Awoke this morning to blue skies and sunshine. Asked a local resident who was on the dock what he thought of the weather. He told me that it doesn’t get any better than this. Really, how could a day be better than perfect.
We started the morning lazily at 7 am with coffee and the last of the homemade waffles that our good friends Zanna and Zeus sent with us. After breakfast, both Barrie and I found projects to keep us busy. I washed the salt water from our trip across the Nahwitti Bar off the windows and cleaned the isinglass curtains inside and out. All the better to see the perfect day. Barrie worked on his splicing merit badge and made a new bridle for the anchor using stainless steel thimbles and shackles (I used Roy Dunbar’s book of 2001 Shipbuilding Terms to make sure we got the terminology correct!). This one will be pretty to look at and won’t rust.
We learned that a supply boat comes on Mondays at noon and generally docks where we are moored. We agree to move the boat before the supply boat arrives and set our departure for 11:30. There is a fish boat and dinghy in front of us on the dock and dock pilings directly behind us. We consider our options for getting away from the dock and settle on untying the boat and letting the light breeze push us off the dock. Maneuvering a single screw boat while accounting for tides and winds can get complicated but, simple as that, we are on our way to Dixie Cove.
The ten-mile trip to Dixie requires us to thread our way back out of Walter’s Cove and takes us through Nicolaye Channel and then through the very narrow Crowther Channel. As we round the south end of Hohoae Island, we follow Pinnace Channel to the entrance to Dixie Cove. We cut through an opening that is less than 100 feet wide between Hohoae and Copp Islands and work our way back into the inlet finally slipping through the 75’ wide opening to the back bay. The canyon walls are steep and the water beneath our keep is more than sufficient but we keep a close eye on our progress. We drop our anchor in 27’ of water and are alone in this incredibly beautiful remote spot. Around us are old growth forests and above us the eagles soar.
I find that I am unable to resist the idea of swimming in this protected lagoon. I read that it is warm enough to swim and a toe in the water tells me that the guide books and not far from wrong but that the authors might be hardier than me. I have been on an extensive regime of antibiotics for a lung infection; I am extremely sensitive to the sun. I don a farmer john wetsuit, a long sleeve sun shirt and Barrie’s floppy hat. I then deploy the new swim ladder and work my way into the water for a very relaxing swim. I find the entire afternoon to be delightful. There is plenty of hot water for a shower since we ran the engine this morning and I indulge in a shower that just slightly longer than the average boat shower. After a shower, I start the generator to dry my hair and continue running it for a couple of hours to charge the boat’s batteries. At 4:15 we shut off the generator and find ourselves again able to enjoy the solitude of this spectacular place.
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