South around Cape Caution to Port McNeill, British Columbia

August 18th Day 88

We woke up at 5:30am since Daleen, for some reason, set our alarm clock one hour earlier than planned. We both went back to bed but laid there wide awake and not being able to go back to sleep got up and turned on the weather. Darn, our gale force winds (35-45) have now been upgraded to storm (45-55+) but they are not supposed to come in until tomorrow so we have time…. Queen Charlotte Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound (our areas we are going to be in) are both around .5 meter seas (1 ½ feet) with around 8-10 knots of wind and some swell but not much so we talked with Don & Diane and asked what they thought about leaving and it was decided to go. We had fog but we hoped it would lift later in the morning, which had been the pattern.

We lifted anchor at 7am and started our crossing. We moved out into 1/8 mile visibility with no wind or wave action and rippled seas. The fog lifted around 30 minutes after we left Fury Cove. Perfect and beautiful crossing. The best we have had so far. As we crossed the Cape Caution light we had no wind, partly sunny, the water was a slight ripple/mill pond, with a very slight low westerly swell. Amazing!! Later in the afternoon the wind and seas started to pick up so John called Port Hardy marina and they told us they were full so we talked with Don and Diane and it was decided to continue on to Port McNeill hoping the wind and seas would not get any worse.

Saying that, about hour after we pasted Port Hardy, around 3 hours outside of Port McNeill, we started getting NW winds at our stern. In the beginning the seas weren’t too bad but after around an hour, both Saoirse and Omega were getting following seas and 20 knot winds. About 45 minutes before we had shelter behind Malcolm Island and one hour before we arrived at Port McNeill marina, the seas were at least 6 feet + and the wind was blowing 20-25 with an occasional gust into the 30’s & 40’s. The seas were black with the top of the waves being blown off and causing all this white water. John stood calm in the cockpit steering us to safety, wide smile on his face, as we surfed on the waves and yes our sails were FULLY REEFED

As the winds picked up, Daleen noticed that it appeared that Saoirse had turned around and after a moment or two; we decided they probably were heading up into the wind to bring their sail down. Daleen did get a little excited as she watched Saoirse bouncing in the water, saying that Diane and Chrystal were not liking this…
This is a maneuver that only a sailor can fully understand and appreciate…..

After seeing that Saoirse was again heading towards Port McNeill, Daleen called on the radio to see if all was okay. She found out that it was a planned maneuver that was successfully completed by Don and Diane and Don was very proud of Diane as she had done a great job rounding Saoirse up into the wind and holding her steady while Don furled the sail. They said that it made the rest of their crossing better.

After getting behind Malcolm Island the seas were calmer and wind died down and it was just a gentle reminder from Mother Nature that she is still the boss and we better follow her rules.

Saoirse and Omega are tied up to the docks in Port McNeill after an 11 hour day covering 70 miles. One of our longest days but glad to be in the marina before the storm. The winds we experience today were not in the forecast, just an extra amount of wind in Queen Charlotte Strait. The forecasted storm is suppose to hit tomorrow. Many people are on the docks to talk to and enjoy their stories.

Another nice evening….