Cruising Adventures of the Red Witch

July 2nd (Thursday)   It was cloudy in the morning and when we listened to the VHF weather forecast they were calling for strong south and southeasterly winds.  We considered our options and how the wind might enter the anchorage, and we decided to stay put for the time being.  There was a dock, which we knew was secure, over in the southeast corner of the basin, so if the wind did pick up and became an issue for us where we were anchored then we could easily move over to the dock, which would be in a more protected area from the south.   While the wind was still calm we headed out in Kiki to the outer reefs at the south end of the island for some fishing.  The swells, although jumbled from the chaos caused by the reefs, were calm; there was no wind yet.  In the distance there was a very large and dark looking cloud, which we figured would bring some rain and wind.   We floated and fished for about 45 minutes an...

July 1st (Wednesday) This morning it was still windy, it was not a strong wind, but it looked and sounded from the forecast like the day would probably be similar to yesterday.  We decided to take Kiki around to the beach for another beach day so that we did not have to paddle our kayaks against the wind again.  Since we knew that the tide would be ebbing, we planned to simply let Kiki beach for the day.  Why shouldn’t she get to dry out and enjoy the sun and the sand like we did?   We packed another picnic and headed out, excited for another day at the beach.  The morning clouds cleared earlier than they did yesterday and we were hopeful that it might feel warm enough to go swimming.  The water was so inviting, sparkling turquoise green in the long extending shallows.  Although it was sunny, the breeze kept the air cool and I kept my long sleeved shirt on as we did cartwheels on the sand.   When we...

June 30th (Tuesday) Although it was mostly cloudy when we woke up, the forecast had been for sun, so we were optimistic that it would clear.  We inflated our kayaks and packed for an exploring, beach day.   We paddled out at 09:30 and made our way out of the inner basin area and into St John Harbour.     The wind was blowing fairly strongly from the Northwest so we had to fight it at first.     Once we were through the Back Door passage the wind was coming at us from the side and we made our way through the islands, staying on the lee sides as much as possible.     As we passed one grassy cove we saw two Sandhill Cranes, they walked up into the forest when they saw us so we wondered if they had a nest.     When Canada Geese are nesting they will walk up into the forest when they see us, it looks quite funny.     The wind was on our backs as we sailed our way through the last passageway on our way to the...

June 29th (Monday) We awoke to rain showers, and enjoyed our teatime while I did yesterday’s writing for the blog.  By the time I was done the sky was brightening up and we got Kiki all ready, packed a picnic lunch, and headed out for some outer coast fishing.    We went out through the “Back Door” channel and out through the protected area of islands and islets out to some of the outer reefs where the swells were crashing.  We guessed at which way we would drift and positioned ourselves in the jumbled mess of chop and swells, a safe distance away from one of the reefs.  Watching the waves grow and build as they pass over the shallow area out from the reef, and then build and rise up into a cresting pinnacle around an unseen shallow rock is quite something to see.  The green colours of the water as it crests upward are very pretty. We got our lines ready and dropped our hooks towards the bottom.  The first hook to g...

June 28th (Sunday) This morning we were once again up with our alarm, but today it was about an hour later because the start of the ebbing tide was also about an hour later.  We checked all of our weather forecasting sites, current conditions at lighthouse reporting stations, and ocean buoy reports, and then we considered our options.  Although we very much wanted to go out cruising, we had also somewhat resigned ourselves to the fact that we wouldn't be going out after yesterday’s disappointment.  We had therefore gotten excited about the exploring that we might do on Link Lake.  Now, with the weather information that we had from what they had forecasted for yesterday compared to what had actually happened at all of the different reporting sites, we were left even more unsure as to what we should do.   It looked promising that the wind that they were forecasting for the Central Coast might primarily stay offshore, but that was un...

June 26th and 27th (Friday and Saturday) Two more days of rain, meant two more days of boat projects and relaxing.   On Friday it poured rain pretty much all day, and we looked forward to the forecasted better weather for the rest of the week.   On Saturday morning we woke up to the alarm at 04:45, excited to head out with the ebbing tide.  However, when we checked the forecast we changed our minds.  Although it was forecasted to be mainly sunny, they were also forecasting Northwest winds of 20-35 knots, steady until at least Wednesday.  Although the anchorage that we were planning to go to on the outer coast is apparently well protected in Northwest winds, we would probably not have been able to go out and do much exploring.  Our kayaks get blown around in strong winds, and with sustained winds the swells would grow and fishing from Kiki would become less enjoyable, if even possible because of being pushed around by t...

June 25th (Thursday) This morning, although it was not the sunny morning that we had hoped for, we headed up to the lake.  Because, of course, we do not have a vehicle here, we had to carry up everything that we wanted to take.  This included fuel.  We packed up our lifejackets, fishing rods, lunch, emergency kit, and a 5-gallon jerry can of fuel.  Once we were out on the lake we were enjoying the beauty around us.   Everywhere we looked there was a majestic bare rock mountain with sheer rock faces and waterfalls that plummeted hundreds of feet.     Some of the waterfalls fell so far that they were only just a mist by the time they reached the rocks below them, and then they had to re-accumulate into a running river before continuing downward.     Many times a peak that looked like one mountain from one angle would expose itself as several sections separated by large cracks or gorges as we got a dif...