BUYING A BLUEWATER SAILBOAT DURING THE PANDEMIC
by Indigo Bowick
A COMPLICATED DELIVERY, AN UNPLANNED ADVENTURE, AND ONE FAMILY’S MAIDEN VOYAGE
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n March 2020, the Coronavirus hit our hometown of Nelson, British Columbia, and an isolated quarantine followed. After getting over the initial shock of living in lockdown — being the outgoing adventure-seeking outdoor enthusiasts the are — my parents, Erica Konrad and Mike Bowick, didn’t hesitate in planning their newest escapade. Covid had put a pause on many plans, including the annual Race to Alaska my father and his team had been training for all of 2019. His team, The Kootenay Pedalwheelers, were to compete in the 750 mile race from Port Townsend, Washington, up the Inside Passage to Ketchikan, Alaska, in June of 2020 on their Flying Tiger sailboat named Amurskaya. Upon the cancellation of the race, his team instead circumnavigated Vancouver Island without a motor. He arrived home inspired to buy a bluewater boat to further explore the coast. After a couple weeks ogling dreamy boat options online and
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shopping for those available around the region, the papers were signed to purchase a Northwest 32 pilothouse sailboat located in Portland, Oregon. Turns out, sailing along the coast wouldn’t be the only navigation we would be doing. The next — and possibly most difficult — step of the voyage would be getting the sailboat from Portland, Oregon across a closed border to Victoria, British Columbia. The plan was simple ... or so it seemed. Due to Covid-related border protocols, we were limited to hiring a commercial captain to bring our boat into Canada. The plan was for our captain to sail up the coast, cross the Canadian border, and deliver the boat to Victoria, where we would meet him and then embark on a trip around the Gulf Islands. We were all set, we thought. Without incident, the boat had made it up the coast from Portland to Port Angeles, where our captain was to then cross the Juan de Fuca Strait and dock in Victoria. On our end, bags were
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JANUARY 2021
