Day three of our journey to Alaska started at
sun up as we nosed out of Kendrick Bay into Gabriola Pass. Weather
forecast for Georgia Strait called for strong winds but as we entered the
Strait all was calm. We started the morning with seas with a 1-2 foot
chop but the swells were nicely spaced and the ride quite smooth.
There was lots of traffic in the Strait and we were grateful for clear weather but also enjoyed using the AIS information that was available from our new radio. We spent time guessing how far a ship was from our position and then checking it with both radar and AIS. Everywhere we looked there were ferries and tug boats and freighters -- certainly a busy place.
After a couple of hours of travel we found ourselves in bright sunshine and almost glassy water. Just amazing. We opted to go north on the outside of Texada Island. We then debated the merits of positioning ourselves to take Johnstone Strait or to continue with our original plan of running the rapids on the backside. Weather forecast for Johnstone of 25 mph winds helped us make up our minds. We headed for Squirrel Cove so we would be well-positioned to run Yuculta, Gillard, Dent and Greene Point Rapids. I got out the books and determined that Low Water Slack was at 10:30 at Dent and we would need to be positioned to transit Yuculta at 10.
With that we headed into Squirrel Cove and were planning to stop at the Government dock to use the local Wi-Fi but just as we were approaching the dock, the Morse control came loose from the helm and our ability to control the boat was seriously compromised. Using one hand to hold the Morse control down and the other to shift, we were able to drive away from the dock and find a perfect spot to anchor. Once the anchor was down, Barrie was able to make repairs and even took the time to adjust the cables. A very quiet night at anchor - that is the good kind!
There was lots of traffic in the Strait and we were grateful for clear weather but also enjoyed using the AIS information that was available from our new radio. We spent time guessing how far a ship was from our position and then checking it with both radar and AIS. Everywhere we looked there were ferries and tug boats and freighters -- certainly a busy place.
After a couple of hours of travel we found ourselves in bright sunshine and almost glassy water. Just amazing. We opted to go north on the outside of Texada Island. We then debated the merits of positioning ourselves to take Johnstone Strait or to continue with our original plan of running the rapids on the backside. Weather forecast for Johnstone of 25 mph winds helped us make up our minds. We headed for Squirrel Cove so we would be well-positioned to run Yuculta, Gillard, Dent and Greene Point Rapids. I got out the books and determined that Low Water Slack was at 10:30 at Dent and we would need to be positioned to transit Yuculta at 10.
With that we headed into Squirrel Cove and were planning to stop at the Government dock to use the local Wi-Fi but just as we were approaching the dock, the Morse control came loose from the helm and our ability to control the boat was seriously compromised. Using one hand to hold the Morse control down and the other to shift, we were able to drive away from the dock and find a perfect spot to anchor. Once the anchor was down, Barrie was able to make repairs and even took the time to adjust the cables. A very quiet night at anchor - that is the good kind!
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