Day 364 Tides can make a difference.

When we first bought Zephyr and wanted to take her for a "test sail", Bill told us we couldn't leave Birch Bay till the afternoon.  Being inlanders, we had no clue as to why.  His answer--the tides.  You can only come and go at certain times in Birch Bay if you have a deep draft vessel.  Here in Princess Bay, I can show you how much difference it can make.  Not knowing the tides can get you trapped or damage your boat real fast.  Here are some differences in the tides::  Princess Bay has a tidal range of about 12 feet.  The pictures on the left are of low tide taken today at 1315 hours--low tide.  The pictures on the right are at high tide, taken last evening about 2000.  Some places you could go at 2000 hours you sure can't go at 1315 hours.  It would really hurt!!  These are some of the things we have had to learn while out sailing.  Always watch the tide and currents.  The tides as they decide many times when you can enter and leave some harbours.  You watch the currents in a given area since there are times that you can transit a passage and times you don't go near a passage.  Typically, of a pass has a lot of current passing through it, you want to time your entrance to "Slack Tide"--when there is none.  You are either at high or low tide but nothing in between will do as you are either facing  an incoming tide(going against it is not fun) or an out going tide( can carry you into rocks or places you don't want to go).  As the water runs through the passes, you can get "eddies"(swirling water) that can throw your boat all over the place but normally not where you want to go or "overfalls" which is strong currents caused by water swirling over submerged ridges under the water.  In Colorado and New Mexico where we have done much of our sailing, you either have water in your lakes or you don't.  You either can sail or you can't.  There have been years in Colorado where there just isn't enough water in the lakes to allow you to even launch a boat let alone sail one.   Tides were new to us but we have learned how to watch and watch out for them.  It's safer that way.

Today we took Puff to shore and hiked around the South end of Wallace Island.  We made it down to Conover Cove.

A nice place for smaller boats as there is not enough depth to handle Zephyr.  It has a nice dock to spending time.  It's also costs $2.00 per meter.  An anchor is just fine.

While on our hike, we ran into a small house filled with small pieces(and some large) of drift wood.  People for years when they stop here hang a piece of drift wood from the rafters of on the walls.  Inside and out.

There are boards going back years all over the place.  We picked up some drift wood later in the afternoon and will try and make our own plaque for the walls.  We'll see what type of crafts person we are.  There are literally hundreds of big and small pieces in the house.  I have no clue how long it has been going on but they sure were interesting to read.  People from all over left their mark.  Some were quite elaborate and some were just a small piece with their names and dates on it.

On our hike, we took the "path less traveled" and ended up way off track as to where we were supposed to be.  We ended up hugging the West shoreline all the way done to Conover Cove instead of taking the path that goes right down the center of the island.  It took some time and some foraging but we finally got back on the main path to Conover.  It was a whole lot shorter walk back than it was getting there.

After lunch and while the generator was running to charge the batteries and heat the water tank(showers!!)  we dingied ashore and over to some sandy flats to watch the muscles shoot water into the air.  I got a video but will try for a better one tomorrow.  It didn't show up well on the screen.

And that was about the way the day went.  Most boats left and only one new one came in late this afternoon so we are down to just four of us in the Bay.  We expect to spend at least one more day here before we set out for farther North.