We departed Bellingham June 21 after our arduous haulout work. We were exhausted from that effort, so we took our time heading north.
We would sail a long day, then rest a day. It was pleasant to relax and let our muscles recover. But we did have the drive to “go north”, so we kept moving until we rounded Cape Caution. After that, we really kicked back. We explored many new anchorages, some of them more sketchy than others. We went were ever the wind blew us.
Furthest north we got was to Monkton Inlet in Principle Channel. We were going to go further north, but we decided tacking into the strong wind was too hard. So we spontaneously turned to run downwind. A few days later, we snuck through Higgins Passage.
Rainshadow did great all summer. Our sailing skills re-emerged after missing sailing last year. As usual, I enjoyed teasing a direction out of the wind. And we had lots of great wind this year. I guess that’s what happens when you wait for the wind rather than go because its a new day. Van chronicled some on his blog while underway from June to August 2026. He can be very creative with his posts.
We were having a good time (despite Starlink being aboard this year for the first time, so we never unplugged completely). But all good things must end. So we had to decide where to haul Rainshadow for winter storage.
On our journey north, we stopped at Lund to consider leaving Rainshadow there for the winter, and decided against it. Too busy, and LOTS of mosquitoes. While underway, I emailed Wrangell, got the response that there was a waitlist. Then we checked out Shearwater and found a relaxed atmosphere with room for Rainshadow. Canada does have a process for allowing US flagged boats to be stored for up to 12 months. So that’s where Rainshadow ended her cruise.
After the haulout and once we completed the winterizing tasks, we started our day’s journey to get “home.” We took the water taxi from Shearwater to Bella Bella, walked to the airport to get the first real exercise in 3 months, flew to Vancouver, met out friend who had used our car all summer, then drove back to our homebase in WA. Airplanes are weird. I always find it strange to transport from one reality to another so quickly. Then driving with all those cars so close by, everyone moving so fast – another reality adjustment that by necessity had to occur very quickly in my brain. So different that being at the helm.
We enjoyed this nice relaxing random-sail cruise very much. But we did wonder if we had had a destination in mind whether we would have been more goal oriented. That goal definition will happen by necessity next year, as we must export Rainshadow ASAP once she is out of storage. That likely means we’re heading to Alaska next year. We’ve only been there once, so there is a lot to explore.
Once “home”, a friend asked “Does it all look the same? Does it get boring?” That’s an interesting question, because from photographs, it does all look “the same.” But while aboard, surrounded by nature and all its variations – no, it does not look the same and it is never boring. We can spend hours just watching birds, sea creatures, and reflections on the water. And its always exciting to learn what is revealed as the tide goes out. Cruising becomes a way of life, being shared with all the other cruisers we meet at marinas – and occasionally at anchorages. With everyone we meet doing the same thing as us, it can be easy to forget how fortunate we are. We love that we have the opportunity to cruise this coast in a solid old boat with no time pressure, except that generated by the weather. Oh, and tides wait for no one.
