PredictWind has been consistently forecasting a storm Tuesday/Wednesday. It looks to be a good one with gusts approaching 40 knots. Not good anchoring weather so we start heading for Campbell River marina (Discovery Harbour) after 3-days on the hook in the Octopus Islands. The marine forecasts now have warnings on all waters around here. Here is what it looks like on Wednesday. Red is bad, brown is horrible.
Leaving Waiatt Bay was foggy, again. Visibility was down to half a mile so Dave was on the radar most of the way including going through Surge Narrows (for the first time). Dave has been getting a lot of radar time this trip. Low visibility is tiring because you can only see a few seconds forward. Keeping watch for logs and wood takes more concentration because you cannot look away for long meanwhile you have to study the radar for other boats. There is no time to just chill.
We stopped for a couple of nights at Taku Resort and Marina on the east side of Quadra Island. We had dinner at Heriot Inn’s pub and played a round of pool (and ate some blackberries along the way). We have visited this bay by car before and wanted to stop here in the boat. The Pacific Yellowfin docked in front of us in between charters, apparently. Built in 1943, this is an impressive wooden vessel. Planks are as thick as a 4x4. The diesel engine runs at 350 RPM max.
We arrived in Campbell River Tuesday morning. The water was mirror-smooth making it hard to believe a blow is on the way. Entering the marina can be tricky when the current is running. We had about 4 knots of current requiring nearly a 45 degree crab to get through the entrance. The current disappears quickly leaving you heading for the breakwater. As we dock, we can tell something is coming though - the wind is picking up.
Dave put all the fenders between the dock and boat. With forecasted 40 mph gusts, over 5000 pounds of side force can develop due to SS7's large profile square against the wind. The peak of the storm is now forecasted for Wednesday morning along with an inch or more of rain.