We headed out early again this morning to get through Queen Charlotte Strait before the forecast wind increase in the afternoon. Everyone pulled out of the Mound Island anchorage at six, for what turned out to be a very pleasant cruise. One boat detoured to Port McNeill to get some fuel, but made great time and actually beat the rest of the fleet to Allison Harbour. Soon, we were jointed … Read more
We had an elaborate plan all worked out for today, with several backup plans built in, and we scrapped all of it as soon as we got up to Chatham Point light, where the promised 25kt winds and 3ft moderate wind waves did not materialize at all. Instead, we opted to continue on and get as much of Johnstone Strait behind us as we could today, which turned out to … Read more
Making the decision to stay put in a location that’s not bursting with rainbows and unicorns (aka calm water, multiple bears with cubs foraging on shore, whales and dolphins frolicking around our boats) is always a tough call. Small Inlet is beautiful, and sure, there are some birds (seagulls, mergansers, an eagle in the distance), but the 20-30 knot wind (gusting to 38 knots!) has kept us all sailing on … Read more
A nice leisurely morning at Campbell River! We slept in a bit, and left the dock by 8:30am. Slack at Seymour Narrows was 9:54am, and we had a little current against us until then, and not a bad cruise at all up to Kanish Bay/Small Inlet. Wind in Johnstone was NW 15-25kts mostly on the nose, gusting occasionally to 30kts, with a 1-2 ft chop that was not at all … Read more
Another early morning! We left the dock at Comox at 5am and headed out into the the calm, blue gray morning. The Comox Bar looks a little tricky, but it’s really not. The depth is at least 15 feet, marked by red buoys, and there’s even a lighted range if you like. The conditions in the Strait were very pleasant for the cruise up to Campbell River, and by the … Read more
Our alarm went off just before 4:30am this morning…enough time to check the weather, get a few sips of coffee, and figure out if we were going to need to change the plan. Again. A gorgeous, calm morning so far! The forecast, however, showed an increase in wind, plus a strong wind warning (SE 15-20kts and 15-25kts) south and north of Nanaimo, but also said it should diminish in the … Read more
Day 2 and we’ve already resorted to a Plan B. Originally our plan this morning was to leave Ganges around 7:30am to make Dodd Narrows by noon, just prior to slack, and then continue on up to Tribune Bay on Hornby Island — a long day (67nm). However, the forecast looked like we might very likely get beat up a bit from Nanaimo north. We’ve learned from experience that if … Read more
We’re back!! The 2025 Flotilla to Alaska officially began last night at Prevost Harbor on Stuart Island, but most everyone was in Anacortes the night before, so we had some extra time to get acquainted before our first official meeting. We left Cap Sante around noon yesterday, and Carrie (on Ranger Tug 29 named IF) got some great photos of a pod of transient orcas off of Shaw Island, including … Read more