Day 10 Nuchatlitz/Nootka Island Sea Kayak Trip

Sunday, May 27th/07 10.29

Beano Creek 2nd layover day

Yep, we're still here. Thought we would be. We'll probably get up early and get on the water tomorrow to beat the winds, which are still kicking it right now. But it's hot and sunny, and we're protected quite a bit from the wind, and we're drying out our charts, and we have all day to do whatever we want.

still May 27th, still Day 10, still Beano Creek 8:27 pm

Set my alarm for 7 today & had the beach to myself. Walked down to the right, towards the creek, but I couldn't get across. I all of a sudden had an idea for a kids' book, about a boy who I'll call Simon. He's five or six, it's about glass, I'm not going to write it now. It's in my head.

Right now Sarah & I are both writing in our journals after dinner. We've got hot chocolate, & layers on, but it's nice out. Clear skies, the sun's going down, clouds turning yellow & the white moon showing through with blue behind it. We had another sunny day. We've been incredibly lucky on this trip! Thank you Jah, Da, and Scotty. It was really windy all day, so we didn't move, but that's how we wanted it. Another day to explore. It sounds like we have our window to move tomorrow, which we really need to, so we got prepared tonight to make it a quick morning. Granola & milk powder in our bowls ready to go, tea bags in our thermoses. I feel pretty organized. When we first got here I thought we'd have to do a seal launch to leave, but hopefully it doesn't come to that. The tide differences are less & it all seems a little better. We'll see.

We hung out on the beach in the sun a lot today. All of a sudden Sarah called out Kelda! Whale! Right in front of our camp again; another grey. This one was way bigger than the one we saw at Catala. It was doing the same thing -- surfing the waves broadside, rolling, showing its pectoral & dorsal fin. I'm pretty sure it's rubbing; that's what Pat said too.

We ran back & forth down the beach watching it, & then up on the cliffs to watch it from above. Sarah went & told the others, & Glen came out & watched & then Jan too. She was being really nice, telling me & Sarah that we look great, mid-twenties, she likes it how we've got no makeup & that & look so healthy. She also said, & this was the best part, that we've inspired her to spend more time out here. B/c they're putting in a cabin for her, and she can be out here as much as she wants, retired. We told her they've been an inspiration for us, too, b/c we want to live the way they're living. I think she could see how much we appreciate the coast & how much fun we're having, & it renewed her enthusiasm for it.

Watched the whale for a long time, marked more route on my charts & figured out mileage -- I think approx. 83 nautical miles so far.

Later went for a -- the whale just surfaced again & blew -- long walk to beachcomb but didn't find anything except an abalone & a woodpecker, then walked back w/Sarah.

I forgot to say the grey whale spyhopped when it first got here, and again later. Sarah & I jumping up & down & waving our arms when it came up. Jan says they normally come even closer but she thinks b/c it's so surfy it's afraid of being beached by a big wave, so it's staying a little farther out, but still so close. We could have taken a running jump & landed to touch it, it was that close.

And that's about all that happened today. I finished the Maquinna book two nights ago, and I'm back to reading Rabin Alameddine's "I, the Divine". In fact, I think I'll read it right now. We have half an hour until the updated weather forecast. Obviously, we go a lot by what we actually see & feel & observe out there for wind, and clouds we see coming, and all kinds of signs. The forecast is another too, though, and a useful one at that.