FROM AMA LOG: Sunday, 8/20/17 Murray Labyrinth WEATHER: Foggy morning, light winds. Mostly sunny and temp. about 72˚ There isn’t a more perfect place to wait that than in the Murray Labyrinth. It’s stunningly beautiful, the kind of place that is featured on covers for Travel British Columbia website and Canadian sportsman magazines! At least 2 other boats slip into the Labyrinth the back way and we congratulate ourselves on our smart anchoring after all. Meanwhile back on Ama that is starting to look like a repair shop and while waiting for paint to dry (actually JB Weld), what could be better than going fishing? Peter merely drops his line overboard, letting his banana sinker hit bottom, and he snags a grand halibut. From that moment on, we no longer felt sorry for ourselves. The fish ... read more

FROM AMA LOG: Thursday, 8/17/17 Port McNeil WEATHER: Mostly clear, sunny day, light winds, temp. about 75˙ PILOTAGE: Another no travel day in lovely Port McNeil. We fill our day, walking the town (BB) and finishing repairs (PW). While we are still waiting for the inverter to arrive, we enjoy tourist activities here and get to know our neighboring sailors on the docks. Peter has just about perfected his elevator pitch about the Inside Passage Decarbonization Project (IDPD). Thankfully, people are interested! Lots of good questions and shared stories about what they are already doing. Solar panels are commonplace in the boating community but now we are hearing of all kinds of other ideas. We’ve seen high tech wind generators on the fancier boats. Boaters are rigging heat exchangers, engine generated water heaters (like on Ama) ... read more

FROM AMA LOG: Tuesday, 8/15/17 Port McNeil WEATHER: Cloudy & warm. Light winds and partial sun, temp 78˙ PILOTAGE: It’s a no travel day for Ama and crew as we spend the morning provisioning (BB) and diagnosing electrical problems (PW). It’s a beautiful day in Port McNeil though. I start the day by circumnavigating the south end of town, walking up the large hill overlooking the harbor and offering views down the Strait that we motored through the day before. The ripe smell of berries stands out on this cool clear morning. The only other travelers on the roads this early are bulky black ravens spread out like a search party, equidistant from each other, examining scraps, shiny things and tasty dead tidbits squashed flat on the roadways. It doesn’t really take long to get enough ... read more

FROM AMA LOG: Sunday, 8/13/17 DEPART: Thurston Harbor @ 0735 ARRIVE: Forward Harbor @ 1130 NM: WEATHER: Calm, clear skies with no smoke! PILOTAGE: We leisurely cruised from Thurston Harbor after picking up our empty, sigh, crab pot right by Shoal Bay, spying boats at least 3 deep rafted up to the docks there. The drizzly rain kept up a few hours but cleared by the time we peeked out on the Johnston Strait while skirting by it going up Chancellor Channel. We made it to Whirlpool Rapids a half hour before slack and slipped right through and into Forward Harbor. Peter immediately jumped on maintenance duties after cruising the harbor and anchoring safely. Sealing up cracks and corners was not what he had in mind for a freshly renovated “new” boat. It seems that Ama ... read more

FROM AMA LOG Friday, 8/11/17 DEPART: Henry Bay @ 0545 ARRIVE: Squirrel Cove @ 1110 NM: 32 WEATHER: Clear and calm early morning departure. Sky is light blue and hazy sky (from smoke) obscures some heat from the hot summer sun. We enjoyed light winds in the am and increasing to 10 -12 knots while crossing the Georgia Strait. PILOTAGE: Early risers got us underway by 0545 (5:45am) making us the first boat to leave Henry Bay. Having said our goodbyes the night before, we slipped away quietly and were just past the bar into the Georgia Strait before we were hailed by Silhouette to say one last farewell and we’ll see ya’ in Nanaimo on our return. A short day cruising across the Strait with jib and mizzen sails up for steadying and an extra ... read more