Maiden Voyage with Vestri - PT 3 Thetis Island to Nanaimo, BC via Dodd Narrows

[@LoveYourRV]

*View previous boating videos* - kzbin.info/aero/PLp14lzXh07umgor_CHUsKEVC5PMXU4-yQ

[@bobhobart3613]

Woohoo!!! Thank you Anna and Ray!! Watched the oldest,, will watch them all believe me!! Nice seeing old Angie!💕 and snoopy too! Thanks again 🇺🇸👍🙏🏾

[@JJs-ClassC-Adventures]

Great job tying up to the bouy.

[@janebray9392]

Hey🙋‍♀️😍❤️🇨🇦‼️How wonderful! We moved to Empress AB, and it's awesome to see from Thetis to Nanaimo, where I lived all my life😅! I remember visiting the Lighthouse Keeper on Protection Island as a little girl! Just remember Ray, if bathtubs can get to the mainland, you can too😅😅😅😅🛥🚤🛶🛳

[@LoveYourRV]

haha, yeah I remember watching the bathtubs as a kid on TV in Victoria when they used to cross over to Vancouver.

[@jeffwisemiller3590]

(4:10) The island behind you is the edge of the curve in the water as it enters Dodd Narrows. You can see it when flying over as the water level drops to enter the narrows. Excellent diving down there as well.

[@Rvfootprints]

9:35 we experienced this all the time on the way to Catalina Island. Power boats running within 50 feet of us doing 15 or more knots. They have no consideration of their wake or how that we have to douse sails and turn into their wake so that we don't have havoc aboard. This is how power boater have worked hard to earn their reputation.

[@justsomeguy6474]

Lovin the boat videos Ray!

[@LoveYourRV]

Thanks. :)

[@Pack.Leader]

I can't wait to see what sea mammals you meet.

[@mrparrehesian1742]

Worked as a deckhand on the pink tugboat which was once name the Seaspan Driver and since passing hands is now just Driver. Took that boat through the narrows with log tows a few times with tug assist and can be a very bad place for such travels. Panic can and has been felt at those narrows.

[@williamfouste9689]

Love these videos, Ray. I grew up in a small, lumber, fishing, tourist town on the Oregon coast. So, this is my kind of country! I believe pulp mills (which Harmac is) are located close to the lumber mills which supply the chips. While paper mills (using the sheets of pulp) would be located closer to the end markets. Don't take that for the truth, just my Oregon experience. Then there are export terminals that transfer wood chips overseas where countries want more paper/particle board products than their forest industry can supply. An example is the Oregon Chip Terminal in Coos Bay Oregon (that you have driven by) that transfers chips generated in the interior (primarily the Roseburg area). I just returned from a SE Alaska cruise. I am fascinated by how ships are maneuvered. The ship (MV Seabourn Odyssey) was built in 2009. The rotating propellers on modern ships make it so easy to maneuver them. I watched the ship dock and the sideways force made it so easy looking. We also never dropped an anchor as all the propellers on the front and back kept the ship in the exact position the captain wanted. When we were stationary in a port call (not docked), the view from our veranda would change as the ship swiveled around into the wind or for other reasons, without moving north/south/east/west. Impressive! That compared to the fuel barge that came up to the ship at the terminal in Vancouver. It took two tugs fore and aft to swivel the barge around. Much harder to maneuver with one propeller, I am referring here to Ann's docking practice. I look forward to your future boat videos. I suppose there are a multitude of them on You Tube, but your familiar voice and the way you compose your videos are so comforting to me, after years of watching them. The videos are even better now, with your HD camera!

[@LoveYourRV]

Thanks! Interesting stuff. Those cruise ships are amazing.

[@davereaville4927]

Nice passage through the narrows. Please take the time to visit Newcastle Island where the sand stone quarry provided grinding stones to the pulp mills many years ago. My Grandfather use to work at Crown Zellerbach in Campbell River and ran the "grinding room" (where raw logs were ground into pulp). Also a stop at the Dinghy Dock Pub for fish & chips and a pint is highly recommended... motor over in your put put :-)

[@LoveYourRV]

Thanks for the tips. Anne grew up in Nanaimo and has fond memories if the Dingy Dock and Newcastle. Her dad now 94 has spent his whole life there. Was a commercial fisherman for over 60 years'

[@yc3613]

Enjoying the cruise Ann & Ray. Thanks for taking us along.

[@Dbodell8000]

Nanaimo is so beautiful thanks for showcasing it for us👍

[@LoveYourRV]

My pleasure 😊

[@Rvfootprints]

Our experience with anchoring out, as opposed to mooring balls, is that it is really freeing. We have sailed to our islands probably 30 or so times, and only needed a mooring about five times. What is really nice is when you can drop anchor where you choose, then fish for your dinner. I remember fish tacos one night at Dana Point, California, then a fish dinner at Cat Harbor, Catalina Island. Such a freeing experience.

[@LoveYourRV]

Anchoring is our plan for the most part. Once we get away from the populated areas of southern Vancouver Island and the BC coast and move a bit north there are tons of inlets, bays, small coves and peaceful bays and much more wildlife since there are no cities and not much people around. Also have to install some better batteries and more solar and update the inverter/charger. So gonna spend a month where the RV is in Campbell River at a marina 5 minutes away so I can get the boat all updated for extended off grid. :)

[@bobhobart3613]

Beautiful. So enjoyable!! Stay safe 🇺🇸🇺🇸👍🙏🏾

[@citetez]

​@@LoveYourRV I gather you already know how to stern tie. I have found that to be a great thing for opening up otherwise impossible spots for secluded/sheltered/cozy/beautiful anchorage. One thing you might consider, if you haven't already, is having two rolls of line. One lighter, with a snap shackle on the end; and one heavier with just a smallish eye spliced in the end. When you dinghy to shore, take both lines with you. Join them around the tree, or ring, or whatever is available and head back to the boat. Then pull the heavier line in with the light one, tie both ends to the boat and put away the lighter line. When you're ready to leave, untie the end of the line and pull it in. The eye will slide through or around whatever ring or eye you were attached to. One main advantage is getting a loop in place while avoiding having to drag back the line as your boat is slowly drifting out of position.

[@LoveYourRV]

@@citetez Yes, but we stern tie only if we have to due to close quarters, we prefer to swing off by ourselves anyway. Last summer, we spent 2 months up in the Broughtons and September in Desolation Sound, and with the cross wind and currents, and sometimes up to 16-foot tide changes, stern tieing is a royal pain I find. Not getting the tie hooked up but keeping the lines stern and anchor at a good tension while we are there. Only had to do it a few times last summer when we wanted to anchor in a deep inlet close to the shore where there was just a small shelf.

[@owl3356]

Love watching your boating videos and learning how this is done. We have an RV and travel that way for now, but the boating life is very intriguing. Thanks for sharing!

[@mrc1539]

Years ago we got into Nanaimo to late to catch the ferry and had to spend the night in our car. Found a school just a little ways north and spent the night in the parking lot. Next morning found us parked to the biggest BlackBerry patch I ever so and also the best tasting . Always wanted to go back and see if those Blackberries were as good as I remembered. Love to boat series and glad to see you guys having fun .

[@ytubechannel997]

Dodd's Narrows is such a unique spot.

[@billvegas8146]

Looks so familiar. I spent most of my adult life in Maine.

[@citetez]

They pretty much ruined Mark Bay with the mooring buoys. It used to be a popular place for local boats to raft, but that got taken away. In the off seasons especially, when there are fewer tourists, you could tuck in way back in the bay, out of sight of the city, and feel like you were miles away. The rows of size restricted buoys have all the charm of a Walmart parking lot.

[@Trueblue1061]

Great video! Where did you purchase your map books?

[@LoveYourRV]

They are available at many marine stores www.charts.gc.ca/charts-cartes/purchase-achat/index-eng.html

[@ivytennant1284]

So beautiful! Safe travels across :)

[@craigmckenzie8028]

Great video. Is the engine in the boat a 671 Detroit diesel. Sounds really nice

[@LoveYourRV]

Its a 120hp Ford Lehman with Paragon transmission.

[@citetez]

@@craigmckenzie8028 The Lehman is a nice engine. Quieter and less frenetic than a 6-71.

[@greghomestead8366]

Soooooo peaceful 👍 Have a Jesus filled day everyone Greg in Michigan

[@brandonpeniuk]

Amen brother

[@ffcolon2738]

Beautiful sunset 😎

[@tomstorey2463]

How do you go about getting dock space in marinas? Do you pre-book, like a campsite? Would also like to know about your chart book. Thanks.

[@LoveYourRV]

Yes its much like a campsite you can call and make reservation but also can radio them via the boats VHF radio and ask if the have a space. Usually marinas have what the call transient moorage, for people spending a night or two. For charts we have large official ones of the areas we are boating in. Example - www.charts.gc.ca/charts-cartes/instruction-formation-eng.html but also have digital ones on our phones, computers and the boats chart plotter. A popular one is called Navionics. You can see it online here webapp.navionics.com/#boating@6&key=otqkHfpnnV

[@timf6916]

WOW, NICE. Ok, how many does she sleep? Room for me. Deck hand hehehe

[@LoveYourRV]

It has a aft cabin with a twin bed, forward V berth with two singles and in the main cabin the table can be lowered to sleep two more. :)

[@brentjudydunndunn249]

Just so you know it’s Dodd Narrows, not Dodds!

[@LoveYourRV]

Ok, sorry!!

[@toddramsay977]

When you tie to the mooring float/anchor, do you have to throw out your anchor to secure the rear of the boat or do you let the wind just spin you around it? Great video! You have gotten my interest up in trying the Great Loop on the East Coast of United States, start in Florida, go up the east coast down the St. Lawrence River, thru the Great Lakes, to the Mississippi River, down to New Orleans, LA, then back to Florida.

[@LoveYourRV]

We let the wind spin as around, but there are anchorages that are tight or crowded where people will also stern tie the boat to shore. Our boat is equipped with a rope drum that I can pull to shore to ties off to a rock or tree or if provide a mooring rig.

[@neilrankin9945]

Sorry another question about your boat: how big are the gray and black tanks? Question 2: When is it your turn to be skipper?

[@LoveYourRV]

It has no gray tanks. Some boats now have them, but from what I've gathered, most don't. Unless in ecologically sensitive areas or certain marine protected areas, the gray water is dumped straight overboard via outlets just above the water line. Back in the day, this boat also dumped the black water at sea below the water line via manual pump toilets. That is now frowned upon in most shore areas of course, so it has a newer plastic 25-gallon waste tank, and waste can be pumped overboard via a macerator pump. This is allowed a certain distance offshore. Also, it has a deck-mounted port that can hook to an on-shore pump-out station found at many marinas and fuel docks. In future videos, I'll go through all the mechanical, plumbing, and electrical. :) Anne is the captain I have no desire to be, but I did get my boating license in case I need to take over on occasion. I'm busy enough doing maintenance, repairs, cooking, and muscle-requiring work that she can't do. She pilots and navigates, and plans the routes. Suits me fine. :)

[@jaideedave]

I worked at Harmac pulp mill for exactly 30 years. I quit as soon as I turned 55 and took a reduced early pension. I've been in Thailand ever since. You're retracing the same routes I did in the early 80s. My how Newcastle Island has changed.

[@brandonpeniuk]

Hey Ray, I just got back from Vancouver Island. I went fishing, prawning, and crabbing. I had a great time catching up with friends. I was in Vic and Campbell River. I noticed this video is part 3. I checked for parts 1 and 2 but couldn't find them. Have you uploaded it yet? Thanks!

[@LoveYourRV]

Cool! Yes, I have started a boating playlist here kzbin.info/aero/PLp14lzXh07umgor_CHUsKEVC5PMXU4-yQ

[@Glen-uy4jt]

A security call for a small pleasure craft that seems to be unnecessary. It is not like you are restricted by your draught.

[@timalmich1964]

looks pretty nice. So does your boat have a kitchen below deck? So what kind of mods are you going to do?

[@LoveYourRV]

Yes, it has a galley with LP stove, oven and 120V/12V fridge. Got many mods and upgrades planned, lots of electrical power stuff, more solar panels, install an updated inverter/charger and add lithium house battery bank, etc. so we can stay at anchor longer. Also going to install an electric toilet in one if the heads. Right now both our manual pump and Anne isn't a fan of those. :)

[@toddramsay977]

Also how big are your tanks, fresh, black, gray and fuel? What is the range of a full tank of fuel? Anything you have found you dislike yet?

[@LoveYourRV]

It has no gray tanks. Some boats now have them, but from what I've gathered, most don't. Unless in ecologically sensitive areas or certain marine protected areas, the gray water is dumped straight overboard via outlets just above the water line. Back in the day, this boat also dumped the black water at sea below the water line via manual pump toilets. That is now frowned upon in most shore areas of course, so it has a newer plastic 25-gallon waste tank, and waste can be pumped overboard via a macerator pump. This is allowed a certain distance offshore. Also, it has a deck-mounted port that can hook to an on-shore pump-out station found at many marinas and fuel docks. From what I can tell the fresh water tanks add up to about 125 gallons and fuel tanks 250 gallons. The boat uses between 1.5 - 2 gallons of diesel per hour at a speed or 7 knots which is around 8 MPH Being that I'm around 6 feet, 195 lbs. compared to our fifth wheel I find some of the spaces like a little cramped, toilets are smaller, not as much head room, bed is twin vs queen. The boat is also pretty slow at 7 knots but the trade off is less fuel use, to go faster like say 16 knots you need larger dual engines. The electrical systems as functional but will need so upgrades for more extended off grid stays. Anne is telling me an electric toilet is high on the upgrade list. She is not a fan of the manual pump type installed in the forward head as it is piped into holding tank so has to pump uphill a little bit and down about an 8 foot pipe versus straight out the hull like the aft head toilet. It can take quite a few pumps to get things to flow through to the holding tank.

[@robertwright3476]

Did you guys purchase a boat?

[@LoveYourRV]

Yes, here was the announcement video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZ7Ip5KPit1smLs

[@wastedmass4790]

How much

[@LoveYourRV]

@@wastedmass4790 64,900 Canadian dollars plus tax

[@matthewrenaud1140]

the only thing fast about a trawler, is all the fools around you. the turtle always wins the race. ENJOY

[@questionmark4348]

The Gods are with Anne on this trip they will convert "you" to a sailor .....come hell or high water ;-)

[@82gamerprincess31]

Always gotta be someone being a tool 😩

[@tmorton922]

Does your life vest self inflate? Is that a radio as well?

[@LoveYourRV]

Yes, auto inflates when you go into the water. It a two way radio so Anne can call me when I'm below and she is up on the flybridge.

[@tmorton922]

It will be a long haul tomorrow if you are crossing the strait. This brings back fond memories.👍

[@LoveYourRV]

We crossed over today, took about 4 hours from Nanaimo to Secret Cove Marina. A little lumpy due to about a 10 knot northwest wind, but all in all not too bad.

[@tmorton922]

I don't remember boaters being jerks like Mr monster wake 30 years ago.