Day 392 Past Cape Caution!!

We made it past Cape Caution!!! We've learned that proper planning is the key to getting past all the "hard" spots. Charts are checked. Computer programs are booted up and cruising books--several--are read. Note the tide and current flow on the path you have chosen and go for it when all seems right. What's the worst that can happen--you sink your boat or you turn back to the harbour you just left.

Yesterday started with overcast and slowly worked it's way to sunshine. It took till middle afternoon but I'm not about to complain. We pulled off all the cushions and checked all the batteries to make sure they had enough water and were fully charged. I did all six 6 volt "house" batteries and the two 12 volt "start" batteries. They were all in fine condition. I was amazed that the two "start" batteries were in such good shape as they are almost 5 years old. We put Puff in the water and stuck on Dragon in the morning and took off around the cove. We had it to ourselves as the other two boat left early in the day for Cape Caution(we think). We explored the cut on shore almost due South from where Zephyr was anchored for those of you that have been following us on Google Earth. When we pulled in, we thought that the cut was due West but after we anchored and I took compass bearing so we would know if the anchor dragged(always wise to do), we found out it was South of us. The forecasts we had were for some decent winds and building seas so we stayed put for the extra day. As it turns out, there wasn't a breath of wind till late afternoon and the seas were calm. It was the perfect time to go. Oh well, we erred on the side of caution and left this morning.

We set out at 0445 to take advantage of the ebb tide to take us out faster and it obliged. Believe me, neither Tracy nor I enjoyed getting up at 0415. We hit 9.8 knots as we flew through Richards Channel. It slowed down later but we were still over 8 knots for most of the trip. That is what planning is all about. The earlier we left, the more of the ebb tide we got to use to our advantage. The current thought for getting past Cape Caution is that you need to check the information broadcast of VHF radio for the "West Otter Buoy". If the report is for less than 1 meter and little wind, off you go. This morning, it was at 1.5 meters and 5 to 10 knot winds. We took off anyway.

All in all, the journey was fine. We had seas of about 1.5 meters and not really much winds. We were hit by rolling swells from the port side late in the trip and that was when it got a bit uncomfortable. Snowshoe slept in the cockpit the entire time. Shadow tucked himself under some cushions on the settee and Blue just paced and drooled a lot. She hasn't learned to just tuck herself in and sleep for the trip. She was on the table, on the settee-port and starboard, in the bow and out in the cockpit showing us her distaste for what we were forcing her though. Boy can she drool. YUCK!

We passed Wentworth Rock and Allan Rock on our port side as we passed the three places that you can escape from the weather if it turns bad--Shelter Bay, Allison Harbour and Miles Inlet. At the speed we were going, we were past the last one, Miles Inlet, before we knew it. With the seas still relatively calm, we went for it.

We were passed by three cruise ships--Norwegian "Sun"(same ship we took to Mexico a few years ago), Celebrity "Mercury" and a ship from the Holland America line(forgot her name). We had our AIS going in the cockpit so we could keep track of other boats around us. We were also passed by two other cruising power boats. It's not too crowded out there. We found it interesting that the Holland ship took on a "pilot" to guide them through where they were going. We watched on the AIS as the "pilot" boat came alongside the ship and then took off. Another "Pilot" went on the Celebrity ship but none went onto the Norwegian ship and she was going the fastest. All three were headed for Ketchikan at the same time! The chaos(and money) that it must cause to that small town. I hope we miss it when we get there. I'd like to see the town under normal circumstances, not while the circus is in town. The Norwegian "Pearl" came up later from the West side of Vancouver Island and headed North to Juneau.

We passed Cape Caution by 0830 and took Egg Island on the port side and over to Millbrook about two hours later. All in all, an easy trip. We pulled into Millbrook Cove(51 19.682N 127 44.203W) a lot earlier than we expected. We covered 49.5 miles in just under 6 hours!! That's over 8 knots per hour. A fast trip.

It started raining(in the forecast) just after we got here and weather is supposed to be bad tomorrow so we won't probably leave here till Wednesday at the earliest. By the time you read this(since I don't have internet here)we will be long gone for the next cove. Not yet sure where but we will know after consulting the charts and books. We expect to be in Shearwater/Bella Bella in a few days--civilization!