Nomads by Sea: A visit with Bradford in Squamish

Our plan to leave for Alaska on April 21 after dropping off Bradford and his ascent team at the Homathko River logging camp has seen many delays. Bradford’s trip was cancelled. Then our generator and battery charger had problems requiring a trip back down to Sidney for major repairs. While there, other problems kept grabbing us, including discovering that the rudder tube was separating from the hull. Yes, that could have been no fun to have come apart in the middle of nowhere BC or maybe crossing the Gulf of Alaska! Anyway, by mid May we were exhausted with repairs, paying for them and my trying to do as much work as I could in addition to feeling that almost a month was lost on the trip north. As well, confidence in our trusty boat has been bruised keeping us wondering what is next.

A nice day’s travel across the Strait of Georgia, past Vancouver, up Howe Sound to Squamish to see Bradford provided the perfect transition back to cruising, helping us put the boat yards behind us. Howe Sound is stunningly beautiful with the tall mountains busting straight up from the shore all around. Bradford and Ebba treated us to a wonderful day beginning with our favorite, a big breakfast. Next was an incredible ride up the gondola 900 meters into the mountains to see where Ebba is the Special Events Manager and to hike. The views of Howe sound and the surrounding mountains are unbelievable. Even more than ever, we understand why Squamish is the rock climbing mecca of North America. We capped off the day with a cookout at Justin Sweeney’s to help celebrate his birthday.

The laughter, stories and hugs remind us why we decided to live a different life closer to our family. We have quickly become accustomed to seeing Bradford every couple of months since we moved to the west coast. Our plan to stay in Seward, AK for the Winter now keeps us frm knowing when we will see him next. That’s no good. The boat repairs are quickly becoming a distant memory.