2010 Trip 4 - Pacific Swift

Our hot springs experience last night was delightful and all slept
well in their bunks after a good long soak. We tore ourselves away from
Hot Springs Cove this morning at 0700 and headed out in search of the NW
wind to speed us on our final big leg south.  The skies were clearing to
the north, a good sign that the wind was pushing it´s way down from Cape
Scott. Second sitting of breakfast was delayed as we were distracted by
repeatedly breaching humpbacks close off the port side. The humpbacks
were nearby all day and we figure we must have seen 20 or more
throughout the day in various levels of frolicking and play. An hour or
so out we picked up the slowly building breeze and spread courses and
squaretop under the first blue sky in two days. It was an excellent sail
as we averaged about 8 knots all day. Everyone was in excellent spirits
to be under sail and surfing down the swells towards Barkley Sound.
There was a lot of great music and crafts about the deck as we happily
scudded along. We sailed right up to our anchorage in Island Harbour,
nestled in the heart of the Broken Islands. It was thrilling to fly
through the heart of the island group watching the tenacious trees, hung
with moss, speed past. Tonight we will enjoy a delicious roast beef
dinner with all the requisite trimmings, prepared wonderfully by the
cooks in their rolling galley. This evening is "ship Sunday" and we will
have a simple service surrounded by the cluster of islands that we will
call home for the night.