4 - 5 July 2010
We left Port Harvey early on the 4th in a light fog. Visibility was approximately 2 - 3 miles, and the Johnstone Straights is no more than 3 miles across at its widest part, so we were not deterred. Again the ebb was not assisting us in gaining the speeds we would have liked to make, but we enjoyed the ride all the same.
We spotted orca along the way. The photos don't seem to give the occasion justice, however.
Halfway through the days travels we were passed on our port side by a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, the Norwegian Star...beautiful vessel. It was entertaining, listening to the radio communication between the ship's crew and an oncoming sailboat. Felt like a bit of a voyeur!
Near the end of Johnstone Straight we opted to go through Blackney Pass and the myriad of small islands there. Several sailboats were cruising in the area and we watched porpoises swim alongside the bow of one of them.
Our original plan was to pull into the marina at Alert Bay on Cormorant Island. We side tied the AquaSport to our port side (we are all set up for her to be on our starboard), it was a bit inconvenient, changing all of our dock lines, fenders, etc. When we entered the marina the winds picked up, making docking a bit TOO challenging! After several attempts, we realized that this was not the place for us! We backed out and went to "plan B" - Port McNeill less than an hour away.
Port McNeill is a small town, but with a large bay and marine facilities. There is a ferry terminal and sea planes make hourly trips in and out of the harbor. Anchorage is plentiful and secure across the bay from the marina. With the strong winds, the Sea Crest rocked quite abit, but all-in-all, a very peaceful and restive stop. We had only 2 fellow boaters anchored nearby; a trawler and a chinese junk.
We are planning to head out in the morning...hoping to beat the winds!
We left Port Harvey early on the 4th in a light fog. Visibility was approximately 2 - 3 miles, and the Johnstone Straights is no more than 3 miles across at its widest part, so we were not deterred. Again the ebb was not assisting us in gaining the speeds we would have liked to make, but we enjoyed the ride all the same.
We spotted orca along the way. The photos don't seem to give the occasion justice, however.
Halfway through the days travels we were passed on our port side by a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, the Norwegian Star...beautiful vessel. It was entertaining, listening to the radio communication between the ship's crew and an oncoming sailboat. Felt like a bit of a voyeur!
Near the end of Johnstone Straight we opted to go through Blackney Pass and the myriad of small islands there. Several sailboats were cruising in the area and we watched porpoises swim alongside the bow of one of them.
Our original plan was to pull into the marina at Alert Bay on Cormorant Island. We side tied the AquaSport to our port side (we are all set up for her to be on our starboard), it was a bit inconvenient, changing all of our dock lines, fenders, etc. When we entered the marina the winds picked up, making docking a bit TOO challenging! After several attempts, we realized that this was not the place for us! We backed out and went to "plan B" - Port McNeill less than an hour away.
Port McNeill is a small town, but with a large bay and marine facilities. There is a ferry terminal and sea planes make hourly trips in and out of the harbor. Anchorage is plentiful and secure across the bay from the marina. With the strong winds, the Sea Crest rocked quite abit, but all-in-all, a very peaceful and restive stop. We had only 2 fellow boaters anchored nearby; a trawler and a chinese junk.
We are planning to head out in the morning...hoping to beat the winds!
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