Yesterday morning in Pender Harbor we listened to the marine weather forecast for the Strait of Georgia for the next 3 - 4 days. None sounded good, but yesterday’s was the best of the batch, so rather than hang out for days, we decided to give it a shot. The crossing is 25 miles in wide open water, and both the wind and waves are big if current or weather has any impact. We don’t take it lightly.
Out we went, first due south so we’d be at the point where the crossing is the narrowest, and where we had a place to duck into if we didn’t like what we saw. After going only 3 miles, we didn’t like it at all, and knew it might still get worse, so headed into Secret Cove to consider our options.
We listened to an update of the marine forecast, and it said the wind would die down late in the afternoon. So we hung out in the protected harbor until 2:30. Out we went again, and it was definitely better, but still an uncomfortable two hour crossing. We must emphasize, it was uncomfortable because of the banging around; never did we feel it was dangerous or anywhere near exceeding the boat’s capabilities. It just felt like a horse who couldn’t make up its’ mind whether to gallop or canter, so switched back and forth between the two. Nonetheless we felt we had stretched our comfort zone.
We arrived back at Thetis Island, a favorite stop, and found conditions calm with flat water, clouds and cool temps. And internet!
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