With summer approaching and unsure of what the boating season will look like, I’m reflecting back on fun memories. One memory stands out where my husband and I learned of what not to talk about while you’re anchoring.
Jedediah is my favourite island. With endless carefree hiking in terms of wild life, swimming, and meandering sheep and goats, how can you not love it. Jedediah Island is our must do stop to and from Desolation Sound. With only a few hours from Nanaimo, it’s a great place to kickstart your relaxing summer boating.
We have been to Jedediah Island countless times, anchoring in numerous spots around the island. One particular year we were arriving just as a storm was starting to build. It had been a long day and we were arriving around dinner time.
The wind was blowing and it was absolutely pouring raining. With the wind direction, we were determining the best available anchoring spot. Jedediah has numerous places to anchor, but many have space for only a small number of boats.
With the rain not letting up, and the lovely sound of thunder now starting to sound, we were wanting to expedite getting settled for the night. We ended up deciding on anchoring on the west side of the island close to Bull Passage. We’d anchored there before and thought that would give us some coverage from the wind.
We had our quick game plan discussion in the cockpit and I headed out to the bow to take position. With a 35 ft boat with loud voices, communicating between the bow and cockpit works fine for anchoring. When the wind is blowing, you just need to up your voice a little, it’s that acceptable time in a marriage to yell at one another.
We were all in position, I had the anchor out dangling over the bow with my controller in hand all set. I look back to my husband in the cockpit to let him know I’m all ready and I wait for the signal. “Go” I hear. Perfect I’m thinking, as much fun as it is to stand at the bow in the wind and pouring rain, I can really just taste my glass of wine down cozied up with a blanket.
I drop the anchor and it’s going down beautifully. I glance back at the cockpit and my husband is having a fit, yelling no, pull up that anchor, why did you drop it. Joy. I then switch gears and start pulling up the anchor.
Once the anchor is secure I start to walk part way back to the cockpit, checking to see what the problem is. With the rain bucketing down and dripping off my face, my husband says I said “Goats” not “Go”. Really, really. This was the first time we’d ever spotted the goats on the island, and apparently there were a couple on the cliffs beside us and he was so excited he wanted to point them out. Yes. This is where we learned what’s on the approved list of topics while anchoring, and which ones are not. “Goats”, I explained to my husband just sounds like “Go” 30 feet away at the bow of the boat in wind!
I can’t say we laughed at the given moment with the thunder and rain in the background, but we quickly regrouped and dropped the anchor. With the anchor properly set, we put the anchor bridal on and went down below. Once down below out of the weather we had a good laugh. We were definitely excited to finally have a goat sighting, lol, but in future talking about goats while anchoring we agreed was on the not approved topics for future.
I love boating. When I first starting boating, I would never have imagined that I’d have a goat anchoring incident! I didn’t know Jedediah Island even existed, let alone that it had sheep and goats on it. Boating enriches ones life, the memories you make during all your adventures and the lessons you learned.
So, to all boaters, I do not advise talking about goats while anchoring!