Johnstone Strait, Queen Charlotte Strait and a Fresh Sail

Morning in Johnstone Strait and a foreboding sky.

A big day today, so up at 4 am for a first light departure. Our goal was to catch the ebbing tide in Johnstone Strait for a nice boost in speed, then cross Queen Charlotte Strait to the northern shore and anchor in Blunden Harbor, setting up for rounding Cape Caution the following day. When you listen to the weather forecast during summer cruising, there is always a gale warning for Johnstone strait, a long narrow channel running nearly East-West. One always thinks of running it with trepidation.

Today was a misty, calm day with current in our favor pushing us to 14 knots of speed over the ground (twice as fast as Dog Star can travel through the water). After exiting Johnstone Strait through Blackney Passage and into Blackfish Sound (Orcas are also known as Blackfish), the weather became rather sporty.

Wind was forecast 15-25 knots and seas 3 feet, uncomfortable but safe, so the flotilla decided to push on to Blunden Harbor as the weather tomorrow looked excellent for rounding Cape Caution. We rolled out the trusty Code 0 and sailed downwind across the strait. The wind was actually 20-25 and the swells 3-4 feet. Dog Star kept her feet under her and surfed down the waves surging to 10 knots of boat speed.

Exhilarated and exhausted, we pulled into Blunden Harbor, the site of an active indigenous community until the mid-1950’s.