September Song

September 1 -

Here I am in Comox. Trevor just arrived so we went fishing out in Georgia Strait. Record returns of Sockeye virtually assured the success of our venture. We failed miserably! With tennis the next day, we did better.


About then Cathy, Sonia, Kerry, Carolyn, Steve and Evonne show up, all in anticipation of Kerry and Carolyn's 1st Annual Ship's Multi-sport Day. Saturday at noon, the first event is mud-golf and here are two ringers - Carolyn and Steve.





Carolyn leads off at low tide blasting balls from out of the benthic muck.




It takes training and a great deal of concentration to drive out of an oyster bed. More so if the tide is racing in!




But none can compare with the athleticism and elegance of Cathy's crab-chip and mud-blaster shot.


As the tide submerges our game, we default to swimming, long-boarding, drinking and eating. Great fun!

Next day we are jamming at FBI (Fanny Bay Inn). All the newbies at our table sing and perform, ably undermined by our friend Mike, the master of ceremonies. The usual at FBI!

Then the dispersal. I leave Tuesday sailing Anya to French Creek and early next morning start the run back to Cow Bay.



A couple of weeks later friends - Rundell and Bea - want to take their new boat 'Casa Jose' to Montague Harbor for her inaugural voyage.

I start a day early so I can overnight in Ganges, see some friends, go to a talk by a Russian scientist on Lake Baikal, and hit the Saturday morning market. To my side a nice boat steams by.


To the right are market vegetables.


Ganges Farmer's Market is eclectic, in some ways a time machine. On one side funky (?) tie-dyed guitar shirts.






But now it is off to Gabriola, Montague Harbor and Casa Jose!



Casa Jose lies at a mooring buoy as Anya approaches.



On the way in I see a couple of crabbers returning - Bill and Rundell.

Then there is Bea, ready to take a line and raft Anya up.



That night we play Balderdash, a game that vitally depends upon BS ability. I blew away Rundell, Bill and Bea. Sunday morning we had coffee, snacks and traded stories with Fred, Judy and Judith on Abdi. Bill agreed to pose with Bea and Judy - a picture of a transparently happy man.


A bit later, Anya casts off the raft-up and heads back to Cow Bay.


That might have been it for September if not but for the bizarre events on the evening of September 29th. After hiking with Rundell I returned to Cow Bay to find giddy neighbors, Iron Mike and Steve (Catherine's 'Screaming Liver') whooping it up in preparation for Christmas. Mike was checking the Xmas lights before festooning Steve's pleasure patio with them. I was aghast! Humbug!

And the living is easy!

August - 2010



Summer has gone, September is here. These last days of summer had their bracing and blissful moments!



Early August friends from Calgary, Ann's David - the guy who got me pounding (his) guitar - wife Kerry and the kids dropped by to hunt for jelly fish. To the side is my neighbor, the toxic Lion's Mane.




Vanessa and Geoff dropped by one Sunday afternoon in August for a sail.


Ha! Ha! It was the windiest day in weeks. Geoff went wild clambering forward, outboard, everyplace but overboard. Sadly during a testy gust, overboard went his favorite hat.





By the next week, the legendary John and Catherine needed crew for another Sunday cruise so they press-ganged me.


There was a nice breeze so we put Inuksuk through her paces, to the wind then down, all without event. Thats good! When sailing with Catherine and an 'event' occurs, it ends up in her next book. Screw ups in Cow Bay are fair game. She tagged me twice!

Aha! I get to tag Catherine with this wonderful photo of her bagging blackberries.





Then August 30th, Anya and I are off north. First up to Gabriola for a meal and overnight at Silva Bay where I catch up with Jonah, chef at the resort, a happening musician and son of Geoff - the girls step-brother.



Next morning Anya and I depart the relative calm of Gabriola, poking our noses into the mayhem of Georgia Strait. A full gale blowing out of the south east! We were in for a ride! Yahoo! Downwind blue rodeo!


Downwind sailing in 30 to 40 knots is fast and furious. There is spume, spray and spindrift to dampen spirits but it didn't work on me that day. After four or five hours of gale winds, waves started to gain rhythm so Anya and I got a little surfing in.



As Chrome Island came into view the winds retreated to 20 to 25 knots. Passing Ship Point, the soon to be famous home of Kerry and Carolyn's Mud Beach Golf Tournament, the winds abated further so that by the time I made Comox Harbor the storm was over and Larry, my good friend from Mexico, was standing on the dock, waiting for me to lose the flip and pay for dinner!

It was a great dinner, made even more so by Larry's obvious recovery from a nasty operation.

Thus ended August 2010!