6/25/04

Greetings from Ohana Kai,
The gang and the boat are doing great. We have covered some serious miles in our first few days. If we keep up this pace I will need to write every few days instead of once a week to keep up with the happenings. Each day has been filled with a lot of fun already. There is no sense in trying to tell you where we are going each day because it changes as we move. Here’s an idea of where we have been, when we were there, how far we went and how long it took us.
Sat 6/20 Left Nanaimo on Vancouver Isl. To head to Powell River 49 miles
Mon 6/21 Powell River to Squirrell Cove in Cortes Island 23 miles
Tue 6/22 Squirrel Cove to Port McNiell on Vancouver Island 99 miles
Wed 6/23 stayed a day in Port McNiell for showers,groceries, laundry
Thu 6/24 Port McNiell to Millbrook cove in Smith Sound 56 miles
Fri 6/25 today we are leaving Millbrook Cove potentially to end somewhere near Bella Bella

Some highlights so far have been the minor heat wave we endured the first couple of days. It made for a great excuse to go swimming where ever we could. In Nanaimo we found a great park for the kids to spend some time and expend a lot of energy. Powell River the boys were able to take a kayak ride with Bruce and find a nice little beach to swim and play. Mom bought a nice bucket full of shrimp right off the “shrimp boat”( you must say that in your best Forrest Gump) Made for a nice dinner with BBQ chicken.
Squirrel Cove, one of the greatest finds so far. A beautiful little cove with an estuary/alpine lake that raises and lowers with the tide. Bruce, the boys and I kayaked in and had a great day of swimming and exploring. There were a few eagles with their nest that like to keep an eye on their home. Fun to watch. We found their perch island covered with feathers. Lots of star fish and sea cucumbers. That night we took mom and dad back to see it at high tide in the dinghy, though high tide was high enough to get in but apparently not out so we had to wait an hour until Bruce could shoot the gap and drive us home. Port McNeill is a nice sleepy little town where we were happy to get a few refills on the grocery list, do some laundry and take some showers. All three were lacking slightly in volume shall we say, but you learn quickly not to be picky. If the food has some flavor, the laundry eventually gets done and the showers are slightly warm it’s been a good day.
The biggest leg of the journey by far was the near 100 mile trek between Squirrel Cove and Port McNiell. Most people we met had taken 3 to 4 weeks to travel the same distance. We left them with jaws on the dock. We know there were a lot of other little destinations to see in between, but when your goal is to see frozen Alaska water (i.e. glaciers) it is the path you choose.
Last night was another sleepy little cove called Millbrook. A few more eagles to keep us company and we are on our way again. We may make it up to Sheerwater Cove on Denny Island. I hear they may have showers there .
We hope your summer is well under way and you are enjoying it immensely. We miss you and will keep you posted.
Aloha, the crew of the Ohana Kai.

Next Dispatch