August 18-19 -- Storm Shelter in Shearwater

We catch up with Grahame and Shirley in Shearwater, shout greetings across the water, and part company once again as they forge ahead and we tie up at the dock to wait out another predicted big blow. We are lucky to have arrived early because the docks are full by afternoon in anticipation of very strong winds. Shearwater, mainly a fishing resort, has a nice restaurant, a good laundromat and grocery store, marine supplies, fuel and propane, and wireless internet. We will make good use of the time tomorrow, while we wait for weather. Today we relax and visit on the dock, then treat ourselves to a steak dinner at the restaurant.

Tuesday morning dawns clear and calm, but the weather reports still call for storm force winds and we stay hunkered down. We are invited to a “Bring on the Storm” party on Oso Blanco, a gorgeous Nordhaven yacht, but except for a light breeze and some rain, we still don’t feel the storm. It is reportedly blowing hard out in the open, though, so we are glad to be here. At the party we meet lots of nice folks who cruise in big motor yachts from points south to spend the summer months in Alaska every year, despite the weather, which they tell us has been unusually cold and wet this year. We are definitely novices in this cruising community. Cliff spends an hour inspecting Osso Blanco's immaculate and enormous engine room with the owner. This yacht, built with capacity to cross oceans, uses only 8 gallons of fuel per hour. Another captain in the group says that his yacht burns 20 gallons per hour at cruising speed! We are out of our element here!

Late in the day a small sailboat rafts alongside our boat. (Yipee – we’re no longer the only small boat at the dock!) It turns out to be the young fellow from Bella Coola we met way back at Eucott Hot Springs who took our picture for his charterboat brochure (http://www.sailbellacoola.com/).