Calm, clear, flood tide

We finally planned to take the kids to Sidney Spit for the day. The plan was for me to take T2 to the spit today, spend the night and then pick up Tania and the kids the next morning. We vacillated between whether to go today or tomorrow. Finally we decided to go today but by then our nanny, Marie and her partner Ivan (whom Tania had invited to help her with the kids) had made other plans and weren't available until 11:00.

So, again, do we go today or tomorrow. Well, by 18:30 we decided I should go today so they dropped me off at Cadboro Bay and away I went. The sun slipped below the horizon as I passed Zero Rock and by the time I arrived at the Spit I had a hard time seeing the boats without mast-head lights at anchor, ley alone all the fucking crab traps.

I only recall navigating by night once before. Dad and I did the same trip on Sea Jay (our Thunderbird). That was certainly long before tablets with chart plotter software and built in GPS. Actually, that was before GPS. Man am I dating myself. I don't think Dad even had Loran on the T-bird. So it was all dead reckoning in the dark with paper charts. I was in awe of my father and his navigational prowess.

Today a shaved ape could navigate at night. Actually the ape wouldn't even have to be shaved.

Sunset on Haro Strait.

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Zero Rock at night-fall.

Nice.

Entering Sidney Channel.

Depth sounder, house panel and chart plotter. Piece of cake.