Around 60 miles south of the Hakai Institute, you'll find Port Hardy, but not without crossing over Queen Charlotte Sound. This sound is really dangerous for the average sailor—pick the wrong weather window, and it will be hell. I mean, it's pretty obvious: the whole North Pacific Ocean funnels into a shallow 60nm fjord. We are not the average sailors, as most of you have realized by now.
We had good enough weather to tuck into a bay—unfortunately, it was full of logs that kept us awake. Still, that's better than crocodiles. As I was rounding Cape Caution (it's called that for a reason), I quickly learned why. The area is really shallow, and the waves that form, even in just 15 knots of SE wind, are no fun. With 30 knots, you'd be flung ashore way quicker than you'd think.
Once we arrived in Port Hardy, we got some much-needed rest. We were finally on Vancouver Island, which meant we were getting closer to Maple Bay, where our friends live and are waiting for us. After fueling up again, we were ready to continue our journey.
We found Port Hardy quite unimpressive. With around 4,000 inhabitants in the winter, the number of homeless people stood out—it’s something we’d never seen in small Canadian towns before, and it was quite unfortunate. Mind you, these were the locals. Yes, it was New Year’s, but for a small town like this, the situation was still surprising.
Nonetheless, the walks were enjoyable, and we managed to get everything we needed from the Supermarkets. I definitely won’t miss Alaskan food—compared to Canada, the food in Alaska is so bad.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little blog.
Until next time,
Paul
