.) 5:00 P.M. Cocktail hour and appetizers on the dock. Bring your favorite appetizer. Welcome packets will be distributed.

Saturday July 27th You will have ample time to explore the island by foot, bike, or scooter! During the day: A wine tasting event at San Juan Vineyards will be available in the afternoon with round trip transportation included (If you are interested in event details and pricing please inform Matt Ouilette when responding). This is also a great day to head out on your boat for some sightseeing, crabbing, kayaking and more…. 5:00 P.M. Captains briefing on the dock followed by cocktail hour. Bellingham Yachts will be hosting a BBQ dinner at 6pm, Please bring a side dish to share!

Sunday July 28th We will make our way to Bedwell Harbour to clear customs in the morning. Once cleared we’ll head on to the Port of Nanaimo Boat Basin (we were there last year). Port Boat House will host a barbecue on the rooftop deck above the marina office (where we were last year). Fuel is available here as well, as well as stores nearby for any provisions that you were unable to clear through Canadian customs. 5:00 P.M Captains briefing on the roof top deck above the Nanaimo Port Authority immediately followed by cocktail hour. Dinner 6:00 P.M. Bar-B-que Salmon, chicken and dessert provided by Port Boathouse. Please bring a side dish!

Monday July 29th Captains briefing 5:00 P.M on the dock followed by cocktail hour and appetizers. Bring your favorite appetizer!

Tuesday July 30th Reservations have been tentatively made for two nights but some boats may be ready to head out on Wednesday to begin exploring beautiful Desolation Sound. Others may choose to spend one or more additional nights enjoying the luxurious setting of Gorge Harbour with its store, restaurant, pool and more. On Tuesday night we will be treated to another barbecue hosted by Volvo Penta. You are requested to bring your favourite salad to share, as the meat will be provided. 5:00 P.M. Appetizers, 6:00 P.M. Dinner

By the time we reach Gorge Harbour, we hope that all of you will have had plenty of opportunities to network with the other boat owners and that groups of like-minded boaters will organically form to head out to explore Desolation Sound. Some of us who have been there before will be happy to tell you about our favourite spots and the guide books are full of spots that we have not yet had time to explore. We will also have an idea by then of when various folks are planning to head for home, and hopefully you can find a few boats to convoy with, if you so desire. If you have a specific date by which you must return, you may wish to post on http://www.tugnuts.com to see if anyone else has a similar schedule.

Recommended publications

Tide/Current book Ports and Passes http://www.fineedge.com/HALE%20BOOKS/ports_passes.html
Waggoner Cruising guide http://www.fineedge.com/NAUTICAL%20BOOKS/waggoner.html
Desolation Sound Cruising guide http://www.fineedge.com/NAUTICAL%20BOOK ... aker2.html
The Curve of Time: http://www.amazon.com


Essential Equipment (partial list)
Stern line 200-400ft. (Essential if anchoring).
Garmin chip for Canadian waters. (Garmin does not preload Canadian charts)
Spare anchor (Anchors can get hung up on old logging cables)
Passport
Vaccination certificate if traveling with a dog or cat. (Canadian customs will not let you into Canada without this) http://www.canadawelcomesyou.net/travelreminders.html
Identification (You are required to have proper identification for everyone on the boat. This includes children. If traveling with grandkids be sure to get a note from the parents.)
I would also recommend provisioning at at the Port of Nanaimo. Grocery stores are nearby.
 
Matt, Thanks for the post and really looking forward to meeting some new friends.....My understand is John L will be there with his NEW Cutwater 30 for this event!
 
Very much looking forward to our first adventure aboard our new C28.
 
Thanks to all of you that responded and are signed up for the big Desolation trip. We are now pretty well full up at this point but would like to invite any of you Cutwater cruisers who are still thinking about joining us at Roche harbor to get in touch. This is not a weekend that you want to miss! Not to mention, we'll have a couple of C30's with us to drool over!

Also, if anyone is interested in launching at Squalicum harbor and running to Roche with us, you are more than welcome to join. Just let me know.

Matt
 
If you are concerned about losing your anchor you need an anchor thimble. I have a few left, I saved three anchors in Desolation Sound last year including my own. There will be a few on Ranger Tugs up there.
Bob
 
I bought one from Bob, figured I just spent several hundred on a big anchor and I did not want to lose it in the depths.
 
Forgive my ignorance, but what is an anchor thimble?
 
Is anyone using the Rocna or Manson anchors on their C28's, if so what size? Were there any fit issues?
 
Doondocker,
First of all, welcome aboard. You asked what an anchor thimble is, its a device that allows you to reverse pull the anchor when it becomes jammed under a submerged log or a rock outcropping. Many of the new anchors have an extra whole drilled in the shank which allows you to add an additional line for reverse pulling a jammed anchor but this requires additional line to accompany your anchor when launching (and many add a flotation devise to separate the line). Look at the owner's photo album page twelve under "Nellie Too" with a heading of "Anchor Thimble" to view what it looks like and how it works. It is heavy enough that when it is placed over the anchor line it seeks the anchor shaft and slides to the head of the shaft when pulled away. It does work.

All the best and see you in Anacortes,

Bob
 
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