Day 3 ~ Campbell River, B.C to Port McNeil, B.C

Armed with our new float plan, we departed sharply at 6:05 a.m., so we could be at Seymour Narrows within 1 hour of slack time which was at 6:21 a.m. The fog was thick which made it a bit eerie as we approached the Narrows. There were a few boats heading in our direction so we got a comfortable distance from them and worked our way towards Chatman Point. The fog was beginning to lift as we rounded the point, which lead to our decision to take the detour past Blind Channel to enjoy more of the scenery.

Eileen assumed her position at the helm, Dad did his engine room chores and I fixed omelets in plastic bags. As we cruised along, Eileen got to see her first Dall porpoises and I figured out how to use the new video camera that we had bought for the trip.

By late morning, the fog had lifted and the sun was out. It was a beautiful day for boating and I went out on the bow to capture us traversing Whirlpool Rapids. As one of the bigger whirlpools grabbed us I heard a crash of dishes. Dad had dried the dishes from breakfast and stacked them on the counter…oops!   When we made our way around Fanny Island, the boat that we split off from at the Chatman Point was just in front of us! 

There was quite a bit of trash in the water, but we just took our time and motored our way up Johnston Straits rotating between being at the helm and working. We were having fun with our new cruise planning log, although Dad keep trying to mark off the way point before it was abeam the boat. For the most part we were within just a few minutes of each of our waypoints.

Eileen took a turn in the galley and fixed a tasty lunch of leftover chicken, cashews and grapes. After we finished lunch we decided to move up to the bridge to soak up the sun and enjoy the beautiful flat water. The farther North we went the better the weather. We all began to get excited about our opportunity to round Cape Caution the next day.

We arrived in Port McNeil at 2:26 p.m. one minute past our original ETA!  We were surprised by the number and size of the houses that surrounded Port McNeil.   

After chores, Eileen was eager to go on a walk so we sent her to the store to see if she could find whipping cream for Dad’s strawberries. We had grilled chicken, rice pilaf and spinach salad.

After dinner we worked together on our cruise plan for the next day which included rounding Cape Caution. Before long we had flags all over the charts, a color coded cruise log and Dad wondering how in the world he was going to spend 60+ more days with me!  Our plan for the morning was to depart at 7:30 a.m., which would allow us to cross during slack waters and the current would push us towards Goose Bay in Rivers Inlet. It would be the first time in many years that Dad would be in new and unfamiliar waters.