Hoping for a day of replenishment, Sunday was a relatively short journey from Echo Bay in the Broughton Islands, westward again to Port McNeill on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.  The channels and bays were a minefield of logs, debris and bull kelp, all of it hazardous to the hull and/or propeller.  It's exhausting to watch constantly.  Tim and I traded places often to keep fresh eyes alert over the deck to the waters ahead.
The great art of travel is the balance between the concentrated work and joy of the adventure and the mundane requirements of maintenance. Think; laundry, re-provisioning, cleaning the boat inside and out.  All completed, I had hoped to have a few hours to rest or blog but we had another potluck on the dock and a salad needed making.  Accomplished!  As much as we love the camaraderie of this interesting group of travelers, the weariness is now closing in with a departure time of 5:00 AM.  That translates to a 4:00AM wakeup, get dressed in smart wool and layers, pull on the XtraTuffs, chug down some caffeine, take down the dew curtains, unplug the power cord, coil, tie and store in the interior lazarette, close the hatches, open the side curtains and prepare to shove off.  Power up the navigation instruments then go below one more time to store the coffee cups and make sure all the cupboards are secure. (Breakfast is later when we are under way).  After we leave the dock, the morning lines are coiled and stored in with the power cords, the fenders are removed and stored in the sail locker and the dingy is double checked for secure lashing.  Phew, now we get underway.
Tonight is our last stay before the big push across 40 miles of open water.  We hope to take on another crew member from the flotilla in the morning, a veteran sailer. We're also hoping for favorable winds for a brisk crossing.  Tim and I are happy to have an extra set of hands to work the sheets (lines that make the sails work). We might not have to tack, we plan on a port beam reach all the way.  But, winds can and do change often,  we'll see.

Allusion at rest

No more posts for a while, we'll be off-grid. Those of you who are tracking via AIS can watch our crossing.
Over and out.