MAY 5, 2022 – CAMPBELL RIVER TO PORT McNEILL

Guess what, it’s pouring this morning! The Sunshine Coast (it’s nickname) is not sunny just yet. But no wind, so an uneventful departure from the dock. First time this trip that I’ve had to put on my full rain gear including the pants, but it was necessary to bring in the fenders and lines and stay warm in the process. We left at 7AM to time the Seymour Narrows at relative slack, although we still had a little push against us as we arrived but nothing major. Once underway I made breakfast of eggs and English muffins with my homemade strawberry jam. With a steaming cup of coffee and the heaters keeping us warm, it was quite cozy. It appears we have a couple nice days ahead Sunday and Monday so I am really looking forward to some outdoor adventures and some crabbing and prawning, maybe even some bottom fishing. Once in Port McNeill we had to feed our beasts at the fuel dock, a sobering 2087 liters of diesel and some gas for the whaler. My job when fueling is to go down to the engine room and report back to my captain what the fuel gauges say. We have a pass-through valve between the two fuel tanks but it takes awhile to “pass through” so one side will read 450 while the other says 400, and we have to wait for it to settle. In this process of going up and down into the engine room, I bumped my head three times in the same place and yes, some cursing ensued. Earlier in the day I spilled an entire cup of tea in the pilot house, into the carpet, all over the seats. Argh. Anyway, after settling into our moorage we hiked up to the town, found a brand new (to us) brew pub and celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a nice craft beer. Dinner back on the boat (my turn to cook) was potstickers and chicken kalbi rice bowls with fresh herbs (while we have them!). Everyone was too beat for cards and tomorrow is a very early start time, up at 5:00am and cast off at 5:30 for the Cape Caution crossing. If we don’t cross Cape Caution tomorrow then we will be stuck in Port McNeill for days unfavorable conditions for crossing. Wildlife sightings today: a pod of porpoises in a feeding frenzy coming up the Johnstone straits! Always fun. We should be able to post from Pruth Bay, our next stop, as they have WiFi, but can’t be sure. Otherwise, it will be awhile before we can post updates on our journey. Maybe by then we will have something more exciting to report than what we had for dinner! We are all looking forward to taking a break from these long running days and getting to some actual recreation, crabbing, fishing, prawning, or even just exploring little coves and inlets. This next 9 days or so between Pruth Bay and Prince Rupert should be a lot of fun.