Peterson Cup Cruising Rally

On July 24th we were off again, this time heading to Nanaimo for the start of the Bluewater Cruising Association's Peterson Cup. It's a week of cruising with occasional races, unbothered by rules. Again our Friday start was delayed, but this time we were away at 1300. With wind and current on the nose we decided to stop at Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club around 1800, for a feed of their excellent prime rib.

The tide tables forced an early departure on Saturday, and a run through Active Pass about an hour before slack. We were about a mile from the Straits when a large BC ferry came through following us at twenty knots. The ferries usually pass each other in the middle of the Pass, so I was happy to have gotten through ahead of them.

The first night in Nanaimo was fun, with a tremendous thunder and Lightening storm passing through just before sunset. The winds roared through the anchorage and a Beneteau 265 dragged past us.

They stopped for a while after riding beam-on up another boat's anchor chain. As the winds died a full double rainbow framed the anchorage and after dark they had the fireworks for the bathtub race festival.

We were underway at 0900 for our first crossing of the Strait of Georgia. Windy at first, we all ended up motoring the last hour. At Smugglers Cove we did our first stern-tie. The water was 74F and Dee couldn't wait to hop in.

It's amazing how many boats you can fit into a small cove with stern-ties. We had a pot luck on the beach and slept well after a long day crossing to the mainland.

The rally was a cannibal theme and we had a big cannibal pot luck in Bargain Bay, just south of Pender Harbour.

We crossed over to an anchorage in Little Bull Passage, between Lasqueti and Jededaih Islands. The water was like glass when we woke up the next morning.
After another wind on/wind off race back across the Strait we anchored in Tribune Bay on Hornby Island. I met a couple on Verdia, another Hughes 38, who were departing for Mexico the following day.

With a gale from the SE forecast for the following day we chose to depart early for Nanaimo. At 0510 we motored out of the anchorage. The winds slowly built but started to roar just as we neared Departure Bay. Since showers and laundry were needed we spent the night at Nanaimo Yacht Club.

It's a bit unnerving to have seaplanes land in the narrow channel beside you.

We had relatives due in on Friday night so we motored at 6.5 knots all day Friday, arriving back at SNSYC around 7:30 pm. Kiskadee returned to CFSA on Saturday afternoon with family getting a five-hour cruise down the coast.