Queen Charlotte City, Graham Island
This morning we got up at 4:00 am but waited until it was light enough we could see go through the passage. As we lifted the anchor we snagged on a chain that was probably left by some fisherman. After a few attempts to get the chain off of our anchor we lowered our anchor back down to the bottom and put the boat in reverse and the chain slid off, hooray.
To get to the Queen Charlottes / Haida Gwaii, you need to cross Hecate Strait, a notorious body of water. The west side of the strait, close to the islands is a shallow shelf to about 15 meters deep. As the winds and the current move water through the strait and come against this shelf the seas are often steep and confused. It is something to prepare for and respect. We have been watching the gribs and waiting for a good weather window to cross but we did not expect the conditions that we saw today. From the time we left the anchorage to the harbor on Graham Island, 75 miles, we had flat seas with winds under 3 knots for 90 percent of the time, increasing to 9 knots when we were nearing the harbor. This was amazing. We even had the current in our favor the entire time. Of course we motored instead of sailed but we will take it. 
We are definitely in fishing country. There is a fishing boat across and behind us here on the dock. Across the way we saw boats bringing in their catch and selling it including a large halibut that was over four feet long. They also brought in salmon, cod and rockfish.
Tomorrow we hope to attend the orientation for traveling in Haida Gwaii.
No worries
SV Windarra
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