Today was our longest open water crossing on this leg.  We had about 70 miles to cover across Queen Charlotte Sound to Port McNeill.  This crossing can be daunting for small vessels.  The sound is open ocean but still influenced by the many channels that empty into it.  This means that you get both ocean swell and tidal currents and rips, and on a windy day that combination isn’t very fun.

Luckily for us, the day turned out to be extremely calm.  With barely any wind, we had a very smooth crossing.  We still got rocked a bit by the swell, but really couldn’t have asked for better weather.  We started our day early to avoid the wind and were underway by 6am.

By early afternoon we were settled into the friendly North Island Harbor in Port McNeill.  This is where Alyson and the girls are departing.  It has been a lot of fun having them along and we will miss them!  Everyone headed out to stretch their legs and explore the town.  We refueled the boats and took advantage of the sunny afternoon to give them a wash as well.  The recent forest fires in BC had left streaks of soot on the boats.

Once our chores were done, we settled in for the night.  Most crews took advantage of the local restaurants and went out to eat for the night.  The Inception crew took Deception out to dinner this evening at Gus’s Pub.  This is Tracy’s last night as well and we hate to see her go!   Her motto is to always say “yes” to every opportunity, and she has been an enthusiastic and fun guest to have along.