Preparation

There are a lot of things to do before we can cast off the dock lines, and although a lot of them are done, there is a long list remaining.
The hull is polished, the bottom sanded and painted, the deck is washed and the sides of the deckhouse gleam with wax.
I still have to find enough bodies to haul me up the mast so I can fix a couple of issues with the rig and look for more. I'd like to find any problems before we're off the west coast. I need to replace the deck light, clean the spreaders and retape the spreader tips, and do a few more housekeeping chores while I'm up there but I'm not fond of going up...

I have to paint new non-skid in the cockpit because there is no more traction left and that's dangerous, and I'd like to install a rudder angle sensor to help the autopilot but I'm not sure I can get back in there without losing about 150 pounds. Even if I can get back in there, I may never get out without the Jaws of Life.
There is a slow, oozing leak developing from the macerator pump, and I don't want to do anything involving that unless it's totally critical because that drains the black water tank and nothing involving black water is fun. I have a replacement pump just in case and there are valves to isolate the pump, but it's still going to be ugly.

 On the bright side, our technology is installed and working, so far. One of the huge advantages we have over the pioneers in these waters is the technology available to us. GPS, reliable depth sounders, cell phones and VHF radios are the basics now, while laptop computers running charting programs are common. We have many routes sketched in to see what makes sense to do where and when. Sometimes it's hard to figure out exactly where we are supposed to be going, except for the need for northing.

    The first challenge is going to be the series of rapids we have to traverse to get through the Discovery Islands, which require waiting for the right stage of tide for each one. We aren't going to be totally bereft of creature comforts, there are many resorts along the path if we need to stop in for showers, or laundry, or a gourmet meal. Coincidentally, most of these are situated close to rapids which require waiting to transit. We are taking the scenic route through the mainland passes instead of going up Johnstone Strait, at least so far. If the weather doesn't favour a mainland coast approach, I have a course mapped out going up the east coast of Vancouver Island. It's all up in the air right now, it's three weeks out and I have bigger fish to fry.

The Boat

Paradigm Shift in the Travelift.

We have owned Paradigm Shift for over seven years now, and she suits us well. She is a 1984 C&C 35 Mk III, a relatively fast boat at the expense of not carrying a lot of water, fuel, and stores. We're used to traveling light. With 65 gallons of fresh water and 16 gallons of diesel, we have to conserve. No long showers, for sure. We do carry a couple of small solar showers, so if we can find fresh water we can top them up and shower in the cockpit.

 Just under 35' long, with a maximum beam of 11'2", she draws 6'5". Overall design weight is just under 11,000 lbs, with 4500 lbs of lead in the deep keel. She is going to be seriously overweight for this passage. She is a sweet sailing boat, and in our opinion one of the best-looking boats in any anchorage. We're a little biased...

We have put a lot of time and money into upgrading the boat to make it comfortable to live on and easy to sail with two people. An electronic autopilot means we don't have to hand-steer for hours, a forced-air diesel furnace keeps us warm, and we have hot water if we run the motor, which we have to do periodically to charge the batteries since our solar panels aren't big enough to keep them charged by themselves. No microwave, no flat-screen TV. There is a good 3-burner propane stove with oven, although we frequently cook on the propane barbecue on the stern. With an inflatable dinghy with a small motor serving as the station wagon to get crew ashore and about, we have a decent exploration range from the mothership. An inflatable kayak gives us a second mode of transport. You can see the kayak nuzzling the stern in the picture below.

So far, the furthest north we have been is the Octopus Islands, just north of Surge Narrows on Quadra Island. We enjoy the secluded anchorages and pure noises of nature when we're on the boat, so going up the Inside Passage in the summer is going to be a bit of a change for us. We hear it's actually crowded some places. We much prefer the off-season.

At anchor in the Octopus Islands, mid-September.

We're going to be moving quite quickly so we should be away from civilization within a few days. Sidney to Cape Scott in ten days shouldn't be too difficult if everything goes exactly according to plan (cue hysterical laughter).
 We are leaving the dock for points north July 5, all the stars being aligned correctly. Weather will be a major contributing factor in the progress of this endeavour, so nothing is written in stone.