Today was a short cruising day, about 22 miles. Folks in a hurry would have gone to the community of Shearwater (our likely destination tomorrow) another 20 miles further but we are taking our time. The guide books speak highly of this anchorage so we thought we would check it out.
The route we followed today turned out to be a treat. We cut across Hakai Passage, a channel exposed to the full ocean swell. Islands and rocks on the outer coasts have a different appearance and vegetation than those in protected waters. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to visualize how fierce winter storms batter the outer islands.
Hakai Passage was pretty benign and the low swells we experienced disappeared totally as we started along Ward Channel, the narrow route connecting Hakai with Nalau Pass. From there we diagonalled across Fitz Hugh Sound to tonight’s anchorage.
As we entered Nalau Pass, we glimpsed the first whales of the cruise. At least two humpback whales were feeding in the area. The most you can see of the humpbacks are their tails sticking up as they start their dive. Hopefully these are the first of many whale encounters.
Today’s mileage – 21.9
Cumulative mileage – 505.2
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