We left Victoria this morning. We have our heads into heading south. The question of "to haul the boat or leave the boat," has come up again. Our employer wants to talk to us... I know how that discussion will go. It will come down to a vote... and I will be outvoted. (Izzy votes in a block with her Momma.)
I am ready to do some two-wheel riding. If the boat gets left in the PNW, there is a better opportunity to bring scooters this way next year. Too far off for me to even think about. Lobbying being done on both sides. One of us is pretty sure she can sway the other.
Back to the present: I like Victoria. What a great city! Alas, it was time to head out this morning. That clear weather that the weasels predicted... big surprise: they were wrong. It was foggy when we shoved off. On the bright side, we will burn less fuel traveling slower. I had this route saved from an earlier trip, so this was easy. Coming out of the opening to Victoria Harbour, the fog closed down...
The GPS/chartplotters show you where you are; the radar shows you where solid stuff (like other boats or land) is...
I like the chartplotter apps we have on our iPads. The iPad Mini is my choice...
The visibility was down to 100 feet to 100 yards, more towards the 100 feet most of the way. I use the autopilot to maintain course, so I can keep a watch for debris that might be in the water. The radar helps us pick out other boats that might be a collision hazard, and we chug along at 8 knots or so. With currents in Juan de Fuca and Haro Strait, the speed over the water ranged from 7 knots to 10 knots. At one point, I pulled off power as a BIG target moved across our path... a large excursion boat passed 200 feet in front of us.
Joan follows along with her iPad and paper charts...
Back up for back up. The going was slower than our usual cruising pace, but we are getting over 4 miles per gallon, compared to our 2.5 when we travel faster. This makes a 10 mpg RV seem almost thrifty.
As we moved from Juan de Fuca across the shallows of Middle Bank in Haro Strait, the water lumped up. Fortunately, it settled back into less than 1 foot chop when we got back into deeper water.
Smooth water makes for a more comfortable ride. Little Izzy slept at the edge of the V-berth most of the way...
Well, until we got to Cattle Pass, where the water lumped up... and the boat traffic increased. Izzy went to the floor by the aft dinette seat, where the movement is the least. Joan and I stayed on high alert, with me giving her radar target positions and both of us keeping a watch... "Two targets at 11 o'clock, one at 2 o'clock, one quarter mile and closing. Behind us now, one target at 5 o'clock, moving faster than we are." It is very helpful to have a second set of eyes keeping watch.
I put the power to it through Cattle Pass, just so we didn't spend any extra time in the lumpy conditions. North of there, the conditions improved - both the ride and the visibility. We had almost a mile of visibility as we came into Friday Harbor. I called the marina to see if we could get the slip we spent the summer in... no one with the "authority" to put an over-nighter in a permanent slip.
We cleared Customs - the agent on the dock said, "If you want to leave your boat here, I will take good care of it - love those C-Dorys!" We had a short, but pleasant visit, since another boat was approaching the Customs dock.
We pulled into the slip they gave us, and settled in. We'll spend a night or two here, do some "discussin'" and make some decisions.
It is raining right now (started on our way back from the grocery store); the wind is kicking up and we can hear thunder not so distant... it's a good time to tied to a dock. ;-)
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