SCAMP Wanderings: Secret Cove with Curtis

Day One

Curtis and I had a plan last summer to launch at Secret Cove Marina and spend some time cruising around and possibly taking in Jedediah Island. However luck was just not with us on this trip. We planned to head out on Saturday, August 24th but it was a really rainy weekend so we pushed it of until the Tuesday. I arrived at the very tight ramp marina before Curtis and outside Secret Cove the wind was blowing like crazy and even the local water taxis were not leaving the dock. After Curtis arrived we weighed up the options and decided to launch our boats and we booked a slip in the marina so we could get a quick start in the morning. The ramp at Secret Cove Marina is really designed for power boats with really no properly area to park and set up a trailer sailboat. We almost set up our mast in the parking lot above the marina but one of the cranky locals warned us of an all invisible and unsigned low power line on the lower road. Eventually we got boats launched and our slips secured. Spent some of the afternoon motoring around the very crowded Secret Cove and exporing some of the arms then back to our slips for the night.

Day Two

After breakfast we motored out of the Cove into much calmer seas and sailed arounds a bit before heading to Buccaneer Bay Marine Park where we anchored in the shallows for a walk about and a bite of lunch. After this we sailed in light winds down Welcome Passage then poked around Frenchman Cove. I motored and Curtis mostly sailed back to Smuggler's Cove where I bumped into an old workmate Mandy and her husband Colin anchored there. Curtis and I had the furtherest corner of the Cove to ourselves fore the night.

Day Three

After our delayed start and looming long weekend with busy boat ramps and ferries and all we decided to cut our cruise shore and head home at end of today. We sailed back to Buccaneer Bay before exploring the coast north of Secret Cove in fickle winds befdore heading back to the ramp. Our less than great luck followed us when I was maneuvering slowly into a head wind between the rock wall and a line of giant raised outboards to get to the ramp. The wind caught Fib's Bow and slammed us into a gnarly outboard before I could correct resulting in a nasty battle wound on the hull and a ding on the pram bow. Curtis and I proceeded to recover and secure our boats in the tight marina under the watchful eyes of the crabby marina owners. Won't be going back there again soon.