"The mountains grew higher and higher, and gossiped together across our heads. And somewhere down at their feet, on that narrow ribbon of water, our boat with the white sails flew swiftly along, completely dwarfed by its surroundings."

With awesome scenery and amazing wildlife, the cruising area between mainland Canada and Vancouver Island is one of the world's finest and probably its best-kept secret. We will discover some of these unique cruising areas on the Club's third venture to the Pacific Northwest. This time, we will be starting out from Vancouver, British Columbia, and sailing north up the Strait of Georgia, with our goal of reaching Desolation Sound. Along the way, in addition to hiking and beach-combing opportunities, we plan on exploring the various fjords and anchorages of British Columbia's Sunshine Coast. If wind and weather are favorable, we also hope to make a side trip to Princess Louisa National Park and gawk at the magnificent Chatterbox Falls.

In between, we will discover a wealth of protected anchorages, hideaway picnic stops, tranquil marine parks and well-maintained marinas. Some of the indigenous wildlife we may encounter are dolphin, eagles, seals, sea lions, and perhaps an Orca or two.

This wonderful escapade will begin with a pre-board on Saturday, September 10th. September is an ideal time to visit the area, as there is less rain, less fog and less crowds. The Sunsail base in downtown Vancouver is our starting point. Vancouver is served by many airlines, including non-stop service from Newark, conveniently arriving mid-day. Crews will then have an opportunity to walk the couple of blocks to the supermarkets and do any additional provisioning. We will officially be allowed to board the boats at 6:00 PM, stow our gear and provisions, and find some fine eatery in town to relax at, and discuss our anticipations and expectations. After a chart and boat briefing the next morning, we will get underway.

Our first night’s stop is an anchorage a short distance from Vancouver.  This will be a great opportunity for the traditional raft-up party, and get everyone introduced and acquainted. After that, we will continue north, with tentative destinations based on wind and current.  Since the winds are generally westerly and brisk in September, we should have no problem having some awesome sailing days!

The trip ends ten days later with a final night back at the charter base in Vancouver, where some giant fish tales will certainly be told.  We debark the following morning, however you may want to stay a few extra days exploring the unique city of Vancouver.

The cost of this trip is $1000 (Skipper - $527).  This includes charter fees, insurance, fuel, travel insurance and slip fees for two nights.  Food and other incidental expenses are additional and will be handled by each boat’s crew.  A deposit of $250 per person is required with your reservation.  Please make your check payable to The Sailing Club, Inc., and mail it, along with your completed reservation form to Jon Stufflebeem at the address below.  Reservations will be processed beginning on April 8, 2005, with a random draw of those received by that date.  All reservations received after that are on a first come, first served basis.  Three additional payments of $250 will be due on June 1, July 1 and August 1.

We have reserved four boats for this trip, and additional boats are not likely to become available, limiting enrollment to just 26 people.  Qualified skippers can reserve an entire boat with full payment of deposits, subject to boat availability.  You will be notified when you are confirmed on the trip.

A pre-trip meeting will be held at a time and place to be announced.  All crewmembers should make every effort to attend in order to meet your crewmates, plan your meals and possibly coordinate travel plans.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either name below.

Trip Leader	Assistant Trip Leader
Jon Stufflebeem 115 Redmont Road Watchung, NJ 07069 908-822-8701 jonsailor@earthlink.net	Steve Krakauer 11 Clark Court Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 908-306-0898 stevek@att.net