Into Chatham Sound (Day 15)
Another day, another 37 miles. Clare and Leigh made their way out of Grenville Channel, past Oona River, making camp on a small island abeam Prince Rupert. The day started with steady progress north, speed picking up with outgoing tide, then fighting strong headwinds in the afternoon. Today leaves them 94 miles from Ketchikan with Let's Row Maybe still shadowing them. Will our team make it in two days?
Another Day, Another Channel (Day 14)
Leigh & Clare run with the tide in the morning, then battle the wind in the afternoon as they tackle Grenville Channel.
Our team repeated the story of the Princess Royal Channel today on the Union Passage; row with the current in the morning, then pull hard against an opposing current in the afternoon. Still, Team Don't Tell Mom made another 37 miles, stopping on the east side of Pitt Island, putting them within 3 days of finishing. Tomorrow: On to Prince Rupert.
For more info on the race and other competitors, check out the R2AK Instagram or Facebook account as well as the web daily updates!
Squalls & Calms (Day 13)
Leigh & Clare row through squalls and calms as the reach the end of one long channel and camp at the beginnning of another.
View from campsite near Camp Point, southern end of Grenville Channel
Don't Tell Mom rowed the northern half of Princess Royal Channel this morning, making average speed most of the way despite going against an incoming tide. Crossing just south of the village of Hartley Bay they held up entering Grenville Channel as the tide had begun to run out against them. Team Let's Row Maybe closed up on them during the day and held up also outside the Passage. Our team's tracker hasn't updated for a few hours as of evening. Will they continue up or wait for tide change?
Fun fact from Dameon: "The sisters are rowing through the only place on Earth the spirit bear lives."
Tidal Roulette (Day 12)
Crossing Finlayson Channel in a morning calm
Leigh and Clare started their push through Princess Royal Channel making good time, seeming to be on schedule to time the tide change correctly in the Channel. But the tides in the twisty inside channels are capricious and slowed our team so that by high tide they did not reach the point where the outgoing tide would push them to the other end of the Channel.
Pulling hard against the outgoing tide to make any progress, the team pulled over to eat dinner and wait for the tide to slow, taking back off in the evening in an effort to position for the next outgoing tide.
Will our team make a run in the middle of the night to escape Princess Royal?
Blowing By Bella Bella (Day 11)
Leigh & Clare make it to the Bella Bella checkpoint and keep on rowing!
The town of Bella Bella
Don't Tell Mom started the day with a push to Bella Bella, pacing team Let's Row Maybe by several hundred meters for 3 hours. Rather than succumb to the temptation of a stop at Bella Bella for something other than prepackaged camping food our team blew by the village docks and continued on for a 47 mile day.
Faced with increasing winds from the west, Leigh made a decision on the fly to cut inside on a new route more protected from the wind. Now camped on the south end of Roderick Island, this strategy seems to have paid off with a good pace and getting past Jackson Narrows at low tide, positioning themselves for favorable tides in the Princess Royal Channel tomorrow.
We cut into a narrow gut between islands to get out of the wind in Seaforth Channel and saw a bear eating grass on Watch Island!
Unfortunately the only place to pitch our tent was on a 20-degree slope just above the tideline.
Just Keep Rowing (Day 10)
Last night our team decided to call it a day 5 miles south of Addenbroke Lighthouse and camped in the same cove as fellow rowers Let's Row Maybe. Today the Dorsey sisters spent an uneventful day in a straight line up the east side of Calvert and Hunter Islands, stopping after 37 miles; 13 rowing miles from the village of Bella Bella, a required checkpoint. The day started with lighter winds and slight counter current, ending with a following ebb tide for a while prior to making camp. Let's Row Maybe started later and rowed later to catch up to our team. After 10 days of rowing from Victoria the two boats are only minutes apart, adding an interesting dimension to the race. Tomorrow brings a stop at Bella Bella, their first contact with civilization since Victoria. In what store-bought treat will Leigh and Clare indulge?
Also, don't forget to check out the R2AK daily updates page (linked here) for info on the rest of the competitors.
Around the Cape (Day 9)
Taking advantage of lighter winds and a following tide Team Don't Tell Mom rounded Cape Caution, one of the more exposed stretches of the race, and made 35 miles to the lee of Calvert Island by mid-afternoon. With winds rising and ebb tide against them they pondered their choices for campsites, then their tracker froze as usual. Good landing sites in the inside passages are few and far between, the few beaches often choked by drift logs. Perhaps an 8 mi farther row to Addenbroke Lighthouse?
Against The Wind (Day 8)
Our luxurious kitchen!
Anchored in the protection of Skull Cove
Team Don't Tell Mom spent another day pulling hard into a stiff wind on the north side of Queen Charlotte Strait, making about 26 miles before landing at a familiar spot—the campsite at Skull Cove that Leigh and Dameon used 3 years ago. This positions them for a possible attempt at crossing Cape Caution, a stretch exposed to the open Pacific that requires calmer conditions. Rival rowers Let's Row Maybe logged an extra 4 hours to pull ahead of our of team slightly. Will tomorrow's conditions allow our team to cross the aptly-named Cape Caution?
Everyone Knows It's Windy (Day 7)
View from campsite on Howcraft Bay, BC mainland
Facing direct headwinds over 15 mph at time our intrepid travelers had slow going up Queen Charlotte Strait, going as slow as 1.5 knots at times. After making only 20 miles by 3 pm (+ an extra "power hour" of rowing using Snickers as fuel) with winds continuing to rise, our team wisely bivouacked in Howcraft Bay. The other paddlers/rowers had similarly frustrating days and did no better.
With tomorrow's winds forecast almost as bad, will Don't Tell Mom press ahead or break out the card deck?
Fighting the headwinds in Queen Charlotte Strait - Photo by Rebecca Ross
Another Day, Another 40 Miles (Day 6)
Don't Tell Mom stuck with their plan to row early with light winds and stop early when the winds increase. Now out of the Johnstone Strait and into Queen Charlotte Strait, our team has beached on Owl Island to warm up and maybe dry out. Clare reports the day was wet and cold but they are in high spirits. As reported on the R2AK website, Leigh says it's hard to eat all the pre-planned food per day and still have enough time for rowing and sleeping.
Forecast winds are higher on Wednesday; stay tuned for how far the team gets tomorrow!
Restocking our water supply
Tea-colored water, stained by the cedar tannins
Lovely tent site on Owl Island
Slogging Up Johnstone Strait (Day 5)
After taking a much-needed extended overnight bivouac Team Don't Tell Mom made their way northwest up Johnstone Strait with lesser headwinds than previous days. Fighting a flood tide early and possibly riding a following ebb tide later they have beached on Hardwicke Island after a 37+ mile day. See Rebecca Ross' new Field Report on the Dorsey sisters on the R2AK website (linked here).
Shot the Seymour Narrows (Day 4)
Last night the Team pushed until sunset for an unprecedented 60 mile day, camping on the Comox shore, in order to be able to reach the Seymour Narrows at low slack tide today. As reported by R2AK, the Narrows have a tidal bore that can create whirlpools 60 ft across and 6 ft deep. Their strategy paid off after they pushed hard against a headwind to hit the Narrows at 1340 PDT, which they did almost on the dot, helped the last hour by a following ebb tide that pushed them to over 9 knots at times. Leigh reports that a Canadian Coast Guard boat was keeping an eye on them as they passed through, something they didn't mind as headwinds made the passage tricky. The other human-powered boats all held up short of the Narrows, unable to be in place for the slack tide. After a tough two days the sisters made early camp just past the Narrows on Quadra Island, resting up for the days to come.
Bald Eagle spotting
Long Day (Day 3)
Don't Tell Mom cruised steadily today with less headwind, albeit against the tide at times. Stopping at 1800 for dinner on Hornby Island, with the new fuel they pushed ahead with currently favorable conditions. More updates to follow in the morning (but I'm heading to bed for now!).
Updates: After the dinner stop, Leigh and Clare continued rowing until 2130 making it all the way to Cape Lazo. This put them at about 60 miles of rowing for the day and will hopefully set them up for tackling the Seymour Narrows!
Also, don't forget to check out the following post from Rebecca Ross who is one of the amazing field reporters following the race.
Camping Buddies (Day 2)
Last night team Don't Tell Mom (DTM) decided to call it an earlier night and joined team Let's Row Maybe (LRM) on Prevost Island. Keeping with their intent to row early to beat the wind our team set out before LRM, leading the way for a group of 5 rowers and paddlers through the islands off Vancouver Island. Going was slow at times with stiff headwinds and an outgoing tide, so DTM rested on Wallace Island for a few hours to let the current turn. They landed for the night on Gabriola Island, joined shortly thereafter by LRM, their new camping buddies. It's obvious the two rowboats are evenly matched in speed. Who will keep up the pace in the days to come?
Also, the R2AK website has a nice article (linked here) on the group that spent 2 nights on Dungeness Spit, including quotes from our girls and pictures.
Wallace Island Marine Park break
Out Of The Gate (Day 1)
The preliminaries are over. The 3 day exercise in patience to reach Victoria doesn't matter as the real race began today. Rowboats and kayaks started out fast as very light winds hobbled the sailboats that will soon overtake them. Rival rowers Let's Row Maybe leads the pack this evening as they appeared to gain faster current on a more inside line through the islands. Going into the evening our team is pulling steadily into the Trincomali Channel, heading for Wallace Island. Meanwhile, the sailboats are heading for the Strait of Georgia, willing to take a longer route to get to more open water. Will the Dorsey sisters overnight on Wallace or push on ahead?
Check back in tomorrow morning on this post for what actually happens!
What happened: They decided to stop and camp on Prevost Island at the James Bay Campground (a little before Wallace Island). They had some company as Team Let's Row Maybe also pitched their tent there.
See a great shot of them jumping in to start the second stage of the race from Victoria in the following video!
Cross Off Crossing the Strait
Victoria!
Our team arrived safely in Victoria today after a 4.5 hour crossing from Dungeness Spit in much nicer conditions than the past two days. Leigh reports that "it was very smooth, though a lot of current in places." A 1.5 hour delay at Canadian Customs put them in way ahead of the cutoff time. Of note, the other two teams of women rowers (Let's Row Maybe and Interstice) also passed the test of Juan De Fuca. With the Proving Grounds Stage 1 complete, the race really starts now. For more details on the stay on Dungeness Spit, see today's update on the R2AK website which also includes a nice picture of Clare in front of the lighthouse.
Mini Stay-cation
Leigh & Clare are stranded on Dungeness Spit with the other human-powered teams, waiting for the winds to abate.
Again, due to weather, many teams were forced to stay put. Fortunately, the light keepers' were true to their name and provided shelter and homemade cookies which were greatly appreciated by all who stayed on the Spit. Leigh and Clare even managed to fit in an 11 mile walk along with some grounds clean up!
Team Don't Tell Mom plans to row their way to Victoria tomorrow! Stay tuned for updates, and don't forget to check the tracker as they cross! In the meantime... enjoy some pictures from their Dungeness adventures!
Team Don't Tell Mom Battles To Dungeness Spit
Despite small craft warnings and winds gusting into the 30's the R2AK organizers launched on schedule today. Almost all rowboats and kayaks wisely stayed out of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and some worked their way west to Dungeness Spit. From there it will be a shorter crossing to Victoria. While Tuesday will have similar bad conditions, race officials extended the time limit to report at Victoria by 24 hours in order to allow a crossing on Wednesday when seas should be one foot or less.
While many sailboats were able to cross today, a few wish they hadn't tried. Three sailboats capsized and one dismasted. All crews are safe and the US Coast Guard rescued at least one crew.
Leigh reports that she had some of the toughest rowing of her life getting to Dungeness and that Clare took it in stride. Our team can look forward to a two-night stay on the Spit with fellow paddlers/rowers. Will there be sing-alongs and s'mores?
For the live stream video: The race starts @ minute 2:58 and you can catch a glimpse of Leigh and Clare @ minute 3:17
Don't forget to follow on the race tracker!
MURSU Leaves Belfast
This past Friday was filled with last minute packing, boat repair lessons, and a quick dolly practice session, all followed by an awesome send-off party with great food and even better company!
Dameon departed Belfast Saturday morning with MURSU lashed to the top of his Subaru, armed with the soundtrack to While Line Fever and a handle of Allens; only 3066 miles to Port Townsend, Washington. Crammed inside are 42 bags of food, 8 dry bags full of camping gear, two GPS, and bear spray. The food bags are the stuff of dreams (or nightmares) for endurance athletes; protein powder, dried pasta, and Snickers. Three years ago Leigh felt they didn't eat enough calories on the race, and this year, with God as her witness, she will not be hungry again.
Check out the packing list post for a detailed food list (coming soon).
