Flicka Friends · Volume 16, Issue 6

Summer 2014

0 pages · edited by Tom Davison · contributions from John Hazen, Bob Collier, Steve Smith

Download the original PDF — scanned exactly as published

In this issue

July 2014 (p1)
San Juan Channel (p3)
Or Not? — John Hazen (p4)
RED RASCAL, Part 7 of 12 — Bob Collier (p6)
Salish Sea Sailing — Steve Smith (p10)

San Juan Channel

Flicka Friends · page 3 · Summer 2014

Flicka Friends is a newsletter that is written speciﬁcally for the people who own, crew aboard, or are interested in the Flicka, a twenty foot sailing vessel designed by Bruce P. Bingham. Based on the Newport Boats of Block Island Sound, this little ship has been built from various materials from the 1970’s until 2014. This includes Flickas constructed from plans obtained directly from Bruce’s California ofﬁce. About 400 sets of plans were sold. According to Bruce Bingham, many Flickas can be found in New Zealand, Australia, and Sweden. A number of hulls were built by Nor’Star and some were completed by Westerly Marine. The manufacturer of the bulk of the class is Paciﬁc Seacraft who built 434 hulls in California. OceanCraft Sailboats recently acquired the Flicka molds and will be building the Flicka in North Carolina. Two versions of Flicka Friends are published on a quarterly basis with regular issues being posted to the internet in March, June, September and December. Photo Gallery issues are published in January, April, July, and October. Articles, stories, and photographs are welcomed and encouraged. You can download the current issue as well as the back issues of Flicka Friends from the Flicka Home Page: !

Flicka Friends is always in need of articles and photographs for publication. Please consider sending something to me for the next issue of the newsletter. Editor:! ! !

!Tom Davison !P.O. Box 462 !Empire, MI 49630

Rosario Rendezvous

Or Not?

By John Hazen · page 4 · Summer 2014

Weather wise, Wednesday was going to be the nicest day of the week. I departed the Boat Haven in Port Townsend at 9:30 am to be at Point Wilson during the last hour of ebbing out. Late, I’d be riding the flood current to Lopez Island. The crossing was so smooth; I didn’t even put the Flicka’s mains’l up to steady the ride.

Rosario on Orcas Island. The wind died at Lopez Pass. I announced my arrival on my vhf radio and was assigned slip 12N. A uniformed attendant met me at the slip, helped me tie up, gave me the spiel, and invited me up to the office to check in.

After straightening the boat, I headed for the mansion to look up Jolene. I’d been talking to her on the telephone a bit about the use of a flat screen TV and wanted to catch her before her lunch break. She was free to show me the Arriving at Waltmough Bay with only one TV, but had to ask around about the sailboat present, I had my choice of any of the whereabouts of the remote. I returned to the free mooring buoys. When the dinghy got into boat, flushed the outboard, then gave the the water, I set the stern anchor to point the whole boat a rinse while I had the hose out. boat into the slight swell. Enjoyed the serenity, chatted with beach visitors, and hiked the loop Jones-in’ for a hamburger, I checked out the grill for some lunch. The Deluxe was big and trail for the view. messy; the fires were extra and were slightly Friday morning, the rain arrived. It sprinkled spiced. Memorable as far as french-fries go, until nine or so. It looked like it was clearing and Pepsi with ice. It was a really nice lunch. up a bit so I sailed off the buoy and headed for Later, I roamed the grounds, looked around 4

inside the mansion, and checked the boats arriving. No Flickas yet! It’s only Friday. The shower was the fanciest fiberglass molded stall I’ve ever seen. And, check this out, a body wash dispenser on the wall. What a luxurious way to wash off two days of sunscreen. I even shaved with the stuff. The faucets at the sink were hot and cold twisty handled: not the stingy motion sensor spritz type found elsewhere. Saturday was a crappy, rainy morning. Strolled around some more. The taxi at the front door of the resort is a restored Ford hot rod with diminutive chopped windows, flames on the fenders, and the steering wheel is chromed links of chain. Very cool! With nothing better to do, I thought I’d set up the TV, find the remote, and play with the buttons so I’ll look like I know what I’m doing at 8:00 pm. I got Christopher to show me the Flicka Friends F

remote and he got the TV hefted up to the top of the pony wall for an excellent viewing angle. I went back to the boat for the camera gear, checking out the marina for any other Flickas. None! A couple from Australia sat in as I reviewed my photos. Later I returned the camera to the boat and hustled myself to the organ concert given on Saturdays at 4:00 pm. The presence of a huge organ inside the mansion was amazing. The narrated story was interesting, and the music and the visuals on the screen were entertaining.

After the concert, we were all invited upstairs. I was impressed with the joinery and the scale of the woodwork preformed by the Scandinavian shipwrights from Seattle. While they were there, they built a yacht for the Morans. Due to the absence of any other Flickas, I began inviting total strangers off the dock to my presentation at 8:00 pm. I ended up with an audience of three. We all enjoyed the beautiful photos in high definition on the big TV screen. It was after 10:30 pm when I packed up and head back to WINDWARD PILGRIM.

Rosario had been a long awaited treat and I had a good time. The next morning, I bought fresh ice and began a whole new adventure, that would last the next two weeks. The destination was Chatterbox Falls. I’ve seen the pictures and photos, read stories, and now it was my turn to go up there. What an awesome adventure, one that I’d recommend you do in your Flicka. I met two other Flicka owners on my travels north from Rosario into Canada: Jamie and MIRA out of Ganges Harbor, and the owner of SARNIA. 5 F

Dinettes & Bunk Beds Building RED RASCAL Part Seven of Twelve

As I stated in the beginning of this story of building a Flicka, the one non-standard aspect I wanted was a dinette arrangement which would be permanent and not have a swing up table or a mast in the middle of the table. I visualized the pleasure of flopping down at the dinette table for a cup of coffee or a beer after a sail or just to relax at the slip. In so doing, I eliminated one of the possible bunks on the starboard side. This would reduce the sleeping capacity from four (two in the V-berth, one in the pilot berth, and one on the starboard sofa or settee) to just two, with the enclosed head eliminating the pilot berth (while opening up a tremendous amount of stowage in the port cockpit locker). 6

Most of the time one only uses the V-berth in a small boat. But, I thought of a way to obtain four berths. As you will see in the following, I’ve incorporated a bunk bed setup to add two more berths. Also, it is so versatile, that one can lower the dinette table and create a sofa or settee arrangement again. As to the table, it is constructed to allow two people to sit or convert to a table to sit four, albeit very cozy! OK, the construction began by framing in the area on the starboard side with oak. I decided to go with oak due to its resistance to expansion when wet and its strength. There is a long board that parallels the sheer clamp. This board is the beginning of an inner ceiling (wall) to contain the mattress for the

top bunk. The framing was enclosed with plywood. The seats were rabbeted planks to allow extension of each seat and the sole of the dinette as well. There were three of these: two seats and the sole. After attaching the Padauk trim and varnishing, we’re ready to install the storage area for the mattress (cushion) for the top bunk. A sheet of marine plywood was used as the base of the cover for the mattress compartment. This was then covered with 3” wide poplar T&G. The idea for the seat extension is from Fred Bingham (Bruce’s Dad, a naval architect in his own right) in his book on “Boat Joinery”. Incidentally, I had several good and informative conversations with Fred on boat Flicka Friends F

building. He was in his 90’s when I talked with him. He even sent me his book free as a gesture “for a fellow boat builder.” During this time the table for the dinette was constructed with a drawer beneath to keep navigation instruments, maps, etc. The following photos show the various positions of the dinette. This is on the starboard side (looking aft toward the companionway doors). The table and seats can be set up for four people with the bolsters down to add more cushion area. The sole of the dinette also pulls out to provide foot room for all four people. You can see the brass handles to pull off the cover of the bunk cushion/mattress compartment. The dinette area has considerable versatility. First, the table is dropped even with the seats; the stainless steel fixtures on the compartment cover hold the table in place when set up as a dinette. The table leg folds under when the table is up. It is locked in place with hook-and-eyes under the table and at the base of the leg. The handles are used for unlocking and prior to the compartment cover being lifted out and placed temporarily on top of the seats. Now the mattress can be unbuckled. The black straps that hold it firmly in place, now lying on top of the cover). The mattress will be lifted out and placed on the V-berth until the compartment cover can be placed in its locked position as the top bunk. I’ve added rope supports in addition to the platforms the board rests on and is locked in place fore and aft (locks not visible in photo). The top bunk easily holds my 195 lbs of bulk. That will conclude the interior set-up. Additions that I’ve not talked about: A swing out platform of hard wood to hold the VHF radio and GPS so one can read the GPS or talk on the radio from the cockpit. All the wires and cables are hidden either behind the galley, the bunk bed mattress compartment, or routed in a bulkhead beneath the T&G strip paneling. A 29-gallon collapsible water tank lies beneath the v-berth. An anchor rode locker is far forward with a Padauk hatch cover. A hanging locker aft on the starboard side and the breaker panel box adjacent to the locker are on the main bulkhead (can be seen on the next page).

Next we will cover the COMPANIONWAY STEPS with storage, SOLE, & COCKPIT. Bob & the RED RASCAL. 7 F

Flicka Cruising

Salish Sea Sailing

By Steve Smith · page 10 · Summer 2014

I decided to berth MISTY at Semiahmoo o f t h o s e d i s c o u n t e n g i n e w h o l e s a l e Marina for a few weeks, get to know the local outlets. The local dealer found that the engine waters and finish some last minute installs. had been probably sat upside down, on it's Having fixed up the 1985 Flicka: s/y MISTY, I Semiahmoo Marina is a great place to relax head, at one time with oil in it (probably at the could hardly wait to sail her in some new and affords a quiet, peaceful atmosphere, but factory) and the carb was full of oily residue. waters. Lake Tahoe was beautiful, but after is near enough to marine suppliers in Blaine sailing there for twenty-two years, it was time and Bellingham to make last minute installs They replaced the carb under warranty and for a change. The Inside Passage had always the engine seemed OK, but I lost interest in easy. appealed to me because it was sheltered water trusting it, so traded it in on a Honda 9.9 extra and I had very little true blue water While there, I finished the GPS and depth long shaft high thrust model which really experience. Also, it was truly awesome, wild finder installs as well as the tiller pilot. I also worked out well. I think the Tohatsu might country with a lot to see and do. spent several days exploring the local San have been fine, but the Honda seemed a bit Juan Islands and getting to know the ways of better built and more reliable. So, on May 15th, 2008 my wife and I drove the Flicka. This was the first time I had even from Truckee, California to Blaine, So, after dealing with the engine issues, had her in the water!!! Washington with boat in tow. Salem was the learning the boat, and finishing the install, as first nights stop after about eight hours of The only real hitch was with the Tohatsu 9.8 well as exploring the local waters, I set out for driving, then made Blaine the next day and engine. It kept smoking, stalling and misfiring points North on July 7th, 2008 not really sure launched the boat at about 4:00 pm with the so I took it to a local dealer under warranty. It how far I would get. This was truly the help of a local travel lift. was a brand new engine bought online at one beginning of an exciting time. s/y MISTY

Crossing into Canadian waters meant going through customs and this was done at Bedwell Harbor on Pender Island, BC. This went smoothly and in no time I had a customs Number to be displayed in a porthole while in Canadian waters. The Poet's Cove marina was fun for the first night with good food, then the next few nights I hung out on a buoy in the Beaumont Marine Park and did some kayaking and hiking. An inflatable tandem kayak (Aire Tomcat) was my dingy and worked well through out the trip. Next stops going north were Montague Marine Park, a great place to hang out, relax and hike for a few days followed by Telegraph Harbor for a good home cooked meal and clean showers. Next stop was Pirate's Cove Marine Park, a tricky entrance, beautiful setting and colorful history.

Finally, after a few days on the hook here, it was Nanaimo next to re-provision and meet my wife who had arranged two weeks off work to sail with me. She likes sailing, but for a couple of weeks at a time only....not for months. Pam flew in on an Otter Floatplane, out of Vancouver, after flying north from Reno. The cool part was that this floatplane actually landed right next to the Nanaimo Harbor and taxied in, where she disembarked only a few feet from where MISTY was tied up. Now, the real adventure would begin with a crossing of the Straits of Georgia in some windy weather. So, after re-provisioning and meeting my wife in Nanaimo, it was time to head north and also east to cross the dreaded Straits of Georgia. This crossing is about twenty miles of relatively open water and can get pretty nasty at times with either NW or SE winds. Also, there is a Military area there called Whiskey-Gulf (WG) to avoid during times of activity. They test underwater arms such as torpedoes in this area, so it is good to telephone or radio the controlling agency if you plan to transit WG. Also, the marine weather radio generally tells if this area will be active on any given day. As luck would have it, there were several days of forecast winds fifteen to twenty-five mph out of the NW and waves two to four feet forecast for the Strait of Georgia. The bigger motor yachts berthed near me were not really thrilled with this, nor was I, but I was ready to move out, especially with my wife's vacation time slowly ticking down.

So, we alone left the safety of Nanaimo Harbor early one day and the expected conditions Continued on Page 14 11 F

were encountered. We got only a little wet (no dodger on this boat) for the first two hours, but with the heavy keel and sea-kindly Flicka handling, it was really a piece of cake. Soon, the winds did calm down to 10-15 mph and the waves of one to two feet and the crossing became even easier. I radioed back to the big motor yachts at Nanaimo Harbor that the "coast was clear", and soon a whole flotilla of Nordic and American Tugs could be seen in my wake. These boats are spacious and luxurious, but not nearly as seaworthy as a Flicka!!! After an uneventful crossing, we pulled into Secret Cove Marina where we enjoyed a great gourmet meal and had a good timesharing conversation with the locals. One of the people there was the boyfriend of the female Chef and he was trying to woo her back after a major blow-out. This was kind of interesting. The next day, we headed north and made it to the Beach Garden Marina just south of Powell River where we tied up at the end of the dock, near the fuel outlet, almost, but not quite exposed to the rougher waters outside the breakwater.

The following day was beautiful and sunny. We made it to Lund for lunch and checked out the great bakery available in this town for future sweet supplies. Lund was crowded and not a lot of dock space, so I choose to tie up on the outside of the breakwater. This would have been OK except for the fact that the afternoon winds were building and seas of two feet were slamming into the breakwater. Just landing the boat here was a bit scary. I had to jump off and pull with all my might to keep her from slamming into the boat tied in front. This was a good lesson: Try and avoid docking on the outside of breakwaters unless the seas are pretty calm. After restocking our sweets supply and a good lunch, we headed out again to the north and made it to Desolation Sound and found a really nice place to throw out the hook in Tenedos Bay. This was a beautiful spot and there was great kayaking and a nice hiking trail to a freshwater lake nearby. We spent 3 days exploring this area before heading out to Gorge Harbor Marina. Here we found some good showers and another great gourmet meal! The next stop was Von Donop Inlet, which is a 3-mile long, very narrow inlet, well protected from almost all weather, where we threw out the anchor. Here we hiked to Squirrel Cove 14

nearby and met up with Jim and Brenda who were cruising on a CT 38 sloop. We had originally met them in the Gorge Harbor and helped them back out of their tight mooring area. In general, the Canadian system of mooring at a marina is not what we are used to in the US. Instead of individual slips, the docks are often long wooden fingers, close together, and so maneuvering in these tight spots can be tricky in a full keel sailboat (especially in reverse) or any longer craft. One does get used to it, but it takes some caution getting in and out of these long fingers, especially if there is a bit of wind or current. From Von Donop Inlet, we went to Heriot Bay Marina and weathered out a three-day gale. The wind blew 30-45 mph for most of that time and so we decided to hop the ferry over to Campbell River and explore that town by rental car. Jim and Brenda also weathered the gale in Heriot Bay so we had some good company and celebrated Jim's birthday with take out pizza and cake.

It was now time for Pam to fly back home and go to work, so I drove her up to Port Hardy where she caught a small plane flight out back to Vancouver, then on to Reno. It had been a fun two weeks, but now I was back on my own and ready to head North again. I spent a day reprovisioning and then a few days waiting out bad weather in Tenedos Bay and Von Donop Inlet before heading north and through the dreaded “Rapids.” The “rapids” are a necessary passage for all vessels heading north from Desolation Sound to the Broughton Islands. There are essentially three different ways to make this trip: The first is the most westward passage and hugs Vancouver Island. This involves a long stretch of Johnstone Straits, known for its heavy commercial marine traffic, rough waters and occasional large tugs pulling massive log booms. The second (middle) passage is through a series of smaller channels and rapids slightly to the east of Johnstone Strait, and the third passage is the one most commonly travelled by small boats and is closest to the BC mainland. This is the one I choose to attempt on my first trip north as it seemed the least hazardous and most travelled by the small boat cruiser. There are 5 "rapids" to go through on this route: Yucalta, Gillard, Dent, Greene Point and finally Whirlpool Rapids.

The “rapids” are essentially narrow salt-water channels that have tremendous currents in them during ebb and flood tides. The bigger the tidal difference (in feet), the greater the flow through any given rapid. They can be extremely dangerous and sink even large vessels if ran at Continued on Page 20 15 F

A Sullivan Bay house with a helicopter on the roof.

the wrong time. In general they should be run as close to slack water as possible to avoid the turbulence and resultant dangers. If the tidal difference is small, the resultant current will be less and they can then be run safely before or after slack water with a greater margin of time to do so safely. For instance, I was able to run Whirlpool rapids about one hour after slack water and did fine because the tidal difference was relatively small.....the take home point is to be very careful and plan to run these rapids as close to slack as possible. The book "Ports and Passes" is an excellent reference for finding slack water times and current speeds for the waters of the Inside Passage. Back to the trip: After running Yucalta and Gillard Rapids without too much excitement, I chose to stay at Dent Island Lodge Marina. This is owned by the Nordstrom family and is the "Cadillac" of marinas in this area. Normal moorage rates are about $1 per foot per night, but here it was triple this. The six-course meal at $90/plate was well worth it. Most cruisers consider this a one time must see type marina, but generally do not hang out here long due to the expense.

Following this stop, the next day I ran the Dent Rapids and settled into a fine berth at the Blind Channel Lodge Marina where I had another four star gourmet meal cooked up at their incredible restaurant. Yes, as you can see, eating is a big part of cruising up here (or anywhere) and one must be careful not to put on a few extra pounds. Next day was a good time to continue NW and run the Greene Point and Whirlpool Rapids. Again, with good timing and careful planning there was no major excitement. These are separated by about twelve miles, but have slack water at close to the same times, so the question becomes: How do you run these rapids in one day in a boat that maxes out at 6 knots? The answer is to pick a day with low tidal difference and run Greene Point Rapids one hour before slack and then you will hit Whirlpool at about 1 hour after slack. I learned this technique from a fellow boater (Colyn Welsh) at Blind channel Lodge the day before and it was invaluable information. Another take home lesson: Always talk to people and seek out local knowledge whenever possible. Most boaters are friendly and more then willing to share any local tips or information. The following day after I completed the last of the 5 rapids, I had anchored in the nook just outside Forward Harbor, and awoke to thick fog. I waited a couple of hours and when the fog thinned a little, cranked up the motor, lifted the anchor and off I went using the GPS and AIS to 20

navigate and hopefully avoid a collision with a larger vessel (which would show up on AIS). A collision with a smaller vessel was still a real threat, so I announced my position and intended course on VHF channel 16. I was feeling a bit over my head at this point, but still in a semblance of control, and trusting my GPS to keep me out of trouble. Amazingly, after my radio call, Colyn Welsh comes back on the VHF and answers. He is urging me to not venture out in the thick fog, and says he is in a bay about one mile from my position. He tells me that he was a charter captain for fifteen years in the area, has radar (I do not) and he does NOT feel comfortable out there where I was. After hearing this, I decide to slowly backtrack and I do find Colyn and his thirty-two foot motorboat and raft up until the fogs clears. We shared a cup of coffee and some donuts, and after about one hour the fog fully lifted and off we went. Take home lesson: don't be afraid to make changes to your travel plans in mid trip if necessary and it never hurts to take advice from a more experienced sea dog!

After the fog cleared and the coffee and snacks were decimated, it was time to de-raft from the safe haven of Connie and Colyn's motor vessel, Seajay, and we both departed to the Northwest up Sunderland Channel and then Johnstone Straits. No matter which of the three ways a skipper chooses to head North up the Inside Passage, the northern most twelve miles of Johnstone Strait is part of the route. This segment of Johnstone Strait is actually very wide and free of rapids or obstruction of any kind, and so is not a real problem for a small boat with inexperienced crew (myself) to traverse. Seajay cruises at about 7.5 knots while Misty cruises at about 5.5 knots, so Colyn and Connie and Seajay slowly advanced and by Johnstone Strait they were a mere speck on my forward horizon. No problem though because it would be Connie's birthday in about a week and I planned to rendezvous with Seajay and her crew in Echo Bay for a birthday bash. After going about twelve miles north on Johnstone Strait it was time to hang a right into Havannah Channel where I soon found the beautiful, tranquil and deserted anchorage of Boughey Bay. This was paradise found for me....I had been looking for a wilderness setting, with no other boats nearby, and had finally arrived.

In fact, this area, probably considered the southernmost part of the Broughton Archipelago, was typical of the Broughtons: It was wild, uncrowded and beautiful beyond words. On top of this, the people I met who were fishing in the Broughton's were actually having great luck and catching a variety of species including salmon, halibut and Continued on Page 26 21 F

rockfish. I was not fishing on this trip, but when I got to the Broughtons I wish I had brought along my gear. It is said that the fishing is pretty weak in general in the San Juan's, Gulf Islands, and Desolation Sound, but gets good in the Broughtons and excellent north of Vancouver Island where far fewer boats venture due to an open ocean crossing. My time up here was probably my favorite. A spent a month of lazy days exploring several wilderness anchorages and did several breathtaking kayak trips and hikes (one must keep a sharp watch for bears). Briefly, Lagoon Cove Marina is a great stop for socializing with other boaters and enjoying the free nightly seafood dinners provided by Bill Barber, the owner and supplemented with potluck dishes by the cruisers. Port McNeill, makes a very nice supply stop, with a fine marina, where there are good restaurants, two large grocery stores and a Laundromat. Also, from Port McNeill it is fun to hop a BC ferry to Sointula, which was settled in about 1904 by Finnish immigrants attempting to start a utopian society. (Predictably, it did not last long).

There is a great museum here, as well as nice coffee shops and an old Co-Op store from the days of first settlement. Another good BC ferry hop from Port McNeill is to Alert Bay where the U'mista Cultural Center is a “must see” and beautifully documents the Native experience in the Broughton area. (A mixed bag, for sure). Echo Bay is another great social spot with excellent pig roasts and other nightly specials and was a fine place for Connie's birthday party. Jennis Bay Marina was run by a young couple with their two children and was a great out of the way wilderness jewel.

Anchoring out was outstanding in Turnbull Cove with a secluded, sheltered setting and great hike to the beautiful fresh water Huaskin Lake. Simoom Sound was haunting and darkly forbidding. I heard a rock crash on the shore at late dusk and saw a large grizzly bear foraging for seafood only fifty feet from the boat. Sullivan Bay was a floating little town complete with nice store, restaurant and fuel. The entire town is built on floats and there are several float homes with multiple boats, float planes and even a float helicopter. It is a tough life out at Sullivan Bay. Greenway Sound Marina was a nice stop with good local hiking to a freshwater lake. If anyone is interested, the original developer and owner, Tom, and his wife, Ann, are 26

It was September 4, 2009 now and the weather was getting a bit drizzly and a bit cooler so I decided to head south for the winter, going slowly, and taking my time. The route back was the same I used to go north until the lower British Columbia area.

clearing, which I traversed slowly without harm. Point Roberts customs was OK, but they initially yelled at me for not having called ahead for a "clearing reservation.”

Kwatsi Bay is another incredibly beautiful spot with a small, friendly marina run by Max and Anca and their two kids. When I arrived there I anchored for a few days at serene Winter M a x w a s a l o n e f o r t h e f a l l a n d t h e Cove and later visited the Otter Bay Marina, kids and mother Anca were in Port McNeill rented a little motor scooter and explored North Pender Island. attending school.

When I pointed out that boats under twentythree feet were exempt, they backed off and were friendly, admitting me back to the good old US of A after a three month absence with little fanfare and not even a glance into my boat.

My last leg of the trip was from Otter Bay through Georgeson Pass into the Strait of Georgia and then customs “check in” at Point Roberts. Georgeson Pass is a bit hairy if you try and squeeze through the reef rather then Finally, the most incredible wilderness go around it to the South. anchorage of the trip was at the head of Bond Sound were I was barely able to bow anchor in One guidebook I had said that it was possible about 80 feet of water with a stern tie. There is to traverse this reef only on a calm day when a large river and small creek that feed this one could see the kelp beds and the clearing sound and salmon were jumping everywhere. between the two reef parts. I had planned to Again, I was the only boat anchored in go around the whole reef system, but it was a very calm day and I decided to try and do the this wilderness area. shortcut. Today was my Mom's 80th birthday and I was happy to be able to reach her on my Sat As I approached, I thought this is pretty stupid Phone. I carried this for emergency use, and that I might end up holing the boat on the mainly, but it was good to be able to use it on last day of the cruise. However, the kelp soon came into view and so did a narrow 100-foot occasion to say "hi" to friends and family.

I cruised on over to Blaine Marina where I docked for two nights, slowly cleaned out and disassembled the boat and then pulled her on October 3rd, 2009.

looking to retire and sell the place. It would be a great spot for a couple or family who wanted to live in the BC marine wilderness and have a little marina going for some cash.

Max seemed a bit lonely without his family around and I wondered how he would do for the entire winter out there alone. He was a great host and I truly enjoyed the stay there.

All I can really say is: Just go, do not wait, do your homework, get some good guide books, all the charts, a good GPS and do it. The Waggoner guide is a great source of up to date, quality information and there are tens of excellent guidebooks for each area. One could anchor out all the time, or stay in a marina all the time, but for me the fun was in mixing and matching these two options depending on the weather and local area attractions. Have fun!

Also in this issue

These pieces are in the archive but not yet transcribed — they're in the PDF.

July 2014 (p1)
RED RASCAL, Part 7 of 12 — Bob Collier (p6)

Every surviving issue is in the Flicka Friends archive. For the boats named here, see the Flicka 20 registry, or the Flicka 20 specs.