Best Friends

Entry from Chris' journal....

On this trip Lindy and I had a lot of time to talk; maybe too much time. We have

been friends for several years and have lived together for about three years. We

realized we are the best of friends but not so good at living together. I couldn’t

ask for a better first mate than Lindy. She can handle the helm and do everything

needed to get us ready for the dock. She has better eyes than I do and can spot

logs that I never do see. She is a darn good cook and can pull the head off the

prawns as good as anyone. BUT she is tired of boating in the northwest with the

rain and cold. I can understand that but I still have a few more places I would like

to go; besides, that big halibut with my name on it is still swimming around out

there. So, Lindy will be heading home to Tucson while I work on Sea Mist to get

her ready for this winter and next summer.

I hope to spend some time with Lindy and Max in Tucson this winter, but I will be

here most of the time and I hope to find a part time job so I can pay for a

replacement for Gator. I have already picked a name for my new fishing boat;

“Fishism”. We have watched the complete series of Ally McBeal this summer and

we both just loved it. One of the characters (Richard Fish) would have words of

wisdom at times and he would call them “Fishism”. That sounds like a good name

for a fishing boat to me. Now all I have to do is find it and finance it.

And Then…

San Juan Islands

If you have been reading Chris’ daily journal you know that we entered the San Juan Islands and cleared US Customs in Roche Harbor yesterday morning. We spent a great day anchored there enjoying the warm, sunny weather.  The harbor was busy as usual with boat and plane traffic to keep us entertained. We took advantage of the beautiful weather to air out Sea Mist and do some cleaning on both Sea Mist and Gator.

After leaving the harbor and cruising down Henry Island, we encountered several pods of Orcas just off the west side of San Juan Island.  They were moving along at a good pace and putting on a great show as they passed. Chris got some wonderful shots with his rapid fire camera and I captured some nice video footage. We love the Orcas and it is always fun to see them.

When we left the islands Haro Strait was rough, but Juan De Fuca was not friendly at all, and continued to kick our butts even after Chris deployed the stabilizers.  We decided to bail at Cattle Pass and take an inside route through the islands. Even in the protected water between the islands it was not a pleasant trip, the wind kicked up, the fog moved in, and the rains began. We made a good choice.

So far, good weather has been the exception rather than the norm this summer.

July 3rd

Since Bull Harbor is on Hope Island, across Goletas Channel from the Northern end of Vancouver Island, if you look to starboard as you leave you will see Nahwitti Bar. Although it looked very innocuous this morning, it was a calm deception. The wisest of skippers would consider all factors (current, weather, time of day etc.) before attempting this crossing.Once you cross the Nahwitti Bar you can cruise seaward to the Aleutian Islands.

No rain this morning but still a chilly 49 degrees and windy. We got under way after breakfast and stopped a few times to fish. We caught a few big fat Rock Fish, and Chris caught a small Ling Cod, but nothing we wanted to keep. (Except Max, that little fishing enthusiast wants to keep them all.)

 

 

Several Humpbacks, eagles, gulls and a pod of Harbor Porpoise fed near the boat while we fished. 

Lighter shade of grey

July 2^nd-With hopes of making our open water crossing of Queen Charlotte Sound today, we woke to find the sea conditions less than we had anticipated.  With reports from West Sea Otter buoy of ten and a half foot ocean rollers, we decided to make our way to Duncanby, tuck into a protected anchorage, and weigh our options following the noon report. The extended forecast was not encouraging and we were still hopeful of making our surge around Cape Caution today if at all possible. By one o’clock the reports from Pine and Egg Islands were promising, and with ocean swells diminishing by half, we made the decision to go for it. (The crew vote was 3 for going and one abstention, Tiki usually abstains..) During the rainy, six and a half hour crossing, the only thing that distinguished the dark grey ocean swells from the dark grey BC sky was a lighter shade of grey at the horizon. It rained all day and the winds created a substantial surface chop for most of the crossing.  We arrived safely at the entrance to Bull Harbor around seven and anchored for the night. There are some great caves and rock formations at the entrance to Bull Harbor

Ketchikan, Alaska to Shearwater/Bella Bella BC

Since leaving Ketchikan, Alaska we have traveled back to British Columbia and have been cruising remote areas in and around the major channels leading south and staying a night or two in sheltered bays along the way. The weather has been colder with the average daytime temperatures in the mid 50s. We have experienced a few days of rain but most have been cloudy with sun breaks.  

The spring snow melt has resulted in some spectacular waterfalls and we have seen some beauties.  We have actually seen so many that I would be hard pressed to choose a favorite.

Max loves it when we go ashore to explore and play a little ball but Chris and I are pretty wary of getting very far from the dinghy due to the bear population. We have seen some beautiful bears from the safety of the boat and we have no desire to confront one on shore. This guy is the largest we’ve seen so far and he was huge!

We are still in pursuit of the elusive Halibut but Chris has caught some really big Ling cod, black cod, a Red Snapper and yesterday, a beautiful red-orange octopus! I have caught a couple of nice Rock Cod, although tasty, nothing to write home or blog about.

Back in Ketchikan

June 5th

We squeezed between the cruise ships around noon today and tied up to a city dock not far from where we were three weeks ago on our way north. UGRIB weather is calling for an incoming front with substantial winds for a few days so we will remain here till there is a better weather window for crossing Dixon Entrance back into Canada.

Tortoise on deck

I can tell you first hand that a summer day in Alaska is hard to beat. The afternoon we spent at the head of Tracy Arm marveling at the granite fjords, mountains, waterfalls and icebergs could have not have been a nicer day anywhere in the world. Even Tiki spent some time on deck soaking up the rays.