We started across and the waves were only 2-3' and the wind was about 10 knots. As we got half way across the waves increased to about 3-4'. Mostly they were coming at our bow at an angle so we did some bouncing but not much rocking sideways. Further across they did start coming at us from the side but overall it wasn't too bad. We went across to Porlier Pass and hit it at slack tide then headed south. That kept us on the inside where it was calmer. A lot of the way the current, winds and waves were against us and even though Bob had the rpms up to where we should have been going 10 knots, there were times he wasn't able to get much above 7 or 8 knots. We noticed a tug pulling a barge and when Bob checked the AIS to see how fast he was going it said .2 knots! That is NOT two knots, it's 2/10 of a knot! Once he turned his angle to the current he upped it to a whopping 2.4 knots.
One of the times Bob zoomed in on his charts he noticed the message in the following photo. In his words, "and what am I supposed to do with that?"
Earlier we heard the Coast Guard broadcast that Whiskey Golf in the Strait of Georgia (the area where the military practices shooting their torpedoes and such) was "extremely hazardous to under the sea, on the sea and airborne operations"! No question what you do with that - stay away!
According to the Three
Sheets Northwest blog:
"Area Whiskey Golf (WG) is the name for a section of the Strait of
Georgia covered by the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental and Test Ranges, a
maritime test facility located on the east side of Vancouver Island at Nanoose
Bay.
It is
reported that approximately 300 to 400 torpedo tests are done at the facility
each year. The Canadian government allows foreign governments, mostly the U.S.,
to test torpedo firings. An estimated 31,000-plus torpedo tests have been
conducted since the range opened in 1965. The U.S. Navy routinely sends naval
warships — submarines and surface ships to area WG (more than 400
since 1999).
The
Canadian Forces also actively use this area. Why? Area WG is perfect for
testing torpedo firings because it is isolated from the open ocean, the depths
are good for testing and the bottom is relatively flat for easily retrieving a
torpedo.
When
Area WG is active, no vessels — pleasure craft or commercial — are
allowed to enter. The area is heavily monitored by Canadian Forces with fast
patrol ships and aircraft. If you stray into area WG when it is active, you
will first get a call on your VHF radio and next a visit by either a helicopter
or a patrol craft. I’ve heard that if authorities need to visit you, they
are not too friendly. You will be stopped, boarded and promptly escorted to the
Canadian Forces facility in Nanoose Bay, where the RCMP will be waiting for
you.
We arrived home to the Everett Marina after 16 hours of cruising. It was a long day but it is good to be home and we were greeted along the way with this beautiful sunset.
