Trip 3 2007 - Pacific Swift

Pacific Swift will start Trip 3 on July 25, 2007, from Ship Point Wharf in Victoria, BC, CANADA

We ran through the night on the calm Georgia Strait. This morning, however, we simply had to take advantage of a beautiful following breeze. So, Skipper sent Matt the Bosun to rouse all hands at 7 am. If you have ever been woken by Matt the Bosun you would know that he has a fantastic singing voice and the "good morning" song is sure to provoke a reluctant smile. The bewildered trainees were met by a gloriously fresh morning sun, and Drew the First Mate, led them in raising the mainsail. This early morning activity went down easily with a couple of pancakes and all hands settled down to a relaxed day of learning knots, sailing terms and a little napping. We were pleased to see so many familiar faces this trip as well as new ones. There will be a large group studying intermediuates and even senior work this trip. Also, we have been delighted by a number of trainees who rock on Sara´s fiddle. What with all the drummers and dancers on board we have a right kaley up on deck at the moment. Happy sailing!Andrea, the Cook.

After a day under full sail we reached Savory for a lively mugup and a solid night´s sleep. The trainees are quick to form friendships and come out of their shells. We hiked over Savory this morning to the large almost tropical beach on the other side. The girls challenged the boys to a great game of soccer. They faught hard, but the girls controlled the play for most of the game. The boys ending up with one lucky goal in the end. Everyone rowed back with a little sand in their hair and smiles on their faces. We leave Savory now for a swim in the warm waters of Tenedos Bay.

Each day has been packed with activity and breathtaking sights. We bathed in the waterfall of Teakerne Arm before sailing for the scenic and snow capped mountains of Frederick Arm. Suddenly the temperature became cool and fresh as we left the shelter of Desolation Sound. Frederick Arm has a deep fresh water lagoon filling rapidly into the end of the bay. Here we built a fire to roast marshmallows and heat rocks for a sauna which everyone helped to build. The fishing rods have made an appearance along with various lucky fish attracting objects. The trainees have a lively decorated helmet that must be worn at all times when the hooks are down. Although we haven´t caught anything yet, there is a gleam of fanaticism is the skipper´s eye. Today, making our way up Chancellor Channel, we have a joyful show of porpoises flashing under our bow. We have also had a great day beating up the channel and everyone is getting quite familiar with sail handling. As we didn´t go ashore today, we played a day long game of assassins on board. Sneaking and strategies were finally defeated by the determination of trainee, Heather B., who won the game. It appears that musical ability is not the only talent we have on board. Last night, trainee, Daniel B. captured the hearts of the entire boat and kept us roaring with laughter for almost an hour with his subtlety and skills at interpretive dance. Hope all is well, Andrea.

We passed through our second set of rapids, where we thought we would see how the winds were in Johnson strait. Upon reaching the strait we found it was blowing near gail, and after not making much way, we decided to turn around and set sail back for a more favorable anchorage, at which point we were making 5.5 knots under bare poles alone until the courses were set. Forward watch, with the able help of Andrea the Cook made a very safe passage into Forward harbour underneath a beautiful glacial view. All hands awoke to some delicious breakfast burritos.  

We spent a lovely evening in Forward Harbour, after being thwarted by wind and tide from anchoring in Blenkinsop Bay. We left the next morning after sleep in, one sitting breakfast on deck and a bear show on the beach to make our way up the coast to Boughey Bay where we were fortunate enough to anchor under sail, for the second night in a row, a rare treat. Boughey Bay was beautiful and time was spent writing junior tests, sanding and painting the hull and taking time to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the distant islands. Lit by moonlight, we held our Sunday service here on deck surrounded by silence and stars. Today we awoke to thick fog, and motored up to Alert Bay where trainees were eager to get on shore and splurge on ice cream and other treats before having a great game of ultimate frisbee. Heading back to the boat where intermediates are writing their tests, and other trainees are enjoying time spent chatting, laughing. We are looking forward to a good sleep tonight and possibly some fishing spots along the way to somewhere near Port Hardy for our last night on board. Sarah, the Watch Officer.