A Rambling Update

Last time you heard from me, we were standing on a dock on the edge of Ealue Lake in the interior of BC witnessing one of the world’s greatest stage productions.

Boy that was a long time ago.

(Sorry)

Since shortly after that event, we’ve been on the move. It’s harder to blog on the move. We’re still on the move, but we appear to be getting closer…to somewhere.

When the project ended, we drove through the night to Prince Rupert, got on the 5am ferry, arrived in Ketchikan that afternoon, drove 30 minutes outside of Ketchikan, rented a skiff, and motored 45 minutes to a tucked away cove where Halcyon had sat, alone and feeling dejected, for the two months we were away. It was the longest 45 minute skiff ride….

There are only two cabins in this tucked away cove, one rarely used and the other belonging to Mike (who was with us). Likely only a handful of boats came into the bay all summer, so we had nobody looking in on the poor girl. We approached the corner, our necks straining to catch a glimpse of our home, the dozens of horrendous scenarios still flashing across my mind. Sunk to the bottom, demasted, run aground, dragged down the bay, charred remains. An electrical fire - the most likely, it seemed- since we had finished wiring our solar panels literally minutes before we left (stay tuned for that much delayed post).

But ah- there she is. She’s floating, has a mast, no billowing smoke, still just where we left her. A quick scan through the boat confirms everything is fine- musty, damp, cold, but fine.

Jump forward a week of boring old boat work- solar panel tweaks, a deep scrub, and then another one, teak work, oil changes, reorganization, line replacements, etc. And our deckhands- I mean guests- arrive! Mom and dad landed on a blustery rainy cold winter day. We untied the next morning and pointed our bow south- finally.

Our  deckhands stayed with us for two weeks, cruising from Ketchikan to Bella Bella. I’ll save the details for another time (perhaps a post by a guest blogger?)

Knot Again under sail

Once we dumped –er- dropped them off, we got stuck for a few days at the dock in bella bella while two 65-knot storms rolled through. With those behind us and new friends on Knot Again next to us, we untied again and kept her bow pointed south. For a week we had a boat to chat with, race against, photograph, raft up to; and companions to eat with, drink with, play games with, laugh with. Eventually though the tug of the states pulled us on, leaving them to enjoy two weeks to cruise the same grounds we covered in the following two days. 

They gave us some great cruising beta on the area, and eased our anxiety about getting through the two sets of narrows on the backside of Quadra Island (where the current can run 8-12 knots between tides, creating some mean looking rapids. Even at slack water the passage can be stressful). They recommended we stop through Octopus Islands and visit the “driftwood museum”. 

In the guest book on the table, I counted over 200 entries in July and even more in August. Flipping to the end of the book, the last two entries read: September 21, October 8. It was October 23^rd. We are well outside cruising season. And yes- it’s cold, and frequently wet. The days are short and sometimes the wind blows really hard. But it’s also beautiful, the wildlife is plentiful, and we have had every single anchorage to ourselves. So there.

 
We also stopped in Knot Again’s hometown, Heriot Bay, which turned out to be one of our favorite spots on the whole coast. Not only did it provide showers (our first in weeks), laundry (you can imagine), groceries (we had been reduced to canned peas and stale tortillas), a cold beer and a warm fire, but we also ended up with some fantastic friends, a jar of homemade jam, and a new deckhand.

His name is Marty, and he’s on board to Deep Bay (north of Victoria). We met him, enjoyed his company, invited him (and most of the rest of the bar) to come with us, and he showed up with his sleeping bag the next morning. Love the spontaneity. Love new friends.

Our destination is Seattle, where we apparently already have a slip lined up (thanks Sarah Francis...). For the next few months, I will spend most of my time in Portland working with Trip on post production for the expedition we completed this summer. We will get our feet back under us, get haircuts, go for bike rides, relearn how to live in a city, and sort out what happens next in this great adventure of life.

So there, now you’re caught up.

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