Expeditioning to Race

As naturalists addicted to the wilderness world,

paddling loaded boats around rugged islands

is definitely our most fun form of cross-training for races.

At times however, the cost of a personal trainer
and warmth of an inside gym may seem a better deal
than the cost of another life lessson brutally learned
 from Mother Nature....

On our first day up in Johnstone we made a few crucial mistakes

 leading to just such a lesson.  After a near sleepless night driving to

get to our planned launch site of Alert Bay, then hours of dealing

with the logistics of unloading & loading
the over-loaded boats (*we eat well! :) 

Spaced out from sleep deprivation

mixed with adreline and deceived by the
 flat calm waters the morning we arrive,
we forget to listen to the updated marine forecast on our VHF. 

We also launch uber late in the day for prevailing-wind-country,
unintentionally allowing gale winds to pick up while we were
in the middle of the biggest, most exposed crossing of the trip-

Blackfish Sound with merciless, funneling gusts coming down Queen Charlotte Strait...

And so within the first two hours on the water, we found ourselves getting our ***es kicked by 6 foot beam seas in extremely loaded boats. At the end of the nasty crossing an island reef was visible in our original route plan- but we could see it was kicking up some enormously mean looking refracting waves!

With me desparate to avoid a spinal fusion-beatin' from the seas,

 we decided to abort our original plan and turn to ride
out the steep swells for miles until we could find a tiny beach to
 haul out on next to an abandoned lodge.

(Unknowingly setting our top speed for the trip surfing the steep swells at 13.2 mph!)

We squatter camped on the outside deck in between two ol' lodges,

spoiled with constant, multi-species whale passings-

a humpback,
 then an orca, then a minke,

then a humpback, then orcas for hours well into the beautiful sunset

colors....Stimulus overload just on the first day!...
Needless to say the rest of the trip

was just as amazing...
  ~  ~  ~

Overall, the prevailing winds hit early this year and
threw gales at us about every third day.

Still, we journeyed well,

 did three 20~25 mile days,

 a few 10~15 milers,
and sat parked on a tiny rock of an island the last few nights
not paddling much, just enjoying 'Orca-smic' days

camped across from the Robson Bight Orca sanctuary.

We had the intense pleasure of meeting a few local legends,
including one of the world's leading whale research scientists,

Paul Spong, who gave us a tour of his research center, the Orca Lab.

~  ~  ~
As well as a 75 year old lifetime local

 Billy Proctor of Echo Bay,

who shared some unreal stories from his younger years....

While the Alert Bay race truly was the
 ultimate grande finale of the trip.

We already can't wait to return.