SY – TARA NL: Hello from another guest of Tara

The first encounter

Hello from another guest of Tara and long-time admirer of Jacomine and Roel’s incredible journey around our not-so-tiny blue planet! I joined Tara and the crew in Port McNeill, at the north end of Vancouver Island, from Vancouver for a week of lovely boating. Now, I would like to say lovely sailing, but in fact, the main sail was only hoisted on two occasions – by yours truly of course – and stayed atop the horizon in all its glory for a total of ten minutes before the wind decided to go elsewhere and left us motoring along. Nevertheless, what a journey we had!

First, however, I must back track to Japan about a year ago, when I first met J & R as we ran for cover from the rain – in search of sake, yakitori, sushi, and more sake. As we sat and shared experiences and plans for the future, I was time and time again astonished and excited by their joie de vivre and sense of endless adventure. Following a lovely coffee the next morning on Tara (a ritual which I now know is not to be ignored, delayed, or tampered with in any way), we parted ways for some time, and I began forming two plans. The first: sail around the world myself one day. The second: weasel my way into an invite for some sailing with my new friends!

First Nations Burial grounds with totem poles as tomb stones

It goes without saying, then, that I was thrilled to begin my trip from Port McNeill to Campbell River, along the East side of Vancouver Island. We began our journey on Sunday evening and anchored the first night in Alert Bay; the first destination of the trip. Alert Bay was at one time a bustling logging and fishing town and has since returned to its quiet origins, much like the rest of the remote communities along the cost of the Pacific Northwest (PNW). The next morning, what was to be my first full day aboard Tara, Jacomine and I set out early for a quick sprint through the main street to view the world’s largest totem pole, an ancient first nations burial ground, and the U’mista Cultural Centre (https://www.umista.ca/). While it was a quick visit, the stoic tranquility of the totems, and the incredible history contained within the U’mista centre amazing. It was the first lesson of many on the history of the first nations people in British Columbia during my trip that I was very grateful for. I would encourage all you avid readers to click on the link above and find out more for yourself.

White "sand" beaches

Following our departure from Alert Bay, along with another cup of coffee of course, we began weaving our way south, around the Broughton Archipelago and into the network of straits, passages, and lagoons that ran parallel to the Johnson Strait. Not even two hours in spotted a few pods of Dall porpoises, a humpback whale in the distance, and plenty of… kayakers! I was ecstatic, to say the least. One of the other sights that I was truly captivated by was an old, abandoned first nations village tucked away in a cove with a bleach white beach which stood out from miles away. The whiteness comes from the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of crab, mussels, clam, and oyster shells that the inhabitants of the village ate for decades and tossed into the sea which over time broke down, bleached, and formed the beach passersby ponder about. The coastal area is littered with this telltale sign of a time seemingly long ago.

The "Beauty strip" is the layer of trees meant to conceal
clear cutting activities behind de scenes

The other telltale sign of previous inhabitants in the region is not nearly as beautiful or subtle. The clear cuts which scar the PNW coast as far as the eye can see are a sobering and prompting view. Jacomine, Roel and I shared many conversations about the history of logging in this part of the world, its destructive impact, but also its future, and how this lofty yet crucial idea of sustainability comes into play. It’s a complicated one, that’s for certain. We had the chance to explore various clear cuts in various stages of their lives, ranging from ones which were abandoned and never replanted, to ones that were teeming with life again and resembled a forest again.

Canada Day festivities in Pott's Lagoon

By the end of this action packed day, we settled in for a lovely Canada Day dinner and a toast to finally reuniting after many months of exchanging photos and stories sporadically over email. This first day was unique, yet simultaneously the same as all the ones to follow.

As I mentioned, coffee was pretty important, I think. Up at around 7am, by 10am, we had all had at least three independent servings of “Joe” and I was loving it. While we motored along sipping on our brew, we all took turns reading, looking for bears and whales, cooking, chatting, tanning, and navigating of course. Just enjoying the present, and it was truly a gift.

An old growth tree with room enough for
two (plus who knows how many critters)

When weren’t hunting for favorable tides and currents, we visited a few lagoons, almost got stranded in one of them, found a couple of very lovely walks in the woods, and combed some beaches collecting sea glass and driftwood. It was relaxing and inspiring all at once.

I also had plenty of time to learn oh so much about ships, tides, winds, sails, ropes and knots, engines and what it is like to be a world sailor. I also discussed my other plan extensively with my two co-pilots/tour guides/captors and solidified my intent to integrate this new found passion into my life.

Having spent a lovely and unforgettable week aboard Tara, I can say with confidence right now that I will be sailing around the world one day, and this inspiration is all due to my lovely friends and their lovely Tara. Although, for the time being, I’ll start with just figuring out the infinite number of knots that one needs to know to be allowed on any respectable vessel and not be considered a liability!

I can’t thank Jacomine and Roel enough for opening up their home to me and teaching me more than they know. I wish them all the best in the next leg of their journey. For you blog readers, stay tuned, you may hear from me again soon. Who knows, there may actually be some wind as well.

Zander

Home sweet home

The world's largest totem pole, with Jacomine for scale

Fireweed grows rampant in clear cuts and makes for quite delicious honey if there are bees around

The lookout into Seymour narrows at Ripple Rock point. The current can reach 17 knots
and it creates massive whirlpools, standing waves and eddies, truly impressive