Home ||| Contents ||| Index ||| Chart ||| Next Chapter ||| Subscribe
Chapter 1—Introduction
Chart of trip In 1998 I was just wrapping up graduate school and Amy and I were in the mood for an adventure before buckling down to our respective jobs. Well... I should say that I was in the mood for an adventure; Amy was in the mood for a vacation. We knew we were going somewhere on the boat, but the question was “where”. Baja always beckons, but reality always sets in. Finally the answer became obvious—the Charlottes. We had circumnavigated Vancouver Island in 1995. We would have loved to have gone to Alaska, but the distances are just to great given our limited time schedule.
So I start to plan the trip to the Charlottes. We pack the Patience down to her waterlines with fuel, water, spare parts, food and safety equipment. I watch the offshore Internet weather buoys in Hecate Strait and the rest of the Pacific for weeks, trying to get educated on the weather systems in the areas through which we will travel. I painstakingly plan our itinerary. We will cover some 1,250 nautical miles, which equates to an intimidating average of 45 nautical miles per day. Not a entirely simple objective in a boat that motors at 5 knots.
Finally the boat and the crew are about as ready as they will ever be. Amy and I head-off for Prince Rupert. Things get a little depressing around Nakwakto Rapids and sometimes we wonder if we will make our rendezvous in Prince Rupert but all told, we have a great time. We make it to Prince Rupert and orchestrate a crew swap and then head out towards the Charlottes. The poor weather forecast plagues us, and I fear I have cut things too tight and we won’t actually get to see our prime goal. Mother Nature intervenes and we cross Hecate in lake-like conditions. While our passage through the Charlottes is quick, we get a quick snapshot of the mystery surrounding the islands. Soon it is time to head home and we cover ground like never before. Next thing I know, we are home again in Seattle.
Looking back, it dawns on me that the trip was more adventure than vacation, But was it ever memorable. Enjoy the story!




Home ||| Contents ||| Index ||| Chart ||| Next Chapter ||| Subscribe

Adventures in the Charlottes was written by Tim Whelan.
All pictures and text ©Tim Whelan 1998-1999.
For useage, please see my copyright notice.