Desolation Sound 2026

 It had been three years since we had voyaged to Desolation Sound, far too long for us. 2023 feels so long ago. For this year, we did things a bit differently, though every summer going there seems to be unique. 

We left on July 18th, my wife and I, and stayed first at Prevost Island in the southern Gulf Islands. From there we headed toward Dodd, staying at DeCourcy, and faced the usual rugged conditions in Northumberland and at Neck Point. You can bank on having 2-3 foot chop when you round Neck Point leaving Nanaimo. The NW winds don't have to be strong for this to happen. And when you are voyaging north, this is on the nose. Makes you want a 50 foot sailboat with a different wave resonance. The Gulf 32 is remarkably capable but the short 3 foot chop resonates with the hull shape to make you really bounce up and down. 

Wallace Island

We motored north to the Ballenas Islands and then raised sail for a lovely beam to broad reach over to Jedidiah environs. This area of the Straits of Georgia is so scenic, with towering Texada rising in the middle and the open water all around. But if there is high wind then you are in for a festive ride. 

I won't give a day by day but will say that we had hot weather going north, and stormy weather for the first week we were in Desolation. It was the coldest, windiest, rainiest week we've ever had in Desolation. Consistent 25 knots SE. All the waters were cooler as a result, with the lakes having some residual warmth. We had to stay in anchorages that were more sheltered, so it was Roscoe Bay and Tenedos and Laura Cove and not Walsh Cove that week. 

The weather finally cleared and we were able to get to Walsh, our favorite place. 

We made many trips to Refuge Cove because our boys were flying in, and we had friends join us too. 

The rope swing in Laura Cove is still there! 

We saw a fair number of Orcas, and some Humpbacks. Still no Dall's porpoises though. 

The voyage south had all NW winds, and it was a warm, sunny easy trip. The day you head south from the Comox area is a long one, with no real anchorages and a few desperation marina stops. We do it in one stretch of about 10 hours of traveling. Most of this we had to motor, but got some wind assist later the day. We stayed at lovely Newcastle Island, which is one of my favorite places anywhere in the Salish Sea. Despite the proximity to Nanaimo, it is just so wonderful and has plenty of wild spaces for those of us who prefer that. 

Jedidiah south

The collapsing home on Jedidiah

We stayed at Wallace Island our last night, old friend, and too soon we were back in syphilization. Always a very hard transition for me. The contrast between the wild life and the domestic life is stark. 

Only used about a half of a tank of fuel. About a 350 mile trip. Can't wait for retirement when we can spend months on end up there! 

Escape to Stuart for the 4th holiday

While most with boats were headed to Roche, we decline the opportunity to anchor around the massed hordes with uncertain ground tackle and skills and instead go to Stuart and Reid Harbor where we can have some peace and even quiet solitude if desired. We brought some friends and exposed them to the wonders of Aeolus, and Stuart. We also brought Calvi the wonder dog. 

Calvi the PBGB

An easy trip from Friday Harbor to Reid on Friday morning. Caught the ebb going out Spieden Channel and hit 9.7 knots! 

Discussed with our friends the great hope that the owner of Spieden Island, Oakley sunglasses owner, decides someday to donate the island to conservation so it can be restored. Sterilize all the hundreds of foreign ungulates, and let the west side once again burst forth with flowers and new oak seedlings. I'm hoping in my lifetime this can happen. In the meantime, nothing can grow from the constant mowing of the hooved locusts. 

Reid was fairly full, but not the most we've seen. We went out to the lighthouse and had the usual amazing time. No whales or pinnipeds but still the delights of location, location, location. The docent season has started so it was fun to get into the museum again. 

That day a strong SW wind came up and even the hurricane hole of Reid Harbor was pretty choppy. Some large catamaran powerboat did the odd thing of stern tieing north of the parks dock, and soon found out why you don't do that in Reid. They began to drag anchor and had to quickly power up and move elsewhere so they could swing free in the strong wind. Probably blew about 20 knots in the anchorage. Great sailing wind! 

We all slept like the unbothered and were lazy on Saturday morning. Nothing to do and all day to do it. We lounged around on Aeolus for hours, and eventually went up to a favorite viewpoint. There are two girls in school on the island and they and their family were having a bake sale at the school. Quite a selection! 

That evening calmed to glass, and it was one of those perfect summer evenings. 

Our return trip today began at 7am to catch the last of the weak flood in Spieden. We did, and I did a healthy 6.7 knots through the channel and then was slowed just a bit in San Juan. Got home from Stuart in only 2 hours, which is good. Averaged about 6.1 knots. Hull speed. 

Our friends loved it, as you would, and we were gone for weeks in those few days. 

Best DIY wood treatment

 This is all you need to keep your interior teak looking great and free from mildew: 

White mineral oil as the base, tea tree oil, and lemon oil. Smells great, works great, and is far better than any of the over the counter wood treatments you can buy. 

Russell Island delights

 For the three day weekend honoring the final freedom from slavery for African Americans in that confederate state of Texas, we got away to the great province of British Columbia to a place with history of blending Hawaiian and First Nations people. Russell Island is part of the Gulf Islands National Park system. Here, native Hawaiian people who had been brought over as laborers for the Hudson Bay company would sometimes chose to stay after being released from service. I guess things in Hawaii were not so great with American colonization and such. They intermingled with the First Nations people and lived their lives. 

On Russell Island, a family had 13 children and the descendants still come around to give tours and tell stories at the old house. This wasn't happening on this visit but we've been coming here since 2011 and seen it several times. I guess July and August, normally, though there was a sign saying it was paused for building repairs, with no signs the building was being worked on. 

Calvi the wonder dog and a gorgeous Madrone along shoreline

Russell provides good protection from the prevailing summer southerly winds that wrap around and up Haro Strait from the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Russell is quite long, and there is a large shallow shelf on the north side that can easily fit 30 boats or more. With Salt Spring as a backdrop, it is also stunningly beautiful. Only the faintest small ferry wakes disturb the anchorage, not even enough to upset your glasses. 

View to anchorage from island

There is a trail that is .75 miles long around the west side. I continue to wish the island would see that trial continued around the east side, for a circumnavigation. Also, the island still has issues with English Ivy and Holly, both of which could be easily eradicated with some effort that seems lacking. 

The weather on this trip was perfect. We motored here from Friday Harbor and it's always lovely going along Spieden and across to Moresby. Moresby is the largest privatedly owned island in BC. How I hope someday it become part of BC Parks or National Park. 

We saw Orcas on the way there, and had a Humpback whale near Rum and Gooch on the way home! A magical get away to a lovely place. Thank you Aeolus and the Salish Sea! 

Wonderful Jones overnight with a full boat

 Went up Friday night to begin a nice weekend get away. We were joined Saturday morning by our son and his five college friends. The weather cooperated with calm conditions and no rain. We motored to the north side of Jones, enjoying it very much. It's always wonderful to expose new people to the joys of sailboat travel and the islands reachable only by boat. 

We did the usual Jones things, but quite unusually we tied to the dock! This was to make the comings and goings of the kids easier, but I feel so domesticated and stuck when I'm tied to a dock. Really changes the whole experience for me in a negative way. Prefer free floating! We walked around here and there, doing the West side and seeing Orcas. 

A favorite thing was rowing the dinghy a fair amount around the cove. So many gorgeous little nooks and crannies. And the exercise of rowing is very satisfying. 

A good night's sleep, with most of the kids ashore. With 8 on the boat, we can't sleep that many. 

The journey back today saw us travel through some of the great clapotis and eddies that inhabit the north side of Jones on a strong ebb. Just magical. I could stay there quite a while admiring the chaos and energy of it all, but alas, we moved along. Catching the ebb hurried our way back south and soon enough we were back in our slip. 

A great trip on Aeolus, who performed flawlessly. She is ready for Desolation Sound!  The kids had a great time and maybe they will want more? 

Quick trip to test engine and clean her up

 Just a quick trip this weekend, with my primary motivation to take the boat out and make sure everything I've done is working to expectations. Sure enough. Only went about an hour but no issues at all. Checked Racor vacuum gauge when I got back to my slip and it hadn't budged off bottom. For some reason my cockpit temp gauge is not reading correctly, but the gauge on the instrument panel is fine. When I go back again I'll have to trace that wire to see where I put it! 

The boat was an exterior mess. Some big bird, likely a heron, pooped all over my stern cockpit area. Between that and the algae and atmospheric dust and other random bird gifts like shells, the boat needed the thorough cleaning I gave it. I also put on my summer sun shield, as I use it between the equinoxes. 

Sooner than later we will be headed up to Desolation Sound where our own boys and several groups of friends have plans to join us. Can't wait. The fuel tank is full of renewable diesel and I now trust the engine stalling issue has been found and eliminated. 

Fuel system diagnosis and solution-Air was the problem

 In the end I found it was air and not dirty fuel that was causing my occasional problems. How do I know? I temporarily installed a clear hose from the first valve to the primary filter and I was getting bubbles. Who knows how many other places I was getting air, but that was all I needed to know. For this reason, I went in and simplified my fuel filtration and upgraded some things. I had previously tore out the prior three way valves that I now know are not great. I removed the new three way valve shown before that was relatively cheap from Amazon and used one I got from McMaster Carr that is much better with flouroelastic seats and high resistance to vacuum and pressure. I replaced my old Racor 500 with a new model that uses ORB hose barbs instead of tapered hose barbs. ORB uses Orings and I upgraded the orings that came with the parts I ordered to Viton. Viton is even more resistant to fuels and solvents of various types. 

The final set up

The orings were hard to specify and here is the information for anyone else interested: 

A 3/4-16 (-08) male ORB (O-Ring Boss) fitting uses an AS568-908 O-ring. In the hydraulic industry, the standard for ORB O-rings follows a simple rule: the size is 900 + the dash size of the port. Since a 3/4-16 thread corresponds to a -08 dash size, the correct O-ring is a 908. 

Key Specifications for AS568-908

• Inner Diameter (I.D.): 0.644 inches (16.36 mm).
• Cross Section (Thickness): 0.087 inches (2.21 mm).
• Outer Diameter (O.D.): 0.818 inches (20.78 mm).
• Hardness: Typically 90 Durometer (Buna-N or Viton) is used to handle high-pressure hydraulic applications. 

The fiittings on the Racor are this size and type:

90-Degree Steel Adapter, 3/4-16 (-08) Male Adjustable ORB x 3/4-16 (-08) Female ORB, 5000psi × 4

This is an elbow and then you add a hose barb that is also 3/4-16 ORB of whatever size, in my case 3/8. 

I removed the second filter altogether, as it just added fittings and valves and complications. I have never seen the vacuum gauge on my primary Racor get up anywhere near a plugged filter, and so this simplification makes sense on Aeolus, given the work I've done to clean and repair my fuel tank and all I do to keep the fuel clean with BioBor and Startron. Besides using Renewable Diesel that is not hygroscopic! Love that stuff. 

All new fuel hoses. Had to change the fuel barbs on the Walbro to 3/8, which was easy. So now it is 3/8 hose everywhere except from the fuel tank to the three way valve. Why do I have a three way valve you ask? I don't need one there. But the fuel tank fitting is 1/4 and this lets me convert it to 3/8. Eventually I will remove and replace the fuel tank fittings to make them 3/8 as well. 

Here you can see the three way valve. Out of the shot is the fuel tank. 

I plan to leave the bleed valve cracked open just enough to allow a continuous flow of fuel and any air out of the secondary filter and fuel system back to the tank. That's another thing, I used to always leave that closed up tight. No need to do that. The Walbro is rated to 18,000 hours and can run continuously at full pump speed. I'll never get close to that in the lifetime of the boat, having only put 2,000 hours on the diesel in about 18 years.