Bringing Her Home! Journey from Oak Harbor Washington to Steveston BC.

            We took possession of Phoenix Hunter on May 31, 2013 and we brought her back over two days June 1-2, 2013.  This worked out well as Murray Brown, friend and shipwright, offered to accompany me on the trip.  Murray was extremely useful as all of the new systems were quite foreign to me.  The former owner, Steve, gave a brief overview of systems, we fueled up in Oak Harbour (fuel substantially cheaper there than in Steveston) and we went off for home via the Swinomish Channel (La Conner) and North Rosario, staying at Sucia Island (46 nm) Saturday night and then proceeding on from Sucia to Steveston (37 nm) on Sunday.

Small scale NOAA Chart of the 45 nm route to Sucia Isand

Murray Brown at the helm somewhere off Guemes Island Washington

            We didn’t take many photos as my focus was getting used to the boat and navigating through foreign waters.  I was worried about the Swinomish Channel, but the channel was well marked and the tides favoured our progress.  In fact, we had a tidal push most of the way to Succia.  Conditions were calm until we were closer to Sucia.

            Things were different the next day with a weather surprise for the southern Strait of Georgia with winds forecast 20-25.  We probably should have put the poles and stabilizers down but as the surveyor had identified that the rigging needed replacement and the insurance company advised these should not be used until repairs were made. The seas at 4-6’ swells were certainly a bit of challenge leaving Sucia Island, particularly on a beam sea.  They did go down a bit on the tide change but came up again as we crossed into the main channel of the Fraser River at Sandheads Lightstation.  The Kadey Krogen 42 certainly lived up to its reputation as a “rolly boat” and I would suggest that she rolls like “a tortoise on its back”. It was nice however to know how she would handle without having Pam aboard.  I think she would have been more than a bit nervous with the roll at the river’s entrance.  Weather will be taken into account during planning of future journeys but we certainly were not in any danger during the crossing from Sucia to Steveston.  She does handle following seas quite well.

Route from Sucia Island to Steveston BC

            We waited at the main wharf at the foot of 4^th Avenue in Steveston for Canada Customs to arrive.  There was a bit of a miscommunication as to our location but they finally came aboard and arrangements were made for me to go to the downtown Vancouver office later in the week to pay duty and taxes.