the Gulf Islands
the Inside Passage
Bedwell Harbour, Pender Island
Monday, October 15, 2012TheCambrians
Cambria tied to a mooring in Montague Harbour.
With our windlass out of commission, we’re no longer able to anchor unless we want to haul our ground tackle in by hand, which we don’t (or with David’s continuing shoulder issue, I should say which I don’t). Fortunately, there are several marine parks along the way, so we’ve been using moorings to take us south from Pender Harbour to Pender Island. Progress has been painfully slow because of the weather; but we are making progress which, at the end of the day, is all that matters.
Since we left Desolation Sound close to two weeks ago, the change has been dramatic. The northwesterly winds which prevail during settled conditions are nowhere to be found and we’re faced with day after day of southeastlies. By all accounts, this past summer was one of the driest on record for Washington and British Columbia with over 80 days without rain, but we’re making up for that with a vengeance now and are on track to have one of the wettest Octobers on record. Along with the rain, the average temperature has dropped about 20° F and it’s increasingly difficult to stay warm. The boat is dripping with condensation and the heater is running all day long which means so is the generator (or at least it seems that way).
The days are much quieter now. It’s too cold for the kayaks, too wet for hiking, and we spend most of our time sitting around and charging the batteries. But, believe it or not, we’re ready to give it up. Tomorrow we’ll cross the border and check back into the US where we’ll meet the crew from Sarita on Stuart Island before moving to Orcas Island to visit our friends, the Emmens, for one “last hurrah”.
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