Nova Scotia to British Columbia

[mcboyes]

I thought I'd just come on here and give a brief account of my recent trip from Pubnico, Nova Scotia to Comox, British Columbia on a 58' Delta-built fishboat, the Ashley Erin. Some folks on this site were kind enough to give me some information regarding US Homeland security regulations, sewage regulations, and depths in the intracoastal waterway, If anybody wants anymore information about specifics of my trip I'd be pleased to respond.
I left Pubnico Oct. 16 and entered the US at the Sandwich Marina in the Cape Cod canal. The official I dealt with was very courteous and efficient. I took fuel there as well, $2.95/gal. I stopped in Newport RI, New Haven Conn., Milford Conn., then the 79th St boat basin in New York. I went down the Jersey shore, up Delaware bay, through the canal and out the Chesapeake, then directly to Palm Beach. I took fuel there, $3.25/gal, and waited a few days for Noel to go by. Then east, out and around Eluthra and down through the Windward passage to the San Blas Islands. I used a canal agent named Enrique Plummer who was efficient and on time. He charged me $500 to book a transit, set me up with moorage on the Pacific side, and clear the boat out of Panama. The canal fees were about $1000. I went direct to Puerto Vallarta intending to take fuel there but was warned off by locals who said the Pemex there sold the second grade which might give injector trouble. On the strength of this advice, I carried on and took fuel in Cabo San Lucas; $2.61/gal. Entered the US again in San Diego and once again had no trouble. From San Diego, I sailed to Victoria, BC, where I entered Canada on Dec. 16. I ran about 41 days for the roughly 7K mile trip- doing about 8 knots, give or take. The worst weather was just outside Victoria, a few miles from home. Regards, Dave Boyes

[jdoe71]

That is a very concise description of a trip that you could write volumes about, I'm sure you had many interesting incidents on the way. Would you mind posting some details of the boat, engines, tankage, how many crew, costs, that sort of thing. It sounds like it is a commercial fishing boat, is it going to remain that way or are you using it as a pleasure vessel now?

[ughmo2000]

Heck of a trip mcboyes! And quick!!

Did a 21 day double-handed passage from HI to Bamfield BC on Vancouver Is. (in mid Sept.)

The closer we got to the Juan de Fuca the bigger, colder, and wilder it got. Throw in the lovely local pea-soup fog and it made for some exciting times listening to, (but not seeing!) all the commercial shipping plying the waters a lot closer than I liked!

No way in hell am I cut for commercial fishing like those "Deadliest Catch" guys. A bit too much misery for my warmth loving bones!

Absolutely beautiful and spectacular scenery though!

[Seeratlas]

LOL Man you know you've found a true seaman when you see a voyage of that magnitude reduced to one extended paragraph!!!! Good thing you weren't around at the creation or the books would read, "Let there be light, and then he rested." hehehehe

Magnificent trip and I'll have to conclude that since the journey took so little time, that the ship was not only seaworthy, but eminently well equipped and captain'd.

A tip of this sailor's cap to you, and your ship. Feel free to flesh out the details of the voyage at your leisure, and OUR pleasure

seer

[ughmo2000]

[quote=Seeratlas;122649]LOL Man you know you've found a true seaman when you see a voyage of that magnitude reduced to one extended paragraph!!!! Good thing you weren't around at the creation or the books would read, "Let there be light, and then he rested." hehehehe/quote]

Thanks a lot Seer!! Now I gotta clean my desktop again!!
(I just spewed coffee thru my nose! )

About the trip, even a blind squirrl can find an acorn sometimes!

Mid-Sept, a bit way late in the season. Average passage time of 21 days. Due N outta Honolulu, take a right at 40deg.N. Basted in our own juices juices till 35-40 degrees, then increasingly colder. Eight F7-F9 storms. The captain from Hell. Vegitarian, non-drinker, non-fun, wouldn't allow any meat aboard, lost 15lbs....

Just another delivery! ;o)

[mcboyes]

Thanks for the replies. The trip was anything but an arduous one, and no heroics are implied. I simply thought that some recent information might be of interest on this website. The boat is a well found 58 foot Alaska limit seiner that had somehow found its way around to Nova Scotia and was dragging haddock on Georges Bank. I bought it because I like the model (dozens were built) and will fish halibut and other groundfish with it. Also tuna (albacore by jig). It will replace a 55 foot wooden schooner rigged longliner I have been using for the last 22 years here in BC. I think it is still listed on the website of Novi Boatbrokers, of Yarmouth NS, if anyone wants to see a picture, and the specs. Google Novi, look for boats for sale, 51-65 feet, then the Ashley Erin with a SOLD sticker on it. The main is a Cat 3408, original from 1982, but rebuilt, of course, several times. The boat packs about 5600 US gallons of fuel. I forgot to mention in the original post that I took some fuel at Flamenco marina in Panama as well, $3.19/gal. The boat burned about 6.4 US gallons/hr @ 1250-1300 RPMs. I think it was about $20K for the trip, including oil and filters. The gear is a Twin-Disc 514. There are two Kubota gen-sets, as it's an all electric boat. A revolving cast of retired friends (some fishermen, lawyers, teachers, yachtsmen) crewed on this trip, as many as 5 and as few as 3, as time and commitments allowed. Lots of electronics, fuel, crew, and a sturdy boat make a delivery such as this fairly straightforward, but back in the early seventies I did sail to NZ and back in a 24 foot, non-powered lifeboat conversion, eating corned beef and rice the whole way, so I've seen the other side of wandering around the ocean as well. I did take my old sextant along on this trip, just for old time's sake. And while I'm reminiscing, I was amazed to run into Joshua at Porvenir. I had heard the yacht was wrecked at Cabo San Lucas some years back. The last time I saw her was in Papeete in 1975. What a privilege it was, back then, for a fledgling cruiser to get to know Bernard Moitessier- does anyone know if he is still kicking? Regards, Dave Boyes

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by mcboyes

... And while I'm reminiscing, I was amazed to run into Joshua at Porvenir. I had heard the yacht was wrecked at Cabo San Lucas some years back. The last time I saw her was in Papeete in 1975. What a privilege it was, back then, for a fledgling cruiser to get to know Bernard Moitessier- does anyone know if he is still kicking? Regards, Dave Boyes

Sadly, Bernard Moitessier died, not at sea, but in a hospital bed (cancer) June 16, 1994, near Paris,
Moitessier spent his later years in France, where he died at age 69, while working on his last book, “A Sea Vagabond's World”.
He is buried in a small fishing village in Brittany.