Desolation Sound

I find so many analogies to life from sailing. I have blessed new couples with smooth sailing notes, but honestly there is nothing like getting out there on the water and escaping from all the niceties of the world and roughing it! I had the opportunity to join my brother and cousin on an adventure in British Columbia for a week and returned to get my scan today.

We flew up to Big Bay in the N end of Desolation Sound and landed in the mist, drizzle and fog of a storm that would last 2 more days. We docked overnight and hiked up to a local lake where we found a community rowboat to explore the tranquil waters. We left the planning of each days journey up to my brother who has navigated these waters before. I read the history and found it to be very interesting. Big Bay had a new fishing resort and 3 helicopters a day disrupted the peace and quiet of the harbor.
We dropped anchor in a new harbor each evening and explored old rock quarries, logging sites, and fishing spots. We left Octopus Islands, made it through the dangerous strait at slack time just in time to meet with 8 foot waves and 38 knot winds! I wasn't scared because 15 feet off the bow of our boat were 3 Orca whales and my attention turned immediately to their siting. 1 very slow hour later we were in the shelter of Rebecca Spit and it was only then that my brother told us how nervous he was, and my cousin said he nearly puked.
At night the stars came out in force as there were no competing lights to brighten the night sky. I dreamed of old days when navigators relied on stars to chart their course. We made up pirates' names for our crew-Captain Stonefish, First Mate Flatulence, and Princess ... We had a fabulous computer system that told us depth, distance and weather and nearly ran the boat on automatic pilot.
One evening while I was at the bow dropping anchor, our fearless captain backing the boat to snag the anchor, we snagged the painter of the dinghy around the propeller. If that wasn't enough, the cold bay was full of millions of jellyfish. I called to the 2 other boats to see if anyone had a wetsuit, to no avail. As the sun was setting fast, I made the decision to get my swim goggles, round up some long under ware to protect myself as much as possible, and dive down to untangle the mess-hoping for the best. A dozen dives later, I had cut the untangled a the loose rope, cut through one loop with a knife, and was too chilled to continue, so relinquished the duty to my cousin. He made some progress, but also failed to complete the task. Time was of the essence and our fearless Captain finished the job in on strong tug and we celebrated and went to bed sleeping very well knowing that we could keep our schedule another day.
We spotted deer on land, harbor seals in the harbors, dolphins in the ocean, and eagles in the sky and felt a sense of freedom you don't feel on land. We cleared customs at Roche Harbor in the San Juans, and met our spouses there, ate a fabulous dinner at the Hotel de Haro, and Steve & I spent the nite in luxury at the new hotel addition. It was a perfect way to end the trip as the weather turned once again from sunny and bright to drizzle and cloudy. Each day a new dawning.