Update: Day 1

From Anduril July 5, 2014

It's nearing the dinner hour and we are drift sailing off Sheringham Point.  The grand and majestic forces that determine winds have cast misfortune today on our prospects of a quick sail out the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The forecast calls for continuing light airs for the next day. We are trying to keep the boat moving with not much flow to work with. Not the most pleasing of conditions, but the water is flat here in the Strait and at least the sails are not slapping in an ocean swell, so things could be a lot worse. Everyone is trying to get some short naps in before we start on watch rotations at 2000. Phil, Gord and Brett are the starting shift.  Paul, Greg and Alice are the cross-shift and Guy, our navigator, is on half of each shift.  Watches are 4 hours long. At dinner time  each day we "dog" the watches so no one has to do the witching hour shift (12am-4am) twice in a row.

We had a nice send off in Victoria, with family from all the crew helping us to eat, drink, prepare and provision the boat for the trip.  We took our team photos and said goodbye before casting off from Victoria's inner harbour at 0845.  The fleet had a clean start at 1005 and an ebb tide to help us through Race Passage in lightish airs.

All is fine on the good ship Anduril, but no Orcs are being slain today.  The larders are full  and Gaylene has prepared the ships stores against the premise that we are Hobbits and will be eating 6 square meals a day.  In an hour or two we tuck into the first of the delectable dinners that have been created to keep us all fat and happy in our adventures.

Greg