We've made up the day lost to weather with two very long ones. We made forty miles today, leaving early and finishing before 1pm. We did 63 miles yesterday, finishing around 8pm because we had to pull out and wait for slack in Chatham Channel.
We anchored temporarily in Port Harvey, our original destination for the day, cooked an early dinner, and proceeded on our way a couple hours later.
Chatham Channel is a long, narrow, shallow passage that deserves caution. Maximum current is 5 knots, so commercial fishing vessels charge through at any time, but our limited familiarity and power made us want to wait for slack. Even at slack it can be challenging to stay on course. Instinct tells you to go slow, but even at slack, there are swirls, eddies, and currents pushing the boat around where there is little room to maneuver. It's necessary to keep the boat speed up to maintain water flow over the rudder and by extension, good steerage.
We've got another long day today to make the most of a favorable weather forecast. Then, weather permitting, we'll round Cape Caution tomorrow.
I love mornings out on the water. The early start, raising anchor, operating the boat, winding through small islands, the light of a rising sun, the surrounding mountains shrouded in wisps of fog, cold hands warmed by a hot cup of minty chocolate.
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