In the Wake of COVID-19

Hello everyone!

We're feeling much better. We both tested negative several days ago and, according to CDC guidelines, have been noncontagious for about as long. We even went on a hike recently, and while it wasn't graceful or pretty, we made it back to the boat in one piece. We're so thankful we--and those close to us--were fully vaccinated. After speaking with others who barely survived early COVID variants before this protection was available, we appreciate how good we had it.

Still, we don't want to sugar-coat it. Getting covid still sucks. Weeks later, Dave still has a cough, and I'm still fatigued. The mental fog and ability to retrieve words are...bad. We're not out of the woods yet. Bottom line: COVID: 0/5 stars; would not recommend.

The sailing, however, has been fantastic. Strong winds, very little motoring--we suppose that's the benefit of experiencing winter in May! The climate change aspect of this weather is a bummer though.

But now that we're at Port Hardy, the sun's come out. We don't want to jinx it, but perhaps spring has arrived? We opened our vacuum bag of t-shirts today, so we're cautiously hopeful.

Weather forecasting is always difficult in the straits. Windy and PredictWind models seem to underestimate the wind while Environment Canada seems to overestimate. We've found that by averaging the lows and highs, we generally get it right. The only source to consistently forecast the correct wind direction though is Environment Canada. We're eager to get back to the West Coast where twists and turns of land won't confuse the data.

As for timing the rapids in the area, we rely on Ports and Passes. We've found they are much more accurate in real-time than Navionics, and we're too ~~lazy~~ busy to use an almanac and do the math.

We're heading to Bull Harbour on Hope Island tomorrow and will round Cape Scott from there. Things are good.

Since our last post didn't include a map or pictures, we'll add both here:

Southbound from Lund

Leh Xwa men / Van Anda on
Si' yi yen / Texada Island

Van Anda Museum: well-laid out, informative center next to the elementary school. The exhibit focused primarily on early European settlements and mining history. They just added an archivist from the island's Tla'amin community so we're eager to visit again in the future.

Early pioneer education on Texada

The layout of the town is straightforward in Van Anda. Also, huge posters of squirrels are always a good sign. We met the nicest people here.

I met a friendly cat on Texada. I was happy.

Hiking around Turtle and Priest Lakes, Texada

ʔayajuθəm/ Hardy Island

Jervis Inlet, looking longingly toward Princess Louis. We didn't make it up this year, but if you're interested in the area, feel free to check out an earlier trip there.

A little unnamed anchorage in Jervis Inlet at N 49° 49.245', W 123° 57.333'. We found this little spot on an earlier trip and discovered it was safe in both the morning southerlies up the inlet and the evening northerlies. There's enough swing radius for one boat in about 35-45 ft. of depth just west of Dark Cove (Goliath Bay) in a little nook behind an unnamed island (pictured). So far, it's the closest all-weather anchorage we've found to Princess Louisa Inlet.

"Inner Sea," the inlet between Skookumchuck Narrows and the town of Sechelt. Unlike other narrows of the Inside Passage, Skookumchuck never actually slacks. Instead, timing the crossing to the minute of the slowest current is essential.

Narrows Inlet (Tzoonie)

Storm Bay, just at the head of Narrows Inlet
Last year, the winds were blowing 20+ knots in the main inlet and we didn't feel any of it.
Highly recommended.

Salmon Inlet

Porpoise Bay, Sechelt
We spent a week here: running errands, doing boat work, seeing family, and helping set up the wedding.
The view from our commute was not bad at all.

New camouflaged friends in Sechelt Marsh

Finally going to a laundromat; excited to smell clean!
(It's still too cold to wash and hang dry clothes onboard.)

This guy :)

Our nieces 💖💖
(Photo by Tom O'Hern)

Congratulations, Cailin and Anthony! 💗

Pre-ceremony pep talk
(Photo by Tom O'Hern)

------Insert 9 Day COVID Quarantine Here------

After our quarantine, we felt good enough to leave. These weren't the easiest conditions to sail in with COVID, but Dave (and our Monitor Windvane, Sammy) handled them like a champ.

Heading into Yip'i'kwu ("Break Ice" in Lik'wala) / Gorge Harbour in GORGEous conditions
(see what I did there?)

Guy'yoot / Octopus Islands

Good winds in Johnstone Strait

According to locals, Johnstone Strait's full name is "Johnstone Strait Strong Wind Warning in Effect" because it's rarely mentioned without the wind warning on VHF weather reports.

The historic store in Port Neville

Settler Hans Hansen stopped here in his small sloop in 1891, acquired land, and created the north coast's first post office in 1895. The post office served as the hub for residents in the area. With increased popularity, Hans and his family founded a store on the first floor of their log home in 1925 (see above). After over 20 years of rowing out to collect supplies and mail from the barge year-round, they built a wharf in 1927. A fuel station followed. His daughter, Karen, and later his granddaughter, Lorna, ran the store. This homestead was the happening place for boaters in the 1930s through 1950s. For reasons unknown, the store closed in 1960, and Lorna and her daughter Erica continued to run the post office until they moved away in 2010. Now the building sits empty.

Looking inside the windows is like looking in a time capsule. Everything is preserved as it was. It's fascinating.

Even the wharf was empty

Windy and both PWE and PWG models on Predictwind called for no wind today. While I appreciate the wind, predictability would be nice too. This is why boaters drink.

Yalis / Alert Bay on McDonald Island
Yalis means "spreading out on the beach" in Kwakwaka’wakw.
Don't worry, we stayed anchored in Growler Cove and Pearse Islands until we were 100% sure we were no longer contagious. Still, we went beyond all CDC guidelines and double-masked indoors.

Alert Bay is a central home to the 'Namgis

Original net loft in Alert Bay

An awakwa structure
The 'Namgis built awakwas along the boardwalk to honor each 'Namgis 'na'mima (clan).
This one honors the T'lat'la'lamin group which descended from the brother of the Thunderbird.

The former site of the St. Michael's Indian Reservation School, 1929-1975
Like the residential schools in the US, these schools were built to "beat the savage out" of their students. These buildings housed cultural shame, child labor, child abuse, and even murder.
In 2015, the community demolished it and cleansed the land. An orange shirt now stands as a tribute to the children harmed and killed in these institutions.

The U'mista Cultural Centre

Potlatches were essential to the 'Namgis way of life, culture, and community. To eradicate First Nations cultures, the government passed The Indian Act of 1884 which criminalized potlatches. The people of Yalis bravely opposed this law but brought celebrations underground. In 1921, Indian agents arrested community members, seized all masks and other potlatch paraphernalia, and sold all items to museums and rich white collectors. You can read more about potlatches and their place in Yalis history here.

Since the 1960s, community members have worked tirelessly to recover the items of their people. They found success recent decades, but they're still fighting for a full return. The U'mista Cultural Centre houses this remarkable collection. U'mista means "returning home" in Kwakwaka’wakw.

The Memorial Grounds in Yalis. Out of respect, visitors should only view the grounds from the sidewalks and not walk near memorial poles or tombstones.

It takes a village to fight COVID!
Heck ya it does!

We left this island with more questions than we started with.

Early settlers S.A. Spencer and Wesley Huson built a salmon saltery on the island. While this industry created many jobs and helped develop a larger fishing culture in the area, it devasted the local forest. They dammed the river and piped all water to the packing house. According to the Village of Alert Bay Council, "The high water levels behind the makeshift dams drowned many trees, leaving a forest of dead standing wood. Wildfires raged through, leaving only the skeletons of the biggest trees. The roots of the charred carcasses of spruce, hemlock, and fir soon rotted out. Only the durable red cedars resisted decay. Their bleached trunks still stand, 150 years after they died, creating an eerie scene that became known as 'Gator Gardens.' It was renamed in 1998 the Alert Bay Ecological Park."