This freeloading bird, as it turns out, is not a crow, but a raven.   This raven (he) travelled with us from Klemtu BC to just outside Bottleneck Inlet.

He marched all over the boat making "meowing" noises reminiscent of a cat in heat.   Very odd sounds, indeed and I have no idea what they meant.  He also cawed a bit and chirped.  We had quite the conversation.

🌊 Why a Raven on a Boat Feels Special:

 A raven choosing to ride with you is different from one simply flying by.   It suggests:

• Trust — ravens don’t linger where they feel unsafe

• Connection — they’re social and remember individuals

• Shared journey — symbolically, it’s like a companion joining your path

On the water, where the world feels quieter and more liminal, the symbolism becomes even stronger: a raven becomes a bridge between worlds — land and sea, human and wild, physical and spiritual.

We departed Shearwater about 0650 (6:50am) this morning.   Crisp (48 degrees), no wind, and sort-of sunny.   We will take the win.

Today we cross Milbanke Sound a 20-mile stretch of water open to the North Pacific Ocean.

This picture shows Milbanke Sound in our wake.   We'd already made it around at this point.
For whatever reason Milbanke seems to be fickle.  Sometime its flat and other times its extremely uncomfortable.

Guess which one it was today?
Heading up the narrow channel towards Klemtu.










We didn't stop, we just motored on by, but Klemtu looks like a nice little town.
There is a big fish processing plant dominating the waterfront, which is typical around here.   This is about where the raven joined us on our voyage.

This must be spring fed as this waterfall is dropping off a relatively small island.   Pretty cool!
Believe it or not, the channel to our anchorage for tonight is in this picture. The opening to the channel is tiny and very well hidden by lush green forest.   

In round numbers, our boat is 17' wide, and we had a wee bit over a boat's width on either side of us in some spots as we navigated through this channel.
This afternoon, we recommissioned our tender/dinghy, named Roe.  

Sometimes we just crack us up!

Recommissioning entailed:
  • Repositioning her in the cradle (she had scooched forward about 8" when we went through Johnstone Strait last week.).
  • Pumping all tubes/chambers to 0.25bar.
  • Charging (topping off) the battery.
  • Reconnecting the fuel line & topping off the fuel.
Karen made a new headache-ball bag.   A "headache-ball" is the weight that is put on the end of a line to provide tension when it is unloaded.

I bet we could all make up a good story as to how this device got its name...

Anyway, our headache-ball is a very old one, and it's made of dense rubber which after many years has sort of melted and gets gooey.   It is also black which makes everything it touches also black.   Now it can only make the inside of its gray bag black.

Nice work, Karen!
Blogging in the afternoon is hard work!   I don't know how he does it.
Spicy Butter Chicken for diner.   And, man, was that spicy!   Karen added 4 extra Thai chilis to the recipe for 2.  My mouth is still tingly.   Yumm!
Bears!   I'm guessing Mom and Cub.

The view back towards the mouth of the inlet tonight.   Such stillness.   Ahhh.

It's 2116 (9:16pm) and sunset isn't for nearly another hour.   But that will be past my bedtime!

Goodnight!


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