Tuesday 31st July 2012 (Day 19)
11am
Sunshine .... although weak - but better than rainclouds! Land in sight on my AIS screen! .... Nootka Sound to Barkley Sound, on the west coast of Vancouver Island... great scenery.... quiet, anchorages.... I've sailed in both, on way S from Alaska in 2006.
Just over 120 miles to Tatoosh Island and Cape Flattery LH (that's the photo at the head of my website Home page!), 180 miles to Victoria and landfall...
I'm definitely feeling quite excited - need to string together those code flags and courtesy flags if I'm to hoist them in celebration tomorrow!
6pm
60 ml from Vancouver Island (Ucluelet Inlet), 77 ml from Tatoosh Island and Cape Flattery LH - they should be quite close by dawn tomorrow!
About to top up fuel tank a little , not that I think there's a problem - but I'd hate to be proved wrong!
Gentle motor-sailing all day with W-WNW wind mostly 9-11kt. Apparent wind usually from abaft the beam, occasionally slightly forward of the beam when the wind dropped or veered slightly. If I didn't want to avoid a night time transit of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, I could have sailed slowly without the motor but using motor just a touch ensures a daylight arrival at Tatoosh Island and on through the Strait to Victoria. Big deadheads in the water are not easy to see in the daytime - and impossible at night!
ETA at Victoria Hbr tomorrow is looking like 5pm onward - I hope the weather stays fine! (Daylight lasts until near 10pm, just now) Ken Pfister has very kindly agreed to take some photos of 'Nereida' arriving at the harbour entrance - hopefully sailing until well inside the harbour breakwater..! That will be a nice memento.
I've adjusted my clock to local time: PDT = GMT-7hrs = Pacific Daylight Time which, during the summer months of 'daylight saving', is one hour ahead of PST = Pacific Standard Time = GMT - 8hrs (confusing use of 'S' for Brits, who are presently in BST = British Summer Time, one hour ahead of GMT!!)
I heard today that friends had hoped to accompany me in their boat through the Harbour entrance tomorrow - but then found their engine overheating so they couldn't make it down in time - a lovely thought, though. And another friend, who would have done the same, has his boat on the hard just now, with mast unstepped ..... He had accompanied me out through the entrance in the pouring rain at the start of my RTW, in October 2010 , which was also a very kind gesture!!
Had an email from the BBC today. They want to interview me 'live' on their sailing programme this Friday evening. Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, who I met in January when he presented me with an award from the Cruising Association, will interview me at 2030 BST on Solent Radio - 'streamed' on the BBC website, I believe.... That should be fun!
10pm
Lovely!! We're finally sailing nicely under full canvas at 6.5 kt in WNW4-5 (14-18 kt) on a beam reach... peaceful and gentle! I'll be having a very broken sleep tonight - with fishing boats near and land ahead, I must be very careful - but tomorrow night, I'll sleep well!
1am
Seems our AIS signal is not being transmitted - according to Tofino Traffic, we're not 'visible' - neither on radar nor on AIS - and there are lots of big tnkers and other ships around - worrying!! Not much sleep tonight, I think!!