By Becky – After a couple very long days of watching tide tables and weather conditions we have made it through the many rapids that even on slack tide toss our boat around in 45 degree swings. We are now resting in Port Harvey. It is a funky little outpost marina off of Johnston Strait and a welcome rest from the wind and waves. We had planned on stopping in Port Neville but decided the weather was good and we had to take advantage of that to get a bit further to where we will pick up our daughters. We will rest here for the day fishing, crabbing and shrimping before the final push to Lagoon Cove. As we get farther north the wind and water are getting colder and the landscape gets a bit more rugged. Beautiful!
I did a bit of a reality check this morning….. I have not looked in a mirror for a few days but Paul has not complained about my looks so it must be acceptable. While we are eating very well, my clothes still fit so I think my weight must be ok. Paul does chuckle on occasion as I try to contain my hair in the wind and he did comment on a large red welt on my face from a bug bite. I am pretty much covered in them; some itch like crazy and some are not so bad. I do have swollen toes on one foot… I am not really sure why but probably from bug bites.
We take advantage of opportunities that arise such as getting some fresh herbs from a garden planter on a boat next to us….picking some fresh veggies from a garden at a marina, buying fresh shrimp from a fishing boat at a dock or even some freshly baked bread. This morning we are having freshly baked cinnamon rolls with our lattes as we listen to eagles. It is not a bad way to live! Thank you so much Terry and Kelly for allowing me the time off so I can enjoy this adventure.
By Paul – Port Harvey, and our entrance into The Broughtons. So nice to get here, even though we blasted through Desolation Sound and the middle of Vancouver Island and its tidal narrows. Pushing hard to be able to stop and relax; and ensuring that we are waiting for Ellie and Kassia when they arrive. Enjoyed a visit last night with the proprietors of the Marina, George and Gail and their daughter Christine. I sometimes can’t believe how well the boat is performing; steady on, our John Deere engine, loving to be driven. We approach the 400-mile mark and just over 90 gallons of fuel consumed. Becky is awesome and has mastered the line and finder handling. She is keeping us fed, the refrigerator full and is helpful in reading about the passages ahead. She is managing her motion sickness with ease, the 20 knot head wind in Johnstone Straights yesterday didn’t phase her any.
Vanilla latte and soft boiled eggs, 1030 and we are still lounging around, Becky is picking up the book I finished last night, my agenda today is to get the crab pot in the water and perhaps shave the two day growth off of my face.
