Getting To Know Her

The next two weeks were magical.  The stops included Sidney, Saltspring Island, Chemainus, Thetis, Galiano and Clam Bay at Thetis Island.  All the while - with variable winds - we learned how to handle and trim sails as well as learning how t handle Terratima in a marina. 

First Voyage

July 1st - Canada Day, and we’re off in our new boat to sail the San Juan and Gulf Islands.  First time out, brand new boat and we have 30 knots and 12 foot seas.  I was loving it.  The boat’s sea-kindly motion was immediately evident. The only problem was the crew - both wife and son being very green.  

We pulled into Point Roberts marina and cleared customs.  We moored and the wind continued to howl all that night and the next day.  We stayed another night allowing my seasick kin to recover.

The third day out we had clear skies and moderate winds.  We set out for Friday Harbor with the hope of seeing the fireworks on July 4th.  We had been to Friday Harbor before this in a chartered boat and remembered it as a really picturesque place.  We cleared the harbor at Point Roberts and set the sails for a broad reach across the Georgia Straight.  This time, the experience for my wife and son was excellent - no seasickness and delightful sailing.  

We really should have planned ahead.  As we approached Friday Harbor it was clearly a hot spot for the 4th of July festivities.  We called the marina on the VHF and they suggested we raft up.  Given the new boat, we opted to anchor instead.  

We took a look around the harbor, picked a spot and let out the anchor with the right amount of rode. It was a good spot, but we had not yet rowed the dinghy ashore.  It is a rigid hull inflatable and rowing is not its best mode of propulsion.  We had  to row to the harbor dinghy dock and that took a bit of work.  With a schnauzer on board, it meant at least twice a day to the dinghy dock to walk the pooch.  

After a wonderful day and night in Friday Harbor, we found ourselves anchored in the harbor for the fireworks.

A New Life

One might first wonder about the name: Terratima.  The truth is, it is borrowed - with permission - from Terratima Lodge in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta.  Being Albertans, it seemed appropriate.  Terratima was a place of retreat, of contemplation, of peace - a place to appreciate nature.  We wanted our home on the water to be the same kind of place. 

Although the website at http://www.terratima.com/ no longer seems to explain the name, we are told it is a combination of Latin and the Inuit language meaning “Earth, I am your friend”.

The Boat

The boat that now carries the registered name “Terratima” is an Island Packet 465.  We are its first owners.  We fell in love with her when we took a short vacation on the west coast (Vancouver) and went by to look at the yachts at Coal Harbor in that city’s downtown.  There happened to be an Island Packet there.  After a chat with the dealer - Westerly Yachts - we had a chance to go aboard.  Needless to say, we were impressed with its roominess, interior light, fit and finish and extremely high quality of construction.  Her length overall is 48’ - 9” with a  beam of 14’ - 4”.  She is a solid blue water cruiser that we can take anywhere in the world.  

Although it was never our intention initially to buy that boat, the vagaries of chance conspired against us and we bought that very boat in April 2009.  It required approximately 2 months to complete the installation of electronics (chart plotter, radar, AIS, VHF), heating,and auto-pilot.  She was fully commissioned and ready to sail on July 1, 2009.