BEER PROBLEM

After a perfect night in Dixie Cove I am now fully rested and happy with life again.  Dixie Cove is a good anchorage and recommended, I pulled up globs of black smelly mud on the anchor, lovely.

The weather forecast was a gale warning again.  The Canadian weather forecasters seem to call it higher than it is – just in case?  Anyway, the wind was perfect 20 knots and we made easy progress south down the coast, outside the reefs, to our next stop in Queen Cove.

On the chart I notice a Cook Channel, Cape Cook and Clerke Point.  Clerke was a Masters Mate on Cooks second voyage.  There is also a Bligh Island here as well.  It seems that the ship’s crew are used as names for navigational points and landmarks.  I wonder if it was done by Vancouver, he was only a boy when he sailed with Cook but later sailed extensively on this coast.

The weather is getting warmer, we dropped below fifty degrees north this afternoon.  In fact, it was hot and the air was warm this afternoon.  This leads to a problem – the beer is getting warm.  Or at least not chilled like it should be.  So far this trip the weather (and sea) has been cool enough to keep the beer conditioned at a reasonable temperature.  Truce has no fridge on board, just an ice box.  I may have to invest in a twelve volt cooler box, it’s just too uncivilised to have warm beer on board.

This evening I am anchored in Queen Cove off Esperanza Inlet.  Truce has been here before but it’s my first time.  Queen Cove used to be a thriving Indian village but now is just empty houses and a church, trees are growing up through the church roof.

So far Vancouver Island is exceeding my expectations, apart from a horrid night in Columbia Cove the weather, scenery and sailing has been great.  I am enjoying this part of the voyage and am happy I chose to come this way rather than down Johnstone Strait.  Total voyage distance 845.8 miles.