Kitimat to Bishop Bay. July 30, 2010
11 August 2010
Photo: Bishop Bay dock and hot springs.
I lie awake at Kitimat listening to the wind rattling the flag halyards against the shrouds and wondering what the winds will be like in the morning. Will we be able to get south before the inflow winds start?. The folks on the boat in front of us had said that the winds started at 5 am, which doesn't promise well for getting out of the inlet. I imagine us bashing to windward all day and only making a few miles. While I worry about getting out of the inlet, Steve worries about the wind being too strong to tie up at the fuel dock to take on diesel before we leave. I imagine us low on fuel, sailing in light winds while the clock ticks on my deadline for getting the proofs back to the publisher.
But when we got up at 5 the inlet was flat calm. By 6:30 we had fueled and were motoring south, expecting the wind to come up any minute. Just before noon we heard Margie on Dreamcatcher calling us. They were on their way to Kitimat. When we told them there was no bus Friday through Sunday, they decided to divert to Kitsaway Anchorage to wait out the weekend. We join them for lunch, then pull up anchor again and continue heading south to Bishop Bay. The winds never does come up.
We just get back from a soothing soak at the hot springs when I see the green light on our skymate email system. It's a note from my publisher saying the proofs of my book were posted that afternoon. If we'd known, we would have stayed in Kitimat. As it was, we now need to head south as fast as we can to get to either Klemtu or Shearwater. Then I remember hearing a rumor that the Native village of Hartley Bay has wifi. It's only 20 miles away -- and about 15 miles out of our way. We would risk losing a day by going there if the rumor was false, but it's worth a try.