Georgiy Shestayev

Left Campbell River and almost immediately saw a whole pod of orcas going up the channel and playing. A baby orca was filmed to jump out of the water. after that followed the least eventful part of the whole journey - there was no wind, so we had to motor down all the way to Comox. Saw a haze all around - from wildfires smoke. Tried fishing again with no luck. Another big group of fishing vessels near Comox. Passed Comox Bar by just leaving both red buoys on the starboard side. Stopped at a fuel dock to refuel and then docker at the Comox Valley Marina. At this point warm good byes were said and me and Alex left to rent a car one way Comox to Victoria. Alex dropped me at Nanaimo Departure Bay ferry terminal and continued his journey, I took a 6.30pm ferry and went home.

Left Heriot Bay towards Georgia Strait. Good NW wind. A lot of fishing vessels around Wilby Shoals, so we put up a fishing rod, but with no luck. Passed the area and then turned to go up the channel towards Campbell River. With strong NW wind from up the channel, close haul and a 3-knot ebb we were making 7-knots towards our destination and arrived in no time, docked at Discovery Harbour Marina. Watched FIFA final game, happy that Spain won (I was rooting against Argentina, so it works) and then went for the first shower in a few days. Shower requires a card tap, which gives 15 minutes, second tap can give an extra 7. It was more than enough. Went on a walk in town, but everything is closed on Sunday. Later Johnny has arrived on board, who is our skipper wife's cousin. Went for a dinner at Riptide pub. This night I slept in cockpit which was actually a very nice experience - wider than a birth and fresh air.

Beautiful sunny morning with little wind, we motored all the way to Surge Narrows and passed it around slack time through Beasley Passage. Easy way through as opposed to the other way - gotta watch for current pulling boats onto the Tusko Rock. Had light wind from the back going down the Hoskyn Channel. Got cell connection back there. For some reason Sail Ties closed and didn't track our path, so I had to put a simplified one. Saw a bunch of Humpback whales all around us - magnificent! A motor boat loaded with kayaks to the brim was passing by when a kayak fell from it's roof - luckily they noticed it and turned around to pick it up. Listener to a radio call from a boat called No Worries taking water and being assisted by a boat named Kamikaze. Docked at Heriot Bay to get fuel, fresh water and groceries, and then went to anchorage. A LOT of logs in the area. Reinforced a cracked dinghy seat. Watched a third place FIFA game between England and France which was absolutely insane.

Left Handfield Bay in the morning, had to sail close haul to get to the channel and then all the way to Chatham Point. After that the wind changed to NW funneling down the Johnston Strait and we headed down it on broad reach with the winds reaching up to 25 knots. When we entered Okisollo channel wind died out and soon we had to motor. Saw some fish farms there. Arrived to Lower Rapids around slack and went through it no problems. More eddies. Went through Upper Rapids as close to the northern side as possible to stay away from Bentley Rock. After that we went to the Octopus Islands Marine Park and anchored there for the next two nights with a stern tie. Next day it was very rainy, but we managed to go on a hike to Small Inlet. Also tried to catch crabs in Waiatt Bay with no luck - only a small one that fell out of the cage as soon as we pulled it out. However, later we through a trap of the bow of the boat and in 3-4 hours we had three nice crabs for dinner. Not sure the type - red ones. Boiled in 1 part sea water and 2 parts fresh for 10-12 minutes, made garlic butter and it was delicious! In the evening I followed Alex's (another crew member) example and took a dinghy out paddling around the area and enjoying the views.

Had to calculate time to leave Port Neville as the entrance gets pretty shallow. Moderate NW wind down the channel throughout the day. Started experiencing first eddies near Helmcken Island. The wind died out when we reached Nodales channel, and we motored into Handfield Bay. No cell connection (Koodo) around there. Saw a single dolphin at the entrance. As soon as we entered the bay, an explosion happened in the mountains above - maybe building logging road, because otherwise it's unclear what can it be. Anchored, then me and Alex went for a swim. The water was pretty chilly and refreshing.

I have arrived to Port McNeill a day earlier - took Islandlink bus to get there - pretty convenient, can't imagine what people did before it existed. The boat - Tayana 45 was docked at North Island Marina, I met Neil (skipper) and Alex (another crew member). in the morning before departure I went to take a shower. It requires coins - looneys and tooneys - to use it, so I got myself 6 minutes, which is doable. Left Port McNeill with no wind, and motored for about three hours. Then NW wind started funneling down the channel and we raised the sails to run wing on wing. Saw a few orcas at Robson Bight ecological reserve. Got passed by two cruise ships - tried to radio them to coordinate things, but they never responded and just went around us. In the evening the wind was over 20 knots and we were making good progress. Anchored near Port Neville under strong southerly wind.