(no subject)

Wes said:

<Big Snipity> >>> and I thought back to the passages Upton wrote about
crossing
that strait in thirty and forty foot fishing boats, and sixty and seventy
foot fish packers, and how they got the crap kicked out of them more often
than not. And, he has the pictures to prove it. He points out that it's
highly appropriate that the last refuge to the north is known as "Safety
Cove", and the first one you come to on the south side is "God's Pocket."
Appropriate names, I'm sure. I have difficulty imagining being out there in
kayaks! Me 'ats off to the duke . . . >>>

I'm laying low on the Storm Island stuff right now, but just HAD to say
something to this comment above: Fishermen, of course, have to be out
there. The three of us didn't. Bear in mind however, we did not anticipate
it would be as cold and rough for the spring as it was that last April. The
tides are also notorious up there (a 16 knot tide runs just around the
corner from where we were). If we hadn't done the crossing, we still
weren't out of danger yet. 

When we arrived back in Port Hardy after the rescue and finished up with
the Coast Guard, we went to a tavern and ate pizza and drank bear the whole
night away (official rehydration methodology for North Island residents). A
number of inebriated locals came up to us and said they new the seas very
well around the Storm Islands, and even they wouldn't go near them in small
craft. What a night we had - I'll never forget the comaraderie of shared
survival - words cannot express the euphoria. As a non-drinker, I did
pretty good that night - hardly even got a buzz we were so dehydrated. 

BTW, THIS spring is a little different weather wise. Our biggest problem
here on Vancouver Island is all the blossoms that track in to the front
hallway from outside. What a difference this year. Can we do our trip this
year instead of last year? :-)

BC'in Ya
Doug Lloyd
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