Sept. 11th - Heading South

Summer has slowly slipped away and in it's place are the sounds of migrating birds, the glimmer of gold in the Alders and salmon gathering at the mouth of a river to complete their circle of life.

It is time to head south!

We waited in Port McNeill for a storm to pass with heavy rain, 35 knot winds and even a bit of thunder. On Thursday we spent the afternoon with our friends Kathleen and Jim from Sointula, had dinner in Port Hardy and then said our "Farewells" until next summer. In the morning we departed Port McNeill with the idea that we would go as far as we could considering weather and current.

To our surprise the weather was magnificent! Smooth as glass most of the way.


The pictures are of Race Passage near Kelsey Bay. As we went through we saw a small pod of Orcas feeding along the shore.


The wind was just a bit different when Dante and Lou went through the same spot last month. For them it was 35 knots.


Today our speed over ground was 9.2 knots. Last month when Dante and Lou came through they were going 1.3 knots which is almost backwards.
Lesson: WAIT FOR A GOOD WEATHER WINDOW!

We pulled into Blind Channel at 7pm after traveling approximately 60 miles.

In the morning we awakened to a brilliantly clear day. The crowds are gone now and we have the dock at Blind Channel all to ourselves.
We have always enjoyed the artwork of Anna Marie Richter the matriarch of the family that has owned and operated Blind Channel since 1970. She has passed on now however her legacy is still here for us to enjoy. Her mosaics made of the treasures she found while beach combing adorn the docks. Her lovely paintings hang in the restaurant and her decorations are can be seen even in the laundry room.
We enjoyed a hike with the mascot of Blind Channel. His name is "Soup" and he appears to be very aloof until he sees someone on the trail. With that he takes over and leads us claiming and marking his territory all along the trail. He would stop and sniff the air just in case there might be a cougar or bear in the area.
At one point we could hear the blowing sounds of whale in the channel. Soup rose to the occasion and began barking with his hackles standing he paced up and down the beach protecting us from this monster in the deep! It was the first time ever that we had been "Saved from a whale!"
As we continued on our adventure Soup ran to our rescue. He start wildly barking and there before us was a "Giant Serpent!"
Just the mere sight of "Soup the Crusader" the serpent coiled into a tight ball fearing for it's life!

"Thank you Soup for saving us twice in one day!" We returned to the boat and Soup collapsed from exhaustion on the grass in the sun just where we had found him.
The water is so crystal clear that the bottom is visible as well as many types of seaweed.
This "Odd Couple" were attached to the dock. There are many types of anemones in the area.
We ventured into Cordero Channel in Wings. The water was so still it created this mirror like image.
Cormorants, Gulls, Terns and countless other birds skimmed across the water in front of us.
Hundreds of Terns swarmed in the air diving and feasting on a bait ball in the water.