A lot of progress has been made and I will head out soon for an attempt at sailing around Vancouver Island. We have had a tough time working out the insurance for the boat, but Dad finally got through and that detail is worked out. There has been lots to do from fixing the depth sounder to figuring out the route. although I am not usually a fan of relying on tempormental technology, the depth sounder will be necessary to navigate through the narrow channels and fjords of British Columbia. As always, there is still several things needing attention such as provisioning and re registering the VHF.
From Port Angeles, I will make coastal hops up the inside passage, about 250 miles to Cape Scott, where I head for the open Pacific. The other half of the trip will be sailing down the exposed coast where I will have to watch out for fog and rough weather brought by low pressure systems tearing across the north pacific ocean. The most challenging part, I think will be coming up the inside where there will be all kinds of navigational challenges.
We have had exceptional weather for the Pacific Northwest this past week, and I hope it will continue to be great for my upcoming trip. September typically has less fog than September, and is before the Autumn storms that make the coast a nightmare to sail later in the season. One of the greatest benefits in doing the trip in September is the crowded anchorages of summer are pleasantly empty, and you can cruise for ages without seeing many other boats.
Thanks again for all the encouragement from everybody, it is fabulous to have so many people inspired by my venture, and has certainly given me more reason to keep at it.
Yours for the Oceans,
Ryan