Port Hardy

We arrived in Port Hardy late this morning after a relatively short run from Port McNeil. Port Hardy is a good place to get provisions and charts and all the other things that one needs while cruising. Tomorrow, we're off to the Broughtons for several days of exploring virgin (at least for us) territory.

Yesterday was a great day on the water. It just doesn't get much better. We saw many killer whales on the way from Kelsey Bay to Port McNeil. They were common around Boat Bay, a beach where the whales periodically almost beach themselves scratching their bellies on the gravel. We followed 10-12 different whales around for several hours. At one point, we were drifting in the water when one of the whales stopped about 50 yards abeam of us and just watched us. It was as if she was deciding if we were a threat or not, or maybe if we were worth eating. Then she turned and swam away.

Yesterday, I did something I'd never done before. (And no, I didn't fill my holding tank with diesel or take a crap in my diesel tank.) When we were nearing Port McNeil, I heard a distress call to the Coast Guard from a boat that was dead in the water with three adults and three children on board about 10 miles away from us. I responded and gave the 28' power boat and his new owner a tow to the fuel dock at Port McNeil. He left by boat about a half hour later, saying something about the gas gauge not working properly. He came back to WaveGuide at the dock later that evening, and as a token of his appreciation, gave us a print his artist wife had made, and a bottle of wine.

Here's Sue Bean in tow.

The End of the Boardwalk by Heather Brown.


I haven't been following much news at all lately, and maybe it's a good thing. Some really nasty people in Bush's inner circle have been leaving in my absence. Last week, it was Karl Rove; this week it's Alberto Gonzales. Bush is really the only one left of his original Texas mafia. Maybe if I stay out of touch for another week or two, W hisself will resign to spend more time with his family.

On to other news of the moment, I haven't had any nicotine in any form for over 10 days now. I have been pretty successful in not smoking since I quit on the road back from New Orleans, but until now, I've been relying on Commit, the nicotine lozenges. I've replaced the nicotine addiction with Fisherman's Friend lozenges. I couldn't find any Altoids up here in the wilds of Canada, but the Fisherman's Friends are also 'curiously strong' and seem to work quite well.