Successful sailing into summer

We're back!

After that last post from Alert Bay, we picked up our friend Reilly and headed south to warmer climes. Of course we kicked the last week off with a welcoming party at Declan's house to celebrate our new cabin boy's arrival! And, we upgraded Nakusiak for a new fancy boat, complete with showers, a 5 spreader main mast, and a complete professional crew. Aren't we nice?

Nice, eh?

So we cruised for the past week in real comfort, which was appreciated by our newest crewmember.
 And we still saw some cool things as we raced down Johnston Strait. Humpback whales played nearby as we cruised out of Telegraph Cove, fresh from our new education at the Bones Project, and some Pacific white sided dolphins (our first since Bella Bella) showed their approval of our speed by riding our bow wave for a few minutes off Port Neville. Our new ketch really rode the waves well...we got her up to 8 knots as the tailwind pushed us through Race Passage and past Kelsey Bay.

Just down near Greene Point Rapids we saw a black bear...and a large tug, which we thought was going to pass us by but proceeded instead to pull a 180 and ram the beach with the bear....it seemed hardly bothered, but we thought it was a funny way of showing wildlife appreciation. Each to his own on the coast, it seems!

 Inspired by the excitable folks at Shoal Bay, where we stopped for a night and some beers at the 'pub' in town (which used to be larger than Vancouver during the peak of the mining action), we tried to troll for the first Oncorhynchus of the season. To no avail, but we still managed to have fun getting tangled in our makeshift downrigger.
oops. Fishing and sailing don't always mix.

Luckily we were sufficiently fed, thanks to some fortuitous oyster finds once we made it down to Desolation Sound. Tenedos never disappoints....

 And, our new crewmember soon upheld his reputation as an incredibly fast learner. Within two days Lisa and I were sitting back, G&T's in hand, as Reilly handily sailed Nakusiak through one of the sketchiest tidal passages, the Yucultas.

We must be good teachers. 

At least he let us sail sometimes.

And, we found time for some good shore time. Wandering in mines, hiking, and building amazing summer bonfires with...wait for it...DRY WOOD! Who would have thought such a thing existed. That's why we left the Wet Coast. 

With all this luxery, we left the wonders of Desolation Sound a little early and took advantage of a rare calm day in Georgia Strait to visit the rookery on Middlenatch Island, off Quadra. Lots and lots of seagulls...I mean glaucous winged gulls. Sorry Seb, we'll never learn! Also a TON of Pigus (pigeon guillemots). Pretty neat, but we were ready for the comforts of Reilly's parent's amazing house on Quadra, so we headed in to 'town' and recuperated. 

For now, I'm back on dry land and getting into work and city life while Lisa spends a few extra days afloat in the Discovery Islands with a friend. The boat is clean, happy, and sailing well, so I'm sure Lisa is too! Well....only if she's swimming in the warm waters of Desolation Sound enough. We shall see.

'Til later...