Nanaimo to Pender Harbour

35 miles 6 1/2 hours
The day started out well. Get up early and head out to cross the Straight of Georgia today. This is one of those psychological milestones of the trip. We have to cross 15-20 miles (depending on route) of open water which can be very rough. It is sunny and looks like a great day to make the crossing. It had been very windy the last 2 nights but the winds are expected to be about 20 mph today. Not too bad. We left the anchorage at 8:25 AM and headed through Newcastle Island Passage. We had just emerged from the passage into Departure Bay when the @#$% port engine died again. Fred was less than enthusiastic about climbing over the engine to clear lines again. We found a nice spot out in Departure Bay to turn off the starboard engine too so Fred could work in the quiet. The port engine started and stopped one more time before we felt confident enough to head out onto the Straight. This is really not part of the plan for this summer. We took turns lying on the futon with Merlin snuggled up on our chests. He requires constant reassurance while the engines are running. We hope he will get less anxious as the days progress.