Today was Cape Caution day. We often talk about the “Gates” of the Inside Passage – segments that give boaters pause, and often limit their progress north toward Southeast Alaska. Beginning in Puget Sound, where there is the highest density of boaters, these include Johnstone Strait, the Strait of Georgia, the rapids in BC, Cape Caution, and finally Dixon Entrance. Cape Caution is the first of these gates that is … Read more
We left our anchorage at Mound Island around 7:30a.m. and had a calm, leisurely cruise up to Blunden Harbor. It was quite foggy, but cleared a few miles from Blunden Harbour and turned into a nice day! Today we met up with our third boat, Great Escape (a Maritimo 50, with Bob and Shelly aboard). After we were all settled in, we gathered together for a longer dinghy excursion back … Read more
This was our first visit to Mound Island with a flotilla. Mound Island is a small island in a cluster of islands near the west end of the Broughtons. It was nicely situated for our planned trip across Queen Charlotte Strait in preparation for rounding Cape Caution in a couple days. There is ample dinghy exploring available through the maze of little islands and rocks and small shallow and intertidal … Read more
We have now reached the part of the trip where we want to make time up Johnstone Strait. The current can really slow you down, and depending on the wind conditions it can be downright awful to transit. But when the weather is settled and you run with the current, it’s a nice quick way to make miles. We planned the trip in several chunks, trying to time each segment … Read more
Today’s timing challenge was Seymour Narrows. The currents in Seymour Narrows can run to fifteen knots, so passing through near slack is critical. There also can be considerable traffic – barges with tugs, cruise ships – all timing their arrival at the narrows at about the same time. Seymour Narrows is also our gateway to Johnstone Strait, and those same currents (albeit slower than at the narrows) can have a … Read more
Day 0 – The 2022 Slowboat Flotilla to Alaska is underway. Over the next four weeks our group will make its way up the Inside Passage through coastal British Columbia, through SE Alaska, ending in Juneau. We’ll pass along the east side of Vancouver Island for around 300 miles, round Cape Caution, then proceed up the gorgeous northern coast of BC, crossing Dixon Entrance into Alaska. We will then continue … Read more
Arriving in Mexico was very different than arriving in Canada or the United States. We chose to clear into Mexico in Ensenada, the northernmost port of call. Ensenada is about 60nm from San Diego, and we arrived at Marina Coral late in the afternoon. A health inspector came to the boat, took our temperatures, checked our vaccination card, and then allowed us to check in with the marina office. At … Read more
October in San Francisco flew by. Before we knew it Halloween, our appointed departure date, was upon us. We planned to harbor hop down the coast, first stopping at Monterey Bay for a few days, then Morro Bay, then around Point Conception and into Santa Barbara. Getting down the coast this way is a mostly daylight affair, and we were particularly looking forward to visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium. As … Read more