Three CFSA boats headed to Thetis Island to join up with the Bluewater Cruising Association for their Fall Rendezvous. Just south of Sidney Kiskadee's carb float stuck and she started overflowing raw gas into the bilge. Here's S/V Alphie towing us the last couple of miles into Sidney.
On Saturday morning we ripped her apart and found the carb full of dirt and rust. Within an hour it was cleaned and we were ready to head to Thetis Island. Unfortunately the wind was on the nose all day so we had to motor. In most areas out here the bottom falls away quickly from the shore. In this picture we're only about eighty feet from shore but in over 250' of water.
The weekend with the Bluewater Cruising Association was the most fun we've had since moving from Halifax. We are definitely joining as we have to hook up with these great people again. Dee cooked a turkey in Kiskadee's oven and we had a huge Thanksgiving potluck feast.
They had a driftwood sailboat race and our entry, Witches' Crew, looked like a real contender. Unfortunately she pitch-poled about two inches from the start and stayed inverted. We still had tons of laughs and learned enough to guarantee us a winning boat next year... Ha!
On Sunday evening they had a TV Theme Song contest. We scored 26.5 out of 50 and won. Our prize was a remote control talking Macaw, which has since learned a few bad words. We left for home at 0630 on Monday morning. The cold wind was on the nose and the threatened rain held off until we were alongside in Sidney. I returned on Tuesday evening and single-handed her home early on Tuesday morning. I'm not fond of 0630 departures, but it was necessary to ride the current.
