Leaving Octopus Islands, we were met with an exciting experience through Upper Rapids, waving hello to eddies forming as we cruised on through. Becoming increasingly more familiar with the way our vessels handle and their abilities to respond in important maneuverings we celebrated our fleet team members as we all quickly and confidently problem solved any obstacles that came our way, glowing with growth and newfound skill.

Birds’ rode wind gusts like kites, and as we watched these graceful creatures dance along the waves in such an impressive manner, we chatted a bit about their specific superpowers and the ways in which they’ve adapted to thrive in the inclement weathers than can whip through and around these coastal landmasses.

The winds began to pick up the further we made our way north into Johnston Strait and into the waves we cruised. Between taking watches on the waves, we kept our eyes out for wildlife that call these islands home and observed how they all treated the incoming weather as just another walk in the park in their own ways.

Tucking ourselves into Forward Harbour we zipped our raft together and decided with the incoming winds that will continue to pick up we will be calling this anchorage our home for tomorrow’s evening as well. Hunkering down we all made dinner, waved our goodnights, and tucked in.

Waking up to soft winds and dropping tides we said our good mornings to the raft neighbors with warm coffee and all felt excited to cozy up and spend the grey day with our crews. Scouting a nearby trail, the overgrown brush and fallen trees from a winter season kept us from exploring the entire route, so we decided to keep pursuing other tasks to take part in during our day in Forward Harbour.

Around the corner of our anchorage sits an abandoned vessel that our crew abord Deception decided would be fun to explore in the lull of winds. By the name, B.C. Goose, this vessel has been tied up to the adjacent shoreline for at least a year as some of us remember passing by it last May during our last stop at this anchorage. For lack of better words, it was quite the spot to revisit to see just how weathering can wear an unattended vessel.

After our venture around the corner the winds picked back up and we made our way home to the raft, tucked in, and made dinner for our crew. Checking in with our flotilla family, we made sure all was well with their cozy day and updated everyone with our earlier departure time to make it over to Port McNeill by the early afternoon.

The sun peaked through the clouds just as it began to set, sending the surrounding evergreen trees into golden greens that ended our evening sweetly. Other vessels made their way into the bay as we all wound down, dropping anchor, and snuggling in for an evening alongside us. It was nice to know we had a community of boaters safely tucked away and peacefully protected for their evening, offering a restful sleep and soothing environment.