January – False Creek and New Friends at the Bellingham Yacht Club
© Copyright by John B. Gargett 2008/2009 All Rights Reserved
The Pender Pirates, Ryan, Jason and Derek, were each very good seaman. The guys always divided up being Captain, Quartermaster and Boatswain when they made their runs. These three positions were the most important positions on any pirate ship and much like the golden days of piracy, the Captain ran the ship, and the Quartermaster was much more than just second in command – he was essentially a co-captain and navigator. The Boatswain was responsible for maintaining the hull, the rigging, lines, cables, sails and anchors. For the White Rock trip, Jason would be Captain, Ryan the Navigator and Derek the Boatswain.
In preparing for the White Rock run, it only took a minute for Jason and Ryan to see that they would have to travel through US Waters. There is a weird little appendage of land that sticks south of the 49th parallel which is the US/Canadian border. If anyone had looked at a map when they drew the border they would have given this little appendage to Canada. But Point Roberts belongs to the United States. As a result, you cannot get to White Rock without going through US waters.
Bahdoon was not happy when told they would be traveling in US waters. In fact he was furious, not because the plan had to be changed, but because he had to tell Suegali and Suegali was not a man you delivered surprises to, especially surprises that involved changing final stages of plans. And true to his fear, Bahdoon received the wrath of Suegali. The pain of the beating was bearable; the realization that his extended family in Somalia might become a victim of the lawlessness of a broken country was not. You only made one mistake with Suegali, a second ended the relationship permanently.
But Suegali always had a backup plan. And he had a backup to the backup. That was one reason he was so successful. The fear he instilled was real. His backup plan was to have his handpicked pirate mercenaries, comprised of 3 Somali’s, 2 Malaysian, 4 Pilipino, and 3 Pakistani, to meet at the Granville Island Public Market where Bahdoon’s Pirates would pick them up on False Creek at the public dock under the Granville Bridge. Thousands visit Granville Island every weekend and four small groups of faceless immigrants in Vancouver would not be noticed.
Adam Julia was freezing on his 36’ Valiant anchored in Fairhaven. The winter had been brutal ever since his being smuggled in December. He decided to row to the Taylor Street Dock and walk into Fairhaven and get a hot espresso at Rustic Coffee. When Adam entered the Rustic, he noticed the chair he normally took was occupied by a women he had seen before talking to the barista about the sailboat she and her husband owned that had its water systems frozen.
Adam introduced himself to the woman the barista called Jill saying he also had his water system freeze on his sailboat. Jill had seen Adam in there before and found his rugged look enticing. A wink from the Barista to Jill said it all – the barista was jealous of Jill getting the attention first, but it was also a good luck wink.
Adam told Jill he was a world-class sailor and racer. Jill, who worked next store at Covet, had a live-in boy friend that was a sailboat racer and a past Commodore of the Bellingham Yacht Club. Jill invited Adam to join her and Dave at the Yacht Club for the next Friday’s at Five, a bi-weekly social event where they would introduce Adam to other members of the club. He readily accepted, knowing he now had his link into the local boating community.
When Jill left to go back to work, Adam stayed and talked to the Barista. He knew something could happen between them when she said she always wondered what Fairhaven looked like from the water. Adam needed no more encouragement – reading her name, he asked Ruth if she would like to come out and see for herself on Saturday – a question that was immediately answered with a yes.
Marty and Denise Bakerstead had enjoyed boating in the San Juan and Gulf Islands for over 30 years. They met while taking sailing lessons at the Seattle Yacht Club in 1962 at the age of 14. Denise and Marty were made for each other, they quickly became boy and girl friend, they both went to Western Washington University in Bellingham, they married at the Bellingham Yacht Club, settled there, and spent their summers with their kids cruising these waters. They had not, however, ever been to Alaska by boat. Their 35 wedding anniversary was coming up in 2009 and they booked a cruise to Alaska on the Radiance of the Seas, leaving Vancouver on the 11th of September. Victoria was planned as a Port of Call for the day on the 20th – their anniversary, and they would have High Tea at the Empress Hotel where they honeymooned.
Marty and Denise also kept their powerboat in Sidney, BC. Marty had been very successful in the software business and they actually had two boats – a 30’ Etchell they used for the Wednesday night races on Bellingham Bay and a 52’ Ocean Alexander with twin Detroit 6V53 400 horsepower engines that enabled them to cruise at 17 knots, and top out at 22 knots. From April to October they kept their Ocean Alexander (M/V Saturna Star) in their slip in Bellingham. From November through May they kept it in Sidney where the Pender Pirates maintained it. The boys picked the Saturna Star for their run to False Bay to pick up their human cargo set for the 10th of January because of its speed.
On Friday, Adam met Jill and Dave at the Bellingham Yacht Club. A few drinks later and Adam was fitting right in. Nothing bonded sailors more than drinks and tales from the sea. Adam had raced in the Volvo Ocean Race (2002), The Bergen-Shetland Race (2008), The Rolex Sydney Hobart Race (1998), and The Whitbread Round the World Race (1997-1998 ) were he was working the foredeck for Paul Cayard who won with the EF Language. This win earned Cayard and his crew praise from the famous sailor Dennis Conner. With these bon fides the Commodore introduced Adam with lavish praise during the evenings announcements. Adam only added to his credibility when he told everyone he would be working here in Bellingham for the next year and wanted to know if anyone had a boat that needed a crewmember.
On Saturday morning, before Adam took his dinghy to pick up Ruth, Adam logged into Twitter with his Verizon wireless card. Adam posted that he was going sailing to Blaine, hoping to see porpoises in the Straights of Georgia. 7,000 miles away, on a cell phone, a text message was received and the follower smiled.
Adam and Ruth did not sail up to Blaine, Adam said the winds were not favorable. They did, however, share a couple bottles of wine, ate imported cheeses and felt each other’s warmth as the north wind bit into their cheeks. It was a little after three when they tied up to the visitors dock at the Port of Bellingham’s Blaine Harbor. Ruth found herself getting excited when she thought it might be to late to get back to Bellingham. And when Adam suggested they walk up to have dinner at Chaoa Thai, a new restaurant in Blaine; she knew it was going to be a warm night in spite of the biting north wind. As they walked to the resturant, Adam took pictures of the Marina and the US/Canadian border crossing.
While Adam and Ruth were enjoying their wine, and growing attraction, the Pender Pirates had left early that morning to make their run to Granville Island on False Creek. The trip was relatively quick. Once they passed Dock Island after leaving Sidney, they headed up Moresby Passage and Swanson Channel, through Active Pass, and across the Straight of Georgia and into False Creek. After tying up, Derek went to the Granville Island Public Market and met the three Pakistani by the espresso stand. He walked them, joking and laughing as they went back to the Saturna Star. Ryan got the Somali’s and Malaysians and Jason got the Filipino’s. They brought them in as groups, having them go into the staterooms below. The Saturna Star had the Simrad 25 & 27 autopilot along with the Raytheon WAAS GPS tied into the Nobeltec 4kW 4 1/2 open array radar and Nobeltec Admiral software. In spite of the electronics, Jason stayed on the bridge to look out for logs, tugs, ships and other boats.
Once the Saturna Star was docked back in Sidney, they unloaded the same way they loaded the boat – small groups walking the dock laughing and joking. When each of the groups got up to the top of the dock, Bahdoon showed them to a rental car which each group drove individually into Victoria where they were booked into separate hotels. They did not have to report to their new jobs at North Sea Traders office on Dallas Street across the street from the cruise ship dock in Victoria until Monday.
By 2100 the handpicked team of Suegali Warlords were settled in and the Pender Pirates had taken the late ferry back to Pender Island. Once again the boys had made another $25,000 and were feeling good. Since for them the night was still young they decided to stop into Poets Cove and have a few drinks. Once they arrived they new it was going to be a great end to a good day of work since the Sea World maidens were staying through the weekend after marrying one of their own to a Captain who ran a sailing charter out of the Cove. Back in Blaine, onboard his sailboat; Adam and Ruth were just finishing a glass of Port when their eyes met and their lips touched.
Why was Adam photographing Blaine Harbor and who got the Twitter message from him? Why are Suegali Warlords massing in Victoria? Do Jill and Dave know whom they introduced to the Bellingham Yacht Club? Find out next month in the next edition of “Pirates of Poets Cove”
