Queen Charlotte Sound

Today we make our last big open water crossing. We have 20 miles to Port Hardy at the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island, then a 40 mile crossing of the Queen Charlotte Sound. We pulled out of Port McNeil at 6 AM hoping to get much of the crossing behind us before the wind comes up, as it often does in the afternoon. So far the water is flat, but Cathryn put on a Scopalomine patch early, just in case. About 7:30, Bob was at the helm when he called out “WHALE!”. Unfortunately by the time the rest of the crew got to the windows, the whale had taken a dive and didn’t come back up in our vicinity. Greg, who did get a brief glimpse, says it was a humpback and that we have a fair chance of seeing more as we cross the Sound. The scenic beauty of the Queen Charlotte Strait reminds Cathryn of her Book Group’s reading of “The Golden Spruce”, a true story set in the Queen Charlotte Islands, (which are actually about 100 miles north, and 60 miles east of Queen Charlotte Sound) a fascinating read. On day 5, we’re starting to fall into a routine, not so much in terms of always doing the same thing, but how things get done and who does what. For example: when we drop or pull the anchor, Greg and Bob now have clearly established roles. When dropping the anchor, Greg positions the boat where he wants it while Bob pulls in the tender and secures it to the stern of the boat. Bob then takes the helm while Greg goes forward to actually drop the anchor, and uses hand signals to direct Bob in putting the port and starboard engines into either forward or reverse gear as the anchor plays out. Raising the anchor involves reversing those same steps. Greg and Terry remain relaxed, patient teachers as we acquire knowledge about life on a boat. When we make mistakes, at the helm, for example, they never get jumpy or loud, or take over from us. Instead, we get low-key instructions on how to correct our mistakes.