BoatBanter.com - Cruising San Juans and BC islands?

Bill,

Here's an item that is going to appear in our next issue.

Should whet your appetite for fishing on the west side of Vancouver
Island.......

*****

Fabulous Twin Vee Demo Weekend
At Islands West Resort in Ucluelet

By Cory Gracey

Editor's note: Cory Gracey's firm, Sharp Yachts, is located in
Everett Washington and is the authorized dealer for Twin Vee Catamarans
in the Pacific NW and British Columbia.
In early August 2006 he combined business with pleasure, piloting a
26' Twin Vee from Everett to Ucluelet, (on the west coast of
Vancouver Island) to conduct some product demos and do a little
fishing. He reports....

Our first leg of the cruise was from Everett to Neah Bay, and we
traveled this 120-nm distance in 4 hours. Sea conditions were 2-3 feet
Everett to Port Townsend, and 3-4's from Port Townsend to Port
Angeles. Gale warnings were in effect from Port Angeles to Neah Bay,
and we encountered 4-5 foot seas with an occasional 6-footer head on.
Our average speed from Everett to Neah Bay was 30 knots; we made 36
knots at the beginning and only 22-25 knots in the slop at the end.
Fuel tanks were full upon departure, and we had three guys on board
with all the necessary gear for a 4-day trip.

We topped off with fuel at Neah Bay to take advantage of cheaper fuel
prices than we would encounter in BC, and we required 63 gallons to top
off the tanks. Average fuel burn for the first leg was approximately
1.9 nmpg.

After a short dinner, we decided to cross the strait and head up the
coast to Diana Island (outside of Bamfield), where we would spend the
night rafted to a friend's 38-foot Downeaster before continuing to
Ucluelet for Twin Vee Demo Days on Friday morning. The second leg of
our trip was 40-nm, with gale warnings off of Cape Flattery. The
weather band was calling for 9' seas at six-second periods with
5-6' wind waves thrown in for good measure. Our course and heading
positioned us with the waves approaching our port bow at about
45-degrees. Although we were now in larger seas, the waves were farther
apart than the chop we had previously encountered in the Strait of Juan
de Fuca.
We were able to maintain a 25-kt cruising speed to Diana Island, and
during the 1-hr. 50-minute run my father-in-law took a 45-minute nap in
the oversized queen bed down below.

We awoke Friday morning to find the Bamfield fishing fleet working the
inland shores of the Broken Islands Group for Chinook. Radio reports
were still gale force off shore, and those crazy enough to go out were
saying, "It's time to strap in, put on your helmet and foul weather
gear, and head to sea if you want to catch Chinook!" (The fish were
definitely not biting inside).

After a good night's sleep aboard our 26' Pilothouse, we headed
straight out through the Broken Group to Ucluelet at a comfortable
cruising speed of 28 knots. We cleared Customs and headed directly to
Islands West Resort.

We spent Friday conducting seven demo rides, and about half of the demo
prospects were charter captains. We easily passed one of the charter
captain's friends as we headed out into 8-foot seas. The charter
captain was impressed that at only half throttle we were still making
20-kts, and in those conditions! "This would be our top speed,
wide-open throttle, on a calm day!" We put the Twin Vee into several
situations, never failing to impress any of the groups aboard.

Toward the end of the day, the seas calmed and the sun came out. It was
time to put the gear down. With two 15-year charter captains on board
it wasn't long before I was fighting my first 20-pound Chinook. We
had a ball!

With demos over that evening, we decided to do a little bear watching
up in the shallows NE of Ucluelet. It was truly amazing how close we
could get for photos. I wish the light was better for taking pictures,
but the 16"-20" water depth that we were in was just as amazing as
seeing the bear.

Saturday fishing brought 9 halibut to the boat, with 4 fishermen and 1
observer on board. The Twin Vee had perfect seating and fish storage
for the trip, and the washdown system made it easy to clean the catch
and keep the boat clean as well. After a few hours of fishing hunger
set in, so it was time to cook up some eggs and bacon. It was an
impressive experience for those aboard to get a warm meal between
bringing in 25-pound halibut. Sea conditions were 6-foot swells with
occasional 8-footers thrown in, taken adrift and abeam as we were
jigging for the halibut. After catching our limit we headed the 17
miles back to Ucluelet. There is nothing better than a fresh halibut
dinner. We spent the rest of Saturday showing the 26 Pilothouse at the
dock and kayaking with my son through the harbor. Fantastic!

On Sunday morning we headed out at 4:30 AM to our happy hunting ground
25-miles offshore. Conditions were not favorable. First of all, it was
still dark, and on top of that we were socked in with fog and had
6-8' seas. It was enough to make most people give up, but not us. We
headed out, navigating by radar and chartplotter. We ran slow,
averaging 16-knots. We arrived at our fishing spot about an hour and
45-minutes later, just as the fog broke. With 5 people aboard, we
limited on Kings in 2 ½ hours, so we had plenty of time to run back to
our halibut spot to add a few more to our previous day's catch. We
returned to Ucluelet on Sunday afternoon- (keep in mind that most have
to leave Ucluelet early on Sundays to make the drive and ferry ride
back to the States).

With ¼ tank of fuel remaining from our Neah Bay fill up, I figured we
had better add more before heading back to the States in order to be
safe. We took 87 gallons to top off, and left at 3:00PM in the
afternoon on Sunday. Wow, that's pretty late for a planned 167 nm
return trip home- but no fear, we made it back to Everett in 7 hours,
including a 1-hour customs stop in Port Angeles. Upon return, I topped
off the tanks at a local fuel station in Everett, adding 65 gallons.

I'd challenge anybody to fish the west coast of Vancouver Island in a
20-26' size power boat any faster or more economical than the 26'
Twin Vee. Keep in mind that ferry crossings are approximately $180 to
$230 each way depending on rig size, and total travel time can be 11-13
hours depending on the ferry schedule. If anyone is still a disbeliever
in catamaran designs, I would challenge them to come and experience the
ride first hand. Most people who do agree that these are the smoothest
riding and most fuel-efficient powerboat in their class. Visit us at
Sharpyachts.com, or phone 425-252-5984 to schedule a demo ride.

Sidebar:

The boat: 26' Twin Vee enclosed pilothouse with twin 175 HP Suzuki
outboards.
Fuel capacity: 120 gallons
Total nautical miles traveled: 510
Total Chinook salmon caught: 10
Average Chinook weight: 22 lbs.
Largest Chinook caught by: Hunter Gracey, Age 12
Total halibut caught: 10
Average halibut weight: 25 lbs.
Largest halibut caught: 50 lbs.