Heading to Nanaimo

Sue and Robin crossed the Straits of Georgia this morning, their last major open water crossing.

Yesterday they got up at first light at 3:30 and put in another very long 12 hour day, rowing down from the southern tip of Cortes Island to reach Gilles Bay on the west shore of Texada Island. I asked her if they had done any 30 mile days, and Sue said, Oh Ya!, like it happened all the time.

Robin's boat, Barbara Goss apparently sustained her first damage of the trip last night while anchored in Gilles Bay. They didn't discover it until they finished the crossing into Parksville, just north of Nanaimo and saw that the area under the stern Row Wing unit was showing cracks through the paint.

When they got up this morning they found Barbara completely filled with water and seaweed. They didn't see or hear anything last night but speculate that a rouge wave swamped their boat while at anchor and then she must have taken a hard bounce on some rocks. The bottom doesn't appear to look damaged, and after consulting with several folks, all agree that it's more cosmetic, and not structural. Sue told me that twice on this trip, their off shore anchoring system has fouled while off shore and that they were forced to don their wet suits and swim out to unsnarl the lines to be able to bring Barbara in to load up.

So tonight, they'll find a motel in Nanaimo and then tomorrow passage through Northumberland Channel and Dodd Narrows and head down through the Gulf Islands. Another fabulous rowing paddling area. And as a bonus, the Gulf Islands offers good camping spots and no bears.

I would imagine they will be making a course straight through the Gulf Island and San Juan's for Anacortes. They are still shooting for Saturday.