Learning to Sail Along the BC Coast

For the past few years I have been yearning to learn to sail, with the eventual goal of sailing across an ocean.

This ambition came out of my goal of never flying again. And this goal stems from principles that have strengthened within me to become an environmentally friendly traveler. Luckily enough for me, I've done a bunch of traveling in my life, and with every step on my traveling journey have grown my awareness of the impacts of my actions on our globe. Stubborn and crazy as this all sounds, I am trying to lead by example and show that crazy is indeed possible.

So this summer I road tripped from Ontario back out to beautiful western Canada and reached out to a friend who owns a sailboat, whom I met at a festival a few years ago. I initially reached out to him when we first met, but he had hardly gotten his own feet wet. Now with a few years experience, he was ready to have a first mate join him on board!

Say hello to Rose, a 1976 fibreglass sloop!

Enjoying the view from the bow!

I agreed to help him overhaul his sailboat, docked at a marina just east of Vancouver. I spent the next 2 weeks helping him sand, paint, and assist in miscellaneous tasks. It was rewarding to put in the work and be part of the process, and it made the ensuing adventure feel more like my own, as opposed to just being a passenger along for the ride.

Besides, my captain is an interesting and generous person to spend time with. I barely knew him beforehand, but we immediately got along and I was regaled by countless stories of his adventures. I got used to hearing sailor speak such as "aye" and "yarr." While he has a name, his friends all call him, and I have come to know him as Red Beard. You can follow him on Instagram @rubbertrampinboots

Red Beard and Medicine Man working on the engine which has a crank start

At last the sailboat was ready to go! On her first voyage of the year we took Rose out to Vancouver Harbour to watch the fireworks at night on Canada Day.

Sailing through the Burrard Inlet, Red Beard steering and belting tunes on his harmonica

Vancouver Harbour looking towards Canada Place and downtown Vancouver

Narrows Bridge connecting Stanley Park and North Vancouver

Red Beard's partner Sarah joined us for a few days of adventure, as we sailed aimlessly around Bowen Island. Red taught Sarah and I some basic sailing terms, as well as practice doing some actual sailing.

For instance, the bow is the front of the boat, and the back is the stern. The port is on the left side, the starboard on the right. You have the main sail in the centre of the boat, which catches the most wind to drive the boat forward, and the jib, whose angle can be changed to catch more wind. There is an even smaller jib sail, the storm jib, which can be used in stormy windy conditions.

As a team of three, we got to practice hoisting and packing away all three of these sails. The main sail and jib are connected to ropes which run to the stern of the boat, where the tiller, or steering wheel, also sits. The stern acts as the control centre for the boat. From here you can pull on the halliards, ropes which hoist the sails, then play with another set of ropes to change the angles of the sails.

Hitchhiking is encouraged on Bowen Island a small friendly place without public buses

Salmon berries are in season!

Sarah and Red hanging out in front of the fire with the sailboat in the distance - Bowen Island

Besides learning how to sail, we spent plenty of leisure time on Bowen Island exploring, eating good food and drinking beer and wine. I got to know these two lovely humans very well. Sarah lives in a motorhome on a farm north of Squamish, working at a nearby healing centre, teaching yoga, meditation, and conducting nature education for children. You can follow her on Instagram at @live.love.lila

After Sarah departed, Red Beard and I continued north along the BC coast. Along the way we saw beautiful landscapes, rich houses and yachts, and some marine life, including jellyfish, a humpback whale and a pod of orca whales. At night we witnessed bioluminescence, glowing green light emitted by tiny organisms in the water. It was like staring down at another night sky, lit with green stars. When I moved my hand in the water, it was like setting off green fireworks.

BC Ferry from Vancouver to Vancouver Island against a beautiful coastal landscape

Storm clouds gave witness to many spot showers, some of which deluged us

The calm and beauty after the storm

We braved a stormy day with big waves, which made me a bit seasick. But overall I adapted to boat life quite well. I've always slept well in moving objects like overnight buses, and the rocking of the boat felt like rock-a-bye baby to me.

Rose has all the amenities one needs including toilet, cooler fridge, kitchen with propane stove. Red Beard added a few touches including a diesel fireplace and a GoalZero battery with folding solar panels. Sharing small spaces came naturally to both Red Beard and I, and the tiny interior of the 29 foot boat provided more than enough room for the both of us.

And while being out on the water is full of thrills, it is also full of worthy lessons. Just like a farmer depends on rain, on a sailboat you become humble to nature because you depend on the wind to move. However, when the wind does blow, you are moving on free renewable energy, which is a beautiful thing.

Red Beard cooking in the cabin

Red Beard diving under the boat to cut a rope that got caught under the propeller

Unlike living out of a van, living out of a sailboat means a literal ocean of possibilities and the world is your oyster. But you're also beholden to an ocean of uncertainties. One day, some rope got stuck in the propeller, so Red Beard dove underwater to cut it out! Another night, we got stuck in a storm, unable to overcome fierce winds to get to shore and anchor. We had to call a rescue boat to tow us in to shore. It was a pretty scary situation to be in and reminded us that we are at the whim of nature, especially when we're out on the water far from land.

Sailboat life seems akin to owning a car but with less rules, and also like a house but with a lot more maintenance. When driving, unlike cars, you're not restricted to the painted lines on the road, and after driving you can park your boat literally anywhere you can drop an anchor and hit bottom. Having a house that floats on water, while cheaper than owning a house on land, requires constant maintenance. Rust is a constant issue, and leaks can drive a boat owner crazy. If a leak gets out of hand, your house can sink! 

Beautiful sunset near Powell River

We eventually sailed in to Powell River, a relatively isolated town, two ferries north of Vancouver along the BC coast. Here Red Beard would meet up with some of his long time adventure pals, and we would start a new land based adventure, which turned out to be the most epic of my life.

Wait for it in the next blog!