Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/309330
24 w e s t w o r l d A l b e r t A | s u m m e r 2 0 1 4 ultimate Maple L ea f exper ience. Ever y wistful, neophyte mariner who steps aboard this schooner longs for the moment when the winds are favourable and the captain cuts the diesel engine. T he nex t morning , we 're not disap- pointed. After a feast of waffles and oven- roasted bacon glazed with brown sugar, Shea and fi rst mate Anstee weigh anchor and steer the Maple Leaf out into the already choppy waters of Trincomali Channel, which cuts along the west side of Galiano. On this boat, there are no electric motors to raise the sails; it is a labour-intensive undertaking, and Shea and Anstee don't exactly have a crack crew at their disposal. e two seasoned sailors give us a careful workshop on the nuts and bolts of unravelling the fore and aft sails from booms and hauling them up masts. en they watch, with patience born from many trips with land- lubbers, as we struggle to decipher which line is the halyard and which is the sheet. Finally the wind catches the huge main sail and the boat heels over. Long before roads traversed B.C.'s south- ern coast, the sea was the highway, the conduit of commerce, exploration and settlement. I imagine the former inhabitants of Tumbo Island and other island outposts, the Coast Salish and non-native settlers, who survived at both the mercy and generosity of the sea. I take a turn at the helm and am surprised by the sensitivity of the steering, zigging and zag- ging until I gain a modicum of confidence. Half a kilometre ahead, a tug towing a barge of wood chips crosses our course, headed for the mill at Crofton. I hand over my watch to another passenger and follow Anstee as he clambers out onto the bowsprit, grasping the steel stays for security. I peer below the net- ting and the rushing water as the Maple Leaf's sturdy bow cuts northwestward, the smell of sea spray sharp in the air. After a bracing two-hour sail, we cruise under eng ine power into clam- shaped Conover Cove on Wallace Island, between the northern tips of Salt Spring and Galiano Islands. Here too are the remnants of AMA's new smartphone app is here! Use it to access everything from Roadside Assistance to Member Rewards with the tap of a nger. ama.ab.ca p14-25GulfSchooner.indd 24 14-04-29 9:14 AM