Bunsby Islands, Checleset Bay

06:00 yesterday leaving North Harbour in Quatsino Sound. This has been the best anchorage so far on the west coast. Not because of the scenery, but because the anchor came up without all the grass and gunk of the last two anchorages. The goal yesterday was to round Cape Cook and Brooks Peninsula. This is one of those places that is notorious for rough seas. We both applied scopolamine patches the evening before to ward off any sea sickness. It's a long day so we take turns in the cockpit. The sky has some high fog, but plenty of visibility. There are some small recreational fishing boats heading out, but little other traffic. As we round the peninsula I interrupt Brad's break with a whale sighting off the starboard side. We think there may have been three. The main sail and genoa are out to help stabilize the side to side motion of the boat. Once in Checleset Bay, the wind calms a bit and we head for the Bunsby Islands group. We enter Gay Passage on the heels of another sailboat that is coming from Columbia Cove. They take the first bay on the port side where there are already three other sail boats. We continue just a little further and take the cove on the starboard side which is empty. The anchor sets well at 12:30. The wind changes direction not long after we arrive and has kept up in the same spot with the bow pointed toward shore. We deploy the dinghy and take a ride in and around the group of islands. Last nights dinner is Chicken ala Orange with rice. Yesterday's stats: Sea temp 55.7, engine hours 6.6, nautical miles 42.9, total trip miles 646.1, watermaker 5 hours, GPS coordinates 50.05.924N / 127.31.561W.

We have decide to stay put for another day. The sky is blue with a few clouds. Brad takes the dinghy out to fish. He catches a sea bass and a respectable ling cod which he lets go. While Brad is fishing, I make brownies and then start on a crocheting project that I have taken on every vacation for the last two years. Brad cleaned the watermaker filters today and gave me instructions on how to change the fuel filter on the engine. There is a lot more wind today. The most we witnessed on the gauge was 18 knots. It is after sunset and we are still getting gusts of 10 knots. Just before sunset the wind was calm enough to take the dinghy out past the reefs before we put it away in anticipation of moving down the coast in the morning. Brad cooked hamburgers on the grill and I made a Tuscan pasta salad for dinner. This is day 24 and we have taken over 700 pictures.

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