Pacific NW

Expeditions

Today marks a major turning point in the voyage. Crossing the international maritime boundry back into upper British Columbia, “Silent Partner” bid farewell to Alaskan waters. She is ready to make her fourth trip down the B.C. coast. Morningtime found us in a thick fog, making it impossible to see even the shoreline of our anchorage 100 feet away. However, we had a long day ahead of us sailing down the middle of Dixon Entrance, and we prepared for sea. One last time we broke the anchor out of Alaskan mud and hauled it aboard and steamed from the foggy archipelago of the Barrier Islands. For several hours visibility was zero. Strange shapes of blurred logs, kelp, birds, and nearby islands loomed past and then vaporized into the thick billows of fog. We proceeded out to sea issuing “securite” broadcasts on the radio and blowing our fog horn every two minutes. Once in the Dixon Entrance the sun began to break through, creating “fogbows” and revealing a cloudless blue sky above. Several humpback whales were far out in the entrance, feeding. The fog finally cleared and afforded us one last look at the magnificent shores of Alaska before it faded into obscurity with haze and increasing distance. I have seen the most amazing natural wonders here in Alaska, far beyond anything I could ever have imagined. Already even my own memories of the place seem legendary to me–some instances have been so spectacular and beyond the description of words that I can scarecly believe what I saw! But all those images are permanently etched in my mind, and I will never forget them. I will return. I had many mixed feelings as we sailed into British Columbia. First and foremost was the exhilration at having safely navigated the coast of Alaska all the way to Homer. I am also beginning to ask myself why am I heading back down to all the madness and pandemonium of Puget Sound? This morning all we could hear were the echoes of chattering eagles, the splash of salmon, and the soft sounds of rushing water from the sea surge. And despite the pure remoteness of the place, we have met so many incredible people with whom we share common bonds with, just because we’re there. Everybody has adventures to share. We celebrated our crossing the line with a few cans of Canada Dry ginger ale. I became morose upon leaving incredible Alaska, although I can’t complain about the coast of B.C. Dixon Entrance treated us well today. We sailed right down the middle of it, losing all sight of land for several hours. Towering cumulus clouds built up over all the continental landmasses. It was remarkable to see the shapes of the shorelines mimicked by the clouds, but not the land itself. In the evening we caught a perfect tide into Venn Passage. All the mountains of the B.C. mainland coast turned a deep purple in the sunset. I cleared customs by telephone ( a long way to go for a phone call!) and we marched up to the bar and had victory margaritas.