It’s Not Always Romantic | The Challenges Of Wooden Boat Life | Our New VW Van

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 14:11:57 +0000

Watch our worst undocking attempt ever. We’re supposed to be sailing to Winter Cove on Saturna Island. Living on a sailboat does not mean that sailing goes smoothly.

Eventually, in this video, we do get away from Pender Island. But operating an old wooden sailboat has a way of turning a simple plan into something considerably less simple.

Before we can get underway, there are jobs to finish aboard "W. Grebe", our vintage wooden gaff-rigged sailboat. There is always something that needs fixing, adjusting, checking, or figuring out — and this morning is no exception.

We also introduce you into the continuing saga of "Bluey", our new 1981 Volkswagen Westfalia. Bluey, on her first day with us, reminded us that owning temperamental old machines is a lifestyle choice.

And then Mary and I have to actually get the boat off the dock.

We’ve lived aboard together long enough to know that leaving a dock can occasionally expose some… differences in communication style. This departure is one of those occasions.

There’s no manufactured drama here. No pretending that living aboard and sailing together is endlessly romantic. Sometimes you’re tired. Sometimes somebody gives an instruction that makes perfect sense to them and absolutely no sense to the other person. Sometimes voices get a little sharper than intended.

And then you get clear of the dock, hoist the sails, and remember why you’re doing all of this in the first place.

Our destination is "Winter Cove on Saturna Island", in British Columbia’s Southern Gulf Islands.

Winter Cove sits beside Boat Passage, the narrow stretch of water separating Saturna Island from Samuel Island and the Strait of Georgia beyond. It’s one of those places that reminds us how extraordinary this little corner of the Pacific Northwest really is — islands, tidal passages, old forests, rocky shorelines and anchorages that have been used by people travelling these waters for generations.

This channel is increasingly about what happens when we give ourselves a reason to go somewhere.

Not simply “we sailed to another anchorage,” but the projects, problems, weather, history, people, food and unexpected moments that happen along the way.

Sometimes the interesting part of a voyage happens long before you reach the destination.

This was one of those days.

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ABOUT W. GREBE

W. Grebe is our classic wooden gaff-rigged sailing boat and our home.

She was built on Denman Island, British Columbia, by Herbert Havelaar and is based on Harrison Butler’s Khamseen design. She carries a traditional gaff mainsail and topsail along with her headsails, and she is powered — when the wind refuses to cooperate — by an old Sabb diesel with a variable-pitch propeller.

Living aboard an older wooden boat means sailing is only part of the story.

Maintenance is constant.

There are traditional systems to understand, wood to look after, rigging to inspect, mechanical problems to solve and an endless collection of small jobs that somehow become large jobs.

That’s part of why we love her.

ABOUT THIS CHANNEL

I’m John Fraser.

For most of my life, the outdoors has been where I’ve felt most at home. I’ve worked as a farmer, guide and outfitter, fly-fishing instructor, writer and filmmaker, and much of my work has revolved around wild food and the landscapes that produce it.

These days, Mary and I live aboard W. Grebe in British Columbia’s Southern Gulf Islands.

This channel follows that life — but I’m interested in more than simply documenting where we went.

I want these films to have a reason for leaving the dock.

A challenge. A destination. A question. A piece of history. Something to find, learn, catch, gather, fix or accomplish.

Along the way there will be sailing, wooden boats, island communities, wild food, fishing, foraging, history, people and the occasional mechanical disaster.

And sometimes a 1981 Volkswagen Westfalia that refuses to cooperate.

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Chapters
0:00 Uncovering the hidden engine bay
6:30 Brightening up the dark storage alcove
8:15 Restoring the head ventilation
11:02 Preparing the vessel for departure
17:39 Reflecting on a rough undocking
24:29 A perfect sail to Winter Cove
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If you enjoy traditional sailing, wooden boats, remote places, wild food and stories about what actually happens when people decide to go somewhere difficult or interesting, consider subscribing.

And if you’re already following along, thank you. It means a great deal to us.

Sailing • Wild Food • Remote Places • Adventure

#Sailing #SailboatLife #WoodenBoat #SaturnaIsland #WinterCove #GulfIslands #Liveaboard #SailingBC #BritishColumbia #GaffRig #TraditionalSailing #VWWestfalia #VanLife