Airship | Smuggler Cove to Irish Bay BC, and on to LaConner, WA

Saturday – We opted to leave our nice calm spot in Smuggler Cove this morning and go south down the Strait of Georgia rather than waiting for tomorrow, even though we knew there was a chance it would be bumpy. The forecasted wind (15-20kts except near Vancouver Island 25kts) would be from the NW, which means mainly behind us, but still with a long fetch where the waves could build. … Read more

Airship | Lund to Smuggler Cove, BC

Before leaving Lund this morning, we walked up to Nancy’s Bakery for breakfast, bought a loaf of fresh bread to-go, and then stopped in the market for some fresh salad greens and a couple other fresh things we might want in the next couple days before getting back to LaConner. We left around 9am and cruised about 43nm to Smuggler Cove, a Provincial Marine Park we have not been to … Read more

Airship | Campbell River to Hammond Bay, and a Cautionary Tale

We had a very nice visit to Campbell River. We even went for dinner out with our friend Scott. (Yay, a night off of cooking!) We made an early dinner reservation for outside on the patio at the Harbor Grill (just at the top of the ramp from the marina). We’ve been eating so much seafood, and we love seafood, but tonight we went for turf over surf — filet … Read more

Airship | Desolation Sound, Tribune Bay, Tumbo Island, Home

We left Campbell River on a beautiful day, but the nice weather was not planned to last. We chose Prideaux Haven in Desolation Sound as a good spot to stay put for a few nights (and we hadn’t really visited this area since 2016!) We poked into Melanie Cove where there were two boats anchored, but decided the view was better just inside the entrance to Prideaux Haven and returned … Read more

Day 1 | Flotilla to Alaska!

We’ve been unusually quiet for the last year. Cancelling trips, refunding money, doing circles around the San Juan Islands while waiting for the COVID crisis to blow over had us a bit down. But we’re finally underway again, and it feels great! A few months ago, several things became clear: any American who wanted to be vaccinated could be fully vaccinated by the end of May, travel and socializing is … Read more

Day 5 | Flotilla to Alaska | Newcastle Island to Campbell River

We departed the docks at Newcastle Island this morning at 5:00a.m. Today our cruise would be a long one — all the way up the Strait of Georgia to Campbell River — about 75 nautical miles. The forecast was what we’d been hoping for, a little breezy in the morning but dying off as the day progressed and as we got further north.  The conditions at the Ballenas Islands at … Read more

Building a Weather Picture

One of the most important skills for successful cruising is understanding the weather and how it impacts your plans. This doesn’t mean being a meteorologist, making your own forecasts, or interpreting esoteric weather charts. Rather, it means selecting the right forecast from professional meteorologists (NOAA, Environment Canada, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts), utilizing real-time weather data from the multitude of weather reporting sites along the coast, and adjusting cruise … Read more

Circumnavigating Vancouver Island | Flotilla Day 2 | Nanaimo to Campbell River

We left the docks at Nanaimo just before 6:00 a.m. for the long cruise north to Campbell River (about 75nm). The forecast for the Strait of Georgia was quite good, so we figured we’d skip our planned stop in Comox and have a long (but hopefully calm) day on the Strait of Georgia. The downside to the calm conditions is smoke. Visibility was about one mile most of the day. … Read more