The continuing saga of the Vega 27 "Williwa" cruising down the inside passage from Petersburg, AK to Puget Sound.
Day 30: Many weather delays. Most recently we spent six days at an abandoned fishing camp in Rivers Inlet on Penrose Island waiting for gales to settle down so we could safely cross Queen Charlotte Strait. Now in Port McNeill, BC. Canadian beer a poor substitute for Alaskan IPA, but the cheeseburgers have been pretty good. I smoked the last of the twenty cigars I brought for the trip and have not been able to find any decent sticks so far in Canada. Maybe when we get farther south.
Now at the NW end of Johnstone Strait. We were forced to stop due to heavy fog and lack of progress from Port Hardy to our planned anchorage at Port Neville. We will try again tomorrow. Close attention to currents is critical at this point in the trip with a boat that can only motor at 5 kts. We must be sure to wait for favorable winds. Forecast is for NW winds (Good) and we must depart at or near slack water on the flood or face dangerous wind waves when the wind opposes the strong currents. Also, we must be sure to reach the anchorage before the current turns. We plan to run Johnstone Strait in two legs then transit the equally challenging Discovery Channel into the Strait of Georgia. After that, it should be easier going in the familiar waters South of Nanaimo.
We found the Vega "Walkabout" (Ex Sin Tascha) moored close by in Port McNeill. We had heard John and Ann had started out from Gig Harbor about the same time as we departed Petersburg and had hoped to cross paths somewhere along the way but were informed that John had a medical emergency. They had to return to the US to see their doctor and were forced to leave the boat. Prayers for John. We hope all will turn out OK.
With luck, and good weather, we should be in the San Juans in a week and may even be able to attend the Vega rendezvous at Port Browning in early August.
Day 30: Many weather delays. Most recently we spent six days at an abandoned fishing camp in Rivers Inlet on Penrose Island waiting for gales to settle down so we could safely cross Queen Charlotte Strait. Now in Port McNeill, BC. Canadian beer a poor substitute for Alaskan IPA, but the cheeseburgers have been pretty good. I smoked the last of the twenty cigars I brought for the trip and have not been able to find any decent sticks so far in Canada. Maybe when we get farther south.
Now at the NW end of Johnstone Strait. We were forced to stop due to heavy fog and lack of progress from Port Hardy to our planned anchorage at Port Neville. We will try again tomorrow. Close attention to currents is critical at this point in the trip with a boat that can only motor at 5 kts. We must be sure to wait for favorable winds. Forecast is for NW winds (Good) and we must depart at or near slack water on the flood or face dangerous wind waves when the wind opposes the strong currents. Also, we must be sure to reach the anchorage before the current turns. We plan to run Johnstone Strait in two legs then transit the equally challenging Discovery Channel into the Strait of Georgia. After that, it should be easier going in the familiar waters South of Nanaimo.
We found the Vega "Walkabout" (Ex Sin Tascha) moored close by in Port McNeill. We had heard John and Ann had started out from Gig Harbor about the same time as we departed Petersburg and had hoped to cross paths somewhere along the way but were informed that John had a medical emergency. They had to return to the US to see their doctor and were forced to leave the boat. Prayers for John. We hope all will turn out OK.
With luck, and good weather, we should be in the San Juans in a week and may even be able to attend the Vega rendezvous at Port Browning in early August.