Slogging into Bella Bella

After a slow first half of the race due to high winds and forced idleness it is only fitting that Dameon pulls into Bella Bella after a slow day against the wind. As of 6:30 pm he's made 30 miles instead of the 40 to 60 he often rows. As icing on the pain cake he is bucking an ebb tide the final several miles. Other paddlers/rowers had the same slow progress, with Team Of One maintaining spacing behind Wave Forager and ahead of all other human-powered craft. Of note, Sea Smoke, after a few days of light kayaking has turned it on and has passed the three-ship of other padders who have traveled together for the past week.

One hopes Dameon takes advantage of the last bit of civilization prior to Ketchikan and stretches his legs in Bella Bella, but knowing Our Man From Belfast he will head out into the wilderness portion of the race without stopping for a single ice cream cone.

Update: Dameon has checked in from Bella Bella, one of the last few cell towers between there and Ketchikan. He reports that today a humpback whale 3x the length of Dilly surfaced only 20 feet from him, then swam beside him for the next hour, repeatedly coming back to look at Dameon and the boat. This encounter can only be a good omen for the rest of the journey.