Pam's Pegasus Adventure #1 - Bowen Island and Halkett Bay, Gambier Island, BC

The first journey Giovanni & I took together on Pegasus was to be four or five days in mid September. We weren't exactly sure what our end destination was to be, but we knew we would have fun getting there.

Our starting point was False Creek, where Pegasus was anchored. After breakfast, we motored out into English Bay, with the warm fall sun shining through the fluffy white clouds. This was my second sailing adventure ever, my first being a year previous on a much smaller boat, a Contessa 26. The Contessa is a lovely sailboat, but at 5'10", I could not stand up straight in the cabin. This time around, I was on a Catalina MKI 36 and she motored like a charm, quiet and smooth, with the added advantage of lots of head space in the cabin. As we entered English Bay, the first large freighter was named "Angela" which immediately made me think of my friend Angela who had just moved from Montreal to Australia. The weather was clear, and not enough wind to sail. We decided to head to Bowen Island, to check out the marinas there. We also knew there were two bays side by side to check out, Snug Cove to the south, and Mannion Bay to the north.

As we neared Point Atkinson, the wind picked up and we decided to put up the Genoa and set sail. I went downstairs into the cabin to ensure everything from breakfast had been securely stowed, then rejoined the captain on deck. Soon enough, the wind picked up enough for us to put the main sail up and turn the engine off. What bliss to only hear the wind in your ears, and the water rushing against the gunwhales! As a relatively inexperienced boat person, I have difficulty judging distances. When we came around Point Atkinson, the Bowen Island ferry was just leaving Snug Cove. I tend to get a little nervous when a large vessel is headed in my general vicinity, but Giovanni, the captain of Pegasus knew exactly what he was doing. We were able to continue sailing all the way around Point Atkinson, passed the ferry with no difficulty (but with fabulously large waves after it passed!) and sailed almost right into Snug Cove. We knew that Snug Cove has two Marinas which offer transient moorage, both the Union Steamship Company Marina and the Bowen Island Marina.

We motored into Snug Cove, but decided it was a little too busy for what we were looking for this trip, so decided to check out the quieter Mannion Bay to the north. We motored north about five minutes, and anchored in Mannion Bay, a much quieter location, and had lunch on the boat. The sun was shining, so we sat in the cockpit soaking up as many rays as possible. As two born-and-bred Vancouverites, we knew that we needed to take advantage of as much sun as possible, knowing full well that soon the autumn rains would be on their way to guide us through winter and into next spring. After lunch, we decided to continue on our way and head to Gambier Island, just north of Bowen. Gambier has six bays to choose from in which to anchor for some quiet time. The wind picked up as soon as we headed out of Mannion Bay, and into Queen Charlotte Channel. We hoisted sail, and charted our course to Gambier.

The winds were up around Hood Point at the northern tip of Bowen Island and the waves were choppy. I was impressed at how far the boat could lean or heel over as we tacked our way through the channel. We passed by a number of other sailors, enjoying the wind as much as we were. We sailed almost directly into Halkett Bay, the first bay at the southeastern tip of Gambier Island. Halkett Bay is a much more remote location than Snug Cove, yet is only about 45 minutes north of Bowen Island, give or take a bit of time depending on the weather and whether or not you sail or motor. We trimmed the sails, and found a perfect spot to anchor on the eastern side of the bay, recommended by Anne and Laurence Yeadon-Jones in one of their excellent cruising guides, "Vancouver, Howe Sound & the Sunshine Coast," volume 3. Our anchor went easily into the mud and shingle, and we soon had a private, yet close to Vancouver, getaway spot. There is a public dinghy dock in Halkett Bay, as well as a 10km hiking trail up Mount Artaban on Gambier. While the thought of hiking in the sunshine was inviting, the water was even moreso.

To say we had the last most lovely days of the summer in mid September is an underestimation. The weather was warm enough for us to dive off the boat, although the water was fairly bracing and did not afford a swim around, but a laughing yelp of surprise before quickly swimming back to Pegasus to dry off and warm up in the sun. We ate well, enjoyed the sunshine and view, and generally had an unbelievably peaceful and thoroughly enjoyable four days in Halkett Bay.

My sleep was undisturbed by sirens or the general hullabaloo of city living, and I was remembering my dreams upon waking which is a rare event at my apartment in Vancouver.

Giovanni decided to take out his sailing dinghy one afternoon, a 10 foot Walker Bay with a high performance sailing kit. This would be his first sailing adventure out in the dinghy, and he was visibly excited by the winds that came up as soon as he set sail. He sailed around Halkett Bay in the sailing dinghy for over an hour, tacking and jibing his way out to the mouth of the Bay and back to Pegasus. He commented that it was one of the best sailing lessons he had ever had: partly because the dinghy was so responsive to any direction that he gave it, and also because of the simplicity of the systems on board the dinghy. Because he had such a great time sailing in his dinghy, I decided to give it a shot (after also being told that it would be one of the BEST sailing lessons I would ever receive!). I was quite nervous, so we decided I should learn how to take the sail down on the Walker before setting sail, so that in case I needed to, I would know how to row back to Pegasus. Sure enough, the three (yes count them, three!) times I worked up my courage to get into the dinghy by myself, and sail on my own, the wind that had picked up would completely die off approximately 10 meters from Pegasus and I was consigned to taking the sail down (all three times) and rowing back to Pegasus. Needless to say, I became a very experienced rower and decided the winds would be with me next time.

We vowed that we would explore more of Gambier Island the next trip we took, but appreciated the fact that we did not disembark from the boat for four and a half days! I was surprised at how, when I went to bed on land that first night back, the gentle swaying of Pegasus continued to lull me to blissful sleep.