Alaska Trip Day 9

5/24/11

False Bay, Lasqueti Island, B.C.

Miles motored:  2

Miles sailed:  27

We all needed baths today so we took advantage of the sink in the Laundromat to bathe the boys, it worked out great!  Once the boys were down for their nap Tor and I traded off and went to use the showers.  All the Bjorklunds smelled better!

Carhartt boys playing in the cockpit in Nanaimo

After a too short nap (I’m getting tired of writing that so often…do you think they could be transitioning to one nap?) I ran a couple of errands and hurried back to the boat so that we could leave and take advantage of the forecast 5-15kt SE winds to push us north through the Strait of Georgia to Lasqueti Island.  We left the dock around 11:15 and pumped out and then headed out.  Tor got the sails up, yup, we are a sailboat!  We started on a reach and were heeling enough that I decided to serve lunch on the sole (floor) to avoid any sliding off the settee benches.  During lunch I spied a new tooth in Lars’ mouth, he has 7 teeth now!  When we poked our nose out into the Strait we experienced some pretty big swell and it was getting a little uncomfortable for all of us.

Tor struck the mainsail and with just the jib and mizzen sail things got a little more comfortable but we still had quite a bit of swell to deal with.  By this time it was time to start getting the boys ready for their second nap.  Changing diapers was rough when we were getting thrown around and the boys were not happy about being thrown around.  Eventually I got diapers changed and had the forethought to put some pillows in the boys sleeping enclosures so that they could snuggle in and not get thrown around too badly.  I took Odin up forward and snuggled him in and gave him his burpie (it’s the lovey they both sleep with) and he got quiet.  Lars on the other hand was in the enclosure on our berth and he was safe, but VERY unhappy because he was being thrown around.  I went back to rescue him and get him snuggled in his berth and read the nap time book, I looked over and Odin was asleep, amazing!  Lars needed some patting to get to sleep, but it didn’t take too much and they both slept well.  Thank goodness….except that allowed me to go sit in the companion way with Tor and I could see just how big the swell was.  OH MY GOODNESS.  In similar conditions in the past I had been reduced to tears.  The boat and the captain could handle it, but it’s still freaky.  We estimate that the swells were about 6’ with a period of about 40’…yuck!  The first time I experienced anything like that was when we crossed the Strait of Juan de Fuca the first summer after we launched the boat.  I spent that whole crossing lying on the sole CRYING.  My confidence in the boat and in Tor has increased substantially, but I also have something more important to focus on…my little boys.  I was totally able to center myself on making sure they were as comfortable as possible.

When they woke up I made a nest for us on the sole out of all the pillows and blankets I could find and tried to keep them entertained.  They didn’t feel well, they kept burping and I myself felt queasy, and they cried a lot.  It was so hard to see them that uncomfortable.  Eventually Odin threw up and afterwards he was as cheerful as could be.  It was amazing the transformation, he is just like his Papa.  Lars never threw up, but I kind of wished he would.  I nursed them twice and that helped and then we got in the lee of Lasqueti Island and the swell calmed down a little and we all started feeling better.

Finally around 4pm we struck sail and were headed into the anchorage when we noticed that another sailboat was headed in that seemed dead in the water.  We threw them a line and towed them into the anchorage.  We got anchored ourselves and it was time to get some food, clean up the boat and get little boys to bed. 

Lunch on the sole

"So Tor, tell me how you feel now that we  are sailing."

Sleeping Odin 

Sleeping Lars

 All of us on the sole trying to stay as comfortable as possible

It was a really tough day, but we will stay here tomorrow to regroup and rest.  The weather is also supposed to change and be strong winds from the NW, so we want to wait that out too.  Hopefully there will be some good sleeping on board Yare tonight!