We were pleasantly surprised when we awoke to…no fog!! We left Yuquot at 6:00 a.m. and headed for Estevan Point. Environment Canada predicted variable winds 5-15 knots. Windy showed southeast winds in the 10-15 knot range, a little worse but we didn’t think it would be too bad. Best of all, the weather reporting station at Estevan Point showed southeast winds of just six knots.
Airship left a little earlier than the rest to give the fishing thing another shot. We counted more than 30 boats fishing out around the point, but from what we were hearing on the radio, no one was catching.
The first hour of the trip was pleasant. We saw some whales, enjoyed the sunrise, and had just light chop and a gentle ocean swell. Then we entered the fog, and uncharacteristically, the wind. First ten knots, then 15, with some gusts near 20. The weather was right on our bow and the seas built to 2-3 feet with occasional larger sets. Beating into the weather, our speed dropped as we pitched up and down and spray hit the windshield. The powerboaters were reasonably comfortable in their warm, dry pilothouses; the sailors, not so much.
Fog and lumpy conditions persisted all the way to Hot Springs Cove. Interestingly, the weather reports from Estevan Point never showed wind higher than 10 knots. Perhaps the anemometer is not well situated to accurately record southeast winds.
Hot Springs Cove is the first anchorage since Port McNeill where we’ve had a good LTE signal, so we took advantage to catch up on some work. Somehow, we stayed so busy that we never made it to the hot springs! The rest of the group, though, enjoyed an evening soak…a nice reward after a bumpier-than-expected day! Lindsey and Doug Ford shared some of their photos from the hot springs:
Today’s total: 31 nautical miles, 5 hours 11 minutes underway
Flotilla total: 264.9 nautical miles, 40 hours 17 minutes underway