We left Ladysmith Harbour around 7am and headed up Stuart Channel north to Nanaimo. We had to leave early to catch the slack tide going through the Dodd Narrows. All the water from the Northumberland Channel to the north and the Stuart Channel to the south pass through a tiny little gap between Vancouver island and Mudge Island. It can flood 5 to 8.5 knots and ebb 6 to 7 knots. Our boat doesn't even go that fast.
So we get to the mouth of the narrows and there we wait with at least a dozen other boats for the perfect time to go through the gap.
So 1 hour 45 minutes BEFORE high tide and 1 hour 15 minutes BEFORE low water is the window for slack tide... Give or take a little....
It was very fun and exciting as everything on this trip had been. We were able to get reciprocal moorage at the Nanaimo Yacht Club marina so we only had to pay for power. They had a washer and dryer up at the club house so I was able to catch up on all our laundry. That was nice! We all walked to the downtown marina area. A Hugh park and a little mall. Musicians playing music in the park, kids playing in the water. The water here is almost 70 degrees. Is that weird or what? It's only about 62 In Port Orchard.
At Ladysmith the walk into town is about a mile.. Uphill both ways. At Nanaimo the path into town is a nice paved path well away from the road winding through the park and waterfront. It is about a mile in but the walk was so pleasant with the music and vendors that is didn't seem to be a chore.
Depending on weather in the Strait of Georgia we plan to leave here at 6 am. Another chasing currents and tides morning.
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