Log Entry: Saturday, August 14th, 1999

Farrant Island Lagoon to Eagle Bay: 49.4 nm

Woke up to a steady rain, and a foggy mist.

Getting out of Farrant Island Lagoon was challenging, but ten minutes later we were at Hawkins Passage, which, if you don't take it at slack water, can run as fast as 8 knots!!   We had arranged to be there at slack, which sometimes lasts only 10 minutes or so.   We started through, and at one point nudged the bottom!  I reversed, and we sat there, in slack water, unable to turn, what do we do now?  We decided to try a little to starboard of the place we hit bottom, and there we were just able to get through.  The rest of the passage was a nail-biter, but no more hits.  Then we were suddenly in our old friend, the Grenville Channel, which we had transited northbound earlier in the summer. 

This was the first time, under our stewardship, that Ilari had been introduced to her enemy, the bottom of the sea.   Probably not the last.

Thought about not going up the Douglas Channel, as the whole point of going was the un-seeable unseen scenery, but we went anyway.

It was nerve-racking, as there was fog and a fair number of boats.

Mid-day, Prince Rupert Coast Guard Radio issued a gale warning for the outside waters, including the Hecate.  Glad we were on the inside!

A sailboat came into the bay a while later, single-handing: he did a good job of picking up the mooring...

Jane's log: