VICE fleet - offshore
13 July - Effingham Cover to Ucluelet
We left Effingham cove on a lovely morning for the short trip to Ucluelet at around 09:00.arriving there after an uneventful passage through stunning islands at around midday. We moored at the public harbour among dozens of fishing boats and went into town for the best fish and chips I have so far tasted on the west coast at Jiggers. After reprovisioning for the next few days we headed back to the boat around 2:45 just in time for Shaun and Janis to join us. We carried out a boat orientation and then headed over to the local pub with Cora Jane’s crew as well as the crew of Malaya (Irma and Ben) to discuss the plans for the offshore passage. Ben And Irma decided that they wanted to head off for the full two days, out and back whereas the Cora Jane crew were more interested in 24 hours but in a triangle to try different points of sail. We opted to go with Cora Jane and so after agreeing a plan headed back to the boat for our last nights sleep in the dock before going offshore!
14 July - Offshore
The next morning came round again brightly, with very little breeze in the harbour. After a hearty breakfast we carried out some last minute preparations on the boat (putting the dinghy on the nose and changing the jack lines), and then were ready for the off. At 10:00am precisely we headed out, as planned, passing Cora Jane who were playing around with their spinnaker pole. Something we certainly didn’t plan on using whilst we were offshore. We cruised down the harbour mouth and then turned to starboard as we left, leaving the tranquil waters of Berkeley Sound to our south. Once well clear of the shore we put up the sails and turned off the engine. We were now heading directly away fro the shore, close hauled and beating into 12 - 15 knots of wind. We watched Cora Jane have some trouble getting their sails set but then they were parralleing our course a couple of miles behind,
As the day wore on and we bashed into the waves, it became clear that there was no way we were going to make our original target point for our outward leg. After a brief conversation with Cora Jane we agreed to head out for 8 hours and then turn onto a broad reach. This at least gave something to aim for and we carried on as close to the wind as we could until 7:00pm (8 hours after setting sail). At this point we had crossed out intended path and brought the boat round onto a broad reach. As soon as we did this we settled down to a very pleasant cruise in lovely evening weather. Shaun cooked up a great diner and we sat in the evening light, sails set beautifully enjoying the most fantastic of experiences. TO round off the evening, as we cruised along Janis suddenly pointed ahead and shouted 'Whale" . A minke whale had surfaced dead ahead no more than a couple of boat lengths away, we quickly turned the wheel and then reset on our course. The whale then came up right alongside us to have a better look at us! It was disconcerting to realise that he/she we alot bigger than the boat!
At 9pm we jibed and then Janis and I retired leaving Heidi and Shaun to take the first watch
15 July - Still Offshore
I woke at midnight to take over from Heidi on watch. We had previously agreed that we would change course back towards land whilst all three of us were up. When I came up though we were in a poor position, a third of a mile from Cora Jane and also passing a coastguard cutter that was doing pirouettes in the dark. After delaying the turn for 15 minutes we eventually turned upwind and set a new course heading back to land on a beam reach, almost 50 NM from land. As we settled on the new course we realized that our journey would take us close to many cargo ships that all appeared to be just floating along right in our path! At least that would give us something to keep ourselves busy with!. Janis replaced Shaun at 01:00 and for the next couple of hours we continued on in increasingly light wind conditions. By the time I handed back to Heidi we were barely making 3 knots in light winds
On waking for my next watch at 06:00 I found the boat positively gamboling along at 5 knots in very lumpy seas. As I stuck my head out, I could see that we had woken to a very grey dawn with no sight of land because of fog. The sea state was also very ‘choppy’ with very short period and steep waves rolling the boat through rough up to 30 degrees. This very uncomfortable sea also gave me a quick taste of sea sickness, making me realize I needed to stay above decks if I planned on keeping the contents of my stomach intact. The wind increased through my watch and, by 08:00 we were regularly getting hit with gusts over 20 knots. As the rest of the crew emerged at 09:00 things were starting to settle down though and the sun finally started to burn through the thick fog. As we approached the outer islands of the Effingham group the last tendrils of the fog gave way and we were able to pull gently into to Effingham cove again, exactly 24 hours and some 120 NM under sail after leaving Ucluelet. The rest of the day was spent in the blissful surroundings of Effingham Cove. As well as recovering some of our lost sleep we also managed to walk over to the east side of the island to sample some wonderful views. That evening we had a lovely meal and talked long into the night
