July 21, 2017: A rainy day in Port Harvey

The chattering of raindrops was the only sound to be heard during Thursday night in our serene Port Neville anchorage. At about 8:30 am, after Morning Prayer and a bit of breakfast, we donned sweaters and sweatshirts, raised our anchor with no difficulties, and motored out of the inlet. With what a beautiful study in misty grays and greens we were presented, as diaphanous clouds swathed the surrounding hills, veiled the valleys, and swaddled the shores. The rain continued as we emerged from the mouth of the inlet and made our way up Johnstone Strait, in which we were again hailed by John on Persistence, asking how we liked his suggested anchoring spot in Port Neville (we thanked him very much!) and warning us that the well-known cinnamon buns that used to be available in Port Harvey (where Persistence had spent the night) could no longer be purchased by boaters who anchored out in the inlet and did not tie up at the dock in the small marina–bummer! He and his crew headed for Port McNeill on Vancouver Island and we motored on to the end of the Port Harvey inlet, part of a waterway that separates West Cracroft Island from East Cracroft Island, cinnamon buns or no cinnamon buns.

During our journey, the wiping of condensation from Braesail’s windscreens and the disposal of water from several leaks in the plastic-and-canvas curtains that enclose her cockpit kept me busy with a large sponge and a small towel; I also helped with the spotting of oncoming boats through the mist until we anchored not far from the Port Harvey marina at a little before 11 am. Though it impaired visibility, the almost constant soft rain did a fine job of rinsing the scratchy salt and bits of dust and debris from the boat’s decks, cabin top, and port lights. Again our new windlass made anchoring much easier, and we were soon securely hooked into the inlet’s muddy bottom as the wind rose and the rain continued. Our forest-surrounded anchorage proved to be very similar in most respects to the silent one we enjoyed as a “solo boat” in Port Neville, but boats continued to arrive throughout the afternoon and evening and construction noise provided the background soundscape in Port Harvey.

Walt managed to stop the leaks at the tops of the cockpit’s side curtains by adjusting them a little from the outside, and then we snacked on cheese bagels and hot beverages as we turned to our tasks of reading and writing. In mid-afternoon Walt made us a late lunch of quesadillas and fresh cherries and I then did some tidying up in the cockpit, sponging up water, laying out a few items out to dry (temperatures were mild), and wiping up the dirt and small objects that Walt had blown out of the scuppers (drains) at the stern ends of the cockpit seats with our fender inflater, spraying muck all over a pants leg in the process. We spent most of the afternoon and evening listening to Russian choral music and a variety of organ pieces as we worked on our projects, taking a welcome nap break around 5 pm. Dinner was shrimp in a lovely sauce served over pasta, and once the meal and our planning of Saturday’s travels to Lagoon Cove were ended, we returned to writing (Walt is nearly done with his conference presentation and I completed this blog entry). The gentle percussive music of the rain and the larger drops falling onto the cabin top from the sails and rigging will send us to sleep swiftly, I think!