I had waited for just the right conditions before leaving, but not for the first time on this trip the weather made a fool out of me. I left Cape St. Francis en route to Western Bay at noon. The forecast had called for moderate south westerlies in the morning, diminishing to light winds in the afternoon, but no sooner had I reached the half way point when the wind switched to the west and started to blow. The wind and tide were now in conflict. Within five minutes all hell broke loose.
Waves steepened and started to crest.
It wasn't so much the danger of capsizing - I have been in much worse in this trip, its that I still had over eight more miles to go. I knew I was been pushed up the bay by the wind, so Western Bay was now out of the question. Soon the settlement of Ochre Pit Cove was drifting away. I was starting to get worried. I was now pretty tired and the shoreline further down the bay didn't exactly look inviting.