The team started their 2nd day at 8:25 am. Winds were light to moderate and the waves were manageable.
Last night, they set up their bear fence. It took all three of them to ensure it was set up correctly. West brought up a good point: they won’t know if it works unless the line is tripped by a bear. The fence, if tripped, sets off a flair which will (hopefully) scare the bear off. At the very least, it would wake up someone on the team to let them aware there is a bear outside. They all went to sleep until Rebekah woke up the team because she thought she heard a bear outside. When they peeked out of the tent, there wasn’t bear. Instead, there was a herd (pod) of Beluga Whales. Lots of Beluga Whales. Right along the shore…about 20 feet away. It was absolutely gorgeous. They still got a great night sleep. After setting off this morning, the team were entertained by harbor seals playing around the boats as they paddled along. West said they were so cute.
As they team paddled, they started to experience higher wind gusts than they expected and waves were reaching 4-5 feet. They pulled over to get a weather report and wait out the rough winds and water. Wind gusts were up to 26 mph and were expected to remain that way until about 4:00 am where they would gradually die down. We consulted with Titus and he concurred and stated they should experience good weather the rest of the week.
They are setting up camp on a nice, sandy beach. They are enjoying the bonnock that Titus provided and are eating well. Bonnock is a type of fried flat bread, a tradition Indigenous item.
Each day they are getting more organized and will fall into a morning routine. Tomorrow, they will strive to leave by 4:00 am.
–Barbara Edington
