She has been immortalized in solid silver, but the China Cloud is more than just a fond memory on the B.C. coast.
The 42-foot Chinese junk was built in 1982 on a beach in Scottie Bay on Lasqueti Island by world-famous wooden boat builder Allen Farrell.
The Shipping News boat of the week was built primarily from red cedar and has a copper-clad bottom. She only draws two and a half feet of water.
Farrell sailed the boat with his wife Sharie until she passed away in 1996.
The boat now ties up at Mudge Island normally, but was in Deep Bay this week.
China Cloud was the subject of the artwork on some of Tolling Jennings’ coins at Lasqueti Mint.
• The first two of the four races in the Schooner Cove Yacht Club Spring Race Days” series took place in excellent conditions on Sunday, March 24.
Fleet captaion Richard Hudson reports that Neal Berger’s Shingebiss, with Peter Jacobson as skipper, took the win in the first race, with Brian Robinson helming Flight to second place and Bill Walters in Rambunctious taking third.
The second race saw Rambunctious take the second race with Neal Berger’s Shingebiss in second and Flight in third.
“Both races provided great competition, with less than two minutes separating first from third in each race and mere seconds separating Flight and Shingebiss in both races,” Hudson said.
• The racing action at Deep Bay wasn’t as exciting over the weekend — in fact, it wasn’t exciting at all.
Don Manness of the Deep Bay Yacht Club reports this week that Sunday’s scheduled series of races was once again called off.
Yacht club members will try again next Sunday.
• Uncertified power boaters have a choice to make this spring. They can either take a risk of being nailed for a $200 fine or they can get properly certified for less than half that cost.
Ballenas Power and Sail Squadron spokesperson Bob Lineham said his group is offering a course for boaters to obtain their mandatory Pleasure Craft Operating Card at Kwalikum Secondary School, starting on April 2. The $75 course, entitled Boating Basics, runs for three hours every Tuesday evening for four weeks.
Everyone operating a power boat of any size must have a valid PCOC. Call 250-757-8332 for more or visit www.cpsballenas.com.