Hello from Kitimat, north coast BC, Canada

MurrayM · 03-10-2013, 08:12 PM

We joined TF last year when we began our boat search in earnest, and gained greatly from the accumulated wisdom contained within.

We can now officially introduce ourselves because today was our maiden voyage (besides the sea trial) on Badger, our 30' 1982 Sundowner Tug

The boat had been under cover since last November, and the tarp came off a couple days ago because it seems the worst of winter is behind us.

The family of the deceased previous owner and us have formed a partnership, so their son came aboard and offered advice while I brought Badger in and out of the slip about 6 times. (He's also been "training" me since last November on all its systems.) After several hours he stepped ashore, after which my wife, daughter, and myself went for a short romp down Douglas Channel.

Conditions were perfect with hardly any wind to start, and built to about 20 knots by the time we figured that was enough for the day...the south wind was blowing our bow off the slip making docking a bit dodgy for day one...

Still surreal, but what a BLAST!!!!!!

sunchaser · 03-10-2013, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MurrayM

We joined TF last year when we began our boat search in earnest, and gained greatly from the accumulated wisdom contained within.We can now officially introduce ourselves because today was our maiden voyage (besides the sea trial) on Badger, our 30' 1982 Sundowner Tug

Still surreal, but what a BLAST!!!!!!

Nice looking craft Murray. Hope to see ytou in Kitimat this summer to check it out. And it is really great having a pro style kayaker on board.

Russell Clifton · 03-10-2013, 08:30 PM

Congratulations!! You guys are going to have so much fun. And what a great place to be from. We are coming up your way in May. Maybe we will stop in to say hi.

Northern Spy · 03-10-2013, 08:37 PM

Felicitations!

Even got a little spray on deck I see. How long has the boat been in Kitimat? I don't remember seeing her there. I'm sure I would've remembered. I used to walk the floats a lot there when I would do contracts at Eurocan a few years back.

CPseudonym · 03-10-2013, 08:56 PM

Congratulations Murray! I'm a big fan of Sundowner 30's.

My son and I took our Owens out yesterday for its maiden voyage. 4 hour cruise on the San Juaquin river so completely relate to the surreal feeling.

Sent from my iPhone using Trawler

Nomad Willy · 03-10-2013, 09:32 PM

Murray M,
That's wonderful! She looks great and in many ways much like Willy. Now that fuel and moorage is so expensive 30' boats are golden. You mention Douglas Channel often and I sense Kitimat is at the end of Douglas Channel. I see on my i-pad w Navimatics. No names but I'm sure I see the right place. Up the channels from Hartly Bay no? Boy I'll bet the seas can be nasty w a SW wind on an ebb tide.

I remember one time when we were in Hartley Bay several young native girls were excited about cutting meat off the head of a moose that was adrift in the harbor. We went on a long walk up the up from the harbor. In nice weather I'll bet that passage SW from town makes a nice anchorage. All about 40 ft deep as I remember.

The Tug looks really good and I'm sure you'll figure out a way to get kayaks on board.

I see a fender way fwd on the stbd side. I like that too.

MurrayM · 03-11-2013, 12:45 AM

Thanks

Yup, Kitimat is at the head of Douglas Channel and north of Hartley Bay. Not a pretty sight from the water though I'm afraid, as the local aluminum smelter was given pretty much all the land along the shoreline which they will only sell as industrial developments. Grrrrrrr! The town itself is a 10 minute drive from the water.

The boat has been here since 1995.

And yes, it can get real squirrelly with SW winds and ebb tides!

Craig: Congratulations on the new boat!!

MurrayM · 03-11-2013, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MurrayM

Thanks

Not a pretty sight from the water though I'm afraid, as the local aluminum smelter was given pretty much all the land along the shoreline which they will only sell as industrial developments. Grrrrrrr! The town itself is a 10 minute drive from the water.

Realized that might need a bit more explaining for some people.

Alcan built their aluminum smelter and the townsite back in the 1950's, when only the Haisla First Nations people and one homestead farm were living here, otherwise it was an untouched valley.

As part of deal the for Alcan agreeing to build the smelter, the Federal Government of the day gave Alcan got most of the shoreline lands surrounding the head of Douglas Channel, as well as large tracts of land inland.

This irks many people today...

Nomad Willy · 03-11-2013, 10:21 AM

As I understand it Kitimat was a totally "planned" community. Didn't gust grow like other towns/cities. Brasilia is the most famous planned city I think.

You want more privately owned land and here in Puget Sound I'd like less. There is practically no publicly owned lands accessible to the people. Very very few places where you can walk on the beach here. In Kitimat it looks like the government was the controlling power and here it's the money.

In Alaska there's so much land it's ridiculous. But the government owns almost all of it in the form of the Tongas National Forest. In most all places we the people can go there freely to walk, camp or hunt and even cut trees for personal use. Five trees and five deer as I recall. But there are very few beaches.

MurrayM · 03-11-2013, 02:06 PM

We met some Kiwi sea kayakers on Burnett Bay, just north of Port Hardy on the mainland. They told us that in New Zealand nobody can own land within 20' or so of a waterways high water mark...meaning anybody can paddle up to a million dollar home, pitch their tent, and spend the night. Awesome, eh?

Nomad Willy · 03-11-2013, 02:43 PM

Sure.

Bring the boom box and throw the beer bottles up on their lawn.