Near Perfect Passage

Indigo and crew made the passage from Barkley Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island to the Columbia River and Astoria, Oregon on Sunday and Monday. This is a great coastal shortcut, a route followed by all the early explorers like Vancouver, whose map of this area is shown above. We were blessed with following winds, relatively calm seas, minimal traffic, and - best of all - a full moon and clear skies, so that we had virtually no real darkness to contend with.
Even so, the reality of being twenty miles out at sea alone, in swells up to eight or nine feet, continues to intimidate the crew. I was nervous and sullen when I began my watch at 10 pm, but then the sea calmed down, the wind shifted so that it was directly on the stern, and we seemed to be surfing down the swell. Dolphins began to surf alongside the boat, and for several hours, they were right alongside playing in our wake. I could just make out the form of their bodies underwater next to the boat before they burst up and out of the water. How could I be afraid, when these sentient beings were providing this playful and exuberant show?


The Captain's long early hours watch ended in this fine sunrise as we neared the entrance to the Columbia River. May all your passages be as near perfect!