July 2, 2013
Hello everyone, we are safe and sound on the West Coast. Cell phone coverage has not been available so have been unable to write...............
Fri June 28, left Port Hardy in dense fog, visibility less than half a mile. Carl watched the radar screen and the GPS and we navigated out of Hardy Bay slowly making our way north onto Goletas Channel.
Tied up at a community dock in Bull Harbour, Hope Island which is a First Nations reserve. Saw our first Sea Otter floating on his back eating and staring at us. It rained and rained here but we did get out for a walk on a trail that took us to Roller Bay to see the ocean surf and the smooth round rocks piled up like dunes on the beach.
Sat. June 29, Up early to catch the good current behind us to cross the shallow Nahwitti Bar. If you cross when wind conflicts tide, it can be rough. Our timing was perfect and we had a smooth crossing. Wind was calm.
Approaching Cape Scott, on Scott Channel ,the wind kicked up quite a bit and waves were getting real big! Carl reefed both sails in . The boat sailed well through 7-8 ft waves. I was feeling real sick and did my best to help Carl. Once in awhile a wave would splash and spray salt water on us.
It was a relief to finally get into Sea Otter cove for the night. It was interesting getting into the cove as the swells were rolling right up to the entrance! Carl's great boat handling helped us get through.
We are now halfway around!
Sun. June 30, Had a great sleep and woke up to some mist and fog. Carl made a great pancake breakfast and after taking Buddy ashore, we pulled up the anchor and headed south for 18 miles in calm winds and smooth swells. It was exciting to see the tail of a whale dive down ahead of us, but did not see anymore signs of whales.
Our destination, Quatsino Sound. Quatsino Sound is the most northern of Vancouver Island's five principle Sounds and the first sheltered waters south of Cape Scott. Our spot for the night was North Harbour, just in from the Quatsino Light station in a protected bay. Met a few other sailors who are travelling the coast.
The sun came out in the late afternoon which was great as we have seen very little sun on our travels so far.
Mon. July 1, It is hard to believe that July is here already. We have decided to stay in the Quatsino Sound area and explore some of the other coves nearby. There is some weather warnings out for the north coast so it is just as well that we hang around here until weather settles.
Today we sailed a little further into the Sound and found a quiet cove to stay in. There is a nice sandy beach to walk on and we saw quite a few sea otters rolling around. They are a lot bigger than the river otters we see around Mayne, and they float and roll around on their backs.
The mountains and area around are very beautiful and rugged. It is a pleasure to hear the Eagles cry and the birds sing in the quiet of the forest. Although we have not seen bears, others have, so we are careful to take sounding devices ashore when Buddy walks along!
We are slowly learning the weather patterns out here as we witness the winds and talk to other sailors. Seems that an early morning departure is good as the winds pick up in the afternoon. Also we get a boost when travelling with the currents.
Hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. Talk to you soon
Cheers