Well . . . we hope not! One of the blogs we follow (svcambria.com) is a few weeks ahead of us on this journey north, and when they left Port McNeill 4 weeks ago, where we are now, hoping to round Cape Caution the next day, the wind came up, and they spent 8 days anchored in Blunden Harbour on the other side of the Strait waiting for conditions to calm.
Shortly after we arrived at Port McNeill, the Gale Force Winds forecast earlier arrived, and it's been blowing like stink ever since. No fishing, no exploring in the kayaks or dinghy. But we had plenty of chores including changing the engine and injector oil, grocery shopping, laundry and lots more. So we've kept busy, and met some nice folks hanging out, just as we are.
The couple who own this North Island Marina, Steve and Jessica Jackman, are amazing: friendly, smart, knowledgeable, and willing to answer all questions and offer "local knowledge", the most important thing cruisers in unfamiliar waters are looking for. Jessica caught our lines, tied us up and fueled our boat on arrival. Steve spent 45 minutes on our boat the next day giving us advice on how to stage our crossing of Queen Charlotte Sound. He has a friend who has NEVER refused to go out on the Sound, but this week he's in port, hiding from the wind and waves.
The white tent above is the social gathering spot for cruisers. Steve and Jessica have a huge barbecue they fired up tonight, and boaters brought whatever they wanted to barbecue, side dishes and drinks and enjoyed a meal with music, lively conversation, and great sea life watching: seals, eagles and more.
We also attended a local car show today, a fundraiser for a non-profit. Bob says his sister Lynn once owned a car like the one below.
Every car shone and was in perfect condition.
Some brought back memories, others were older than that.
We've be-friended Tom and Christine from New Zealand, cruising on their 36' Grand Banks "Takahe". They spent 4 years cruising the South Pacific on a 44-foot sailboat before coming to North America. Our plan is to buddy-boat tomorrow for a Queen Charlotte Sound crossing. The weather forecast looks OK, not great, but the next week looks worse, so as we did on Johnstone Strait a few days ago, we'll stick our noses out tomorrow morning and see how things look. If all goes as planned, the alarm clock will wake us at 4:30am, we'll cast off our lines at 5:00 am, and we'll arrive in Allison Harbour (or Blunden Harbour if conditions are not good), spend one night there, then round Cape Caution on Monday, the "gateway" that keeps lots of people in The Broughton Islands, never to continue to northern B.C. or Alaska. Queen Charlotte Sound is exposed to the Pacific Ocean, Japan being the next land to the west. So ocean swells with waves on top combine to make it uncomfortable if the wind is up. Wish us a good couple of days! We won't have internet for a while probably, but our SPOT (satellite) messages will appear here, letting you know where we are.
Shortly after we arrived at Port McNeill, the Gale Force Winds forecast earlier arrived, and it's been blowing like stink ever since. No fishing, no exploring in the kayaks or dinghy. But we had plenty of chores including changing the engine and injector oil, grocery shopping, laundry and lots more. So we've kept busy, and met some nice folks hanging out, just as we are.
The couple who own this North Island Marina, Steve and Jessica Jackman, are amazing: friendly, smart, knowledgeable, and willing to answer all questions and offer "local knowledge", the most important thing cruisers in unfamiliar waters are looking for. Jessica caught our lines, tied us up and fueled our boat on arrival. Steve spent 45 minutes on our boat the next day giving us advice on how to stage our crossing of Queen Charlotte Sound. He has a friend who has NEVER refused to go out on the Sound, but this week he's in port, hiding from the wind and waves.
The white tent above is the social gathering spot for cruisers. Steve and Jessica have a huge barbecue they fired up tonight, and boaters brought whatever they wanted to barbecue, side dishes and drinks and enjoyed a meal with music, lively conversation, and great sea life watching: seals, eagles and more.
We also attended a local car show today, a fundraiser for a non-profit. Bob says his sister Lynn once owned a car like the one below.
Every car shone and was in perfect condition.
Some brought back memories, others were older than that.
We've be-friended Tom and Christine from New Zealand, cruising on their 36' Grand Banks "Takahe". They spent 4 years cruising the South Pacific on a 44-foot sailboat before coming to North America. Our plan is to buddy-boat tomorrow for a Queen Charlotte Sound crossing. The weather forecast looks OK, not great, but the next week looks worse, so as we did on Johnstone Strait a few days ago, we'll stick our noses out tomorrow morning and see how things look. If all goes as planned, the alarm clock will wake us at 4:30am, we'll cast off our lines at 5:00 am, and we'll arrive in Allison Harbour (or Blunden Harbour if conditions are not good), spend one night there, then round Cape Caution on Monday, the "gateway" that keeps lots of people in The Broughton Islands, never to continue to northern B.C. or Alaska. Queen Charlotte Sound is exposed to the Pacific Ocean, Japan being the next land to the west. So ocean swells with waves on top combine to make it uncomfortable if the wind is up. Wish us a good couple of days! We won't have internet for a while probably, but our SPOT (satellite) messages will appear here, letting you know where we are.
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