Sum It Up Sunday The Central Coast

Sum It Up Sunday: Moving South for the Winter in the Summer

Sunday, November 02, 2014TheCambrians


While summer isn’t entirely over, there’s been a significant change in the weather this week and it’s time to move south – something both David and I loathe doing.  We have a special affection for central and northern British Columbia:  It’s here that we feel the most at home.  But the winters are difficult – cold, wet and stormy – and it wouldn’t be long before I caught cabin fever if we attempted to stay.  David, on the other hand, would be fine.

There are practical reasons to move south as well.  Our insurance, for one, requires us to be below 51° by the first of September, though we’ve asked for and received an extension.  But mostly it’s the weather.  It won’t be long now before the Pacific High breaks down completely and low pressure systems from Southeast Alaska start rolling in, bringing storm-force winds and heavy rain along with them.  If we wait too long, rounding Cape Caution, which is open to the Pacific Ocean, will be too difficult.  So this week, we reluctantly started our passage south.



It was another foggy, rainy and generally uninspiring morning when we set out – one that matched our moods perfectly.  And we slowly motored 38 miles past Bella Bella, down through Lama Passage and to Fisher Channel, stopping in Kisameet Bay for a couple of nights.  The forecast for rounding Cape Caution doesn’t look good for several days, so we felt no need to rush.  And Kisameet Bay is as nice as any to pass the time.




From there, we moved a short distance across Fitz Hugh Sound to Sea Otter Inlet for one night before continuing on to Pruth Bay – another one of our favourite destinations.  David likes it because they pipe free wifi into the anchorage and he can get a clear picture of the weather by downloading synoptic and forecast charts*.  And I like it because of its beautiful white sand beaches and incredible hiking.  When it comes to me and David, I think it’s fair to say that “opposites attract” . . . he’s much more practical than I am.




Now that we’ve committed to moving south, we’re anxious to put the miles behind us but the forecast is proving to be frustrating.  The weather window we’d been shooting for has closed up:  Thursday quickly became Saturday.  Saturday became Sunday.  And Sunday has been pushed back to Tuesday.  So, we decided to do the only reasonable thing we could under the circumstances – go for a nice walk on the beach.  Maybe we’re not exactly opposites after all.  


*We have a sideband and Pactor modem aboard but the internet gives us access to a broader range of weather sources and current satellite imagery.

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