In Search of Summer

We've had spectacularly sunny, warm days, but rarely more than 2 per week, sometimes fewer. The rest of the time it's been foggy (early mornings), or cloudy, rainy, misty or partly sunny. We began to feel we might "miss out on Summer" this year, so headed south to territory that's almost always sunny in August.

At 6:30 a.m. Sunday along with 3 other boats with whom we spent a delightful evening last night over happy hour and pizza at Port Harvey, we headed into Johnstone Strait. The forecast called for 20-30 knot winds, but other sources suggested more benign conditions. There was high fog and a "feel" of weather to come. We had 4 alternate routes and destinations planned for the day, depending what we found. It started off with low-hanging fog and calm-ish wind and water. 

Then wind and seas built. 

Eventually we had 29-knot winds at Fanny Island with 4-foot, short period waves, but that only lasted 1.5 hours before we turned the corner into Race Passage and conditions calmed and cleared. And, by the way, Phoenix handled the wind and waves like a champ!

And then: Summer! So we slowed to time our arrival at the Okisollo Rapids at a manageable time, and 62 miles later dropped the anchor at a favorite place in Waiatt Bay, Octopus Islands. 

The crew on Phoenix is happy and well.