Smoke rose skyward following the rib-rattling concussion of the explosion. This explained the stern orders from the Canadian navy.
A half hour later the wind had picked up considerably in our favor. The sun had come out to make the waves an electric blue as we began to pass the obvious civilization of the largest city on the island. Adam was to come out to take pictures with media folks. For a moment he came on board and I was happy to have him back on board. It was comfortably cozy with five people. It did not seem quite right to finish without him. He left and we headed north to Sydney to contemplate the circumnavigation.
Our unfamiliarity with the water encouraged us to tie up for the night and at daybreak we began the last forty miles. The day was long and uneventful with an incredible sunset. Freighters and tugs lined up to enter Vancouver and Greg and I made our way across the Strait of Georgia, through the shipping lane and into a pleasant night.
Unfortunately we made it a bit to far into the Frasier River and changed shifts leaving Rick and Markus to dodge a tugboat and a sea wall. It was not good, and quite a novice move on both mine & Greg’s part. It was a good reminder that you are not done with your trip until the boat is tied up to the dock – a lesson one of our mentors and navigators has taught us many a time. Sometimes it takes a near miss to hammer this home.
The grey came back and the tide rode against us, causing us to inch into the harbor at a snail’s pace. Out of the harbor and moving faster than us was a phenomenon I had seen no place but the desert or the middle of the ocean, certainly not in the Pacific Northwest. A small rain storm, thick with water meandering on its own volition. It looked like it was heading toward us until it seemed to lose interest and soak a cruise ship coming into harbor. We inched along, rounding and rounding until the end of our trip in the form of a pier came into sight.
Twenty days around the island, and only 12 of those rowing. It’s a big island, and I felt like we only got a taste of it. We could take 20 days on any 1/4 of the island and I might feel the same way. Ill be back… maybe in a smaller boat.