NOT A PIECE OF CAKE

Not a new tradition on La Sonrisa

With a lemon that needed using and leftover pie-crust dough it seemed a lemon meringue pie was in order. We’d finally used all of the canned pumpkin from Tamaya’s Halloween decorations, and the last of Ike’s apples. Thomas wondered “Will this become a new tradition crossing Queen Charlotte Sound?” When the pie ended up sideways in a plastic bag in the sink we concluded: “Not a new tradition!”

We’d looked forward to Kalect Island Cove, one of our favourite anchorages where we often wait for weather to cross the Sound. This time it was blowing too hard to jig for fish and raining too hard to enjoy leisurely beachcombing (this is the anchorage where Ted and Katharine did yoga on the slanted smooth pebble beach and Deacon Dave got lost in time among the low tide limpets). So when the weather forecast predicted a break in the southeast gales, with unfavourable weather likely for some days to come, we decided to take a chance. Soon we were sailing at 6+ knots with 2 – 3 metre waves crashing on our beam. We started with the little staysail. “I should reef the main,” says Thomas, as though he might not. “Yes! Yes!” says Elizabeth. We slowly added sail as the winds lightened though the waves and swell didn’t. It was a very fast trip, often 6-7-8 knots. It took 8 hours to do 40+ miles, a record for La Sonrisa. One of our crossing traditions--Thomas getting out the northern charts and putting the southern ones under the forward bunk--was left half-done. No time for pictures till we neared Calvert Island on the other side.

Calvert Island ahead - the waves always look smaller when photographed.

Eventually we sailed into spinnaker wind. And that’s when the humpback whale greeted us, at first with a resounding whack and splash of fin. Then we saw two of them fishing in circles. Such a welcome sight! Here we are in the north with the wonderful wildlife.

Humpback whales in Fitzhugh Sound

Eagle in the rain

One of the gifts of southeast winds, other than blowing us north, is the familiar rainforest rain. Our quiet little anchorage just before Addenbrook Light was as though the winds had never been. So we went fishing.

Rockfish, ling cod and greenling

The next day’s sail was almost as wild, minus the swell, and took us all the way to Codville Lagoon.
..to be continued