After listening to the weather report this morning, we decided to try to get at least as far as Millbrook Cove today.  The swell height at West Sea Otter was 1.4 meters, just a little higher than we like, but the seas were flat calm at Egg Island.  And, the current would be with us, and there wasn’t any fog.  So, we set off straight across Rivers Inlet. 

The seas were so flat that we figured we should be able to make it clear across Rivers Inlet and around Cape Caution.  At our present speed, we should be off Slingsby Channel at slack tide.  You don’t get flat seas like this for rounding Cape Caution very often, so we decided to go for it.  We couldn’t believe our good fortune.

Getting across Smith Sound was a piece of cake and the seas still flat as we rounded Cape Caution.  Fog, however, was beginning to be a concern, as we watched it creep towards us from the land.  But, we had radar, so we’d deal with it if it became a problem.

As we got closer to Slingsby Channel the seas started building higher and higher behind us.  This wasn’t supposed to happen at slack tide.

A huge commercial fishing boat was getting closer and closer behind us, working his way out to weather of us, making me very nervous.

By now, the seas were about 18 feet high!  All Al could see at the bottom of the troughs was a wall of water as the boat started climbing up the back side of the next monster swell.  In the meantime, I was busy watching the commercial fishing boat get closer and closer, the AIS showing that he was on a collision course with us.  I couldn’t  distract Al while he was fighting to keep us from broaching, so I just kept telling myself that the commercial guy had to see us, so surely he wouldn’t run us down.   Well, he eventually crossed our stern within about 50 feet.

Eventually, we got passed Slingsby and the swells started flattening out.  Unfortunately, the fog by now had really socked in.  After what we’d just gone through, however, the fog was no big deal.  And, as we got closer to Blunden Harbour, the fog cleared off completely.