We were up at 5:30 a.m. to listen the weather. Bill called on the VHF radio at 5:45 a.m. and it was a go, in part because the seas at West Sea Otter Buoy were one metre and the winds there were from the south and less than 15 knots. At 6:30 a.m. we pulled our anchor and soon after we were on our way. As we left Blunden Harbour, the other boats remained dark and at anchor, hmmm. Visibility was poor. Almost zero, actually. We relied on our radar and monitored two VHF radio stations, one for local commercial traffic and the other for emergency broadcasts. We were nervous and a bit tired, drinking our first cups of coffee and eating breakfast as we drove.
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| Our route is plotted and coffee cups filled |
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| View from the helm, not much to see... |
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| Out the side door of the pilothouse, I can see hundreds of Marbled Murrelets but nothing else |
For the first two hours it was ok and then the water changed and we were in the “rollers”. The swells today were about 3 feet – which is the maximum in which we would want to travel. We did not take Gravol because we didn’t want to be more tired than we are. On the way home, we will take Gravol. Neither of us was overcome with seasickness but we were both feeling pretty bad at times. At one point, even Blue demanded to be put up on the watch berth (sofa). Rob went down to check the engine every two hours and in these swells, that is a punishing task. Plotting waypoints on the charts or writing in the logbook was also brutal. I did not want to go downstairs unless I had to and so when we really needed lunch (in part to fend off our nausea), I made two of the fastest peanut butter sandwiches ever assembled, grabbed two apples and ran back up to the pilothouse. Luckily we are interchangeable at the helm and this allowed us to take turns grabbing quick naps on the watch berth with Blue. For me, these naps were a tremendous antidote to my seasickness. In the distance, we could see remote shore where I thought I could see white structures or boats. However, on close inspection with my binoculars, I realized that the white structures were actually waves crashing onto the shoreline. Bill later told us that this was the best weather day he has ever had while rounding Cape Caution; I would not like to see it worse than this.
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| Eileen took this picture of our boat during a period of relative calm |
By the time we had anchored and stern-tied and let down our dinghy at a place Eileen has named “Perfection Cove”, it was about 3:30 p.m. We are now in Rivers Inlet, a renowned fishing destination and Perfection Cove is another of Eileen and Bill’s secret anchorages. Unreported in any of the guide books, its approach is somewhat treacherous as in many spots it is either very shallow or guarded by rocks. Bill drove around in his dinghy and used his sounder to ensure we would not run aground when we came in. Secured at anchor, we were truly exhausted and headed in for a nap. Later we were able to savour today’s success, first with a glass of champagne and then out for dinner by dinghy, to a nearby fishing lodge. At this fishing lodge, Rob and Bill chatted up guests for tips on where the fish are biting. On the way home from dinner, the indefatigable Bill made a detour to Goose Bay to drop a crab trap. We went straight home. We are both still feeling a little queasy but it has been a momentous day.
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