Homeward Bound

Headed south toward Queen Charlotte.  With luck we will cross on Thursday but it may be a few days before I post again. 

Set out this morning thinking that Millbrook Cove in Smith Sound would be our destination this evening.  We have a slow and pretty route through some very narrow waterways this morning.  We leave our anchorage in Sea Otter Inlet and  thread our way through Nalau Passage and then into Hakai Channel.  We begin the feel the rollers from the sea on our beam and our comfort diminishes.  We alter course to bring the seas to our stern quarter and things straighten out!  We tuck behind the island at the head of Goldstream Harbor and find the passage is completely sheltered.  From here we turn west to Pruth.  Pruth has white sandy beaches and I would love to stop here for a bit but the harbor is already full of boats and the forecast is making us think that today might be the day to cross Queen Charlotte Sound.  This is the second large open body of water (there are a total of six) that we must cross and weather is the deciding factor. 

Winds this afternoon are forecast to drop and to shift to the northwest.  Unfortunately, there will still be 1-2 meter rollers from the west.  We complete our passage down Fitzhugh Sound and enter Queen Charlotte at noon.  We do our best to set a course to minimize the effect of the rollers but since we are headed south - they are mostly on our beam.  We rock and roll for the next 3 hours and the cat heads below and buries himself under the covers.  He has been a remarkably congenial travel companion and I can't say that I blame him for snuggling under covers while dishes clatter in the cupboards.

We start to consider alternative anchorages for tonight - Miles Inlet, Alison Harbor, Blunden Harbor.  These are all places we have anchored in the past and each has its advantages.  We finally settle on Skull Cove that is nestled in between Miles and Alison.  The entrance is tricky at low tide but we carefully navigate our way past rocks and find a stunningly beautiful anchorage.  We set the hook for the night while the wind picks up again.  Barrie works on boat projects (including changing oil in the generator with Neil Parker's filter) and I make black cod chowder for supper.