Today was the day to make miles down Johnstone Strait while things were good. Johnstone can be a serious menace, and we had favorable current from 6AM until noon. We figured if we popped out right at 6, we could ride the current all the way down to our turnoff from Johnstone. As a bonus, winds were predicted to be mellow (unusual for this stretch). It all turned out to be true! We had major current boost – up to 6-7 knots at times – the entire way. Winds kicked up a bit in only a few places, so the ride was overall smooth and traffic was light.
So many logs on the barges, but also: so many logs in the water!!
Look how amazing our group is at placing themselves equally spaced in an anchorage!! A well-oiled machine, we are.
In the afternoon, some of the group napped, and some of the group went on a dinghy exploration led by Julie and David from Dog Star: They buzzed over to Burial Cove, up Chatham Channel (with an easy float back to the entrance in 5 knots of current, fun!), up Call Inlet and over to Matilpi, an ancient village with a large shell midden. Wildlife sightings for the day: 4-5 Common Loons.
At 4:30pm everyone gathered on Airship for a weather planning session with Laura via Zoom, as we look ahead to Cape Caution. We talked through the weather forecasts, where to look when the time comes at the real-time buoy and lightstation reports, and just general route overviews. She shared her screen to the big tv monitor and we all got a great overall picture of the next week or so. It was fun to connect via Zoom, and we hope to be doing this again next time in person!