Catalina Hall of Fame!

Dick and I were just inducted into the Catalina Hall of Fame. It's pretty exciting, since there are less than 20 boats posted there.
http://catalinayachts.com/pdf/halfoffame/LastResort-HOF-11w-web.pdf

Snow on Boxing Day

Our Christmas was mellow with both of us writing, watching "House" reruns and just enjoying being on the water. When you wake up in the morning on a boat; often, your first thought is to remember yesterday's walk. In my case this morning, it was a memory of walking the day before under blue skies. A slanting sun stretched its arms like a tot on tiptoe, trying to melt the last of the soggy snow with rays already tired from its work in South America. Over Haro and Georgia Straits -- home of the cleanest saltwater you can find -- over where Vancouver must be, low-hung clouds waited over the mainland like someone else's dream, just waiting for the sun to surrender its last-gasp attempt. Sure enough, this morning we're back to sleet and snow.

Encouragement from Barbara

Now you know why we go to Hawaii in Jan..... brrrrr horrid isn't it?
We would come rescue you both but.....we can't get down our driveway and it looks like we won't be going anywhere for a few days according to the wx. man... thank goodness I bought milk the other day, otherwise we are pretty well stocked up for fresh vegs.. hope you are too?
Hang on there and watch that dock if you do venture out.
all the very very best
B
Barbara & Gerry HodgsonVE7KLU - VE7PGT

Blizzard!

We're having 20°F weather, heeling 15° with 35+ knot winds IN THE SLIP!!! This is like Deadliest Catch! So far the lurching power cords ripped the jack off the utility pedestal and the hose bib is frozen, but the power is still on at the dock (using another jack) and all the boat systems are working well. Let's hope it stays this way as it looks like it's going to be a very long week. We had a really hard time sleeping last night with the noise of waves slapping on the hull, whistling rigging and rattling bimini. The sound of 80 masts humming like ghostly French horns is pretty eerie. I feel a little panicky and claustrophobic. I'd like to go ashore; see a movie or something; get away from it all. But Dick reminds me it's really too dangerous. These are truly life and death conditions.

False Creek Yacht Club

We had such rainy weather on Sunday that we never did get out to see the West End of Vancouver. After two days spent at the Vancouver Rowing Club located in Coal Harbour, we left Burrard Inlet, rounding the peninsula for the south side on Monday. We rounded Stanley Park and entered English Bay, where we were guests of the False Creek Yacht Club, right across from Granville Island, for two days. On Tuesday evening we met Liz Gregory, the administrative director of the Bluewater Cruising Association. She lives in an amazing houseboat on Granville Island and keeps her 30-something-foot sailboat right outside! We rode with her to the BCA meeting and had a fabulous time, getting a Coastal Crusing Award for our trip from Ensenada to Juneau. On Wednesday we spent the afternoon on Granville Island, famous for the Emily Car University of Art & Design. Granville's central draw is the Public Market, which is filled with stalls of vendors selling food and artsy chatzkas. Dick went nuts with his new camera. What fun! We can no longer stay in one place such as Port Sidney Marina, for any length of time. We are hungry for excitement, like soldiers longing to return to battle. Now we're beginning to think of the broader journey....next stop: Turkey? Well, maybe not right away. We returned to Sidney on Thursday, instead of taking two days to meander back. Today, as we listened to 30-knot winds with rain and sleet falling on our little California-type heads, we were grateful to be hunkered down. The weekend will be stormy, with snow and gale-force winds. Next sunshine? Expected on Monday.

December Trip to Vancouver

Up at the crack of dawn on Saturday, we mostly power and partly power-sail to anchor overnight in Clam Cove, between Kuper and Thetis Islands. Our trip up the Trincomali Channel was uneventful, save earlier, when we dodged two passing ferries in the Swanson Channel. We had a very peaceful night at anchor. Someone named Joe relayed our position to Barbara for the Great Northern Boaters Net Sunday morning. Propagation was zilcho from Clam Cove to Sidney. Later, we departed at 10:00 a.m. in order to reach the Porlier Pass between Valdes and Galiano Islands close to slack tide at 10:45 am. Averaging 7.43 knots, we sailed 65 percent of the way from Clam Cove to Vancouver, arriving at 2:15 pm. We're staying two nights at the Vancouver Rowing Club (where a very friendly person, Michelle, checked us in). Tomorrow, we're taking the Hop-on/Hop-off bus around town, so more to come!

Sunny Day in Sidney

Many of you have asked about life, here in Sidney, B.C. What a delightful seaside town this is! In the photo above, you can see snow-covered Mount Baker over on the mainland. There is one main drag, Beacon Street, that stretches from the highway, eastward, ending at a wharf that used to be the depot for boats delivering fish to the cannery. The original cannery building has been replaced by upscale condos and retail. The five-to-six blocks of Beacon Street are crammed with wonderfully colorful book shops (Sidney calls itself Booktown) and at least ten coffee shops! These people apparently do nothing but read and drink coffee; drink coffee and read. My kind of folks! And then, of course, there is the crystal clear water. Sidney is situated on the Peninsula of Vancouver Island, B.C., stretching into the Inside Passage at the confluence of the Georgia and Haro Straits. We enjoy our daily 'grind' just like we would if we were land-based: me, with my daily 3-mile walk and 8-hour (-plus?) day; and Dick with his unquenchable thirst for politics. Speaking of the election, wasn't that fun? Now that it's over, we may have to reinvent ourselves. Thanks to all of you who care about us and send your warm, positive thoughts (and even post those warm, positive thoughts from time-to-time; although that's not expected or necessary). We love you.

Thanksgiving With The Auberts

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! While my daughter Roxanne and her husband, Ingo, prepare to vacation in Australia for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, Dick and I are getting the most out of our time in the Pacific Northwest. Dick and I sailed Last Resort over to San Juan Island, Washington, for the Thanksgiving holiday to connect with our terrific buddies, Mary and Lou Aubert.

The Auberts ‘fronted us’ into their friends, Danny and Meghan’s, house for just about the most elegant, elaborate Thanksgiving spread I think I’ve ever had! Danny is a professional chef and the feast lived up to his reputation.

The next day we moved the boat from Friday Harbor to Roche Harbor, where we attended the Island Stage Left repertory company’s presentation of "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" - a different take on Dickens' classic tale. Four incredibly gifted actors played various roles to tell the famous story of Scrooge’s redemption as seen from Marley’s perspective.

We took advantage of Roche’s broad, high dock to give Last Resort a good scrubbing. She hasn’t been washed since Juneau, several months ago. Dick rigorously polished, shined, scraped and toiled until darkness fell. I absolutely could NOT keep up with him! We motored back “home” to Sidney, B.C., today (November 30th), through a dense, heavy fog.

The Drechslers' Thanksgiving & Beyond

Rescued Off Coast of Argentina, Spring 2008

Sailor Tells His Story at Royal Victoria Yacht Club (RVicYC), B.C.

Glen Wakefield struggled emotionally, but was able to tell his story for the first time to members of the Bluewater Cruising Association (BCA). Wakefield had painstakingly refurbished and modified his 40-foot sloop, a Hong Kong-built Cheoy Lee named Kim Chow during the course of four years. He attempted a solo, non-stop circumnavigation west from Victoria in September 2007, but endured a roll-over after fighting against the prevalent trade winds and currents for 218 days. An audience of more than a hundred BCA and RVicYC members were joined by Wakefield’s mother, wife and one of his daughters as the 50-plus-year-old sailor expounded on a slide show depicting his journey. As he described the false step leading to the capsizing of Kim Chow, he was overcome and took a break before recovering. Despite high wind warnings, he had declined to deploy his drogue – a parachute-like device that slows a boat down in a storm so it will not surf down one wave and nose-dive into the next. After regaining consciousness more than 24 hours later and assessing his situation, Wakefield made a decision to abandon his vessel and was rescued by the Argentine Coast Guard. Among the several lessons he learned was the essential value of maintaining communications through his HAM radio.

Rescued Off Coast of Argentina, Spring 2008

Sailor Tells His Story at Royal Victoria Yacht Club (RVicYC), B.C.

Glen Wakefield struggled emotionally, but was able to tell his story for the first time to members of the Bluewater Cruising Association (BCA). Wakefield had painstakingly refurbished and modified his 40-foot sloop, a Hong Kong-built Cheoy Lee named Kim Chow during the course of four years. He attempted a solo, non-stop circumnavigation west from Victoria in September 2007, but endured a roll-over after fighting against the prevalent trade winds and currents for 218 days. An audience of more than a hundred BCA and RVicYC members were joined by Wakefield’s mother, wife and one of his daughters as the 50-plus-year-old sailor expounded on a slide show depicting his journey. As he described the false step leading to the capsizing of Kim Chow, he was overcome and took a break before recovering. Despite high wind warnings, he had declined to deploy his drogue – a parachute-like device that slows a boat down in a storm so it will not surf down one wave and nose-dive into the next. After regaining consciousness more than 24 hours later and assessing his situation, Wakefield made a decision to abandon his vessel and was rescued by the Argentine Coast Guard. Among the several lessons he learned was the essential value of maintaining communications through his HAM radio.

At Home On-Board Last Resort

No amount of rethinking our plans to winter in Sidney, B.C. will avail us. We’re here. We are committed to weathering through the next four-to-five months, no holds barred. And we are determined to make the best of it. Friday evening, Barbara and her husband Gerry came to dinner on-board Last Resort. Barbara faithfully operates a boater’s net on HAM radio every morning, rain or shine, year-round and seven days a week. It’s a very caring act of love as there’s nothing so reassuring when you head out into uncharted-to-you waters, as feeling that someone on terra firma is tracking your progress. Dick and I were grateful she was there as we headed up the Inside Passage this past summer. Once in Alaska, we lost her signal and were so happy to hear her again when we returned to Prince Rupert.