Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Edmonds, Kingston, and south

Cold and rainy in Queen Charlotte Strait, colder and wetter in Johnstone Strait.
Connie.... cold.
Then we broke out into the sun just past Cambell River.  A quick run past Whisky Gulf brought us to the Gulf Islands and we started taking off layers of clothing.  At Friday Harbor we checked Traveler into the state of Washington for her first time, then continued over to Fisherman's Bay for the night, barely avoiding running aground in the low tide.  Stopped in La Conner for a quick grocery shop.  Anchored off Camano Island.  Ran down the inside to Edmonds in a beautiful sail that included the gennaker and more layers of clothing coming off. 

So glad to make it home to the Salish Sea.


Fast current in Johnstone Strait

Now the clock is ticking, as it always seems to be, as we are sorely needed down south in California for the harvest.  So we bought a pickup truck from my buddy Julian and we'll take the boat over to Kingston Harbor today and put her away for a couple of months there at the marina.

Lots of Orca just south of Pender Island

Thanks for following us along the way.  When I have more time I'll muse on what it all means and consider what our next plans will be.  Meanwhile, the California sun is calling and we will eagerly answer!

Scott and Connie
Taking down the Canada flag

Monday, September 5, 2016

Labour Day: Canada, Port Hardy

Tiny entrance, with small trawler looking on
Yesterday we crossed poked our head out of the inside passage for half a day and transited the waters of Queen Charlotte Sound.  Rounding Egg Island we found the feared Cape Caution with no wind and a light swell running from the west. Dinner time found us nosing into the Walker Group Cove with it's 50 foot wide entrance choked with bull kelp.  I gave the engine a little bump to get the speed up to 3 knots then put her in neutral so she could glide right through without sucking any of the kelp into the propeller.  Inside the quiet waters we glided right by a mini trawler perched in a small indentation.  With Connie and I high fiving, we must have woken the skipper who came on deck to glare at us as we drifted by.  I yelled out, "Wow, that was fun." He just fixed us with a grim scowl on his face.

We dropped the hook.  It set well the first time.  Connie took fresh bread out of the oven and put in the cookies to bake.  We had a hot meal in a warm cabin followed up with a half a movie and early to bed.  Up and gone at 07:00 the next morning, we glided through another tight entrance to come out into the channel, dodging a cruise ship and a tug before heading over to Port Hardy. 



Now don't I look like an old crusty sailor?  The monochrome effect adds some age too.
Environment Canada reports gale force winds in Queen Charlotte Strait today so we'll just hunker down here, replenish the larder and the liquor cabinet, and resume our trip south tomorrow morning.

Send us some sunshine, will ya?

Scott and Connie
 

Strong wind warning in effect

Queen Charlotte Strait

Issued 10:30 AM PDT 05 September 2016'
Strong' winds of 20 to 33 knots are occurring or expected to occur in this marine area








Friday, September 2, 2016

Running down the BC inside passage

We are snuggled into Kynumpt Cove just north of Bella Bella BC after motoring 8 days south from Ketchikan Alaska. Along the way we've powered through dense fog, rain, sunshine, and lots of logs. We found the hot springs at Bishop Bay and ate fresh caught crab on the dock there. Waterfalls line the passages. Tugs pull barges. We see very few sailing vessels on this inside passage.

Our days start early, when we get up, start the engine, pull up the anchor and go. We have tea and breakfast on the way because it is so calm here that you can go without stowing everything. Of course, the engine noise is annoying but to offset that is the presence of whales, eagles, seals, and rainbows.

We spent a fortune provisioning in Prince Rupert. Canada is expensive. So I'm drinking Carlo Rossi red wine.

After days of drizzle and fog we are seeing some blue patches in the sky and today peeled off a few layers of foul weather gear hoping that once we get to Puget Sound there will be a little bit of that heat wave left for us to enjoy. Our arrival in the sound could be on about the tenth of September.

It is nice to see land every day.

Scott and Connie

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