A true Canadian Welcome!

Prospects were looking bleak...after close to 7000 nm from Aus, we found ourselves a day off the coast of BC, with no wind and no diesel!! But the Gods were kind and smiled down on us...a ship appeared on the AIS and on further investigation turned out to be the Canadian Coast Guard Science/Research vessel "JP Tully"....so I called them up and asked if they could spare a bit of fuel! Two hours later, 80 liters more diesel in the tanks and we are steaming under moonlight on a calm sea! And they gave us two containers of home made chocolate chip cookies!! Now isn't that a true Canadian welcome!
A few glitches with air in the fuel lines were resolved and hopefully solved the problem. Not to temp fate but with luck and continuing on our current course, we could be at the entrance to Juan de Fuca Straight before midnight on Wed...another 65 miles overnight could see us in the inner harbor sometime Thurs....keep your fingers, toes, ankles and arms crossed for us as we are ready to come home!!

Well, the trials were not over and the engine quit several times. Hours spent bleeding air out of the lines and transferring fuel proved futile but changing all four fuel filters seems to have done the trick. We are now motoring up Juan de Fuca Straight and could be in the inner harbor by midnight....Neptune willing!

end game!

The home stretch, as it were! And what a stretch! After the cold, the fog, the beating to windward, the calms and heavy winds, you would think Canada would be opening its arms to welcome us through our ordeal! But we are having to work for every mile, currently headwinds are making it difficult to close the coast. Having come through the squash zone between High and Low pressure systems, with only 260nm to the entrance of Juan de Fuca, the winds have gone light and right on the nose! If we had 60 more liters of diesel, we could motor all the way but we have to save what we have for the straight with its tides and busy shipping! Getting tired of pasta, rice, crackers....down to last can of chicken so maybe one more curry. Looking forward to fresh fruit, salads, anything green and some protein on the barbeque!! Soon we hope!

5 weeks...almost

34 days from Majuro in the Marshall Islands! About 3500nm under the keel on this leg so far and exposed to a bit of everything from calms to surfing downwind in 40 knots winds. A wave found its way into the cockpit and took out the fridge, not a great loss at this stage as we were down to the last eggs and one onion! The UHT milk for our coffee or tea seems to keep in a sealed bag and the cheese is not mouldy yet! Morale is high, though we are both tired and look forward to the warmth of the down blanket after our four hour watch. Sail changes are constant and sap our energy, but we are moving steadily towards the coast, with 1100nm to the Swiftsure Bank. Still hoping to make the Juan de Fuca Straight by the end of August though a High Pressure system is forming ahead of us which may push us further N or leave us without wind so it is too soon to predict a landfall. Motoring through the night at the moment in very light winds with the sound of Willie Nelson to remind us of the world that awaits us. Had HF contact with 'Daydream' out of Rebecca Spit the other night, was nice to hear familiar voices and envied them their warm summer evening sipping wine at a secure anchorage!

week 4

as the 4th week draws to a close, we find Toketie with 1800 nm to the Swiftsure Bank! we dug out the down duvets as the nights are cold now, refreshing after years in the tropics! have had strong winds for many days as three Lows compete with several Highs for territory, we being in the middle of it all! but we are going the right direction, visited by several of what appeared to be Minkie Whales who surface nearby and make a circuit around us before continuing their migration NW!

day 22

finally we are pointing home! had to go far N to get around a High and now being squeezed from N by a Low but at last going E!! need a bit of wind now!

week 3

it has been eventful! lots of great sailing and a giant mahi-mahi! been feasting on fish for days! caught in large High Pressure system though and being pushed N, now motoring in light air to try to get over it to turn E. visited by pod of killer whales and large family of dolphins, crossing shipping lanes, cooler at night now, have to put a shirt on!