Come tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll be gone

June 21, 2020. Port McNeill to Bull Harbour. 40 NM

It was an early start this morning. We had the alarm set for 6:15, but I was pretty much awake at 5:00. I was up for a bit, then went back to bed, then got up right with the alarm. We filled the water tanks, emptied the garbage, and were casting the lines off, in a still sleeping marina, at 07:05. We slipped out backwards, past Tangent, the Beneateau belonging to Ray and Anne, and swung around Cary’s Erickson, before heading back out in to the bay at Port McNeill. We had started early to try and catch some of the ebb current which had begun much earlier that morning.

We weren’t sure exactly how far we were going to go. The plan was to ride the ebb and see how much we slowed down when the current turned to flood about 0930. As it was, we actually picked up some wind at about 60 degrees off our port bow, so managed to get both headsails out, each for a while, to help us as we motor sailed along. It was nice to finally get the sails out, and it gave me the opportunity to get all the sheets sorted.

Finally living life on a lean

Just off Port Hardy, around 0900, I called my parents to wish my Dad a Happy Father’s Day. Not long after that, I got texts from Christopher and Katie wishing me the same thing, shortly before we lost cell coverage.

Our speed was good. We briefly saw 8.9 knots with the big genoa out, the engine on, and the ebb current with us. As the sun poked out from behind the clouds for the first time in days, the wind shifted around on to our nose. At the same time, the current switched to flood, and we slowed to closer to 5 knots. Still, we were happy to be making progress, and since the day was actually a bit sunny, we decided to keep moving along. We passed our first possible anchorage of Beaver Cove and continued to head north.

Eventually, we entered Goletas Channel, on the run into Bull Harbour. Sara kept herself busy with chores around the boat, and actually managed to get a few rust stains off from around the mast base. I kept a look out for stray logs, and as we got closer to Bull Harbour, I took over from the auto pilot, as several currents from various passages converged, and tried to convince the boat to go three directions at once. With the wind and the flood strengthening, our speed dropped to about 3.9 knots, but as we were close to our destination, we carried on.

Just before Bull Harbour, we double checked weather using the InReach Satellite connection, to make sure that we didn’t want to put in a super long day, and make our way around Cape Scott all in one shot. The weather on the outside looked forbidding, though, so we entered Bull Harbour, and dropped anchor in total isolation. The cruising guide talks about the many boats that are usually gathered here awaiting good weather for their try around the top of the island, but we were all alone.

We closed up the cockpit enclosure to keep the cool wind out, and let the sun warm it up like a greenhouse. After a relaxing for a couple of hours, we had an early dinner, then decided to watch the final installment in the Star Wars saga. While we watched the movie, the wind died down, then shifted to the south, and brought with it more clouds, rain, and cold. It is amazing what a sunny day can do for one’s mood, and how quickly it can shift back with the return of the chilly, gray weather we have had for most of the trip so far. It is much harder to stay optimistic when the sun isn’t there to make you feel like everything will be alright.

Around 7 p.m., another boat entered the anchorage. It is a Beneteau 47, which we had seen in North Island Marina at Port McNeill. They left there last night, riding the ebb north. We saw them in Port Alexander today, as we motored past against the flood current. They apparently stopped there last night, and waited again for the late afternoon ebb to come up to Bull Harbour. We had heard they were planning to head around Cape Scott as well, but didn’t get a chance to talk to them in Port McNeill. Assuming they are aiming for the same weather window we are, we should get a chance to chat with them tomorrow, as we wait for the return of the Northwest wind on Tuesday.

We finally finished the Star Wars movie, and I have collapsed into bed. After a long day on the water, even without much activity, I’m exhausted enough to sleep tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll catch up on rest and re-check the weather, with a plan to try and defeat the Nawhitti Bar and Cape Scott on Tuesday.