We had heard about the huge amount of logs and trees that were floating around in the waterways of British Columbia but the amount still surprized us. Some are due to landslides and soil erosion but a lot is due to logging activity. The big tides and big currents mean the logs just slosh back and forth day after day and sometimes end up on the beaches for a spell and then get washed back into the waterways with big tides.

Which means we need good light to travel. Good light and a good lookout ALL THE TIME. So we can't leave until after 8.30 am and have to be where we are going before 5 pm. The next and as equally important consideration is the weather. There is excellent VHF radio coverage with continuous broadcasts of the weather as well as current observations so it's a matter of ensuring that we are tucked up nice and snug when the big blows arrive. Several times we have ridden out storm conditions (48 to 60 knots) without any problem. In between that we have to time our progress, if at all possible, going with the currents that can run up to several knots so. Strong adverse currents mean no progress. Heading through the narrow passages behind Vancouver Island the possible combination of these potentially deadly conditions will have to be monitored closely.

The photo is of Karen with a stump that washed up near Dodge Cove. On the high tides it goes back out again and washes back. Apparently there is not much of it showing above the water when it is floating.