Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Final Leg

We were up early to catch the 4 AM weather update and with a favorable report, we pulled anchor at Dodger Channel at 4:30 AM. It was a dark and moonless night and the light of dawn was still a good hour and a half away. Our first challenge was negotiating the narrow and shallow exit to our anchorage. We motored as slow as Talos IV would go and made it through the pass with no issues. The shallowest point we passed on the way out was 2 feet below the keel, shallower than we would prefer, but deep enough to sneak out. Had we left any later, we may not have made it out as the tide was dropping to its low in about two hours.

Once out into Trevor Channel, we motored out and around Cape Beal and headed southeast. Winds were up at about 15 knots from the SE (our direction of travel) and seas were very confused with a 2 meter swell. It was cold, wet and sloppy as we motored on into the dark. Conditions were quite uncomfortable, but we knew based on the forecast, that as we entered the west entrance to Juan de Fuca Strait winds would first become light and then shift from the west.

The folks at the Canadian Meteorological Service nailed the forecast and as we entered the strait conditions moderated significantly and we had a 15 knot wind on our stern with a following swell. And then, giving us an added boost, the flood current started to kick in at about 11 AM and continued to build throughout the afternoon. At it's peak we had current at about 2.5 knots carrying us into the strait. Our speed of ground (SOG) was about 8 - 8.2 knots. Further adding to the experience was busting out of the fog in the late afternoon and enjoying the view of the Vancouver Island coastline as we approached our anchorage in Becher Bay, about a dozen miles west of Victoria.

After the 13 hour passage and the early wake up call, we were exhausted. We had difficulty setting the anchor, but with our third attempt, were finally able to get it set. We ate dinner and went to bed early only to be awakened at about 1:30 AM by high winds blowing through the anchorage and the boat bouncing and swinging from side to side. It was a steady 20 knot wind with gusts of near 30. Given the difficulty in getting the anchor set, the strong wind and the rough sea conditions, we decided it would be prudent to do an anchor watch. Paul took the first watch and then we alternated throughout the night every two hours until about 9 AM when things finally settled. As in the past, we had everything ready to go including the motor switch and all the instruments turned on. In the end the anchor held and we survived the night with no issues. What a way to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

Today, we'll make our way through Race Passage and into Victoria Harbor completing our circumnavigation of Vancouver Island.

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