A day of patchy fog and lots of logs along the way in the Strait of Queen Charlotte kept the flotilla cruising in a tight formation. The group has been very lucky with weather so far with only six hours of rain in Kwatsi Bay. We had an early start from Sullivan Bay, under way at 0800. The small pocket of islands in Wells Passage was beautiful with the fog hanging close over-head until we got into the open waters of the Strait.

By 10am the fog had burned off and Vancouver Island’s many snow-capped peaks were brightly lit without a cloud in the sky. The view is always impressive on the north side of the Island as many of the peaks are jagged and wild. Steve and his wife, Jessica, owners of the North Island Marina, met the fleet with glowing smiles and helping hands as the boats saddled up to the docks. It has been one of the warmest welcomes we have experienced since leaving Bellingham, WA. Captain Brian has frequented Port McNeill every season and there are few strangers here not the docks that do not recognize the Mother Goose flotilla.

A great benefit of Island Marina is how Steve has engineered the fuel lines to offer easy access to everyone, regardless of where their slip is. No hassling at the fuel dock here! After 10 day of cruising, Port McNeill is a great opportunity to re-provision for the second half of the cruise to Ketchikan, AK. The town has a large grocery store within 5 minutes’ walk, a few restaurants, a pub, and a small chandlery. It seems like a big city compared to the remote cruising we’ve had thus far!