Note: I am behind on the blog. Our daughter and guest blogger Katie Baxter is posting for a few days, while I catch up. Don

All of us woke up pretty early. We had to get up to return the car and get some last minute provisions before we got underway. I just got a new Kindle Fire and although I thought I had loaded all my books onto it, I took advantage of the last reliable wifi for awhile to make sure I had everything downloaded that I needed. Dad and I went to Fred Meyers where we got all the snacks that make me think of boating: Pringles, summer sausage, and cheese. We also picked up some beer after debating if we should buy it now or in Canada because of customs restrictions. We were worried it might put us over, but justified buying a 6 pack because we were going to spend one more night in the US, so we would be able to drink it. Fortunately, on the way back, 2 bottles broke, which meant we should be able to finish them under the limit with no problem.

Got back to the boat, loaded everything up and got underway. Once we left Squalicum Harbor, we noticed that there seemed to be a problem with our Nav system and autopilot. It kept trying to pull us to port. After a relatively smooth cruise, other than not being able to use autopilot, and having to dodge a few not so polite boats, we made it to Prevost Harbor on Stewart Island. Upon arrival, Captain Don swore First Mate Debbie and Deck Hand Katie to secrecy. He had figured out why the autopilot was not working. It rhymes with schmuser schmerror.

We took a quick walk to the other side of the island to register the boat for the night and admired some of the other boats on the dock. One was a completely wooden sailboat that was very well maintained. Captain Don made his world famous clam chowder and after dinner we watched the first part of Longitude, a movie about the development of the first accurate marine timepiece.

After watching a movie about 17th century technology, I was moved to contemplate how technologically advanced Change of Latitude has become. Since the last time I was aboard, it has been outfitted with new SeaLand MasterFlush toilets. I remember back in the 1980’s being on my Grandpa’s sailboat and having toilets that were filled with seawater (and therefore seaweed, etc.) that you literally had to hand pump to flush. They were very prone to clogs and one time our poop deck became the literal poop deck after a clog forced all the sewage up onto the deck. Even in more recent years, before any new people came aboard, there was always an awkward “how to use the toilet” seminar that my mom gave about how to operate the toilets so that they would not break. These new toilets are basically just like land toilets and I am still in awe of how great they are! CoL was also outfitted with a new TV, but I was significantly more impressed with the toilet technology. I guess I am my father’s daughter.