Waiatt Bay & Octopus Islands

We woke up to a beautiful clear day. We took the kayaks into the Octopus Islands. Near the shore in shallow water we say many starfish, sun starfish, crabs and sand dollars. I thought sand dollars were unique to the east coast since I've never seen them in California or here before. We think they are sand dollars anyway. They look just like the ones I've seen in novelty stores. Many of them are black and they look like velvet. After viewing sea life we went to look for the rock that hit us yesterday. It is low tide and saw it and the blue-tinged scrape on the top. There is a scrape on the bow at the waterline from our encounter. Thank goodness their was nothing seriously damaged.

Blind Channel Resort to Waiatt Bay - 3½ hours, 23 miles

Labor Day

We decided we didn't want to stay on this inside passage through two more rapids. The weather report shows rain and light wind. We had choices as to which slack time we were going to take through Okisollo Rapids. One was around 3:30 PM and the other at 9:15 AM. We really didn't want to go out into Johnstone Straight in the afternoon when the wind usually builds. So we bit the bullet and got up at 5:30 this morning. It was still dark, and foggy and rainy. We were out of the slip at 6:00 AM to make it to Okisollo for the 9:15 AM slack. We had good enough sight to be able to see two tug boats with barges in the Straight. Even as it got lighter the fog and rain continued. A bit of a nerve-wracking trip for Fred. He does almost all of the driving now. I usually sit with Merlin in my lap. This time I lay down on the sofa to try and go back to sleep. It didn't work very well. We passed through Okisollo Rapids with relatively calm water. There were a few whirlpools. We entered the Octopus Islands at low water. We usually anchor here because it so beautiful between the islets. Boy there are a lot of rocks at low water! Fred passed the helm to me so he could start setting up for anchoring. I was looking at the boat in front of me and not at the chart plotter. Too late, as Fred hollered and took control back, we hit (very softly) a rock… Boy do I feel like a fool. Fred checked and there doesn't appear to be any damage (except to my pride). We went in to look but two boats were already there so we went out to Waiatt Bay to anchor in deeper water and more safety. The only bird I saw here is a loon. Their call is very sad sounding and quite beautiful.

Blind Channel Resort

Today we took a hike to see the 800 year old cedar tree. It is about 16 feet in diameter. We were reassured again so we took Merlin with is as well as our bear bell and air horn. We put the bell on Merlin and he wasn't too crazy about it. I also think he may have smelled the big scary animals that live in the woods. He stayed very close to us. The hike wasn't too strenuous although my heart rate really got up there. It is so beautiful here. We have no idea how deep the forest floor is beneath us. We are walking much of the time on a cedar path which is spongy and soft. The old cedar tree is magnificent. We marvel at how it survived all of the lumbering. There are three cemetery markers on the tree of past Richter's with flowers around them. We wonder if their ashes were spread here. There are no actual grave sites. We got back to the resort in time to have a barbecued lunch on the patio. Again, overpriced ($15 for a cheeseburger), but delicious and in a lovely location. The rain started in the afternoon and got quite hard by dinnertime.

Beaver Inlet to Blind Channel Resort - 1 ½ hours, 12 miles

This a new port for us. I called yesterday and made reservations for tonight. This is popular, if expensive, destination. When we arrived after passing through Green Point Rapids at 12:45 PM. The dock has seven fingers with docking on both side of a finger. There is only one boat there. It is a beautiful 60 foot sailboat. Our reference books refer to a lot of tidal action in this marina but we must has gotten in still at slack water. Fred had no problem. We had lunch on the boat and then went wandering. This marina was started in the 70’s by Annemarie & Edgar Richter. Edgar designed and built the buildings and the artwork of Annemarie's is everywhere. There are quilts, crocheted afghans and fantastic mosaics. The mosaics are on the dock, outside of every building and the most beautiful is in the restaurant. She everyday things to make her works of art. Most of the them have a lot of shells and broken pottery. None were for sale or I might have made a dent in the budget. The marina is now run by the second and third generations of Richters. I think marinas always look better in the beautiful sunshine like we have today. We went to check in and then look around. There is a small grocery store, some gifts and crafts, a laundry room and a fancy dining room. We made reservations for dinner tonight at the Cedar Post Inn. I asked and was told that it was safe to let Merlin run around and even for a walking the woods. Well, that sounds nice. As the afternoon wore on we saw about 10 more boats come into the marina. The dining room is lovely and looks out at the marina. I have schnitzel and Fred had goulash. His was better than mine. The dinner with 1 beer and 1 iced tea came to over $100!

Douglas Bay to Beaver Inlet, Loughborough Inlet - 2 hours 13 miles

There are four sets of rapids on our planned route. We must pass through each at slack tide. The rapids are; Whirlpool Rapids, Green Point Rapids, Dent and Yuculta Rapids. The water runs at up to 9 knots at times. Since we only go 6-7 knots, we have to plan carefully. We passed through Whirlpool Rapids at 20 minutes before slack and it was calm and easy. We are going to spend the night here before passing the next rapids, Green Point.

Lagoon Cove to Douglas Bay, Forward Harbour - 5 hours 33 miles

Our trip through Blow Hole and Chatham Channel was made easier by following a sailboat. We figured if there was water under him, we would have no problem. The weather is so pleasant and the seas calm so we extended our route today. We were going to stop at Port Neville, as usual, but continued on past it to tuck up into Havannah Channel. We are heading back up the inside route south. We found a lovely anchorage in Douglas Bay. There is a white shell beach, but we are uncomfortable taking Merlin there because of wild animals.

Lagoon Cove

It rained in buckets last night. After lunch the clouds looks better so we went off in the dinghy to explore. We don't always travel light. We each had a travel mug of coffee, bottled water and Merlin. I wore a poncho so I could keep Merlin & I dry. Halfway down Hole-in-the-Wall, the heavens opened up. Merlin & I were fine but Fred's coffee leaked and then his hat trying to blow off. Not fun anymore. The rain kept up so we didn't go to Happy Hour tonight.

Port McNeill to Lagoon Cove - 5 hours, 32.3 miles

We went up for a latte before leaving port. We headed over to the fuel dock. We took on 200 gallons of diesel @ 4.04/gallon. The price was a shocker. This is much higher than we paid in Anacortes in June. The sun is out and we are heading back into the Broughton’s today. We are taking a new route that will take us off of Johnstone Straight and into some lovely, small waterways. The weather was so nice that Merlin & I sat upon the bow and watched the world go by. About an hour from our destination we caught up with six trawlers that appeared to be traveling together. Sure enough, as we got closer to Lagoon Cove we heard on the radio that numerous boats were having a yacht club rendezvous there. As we entered the cove we really couldn't see how much, if any, dock space was free. Since this is a nice peaceful cove we decided to anchor instead of going on the dock. I made a fruit salad and we went over to Happy Hour at 5 PM. We had a nice time and sure enough the place was packed. We had a wonderful dinner of cheese, fruit, meatballs and fresh shrimp. As most of us were done eating, Bill got up and was telling some of his wonderful stories. Then it started to rain. We hung around until Bill finished one of his stories to pack up and leave. The rain was coming down harder so the party was pretty much breaking up. We were pretty wet when we got back to Aquila. However, we had a nice warm boat to dry us off.

Port McNeill

We were up at O-dark-thirty to board Code 3 for our fishing charter. The sun is out and the seas are flat. We have no idea if that is good or not for fishing. What we do know is that we will be relatively warm and definitely dry. Merlin stayed aboard Aquila as our guard dog. We dressed warmly and brought our fishing poles that John gave us last year. Barry gave us quick orientation to this 26’ boat. The boat is great because it has heat inside and a stand up head. It was fascinating watching Barry showed us his gear and he explained why he used each gadget. He used salted herring as bait. He has two downriggers and rod holders all over the boat. He placed three lines in the water, each at a different depth. We just sat back and waited for a tug at a line. It wasn't too long before Fred caught our first fish. Unfortunately it was a small flounder that got thrown back. The second tug turned out to be a small rock fish…he went back in too. We waited…and waited and finally got a really good tug at a line. Fred reeled the fish in as Barry got the other lines out of the way. This was a beautiful wild Coho salmon. It is not allowed to keep a wild Coho in this area, only hatchery ones. This fish had a small dorsal fin which is cut off on hatchery salmon.

Shawl Bay to Port McNeill - 5 hours, 36.6 miles

No journal.

Burly Bay to Shawl Bay - 2 ¾ hours, 16.5 miles

No journal.

Jennis Bay to Burly Bay - 2 ½ hours, 14 miles

Fred pulled the kayaks up on to the dock and emptied the water out of them. In between the rain clouds we took a nice long kayak trip at low water. It is easier to see the starfish, crabs and little fleeting fish at this time. The seats in both our kayaks stayed damp but we ignored this discomfort. Merlin was a perfect gentleman in the kayak today. I hardly knew he was there and we were out for 90 minutes. On one of the islands we say a mink scurrying on the rocks and then disappearing. A mink looks like a ferret, but a little bigger. We were waiting to leave the dock for the high slack at Stewart Narrows at 2:30 PM. Phyllis came to say good by and to take our photo with the boat for Allyson's album (Fred warned about his ability to break cameras). We couldn't decide where to go next so we went back to Burly Bay. This time we anchored near the outlet of Hopetown Passage. The water was like glass the entire time. It was particularly serene.

Jennis Bay

This is a very nice bay for kayaking. Merlin was my copilot as usual. The most interesting thing we saw was near the area where a stream enters the bay. There is a huge amount of broken dishes in the water. Apparently in the old days of lumbering the folks had a habit of using the beach as a dump. The water is clear and beautiful now but interesting pieces of the past remain.

Muirhead Islands to Jennis Bay

We had a very short trip back down Drury Inlet to Jennis Bay Marina. They only have room for about ten boats here. There were five here. That is a nice amount for visiting. Allison & Tom, the owners, are not here. The caretakers, George & Phyllis, are very nice and interesting people. This is the place that their large dog was attacked by a wolf up near the building on shore. This happened last summer. Fortunately everything healed except the left eye. Phyllis also told us that a Portuguese Water Dog was walking on the shell beach (midden) at Blunden Harbour and the dog was grabbed by a cougar and disappeared. The BC coast is a rain forest and the woods and shrubs are very dense. Now, of course we are wary of taking Merlin in a place near the forest. We took him up to the head of the dock only. He did have fun running around on the docks. Of course we had Happy Hour in the Cook house. We ran into a couple who live in Alameda! George was very interesting. He comes from the middle of Canada. He told us stories about being a lumberjack and about his bull riding days in the rodeo.

Muirhead Islands

It started raining during the night. There is no wind and the water is like glass. How beautiful. Today is another day to catch up on chores and settle down for reading a good book. Merlin is funny. When we are anchor like this without a place to go for a walk, Merlin does “his business” on the foredeck. Well, not in the rain. He just poked his head out and had a few drops on his head and he was back on the sofa. Fortunately we have other options under cover.

Muirhead Islands

Well, no crab again in the crab pot. Fred moved it hoping for better luck. It is a spectacularly clear day. We took a ride in the dinghy to explore. We are close to another inlet that we have never explored. It is near high tide so we have plenty of water under us. We passed through Actress Passage and into Actaeon Sound. There are so many islets that I was turned around completely. Thank goodness that Fred has an excellent sense of direction. It is quite beautiful but not much different from where we are anchored now. On our way back to the boat we passed a rock that had about ten seals on it. I think they are harbour seals. It was interesting that they were several different colors. Some were dark and spotted and several others were a pretty brown. Maybe different ages? I will have to look them up. As soon as it was dark (about 9 PM) the moon came out. It is about half full and so bright it lit up the entire bay. The water was like glass and the mirror image of the hills and trees was lovely.

Burly Bay to Muirhead Islands - 3 hours, 20.5 miles

We planned out journey to arrive at Stuart Narrows in Drury Inlet at slack water. We passed Jennis Bay Marina and went back into the inlet and anchored in the Muirhead Islands.

Burly Bay

Today we are going for a dinghy ride in search of bear. We went down Mackenzie Sound to Little Nimmo Bay. We passed a very high end fishing lodge there. We didn’t see any action but they had a fast boat and a seaplane docked there. We went up to the head of the bay to check out the anchorage. The location is good but it is too close to the lodge for our taste. We looked everywhere but the bears are still hiding. Sunset is magnificent here. The way the sun lights up the granite walls and trees is really not describable.

Sullivan Bay to Burly Bay - 1½ hours, 11 miles

What a way to cool down. We woke up to heavy fog. By the time we left we could at least see at water level. We have had a lovely time on docks but it is time to head out and hang on the hook”. We experienced no turbulence as we passed through Grappler Sound and Kenneth Passage. We didn’t see any boats in Burly Bay and our favorite spot behind Blair Islet was free. We anchored without difficulty and were enjoying the serenity. One direction we look out a huge wall of granite and the other way we hear the water passing through Hopetown Passage. We were disappointed to see another boat enter our bay in the afternoon. It is a beautiful Selene called “Three Wishes”. It motored around Aquila and found that there was no room in our nook. It anchored across our little bay near the opening of Hopetown Passage. We will have to remember that that is a good anchoring spot.

Sullivan Bay

Another scorcher today with high humidity. Mama ain’t happy. Fred seems to thrive in this weather, I wilt. We saw and heard a great deal of sea bird action out in the water and we saw dolphins playing out there too. I'm glad the kids can add another mammal sighting to their list. Jason & Kelli were packing and we were saying our goodbyes when I heard the plane coming into the “airport”. It is a little early. They weren’t supposed to leave until 12:30. Fortunately the pilot wasn’t in a panic (is it because he is 15 years old…no only looks it). The plane was a XXX. We got a lot of photos of the plane and them leaving. It was bittersweet. Our guests are gone but now we have more space to spread out in. The storage that was in the second stateroom had to be moved to our room during the visit. Now we can move it back and be less claustrophobic when we sleep. Tonight the special at the restaurant is deep fried turkey. We made reservations and fortunately the weather cooled down enough that we enjoyed the dinner tremendously.

Greenway Sound to Sullivan Bay - 1 ¼ hours, 8 miles

This morning Fred, Jason & Kelli took the dinghy over to the small float that leads to a hiking the trail up to Broughton Lake. It is going to be another hot day, so Jason & Kelli took swimsuits to cool off by swimming in the lake. Apparently only Jason took the plunge. The hike was too much for me but the pictures showed that is quite beautiful. At noon we left to head over to Sullivan Bay. Jason & Kelli will be flying out of there tomorrow. Fred opened up the upper helm for the first time this year. Even though we don’t have a bimini anymore, everyone was quite comfortable and enjoyed the views. The temperature is in the low 90’s and we all are very uncomfortable when the boat stopped. The only relief was sitting on the swim platform and cooling our feet in the water. This is the home of Buddy. He is a teeny tiny Yorkie owned by the managers. Today he is adorable and friendly. However, in 2008 when we here during Merlin's first cruising season, Buddy yapped and frightened Merlin right into the drink. Merlin is definitely not an alpha male. There was no harm done and Merlin's ability to swim was reaffirmed. Today the dogs are friends and Buddy is not the least bit “yappy” or aggressive. Sullivan Bay is quite charming. It is up against a cliff and all of the buildings are on floats. There are three docks for boats, one and a half for homes and one for “downtown”. There are also about 10 or so homes on floats here. I don’t mean boathouses, these are very upscale homes. One has its own float plane behind it another has a beautiful red helicopter on the roof. Definitely high end. All of the docks have street names. The head of the marina has different floats which contain a restaurant, grocery store, laundry & shower, garbage, fuel and airport. This is called “town”. Before dinner there is an interesting event. Every boat gets two golf balls and aims them for a target set up in the bay which is covered with artificial grass and made to look like the green on a golf course. A fellow on one of the boats plays the bagpipes. He led the parade off the “golf course”. If anyone gets a hole-in-one they get a free night’s moorage. Jason & Fred weren’t even close to the target. I think Jason gave a seagull a real scare. However, there is a Manager’s Special that if one stays two nights the third night is free. We have no plans after Jason & Kelli leave… so we’ll stay. Jason & Kelli took us out to dinner at the restaurant. The food and service were excellent, if a bit pricey. It was a lovely ending to their visit. We have enjoyed the company.

Shawl Bay to Greenway Sound - 1¼ hours, 8.2 miles

Greenway Sound is another very unusual marina. The dock is shaped like a “U” that is ½ mile in total length. The marina changed hands earlier this year so we were curious to see what, if any, changes had been made. The previous owners (and founders), Tom & Anne Taylor, had the docks topped with red, felt carpet. The new owner has done it in green. Green seems appropriate. We have heard mixed reviews about the restaurant now. We decided to save our money and eat on the boat.

Viner Sound to Shawl Bay - 1½ hours, 12.1 miles

It was a short trip to Shawl Bay. Again this is a favorite place. Rob, the son of the owners, met us on the dock with his friendly German Sheppard named Shiloh. As always, there have been improvements to the marina. Rob informed us that it was fish chowder night. All we have to do is bring dishes and utensils. They now have a beautifully carved sign with a whale logo. I did a load of laundry here but the machines are so slow I didn't have time to do more. The marina filled up and we had a nice crowd at dinner. Everyone else loved the chowder. It was a bit too fishy for me.

Glendale Cove to Kwatsi Bay Marina - 5 hours, 36 miles

Low tide was at 8 AM and sure enough there are bears on the beach turning over rocks for whatever good stuff is underneath. There is a large female and three cubs. One of the cubs was blond in color. There were all adorable. We all went out in the dinghy to have a better look. The boat was about 50 yards from the shore. The bears just kept on feeding and ignored us. We are all elated that we get to see brown bears in their natural habitat. We left at 10:15 to head back down Knight Inlet. We had the wind in our face this time but we had the tide with us. We arrived at Kwatsi Bay Marina at 3 PM.

Lagoon Cove to Glendale Cove - 4 hours, 27 miles

We all discussed our next destination. One option was to go up Knight Inlet to Glendale Cove to see brown bears (grizzly bears). It is a long haul. 27 miles straight up Knight Inlet. However, we were traveling on a flood tide with the wind at our back. This added 2 knots speed. We arrived at the cove at 3:30 PM. It was near high tide and the bears come out at low tide. We had a heck of a time anchoring. There were numerous crab pots located in the best anchoring spots. Also, the cove has a large mud flat at the head. I think we tried 3 times until we felt comfortable. Comfortable is a relative term. We were well anchored but we were in about 90 feet of water and there is a huge amount of rocking and rolling because this cove is open to Knight Inlet.

Lagoon Cove Marina

We did the final inspection before Jason & Kelli arrive. They are expected to arrive via Kenmore Air (float plane) at 12:30. We received word from Jason that their flight was held up in Seattle due to fog. The plane finally landed about 4 PM. We gave them a little tour of the marina and of course reviewed the location and purpose of all safety equipment aboard Aquila. They barely had time to relax before we headed up to Happy Hour. Again I did not have to cook. There was a marvelous selection of foods and we had our fill of fresh prawns. I brought brie and crackers. There is a small group of folk singers aboard one of the boats so we are going to have a sing along by the campfire at 8:30 PM. The weather was cool but very comfortable and we could see of the stars. The group was quite good and we had a wonderful time singing old camp songs. After the singing we had a marshmallow roast complete with smores.

Viner Sound to Lagoon Cove Marina - 4 hours, 26 miles

Fred woke me up early to see a black bear turning over on the rocks near the boat. Finally, a bear here on our last morning. It rained really hard last night. It sounded so pretty over our heads while we were warm and dry. It rained a little this morning and then just changed to overcast. We had a nice ride to Lagoon Cove. This is one of the several family run marinas in the Broughtons. Bill & Jeanne Barber are always helpful, fun and full of great stories. Ask Bill to tell the one about the bear. We had finished getting the boat clean and ready for Kelli & Jason’s arrival tomorrow and went up to check email. I looked out into the cove and I saw Teddy Bear coming in. This is a 55’ Florida Bay Trawler that was custom built for Teddy & John Hozemer. We last saw them in Sitka in 2007. We had a nice visit during happy hour. As usual, I didn’t have to cook dinner. Everyone brings a pot luck appetizer and Bill provides all you can eat fresh prawns.

Viner Sound

We have given up on getting more than one crab here. Also, the bear appears to out of town. We spent most of the day rearranging things and tidying up in preparation for Jason & Kelli’s arrival on Sunday. We weather has been getting more overcast and we had our first rain in a long time this afternoon.

Viner Sound

We decided to take the dinghy over to Pierre’s at Echo Bay. It is about five miles away but a pretty straight shot as the crow flies. It is in the 50’s with filtered sunshine. We bundled up and were prepared for sea spray. We took the computer so we could check email too. The computer was in it’s bag, wrapped in a beach towel and placed in a waterproof backpack. We weren’t taking any chances that it would be injured. Merlin enjoyed the ride for about 10 minutes then he climbed onto my lap, facing the stern and I wrapped him in a beach towel to keep him comfy and dry. We saw one humpback whale showing off. We were able to check email and do some shopping at their little grocery store. Merlin got to run around on the dock and we even met another Cavalier King Charles. She is a “black and tan” and adorable. The crab trap is still filling up with babies and starfish.

Viner Sound

A buoy became available so we moved Aquila to it. This places us in a wonderful small cove. We have seen bears in the rocky areas we are close to now. We had a nice time kayaking but no bears yet. The crab trap had a dozen crabs but only one large enough to keep! I guess Fred put it down in the nursery.

Joe Cove to Viner Sound, Gilford Island - 2¾ hours, 12 miles

We are traveling in the Broughtons now. These passages are narrow and beautiful. We hear the birds chirping but no sign of bears. As we passed the marina of Pierre’s at Echo Bay, we picked up some weak wifi. We were able to do a quick check of our email as we passed heading for Viner Sound. Viner is a lovely fjord. The little nooks along the passage are too rocky for anchoring. There are two coves ahead, one on the right and one on the left. There are two mooring buoys on each side. All four are occupied. Shoot! We have never anchored in here but Douglass’ book says we can at the head of the sound. We have to careful because of the huge boulders underwater and shoaling close to the head. We picked one spot but as the boat slightly drifted on the anchor we found ourselves in 10 feet of water at high tide. Not good. We pulled up the anchor and moved to a spot right between the two coves with buoys. The anchor caught well and we are settled. We took the dinghy out and wandered looking for bears (none found). One of the boats on a buoy looked just like our so we went over to say hi. Al Mirati has a 34’ CHB, Lady Sea, which looks just like ours (almost). He is single handing the boat and we invited him over to see Lady Sea’s big sister. He says that Lady Sea only has one cabin and everything is on a much smaller scale than ours. The crab pot got put down for the first time this season. We have had good luck in the past.

Port McNeill to Joe Cove - 3½ hours , 21 miles

The fog was a factor in a cruise today from Port McNeill to Joe Cove on Eden Island. Fortunately the wind was not. We had very calm seas for our journey. Our radar works beautifully and the few other boats that were out here were easily picked up. This is our first stop in the Broughtons. Joe Cove is pretty large and very protected. As we entered we saw that there were only two other boats here. We chose a nice spot in the middle.

Port McNeill

In the morning I did laundry while Fred did his ongoing maintenance and repair aboard. In the afternoon we had a treat. We each went to Hair Teezers for a pedicure. Tamra remembered me from last year. She is very good and very interesting to talk to. There are very few places to get one up here. Fred decided against the red polish…

Port Neville to Port McNeill - 5¼ hours, 45 miles

No journal.

Beaver Inlet to Port Neville - 4 hours, 26.5 miles

No journal.

Bickley Cove to Beaver Inlet, Loughborough Inlet - 2½ hours, 16 miles

No journal.

Squirrel Cove to Bickley Cove - 5½ hours, 34.5 miles

Fred ran over and picked up our bakery order before we left Squirrel Cove. We have always used the same channels from up into the Broughton Islands. We decided, since we have time, to try something different. Instead of taking Hole in the Wall rapids we are heading up Calm Channel to Cordero Channel. In order to do this we need to pass through two areas of rapids. The first is Yuculta (Gillard Passage) and the second is Dent Rapids. They are only about 3 miles apart. They are known to be vicious unless taken at the proper time of slack water. The calculations for slack water at any of the rapids are a bit confusing. We have two electronic assists with this. The first is a program called “Tide Tool” which is on our Palm Pilot. The second is a program called “Aye Tides” on my iphone. We were further encouraged that our calculation was correct because we were in a group of ten boats waiting to make the passage. We encountered 3 knot current against us and many whirlpools and eddies at Yuculta Rapids. Fred did a fine job of piloting us through them. After Yuculta, Dent Rapids was a piece of cake. We had a very windy trip as well. The highest gust we had was 39 mph, which places it at Gale Force. We were hoping to stop at Shoal Bay Lodge, but it is a small marina and there was no room on the dock. The anchorage is quite small so we continued on to Bickley Bay. There is a fish farm at the mouth and numerous crab pots in the way. We managed to find a good spot up at the head of the bay. The wind continued to roar all night. However, we had warm pie and homemade ice cream for dessert!

Squirrel Cove

As we took the dinghy back over to town to use the internet, we saw a sign that one of the little float houses in the anchorage was actually a bakery and open for business. We stopped on our way back to the boat and the bakery was closed. It is open from 8-noon and 4-8PM. We went back at 4 PM and found out that they take orders for am pick up. We picked up a couple cinnamon rolls for morning and ordered cinnamon rolls, an apple/blackberry pie and some homemade vanilla ice cream.

Sunset


Rainbow at Squirrel Cove


Queens Reach


Princess Louisa Inlet


Princess Louisa Inlet


Fred at John's 90th Birthday


Merlin sleeping on his potty

Squirrel Cove

The wind continued to gust all night and shows no sign of calming down. We were getting ready to take the dinghy back to “town” when we saw our friends Hans & Ingrid on “See Yarn Too” cruise by. They normally stay on docks but since there is no room out there they are going to give anchoring a try. We saw that that put the anchor down twice and asked if they wanted to raft to us. Hans said no but looked worried about the whole process. We stopped by on the dinghy and asked if Hans would like Fred to help. Hans gladly accepted. The men got the anchor down together. We continued on our way to the government dock. We brought the computer with us today and Fred checked some accounts and we sent a message to our family that we are alive and well. We got soaked by the wind waves going back to Aquila. Merlin was fine, he stayed under the ole beach blanket. We went over to See Yarn Too after dinner for a visit. Hans & Ingrid are such nice and interesting people. We have promised to call them when we come to the Seattle boat show next year and go out to dinner together.

Refuge Cove to Squirrel Cove - 45 minutes, 3 miles

We took a very short trip across Lewis Channel to Squirrel Cove on cortes Island. There is a government dock as you enter the bay with a grocery store, crafts store and restaurant. The dock is full of small boats (less than 20 feet). We weren’t going on the dock anyway. We headed on past Protection Island to the anchorage further in the bay. It is a very large area but we were still surprised by the amount of boats anchored here. We are anxious to get further north. Too much humanity here. The good news is that there is no loud music. The wind picked up this afternoon and there are gusts up to about 25 mph. We took the dinghy over to the government dock to pick up a few things at the store. The wind caused quite a bit of salt spray. Merlin stayed buried under a beach towel. We found out that there is unsecured internet over here so we will come back with the computer tomorrow.

Grace Harbour to Refuge Cove - 1¼ hours, 6 miles

There are not many places that have phone and internet service in Desolation Sound. We came to Refuge Cove specifically to have both. We left Grace Harbour early so we could get a place on the dock at Refuge Cove (West Redonda Island). We found a good dock location but the phone wouldn’t work from the boat. Internet service was $10 / 24 hours. This is quite a little “town”. The marina area is run as a co-op. The store is very well supplied and they sell liquor too. The laundry is clean, has two showers and two toilets. The best part is the little restaurant. It is open for breakfast and lunch. We went over and had a breakfast sandwich (hamburger bun, cheese, ham & fried egg) which was delicious. Of course we each had a latte and they were delicious. There are boardwalks over the rocky shore that also let to a little gift shop. Big surprise, I didn’t buy anything.

Thunder Bay to Grace Harbour, Desolation Sound - 5½ hours, 41 miles

Another sunny, warm & beautiful day for the trip to Desolation Sound. This wind and waves kicked up pretty good in Malaspina Straight. There were about 4-5’ waves. When we passed Grief Point (Powell River) the water flattened out nicely. There was a bit too much wind for us to consider anchoring in the Copeland Islands. Also, there were already quite a few there. This gave an inkling of the amount of boat traffic there is here in mid-summer. We usually come through at least a month earlier and have much more breathing room. As we entered Desolation Sound we couldn’t help but have the snow-capped mountains take our breath away. Grace Harbour (Gifford Peninsula) was crowded when we anchored, and the boats kept on coming until after dark. This is a very popular place. The harbour is very well protected and has a good hiking trail as well. We put the dinghy in the water and went for a nice tour, but didn’t get out until we returned to Aquila.

Princess Louisa Inlet to Thunder Bay - 6 ½ hours, 46 miles

Another clear, sunny & beautiful day. It is almost a shame to be leaving here today. As I walked Merlin before we left it sounds like half of the folks on the dock are leaving this morning. The mountains and waterfalls humble us. It is such a privilege to be here where the only access is by small boat or float plane. It certainly limits the number of visitors. However, as we are passing through Malibu Rapids to get back out into Queens Reach, we see about six vessels waiting to enter the inlet. The current is with us but we have 20-34 mph headwinds. The seas got about 1-2 foot chop. Fred found me a black bear on the beach in Jervis Inlet. That’s #1 for the season… Thunder Bay is an enormous half-circle shaped bay. There is beach along the shore and just above the beach are clipped lawns and big houses. We didn’t get off of the boat here. We are in very nice weather, otherwise this bay would provide very little protection. We chose this anchorage for it’s location. It will be another big jump tomorrow to Desolation Sound.

Princess Louisa Inlet

There are folks in three sailboats that are traveling together. They all have 4-7 year olds (I think 5 of them). As the sun started warming up the bay, the parents put life jackets on the kids, let them row the dinghy’s (2 of them) while tethered to the mother ship. Oh yes, they also had water guns. Too funny, until one starts crying that big brother won’t let him have a turn. Now it’s annoying. We took the dinghy out to middle of the inlet to appreciate the vast scale of what we are in the middle of. The cliff walls are of varied color granite covered with moss and trees growing out of unlikely crevices. There must be 50 + waterfalls. The crown jewel is Chatterbox Falls at the head of the inlet. It is immense. Maybe 50 feet wide and 200 feet high?

Pender Harbour to Princess Louisa Inlet - 7 ¾ hours, 50 miles

We left at 8:20 AM for our long journey today. The departure time is based upon slack water at Malibu Rapids, the entrance to Princess Louisa Inlet. There was hardly a cloud in the sky for our cruise. We had about a 20 mph tailwind and a one foot following sea. Very comfortable fort us. As we entered Agamemnon Channel the snow capped peaks were starting to become visible. Once we entered Prince of Wales Reach the rest of the journey was in a fjord. One breathtaking mountain top after another. The peaks went almost straight up from the water to 2500 to 3500 meters (1 meter = 3.3 feet). We were essentially in one long winding passage which ends just beyond Malibu Rapids. We traveled in Princess Royal Reach after Prince of Wales Reach. Our destination is off of Queens Reach. We were one of nine boats to enter the inlet through rapids (well, calm since we waited for slack tide). We all motored about until the current was less than two knots. The tide is with us, which helps. We entered about 30 minutes early following a fast trawler. The Rapids have a reverse S curve. The slowest boats, the sailboats, entered last. We were not prepared for the number of boats we saw. The dock is quite small. As we passed Malcolm Island we saw that all of the mooring buoys were taken. We pretty much assumed we would have to anchor. Anchoring in the head of the inlet usually requires stern-tying because the water is so deep. Luck was with us. There were several spots on the inside of the dock. We backed into the next to the last spot on the end. This way we looked out at mountains, not a lot of boats. The author Earle Stanley Gardiner wrote in his Log of a Landlubber: “There is a calm tranquility which stretches from the smooth surface of the reflecting waters straight up to infinity. The deep calm of eternal silence is only disturbed by the muffled roar of throbbing waterfalls as they plunge from sheer cliffs. There is no scenery in the world that can beat it. Not that I have seen the rest of the world. I don’t need to. I’ve seen Princess Louisa Inlet.” This says what we think much more eloquently than I can. Merlin & I went for a walk as soon as we were tied up. There is a short walk, on a boardwalk, through a magnificent rainforest. There are two bridges over rapids which are the end result of some waterfalls on the mountain. The tide is out so I let Merlin off the leash. He loves the beach. Of course, there is no driftwood here. That’s OK, Merlin like to pull small rocks out of the water. Go figure… There is a woman swimming with her Golden Retriever in the chilly water. It is about 60 degrees. They are having so much fun.

Pender Harbour

We took the dinghy into Madeira Park today. Of course we know our favorite spot for a latte. We sat in the sun and watched people for awhile. We then walked up to the Painted Boat Resort. It is probably less than a mile from the marina. The last time we were here the place only had a couple model units open and the grounds were still in the plan. The resort is based upon ¼ ownership of each unit. There is a cutesy restaurant now, and a lovely spa. We walked through and we loved it. Lots of use of big stones, fountains and lounge areas by a hot tub with the saunas nearby. They were all booked upped for today or we might have stayed for a treatment and to lay in the sun in plush deck chairs.

Nanaimo to Pender Harbour - 5 hours, 32 miles

We got up at 7 AM to do a garbage run and get our latte before leaving dock. We checked the weather and even though it is sunny and beautiful, we were prepared for winds up to 25 mph. we decided that we would venture out into the Straight of Georgia a bit and see if we wanted to make the crossing today. As we emerged from Newcastle Island Passage we encountered winds around 25 mph and gusting to 35 mph. Whiskey Gulf (WG) was not active. It is a deepwater range operated by the Canadian & US navies to test torpedoes (unarmed) and various ships’ systems. When it is active the direct route across the Straight is unavailable and it adds another hour to the trip to avoid the area. The wind was coming from the NW (directly at us) and the seas were 4-5 feet. Pretty uncomfortable but manageable. Fred & I made sure that everything of importance was secured. The box holding Merlin’s stuff (shampoo, leashes, toys, treats, etc.) was the only thing to fall over. I’d say lucky but it was good preparation on our part. Fred had the helm (his preference) so Merlin & I went down to our stateroom and took a nap. Merlin dived under the covers and did not emerge again until we were in calm water across the Straight inside of Texada Island. We entered Pender Harbour and went back into Gerran’s Bay to anchor. There is one sailboat and the two, old, derelict looking boats at anchor here. The old boats are rafted together and have been here for at least the last six years. It is time for Fred’s nap and then we had barbecued steak for dinner.

Nanaimo

Fred is due home today so I cleaned the boat, did the laundry and some grocery shopping. Fred called at each stage of his travel to check in. It will be so nice to have him back. It is way too quiet here when he is gone. Fred got back around 3:30 PM. He is exhausted by this quick 48 hour trip to California. We have been so comfortable on our own dock. About 6:30 Pm while the wind was blowing about 20 mph and pushing us off the dock I saw another boat trying to get on the dock near us. They were being blown all over the place. Via charades I understood them to ask us to move forward a bit on the dock so they could pull in behind us. It took three of us to grab lines and pull them onto the dock. The winds were making it very tough. Apparently two couples are chartering this Tolleycraft for three weeks. Nice folks. Boat Name is Eagle’s Nest.

Nanaimo

The temperature has finally dropped to the low 70’s. It is hazy and still muggy. After I went up the dock to get my latte, Merlin & I walked over to the Dragon Races site in the harbor. I was in time for the Carnation Ceremony. There were 10 dragon boats rafted together in the water. Everyone was handed a pink carnation. A beautiful song about strong women was sung as everyone (hundreds of people) threw their carnations into the water. Of course I was thinking about Aunt Pat and my friend Joyce. The Dragon boats then came back to the dock which was lined with hundreds of participants with their paddles pointed up to create an arch as all of the women in the boats filed out. Every one of them is a breast cancer survivor. Not a dry eye anywhere. Even Merlin sat quietly as if he knew it was a reverent moment. Of course then he went as he found pieces of carnations and stems and tried to eat them. I stopped him because I have no idea if they would hurt him.

Nanaimo

After breakfast we went to go get a latte and walk over and watch the dragon races. This area is about 100 yards north of where the boat is moored. By mid-morning the temperature was already in the 80’s so I changed my order to an iced latte (very refreshing). There were a few venders selling t-shirts and paddle oriented jewelry. I was able to resist temptation. There were quite a few food and drink venders. There was a vender offering free samples of O’Douls beer and some alcohol free hard ciders. We each asked for a taste of the peach one and she handed us each our own bottle. I guess they are pushing this stuff because it was free. They even had a beer garden (we passed on that). There was live entertainment and a very festive mood. We watched a few races and then went back to the boat. First of all we are dying in the heat which has reached 100 degrees. This is unusual weather for this area. Kind of like San Francisco which has a more temperate climate most of the year. Secondly, Fred has decided (at the last moment) to try and get back to San Francisco and drive him up on Sunday to John Sheridan’s 90th birthday party. We love John like a father and we knew this was important. Fred was able to schedule a float plane out of here to Seattle, a regular flight into San Francisco, a rental car and hotel for two nights. He has never taken a float plane ride. That should be exciting. This is going to be a total surprise for John and his family. At 9 PM we went back to Swy a Lana Lagoon for the Candles of Courage Ceremony. We stood with many others at the side of the lagoon. A piper (bag-pipes) preceded a long line of women carrying a pink candle and a pink rose. When the participants were assembled by the water a lovely song was sung about women and courage. While the young lady was singing, all of the candles and roses were set adrift. It was cloudy this afternoon and as the sun set there was a beautiful pink sky behind the women. It was very moving. Most of the proceeds for this event are going to breast cancer and the local Nanaimo hospital. At low tide the water from this lagoon drains from the lagoon into the harbour and at high tide the water in the lagoon is restored.

Nanaimo

The temperature only reached the 80’s today. Thank God. Fred & I went over to the races this morning. Then he packed for his California trip. How do men do that? I would have started yesterday and worries and fussed over it. He was able to pack in a small backpack. Fred was ready to go and we were on the boat having a coffee about 12:30 when he received a call from Kenmore Airlines. He was supposed to leave at 2:15 and would it be possible for him to be ready an hour early? He said sure, so we walked up the dock and found a taxi. He is on his way with a promise to check in at each step. Really a bit strange to be on the boat alone with Merlin. Fred called from Seattle and said that Customs was a piece of cake. He was able to sit in the right seat on the plane (next to the pilot). He loved it except the noise. They gave out free ear plugs thankfully.

Nanaimo

After breakfast we went to go get a latte and walk over and watch the dragon races. This area is about 100 yards north of where the boat is moored. By mid-morning the temperature was already in the 80’s so I changed my order to an iced latte (very refreshing). There were a few venders selling t-shirts and paddle oriented jewelry. I was able to resist temptation. There were quite a few food and drink venders. There was a vender offering free samples of O’Douls beer and some alcohol free hard ciders. We each asked for a taste of the peach one and she handed us each our own bottle. I guess they are pushing this stuff because it was free. They even had a beer garden (we passed on that). There was live entertainment and a very festive mood. We watched a few races and then went back to the boat. First of all we are dying in the heat which has reached 100 degrees. This is unusual weather for this area. Kind of like San Francisco which has a more temperate climate most of the year. Secondly, Fred has decided (at the last moment) to try and get back to San Francisco and drive him up on Sunday to John Sheridan’s 90th birthday party. We love John like a father and we knew this was important. Fred was able to schedule a float plane out of here to Seattle, a regular flight into San Francisco, a rental car and hotel for two nights. He has never taken a float plane ride. That should be exciting. This is going to be a total surprise for John and his family. At 9 PM we went back to Swy a Lana Lagoon for the Candles of Courage Ceremony. We stood with many others at the side of the lagoon. A piper (bag-pipes) preceded a long line of women carrying a pink candle and a pink rose. When the participants were assembled by the water a lovely song was sung about women and courage. While the young lady was singing, all of the candles and roses were set adrift. It was cloudy this afternoon and as the sun set there was a beautiful pink sky behind the women. It was very moving. Most of the proceeds for this event are going to breast cancer and the local Nanaimo hospital. At low tide the water from this lagoon drains from the lagoon into the harbour and at high tide the water in the lagoon is restored.

Montague Harbour to Nanaimo - 4 ¾ hours 32 miles

It’s going to be another scorcher today. We didn’t leave Montague until 11 AM today because we have to time our travel to go through Dodd Narrows (http://www.dairiki.org/tides/daily.php/dod)at slack water. The narrows are going to be at slack water, heading to flood at 3 PM. We had the current with us so that we had to pull power to slow us down. We went through the Narrows at 2:45 PM with 1 ½ knots pushing. No problems. We decided to stay on the dock in Nanaimo because Fred is going to look into going to California on Saturday to see our friend John, who turns 90 today. We were surprised that there were several boats at the breakwater waiting for a slip assignment. I asked if there was a reason for the crowd and was told that the Nanaimo Dragon Boat Races start tomorrow. We told them that power was optional and would take a less desirable slip. We were assigned to B dock. That is the dock that float planes land on. We will be on the south side of it (planes on the north side). We are all alone over here and Fred found some power for us. It is a little odd being off to the north side of the fuel dock and the fishing vessel docks. However, we have a security gate and we look out the stern at the harbour and over to the anchorage. We can see the mainland across the Straight of Georgia and some snow-capped mountains. Just beautiful.

Montague Harbour

We have been looking forward to beautiful sunny weather, but we don’t like this. It made it up to 96 degrees today, and no wind! We took the dinghy over to the campground area. Merlin got to run on the beach and we had a nice hike around Grey Peninsula. Fortunately there was some shade there. At the far end of the peninsula there used to be a staircase up to the campground area. Well those have fallen apart, so the only ways back to the dinghy are; walk all the way back around the peninsula, swim or climb up the dry, dirt hill. Fred went before me and then reached the backpack down to me so I would have some kind of safety line. While we were climbing up on all fours, Merlin is running up & down as if to say, what is taking you so long? The coolest we’ve been today was running the dinghy fast across the water. When we returned to Aquila we were all filthy. Fred figured the best way to clean his feet was to splash them in the water. I did that too and it felt wonderful. We then looked at Merlin. He had every kind of burr and twig in his fur possible. We considered putting him in the water to splash around but we thought the best solution was 50/50. I got down on the swim platform and Fred held Merlin and let the lower half of him splash in the water. I’m telling you he did a mean dog-paddle. I then took him down to the tub to wash the lower half of his body and brush out all the stickers, etc. Then we both went topside to dry off. Fred & I had a late lunch out in the cockpit. Out there is a “Pet-Potty” which is a box with special Astro-turf on top. This is so when we are truly unable to get Merlin to shore for his walks, this is his spot. We wondered where Merlin had decided to nap. I looked behind me and say him curled up in the box in the sun… We laughed so hard, until I thought he would need to be bathed again. Fortunately the asto-turf was dry.

Bedwell Harbour to Montague Harbour 2 ¾ hours 13 miles

We took the dinghy over to Poet’s Cove this morning. We each got a latte and then I took Merlin down to the beach to run around while Fred went into the hotel to check his email on their computer. He would have stayed and read the newspaper too but we are heading to Montague Harbour today. It is so nice that everywhere we have been so far has allowed dogs on the beach. Merlin loves to dig holes (yea, like kids don’t do that…) and venture into the shallows looking for the perfect rock or shell. He hasn’t been swimming yet this year. We are kind of curious to see how he’ll do. At least he isn’t afraid of the water. The ride from Bedwell to Montague was very rocky-rolly. Part of it was the wind making 1-2 foot chop and the other was the rather large amount of boats out here leaving their rough wake. We got a nice spot to anchor at Montague and then went out to read and sun bathe. The sky is clear and it made it up to 78 degrees today. I was busy baking blueberry scones and chocolate chip cookies. After dinner I took Merlin & Fred for a sunset cruise in the dinghy. Both my skill and my confidence are improving. Fred still gets a little nervous though.

Bedwell Harbour (Poet’s Cove)

Today the skies started out a beautiful blue and they stayed that way all day. It was in the low 70’s and glorious. Fred was up early and went to the hotel to check email and to get a latte. Fred and I each scheduled a massage at the spa at Poet’s Cove. We took the dinghy over there about 12 noon. We went into the steam cave and then a shower before our massages. I had a nice relaxing Swedish massage, but Fred opted for the deep tissue massage. When we met after our massages I felt great but Fred could hardly move. We had a great lunch at the resort before heading back to the boat at 4 PM. Fred didn’t argue about taking Advil. After dinner Fred decided I need to learn how to operate and drive the dinghy. We are both agreed it would give me a bit more freedom. Fortunately Bedwell Harbour is quite large. I was able to lower the 15 HP Honda engine into the water but I cannot raise it up. Oh well. Need Fred there. I also had a bit of trouble with the throttle and pointing the craft in the right direction. We are sure I was the comedy relief in the bay. Fred was great; he only raised his voice when I was heading for the rocks.

Sidney to Bedwell Harbour 1 ½ hours 10 miles

We weren’t in the mood for big fireworks, etc for the holiday. Of course, Canada just had their big national holiday on the 1st.

Sidney

Fred got up early and walked into town before I got up. I did the laundry and then we walked back into town (about a mile). This town is lovely to walk the one downtown street. Lots of bookstores and cute restaurants.

Friday Harbor to Van Isle Marina, Sidney, BC - 3 hours 18 miles

CANADA
Lots of boat traffic as we head up to British Columbia. We are traveling on a lovely clear day. We are hoping that by entering Canada after Canada Day that we won’t have much traffic at Customs. Fred pulled out our folder of “Official Stuff” that has our passports and Nexus cards thanks to Jason, Heather and Ann (remember, they got to go through all kinds of our boxes in storage back in alameda because we left these documents at home when we came north?). Fred called Canadian Customs just as we crossed over the invisible dotted line that separates our two countries. They gave us our Customs # 20101830375 and said if there is no one on the Customs Dock in Sidney that we can go right to our slip. As luck would have there was no one at Customs Dock. We are assigned D-706. The Irzyk’s boat, Golden Dawn, is not in her slip. These are old friends from Alameda who moved back to Boston 2-3 years ago. When they started cruising the Inside Passage 10-15 years ago we were invited to come up for 2-3 weeks a year to cruise with them. We have many fond memories of week-ends and vacations on Golden Dawn. Cathy & Bob were gracious hosts and allowed us to spend time with them from the San Juan Islands, WA to Ketchikan, Alaska. Cathy called back in April and said that this year they were coming up only to remove there personal belongings and that Golden Dawn was heading to Seattle to be sold. We took a walk up to our favorite fish n’ chips place on the West Coast, Hyland’s, for dinner.

Friday Harbor (Canada Day)

Canada's national day, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which united two British colonies and a province of the British Empire into a single country called Canada. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as internationally. We didn’t want to enter Canada on a national holiday, so we are still at Friday Harbor.

Popeye the one eyed harbor seal

He comes around the marina every day to check everyone out. There is even a sculpture of him above the docks.

San Juan Island Pictures

Friday Harbor (Joan’s ?th Birthday)

I awoke to a lovely card and gift from Fred. During the day I received phone calls from all of my family. That was lovely. We went up to Suzy’s Mopeds and rented a ScootCoupe which is like a moped with three wheels and a little cabin for two people (very tightly). No roof, windows or doors. I made quite a spectacle of myself getting in and out of it during the day. The floor area is smooth fiberglass and so I pretty much fell into and out of it. Not a pretty sight and there are no pictures to document this! I held Merlin and periodically wrapped him up in his blanket to keep the wind out of his eyes. He likes to cuddle when we are in a moving vehicle, even one that has a maximum speed of 30mph. We spent a lot of time in the bike lane. We have never seen any area of San Juan Island except what we could walk to from the marinas. The sun was out and the island is quite beautiful. We passed very wooded areas, field’s with cattle or horses on them. We stopped at a lavender farm (http://www.pelindabalavender.com/products.html). The fields of different kinds of lavender are open to wandering. We then stopped at the Alpaca farm (http://www.krystalacres.com/). Merlin couldn’t come, but they had a fenced path through the field. There were several females with very young babies (I have no idea what a baby Alpaca is called). The babies were up close to their mothers and were the identical coloration as momma. Just adorable. We moved on to Roche Harbor for lunch. We already wandered here when Heather was with us last week. We discovered some history when we stopped and wandered through American Camp which was set up during the Pig War (http://www.nps.gov/sajh/historyculture/the-pig-war.htm). Very interesting. We didn’t stop at the English Camp. What a lovely birthday!

Friday Harbor (our 24th Anniversary)

We had an 11 AM appointment with the Notary. She is located about 3 blocks from the marina. It was exciting and a little nerve wracking to finally be able to move on about the Piedmont house. The paper work is in order and escrow should close on July 1!

Skyline Marina to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island 3 hours 16 miles

The tide was a little more than low slack, so Fred was a bit of a wreck getting out of the harbor. The channel is quite narrow and will be dredged later this summer. It took us longer than usual because we had the current against us too. However, it was a really nice feeling to finally be on our way. We still can’t leave the US until we see the Notary on Monday. We went into the marina to make it easier to pick up mail, etc. Fortunately the paperwork reached us to be reviewed.

Skyline Marina, Anacortes

We are sorry to see Heather leave today. We drove her up to Old Salt’s to catch her shuttle to SeaTac. Afterwards Fred got the car washed while I was at the laundromat. After we took the clean laundry back to Aquila, we drove out to American Heritage Storage and put the car away for the summer. The manger, Dick & Rose are so sweet. Fred was able to j\hook up the trickle charger for the Benz, which was technically against the rules. Dick gave us a ride back to skyline while having an interesting discussion about the oil industry.

Hope Island to Skyline Marina, Anacortes 3 hours 9 miles

We rocked and rolled pretty good last night, and the mooring buoy kept banging on the hull, so that was interesting while trying to sleep. That and the sounds of jets kept going until pretty late. We left Hope Island this morning to head back to Anacortes. We had to leave around 9am or so, due to the tides, to get back out through Deception Pass and under the bridge. That got us to Anacortes too early to enter the marina, because the tide was too low. So we anchored out and just read for a couple of hours. Once we could get into the marina, we did, then got our stuff together to head into town. This weekend is an errand weekend for us, so we can get out of town on Sunday. We had to hit up a few boat stores, the grocery store, Radio Shack, Bunnies by the Bay (suggested to Heather by someone who used to buy their stuff for a large retailer), pet hospital (to get Merlin’s nails cut), etc. After unloading stuff on the boat, we headed back into town to have dinner at Rockfish Grill. We wandered the street a little after dinner checking out the old murals on the building walls in town. We also checked out this ship being built in their boat yard. It has a heliport on top… interesting. Then we just headed back to the boat so Heather could pack. So bags are packed, snacks are made for the 3 hours shuttle bus then 2 hour plane ride tomorrow. We will miss Heather a lot.

Spencer Spit to Hope Island 3 hours 18 miles

Because of the tides, we had to wait around until 12:30pm to leave Spencer Spit. So we rocked and rolled for several hours (even with the flopper stoppers) until we left. Then we had a nice ride through Rosario Straight, passed Anacortes, and on to Deception Pass. The grey skies started turning blue as they have the last couple of days. Looks like it may turn out to be a nice afternoon again. We approached the bridge at Deception Pass which was quite pretty. As we came up on it, we saw a family standing on top and the kids were waving at us and making all sorts of noise. So we waved back and I took some pictures of them. The Bay beyond the bridge was really pretty with a lot of islands. We found the moorage on the side of Hope Island we were looking for. Fred and Heather tied up to the mooring buoy, while I maneuvered the boat. We then got he kayaks down. We saw 2 planes fly over in formation. Apparently from Whidbey Island Naval base. Heather and I hopped in the kayaks and started circling the island. The water was really clear and the coastline was very pretty with lots of trees, logs and little beaches. We beached the kayaks to see if Merlin would hop out and go pee, but he wasn’t having it, so we went on our way. While out there we saw a handful of military jets go over. I thought we should maybe try to circle the island. But after what we later found on a map to be about ¼ the way around the island, we had to turn back because the current changed like crazy and we didn’t want to get caught up in it. So we headed back to the boat. We watched a little of the local Vancouver news again, which is always interesting. Back to civilization tomorrow.

Friday Harbor to Spencer Spit, Lopez Island 1 ¼ hours 7 miles

We left Friday Harbor around 9am, and it didn’t take long to get to Spencer Spit, our next moorage. It’s on Lopez Island, and has a long beach peninsula with a cove on each side. We took the dinghy into shore, and had to take our shoes off and hop ankle deep in the water to get on shore. We then walked up the beach a while looking for sea glass. Heather found a couple of pieces, and Merlin kept picking up random pieces of driftwood, etc. Including a spine of a small animal. Blech!! I bagged it to take back and show Fred. This cove is full of crabbers coming and going on their small boats, which means we almost have constant wake. Poor Heather wasn’t feeling so hot when we got back because of this, but we all had lunch. That helped a little. Fred was reading up on the topside of the boat, so Heather went up there and laid on one of the bench seats for a while. We got up and I made pork chops, rice and broccoli for dinner and we both felt a little better afterwards. During dinner we watched the news out of Vancouver. And they actually had a LONG segment on the NHL, Heather was in heaven.

Friday Harbor

Woke up early today to get ready to head out on our whale watching trip. Some people were coming in on the ferry for the excursion, which was delayed due to heavy fog. So the tour was going to start at 11:15am. We got down there and checked in and got our anti-exposure suits. They were padded and definitely warm on this gorgeous day. Made me debate why we were wearing them. We grabbed hats and gloves too as they suggested. We had 10 people of a boat that seats 15, including the captain and a naturalist. We headed out and had quite the ride, going maybe 30+ MPH and over some big waves. The captain was chatting with other boats about where the whales were, and if there were any sightings. While we were waiting, we stopped to see an island full of seals, then a few eagles on Speiden Island. We continued on, and apparently crossed the invisible dotted line that separates the US and Canada ;-) to find the Orcas. We soon caught up with a few other whale watching boats who were all watching this family of Orcas. Apparently they are a transient group, as opposed to the J, K, and L pods who live here. There were at least one or two adults and some youths that just kept hanging out. They would swim around the top, show their dorsal fins, blow their spout, dive under, come back up, dive back in and do it all over again. We moved along watching them for over an hour. They put on quite a show for us. Even the B.C. ferries coming by didn’t phase them. We took a ton of pictures, and luckily after getting them downloaded and zoomed in, Heather got some nice shots. Including one of the tail of one as it dove down in front of a sailboat. Lucky shot. We actually ended up very close to the town of Ganges on Salt Spring Island, in Canada. Heather actually visited there 5 years ago with us when she came up to the boat and we went around the Gulf Islands. After we’d been out over an hour, we had to head back. We actually went quite the distance to get to the whales, so had to high tail it back. And FYI, the distance we traveled one way today in about 30-45min (at 30ish MPH) would take about 4-5 hours (at 6 knots) on Aquila. And let’s just say that I understand now why we wore the suits that we did. It was freezing out there. We went back to the boat and made some grilled cheese sandwiches for a late lunch before going back into town. We went to The Whale Museum and wandered around. It was small but nice. On the way back to the boat we stopped at the fresh seafood place on the dock and bought a pound of tiger prawns for dinner. I made a ginger, teriyaki, honey, coconut marinade for the prawns (I stumbled upon a recipe in one of my cookbooks and faked it from there) over some jasmine rice. We decided to anchor out the next 2 nights in more rural areas where maybe we can hike and kayak.

Roche Harbor to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island 2 hours 10 miles

We left Roche Harbor around 8am and got to Friday Harbor around 10. We took a walk to the ferry dock to get some coffee and some cranberry loaf for breakfast. Then we wandered around town. Reminds me a lot of Juneau or Ketchikan. Small but full of restaurants and little shops and galleries. However, the stores and galleries are local stuff, not “cruise ship crap”. Fred had headed back to the boat already to do some projects, so Heather and I stopped at Haley's Bait Shop & Grill for lunch. We wandered town a bit more as we contemplated what to do tomorrow. We had already decided to stay here 2 nights, but there isn’t that much in town to keep us occupied. We debated taking the shuttle back over to Roche, just to see the inside of the island, which we were told is all farmland and such and very pretty. Instead we ended up checking out some whale watching companies down on the docks. We found one that goes out on a 46’ boat, or a 27’ Zodiac style boat that seats half the people and is more high speed and you wear full length anti-exposure suits. We decided to book that one for the 3 of us for tomorrow morning. That’ll be fun.

Roche Harbor

Happy Father’s Day! And Happy birthday to my sister Janet! We hopped in the dinghy and got over to Roche Harbor around 11. We first walked though “town”, past the little airport and to the Mausoleum in the forest. Really pretty place. It is a circle of columns with a marble table and chairs in the center. The family who once lived here is interred in the base of the chairs. Afterwards we headed back to wander the Sculpture Park. It is a very large grassy park, with grass paths and high brush that leads you on the meandering way past over 100 unique sculptures by different artists. There is a large pond right in the center. Very picturesque. We spent some time there before heading back to the Marina to have lunch on the dock. Heather and I then wandered by the Hotel De Haro, wandered the shops, though the flower garden and picked up some snacks at the little grocery. At this time the sun started to come out and we headed back to the boat to relax for a few hours. This is a pretty cool port of call so far, I really enjoyed wandering here. The place has a lot of character and charm. Heather made her frittata on the boat, which turned out pretty good. After dinner we headed to shore this time to watch the Colors Ceremony. It was a little cheesy, as the ceremony was performed by three 17ish year olds in resort logo sweats. But it was still cool. Before heading back to the boat, we walked down to this one beach with a Pi, whale tail, and another sculpture that we missed during the day. It was getting pretty dark at this point so we headed back to watch a little DVD shows and head to bed.

Sucia to Roche Harbor, San Juan Island 2 hours 14 miles

We decided to get the kayaks down and Heather and I went for a nice paddle for an hour and 15 mins or so. At one point we spotted a seal, so we stopped to see where he would pop up next. He poked his head out of the water about 15 feet from us and looked right at us, but I couldn’t get my camera in time before he went under again. The winds picked up and it became harder to paddle, so we headed in. Why don’t we just head on to Roche Harbor now? The tides are with us, and we already stayed here last night, so we might as well move on. So we pulled the kayaks from the water and prepped the boat to get underway. About 2 or so hours later we were in Roche Harbor. Cute harbor with some really nice houses on the shore. Kinda reminds me of the Hamptons of Washington, the way the adults and kids whiz around on their boats and such. We just spent the afternoon/evening on the boat and watched sea planes and boats come and go. We had dinner, some freshly made brownies, and watched some more Beauty and the Beast (Fred & I are way sucked in). Tomorrow we will explore shore. We are exhausted, and it’s only 8:15pm, it’ll be an early night. The sun doesn’t even set for another hour. Every night at sunset (9:08pm tonight) here, they do a colors ceremony. I borrowed this description I found on someone’s blog online… “Every night at sunset, Roche Harbor's Color Guard performs the flag lowering ceremony. They play the national anthems for England, Canada, and The United States before taking down each of those flags. At the end, there is a cannon fire and then a bugle plays taps. It is really neat because the whole harbor goes quiet for the ceremony and when the bugle plays taps, the sound just glides all over the water. But when Taps is done, tons of boaters honk their boat horns, and it gets a little crazy.” And that’s what it was like for us too. We didn’t go ashore for it, but we could see the flags in the distance and they played the music over a loud speaker which carried over the water. There was a wedding reception taking place in a tent on shore, and we could here all the music from the band and D.J. playing everything from Black Eyed Peas to Bell Biv Devoe to Elton John to John Cougar Mellencamp (info from Heather, I had no idea...). But when the colors ceremony commenced, their music stopped and all the guests lined the outside of the tent to watch the ceremony. Pretty cool. And all the while this was going on, there was a magnificent sunset.

Rosario to Fossil Bay, Sucia Island 3 hours 18 miles

It is a beautiful sunny day today. I made a batch of brownies for later. Fred got the dinghy down so we could go explore the shore. We went for a walk over to this beach where a bunch of kayakers were camping. Then up a short hike to Fox Point which had some awesome 180 degree views. We then wandered this beach where we saw some cool sandstone formations. As we were walking towards it, an otter came out of the brush and started sand bathing about 20 yards in front of us. We took a bunch of pictures then started slowly walking towards it to see if he would flee in to the water so we could get by, but he didn’t. Must be used to humans. We decided to leave him be and turned around. So we went up another path and I walked the trail over to a second dock to take a look at Mud Bay from a different angle. Very pretty island. Heading back to the boat on the dinghy, the wind had picked up, so we got a bit wet. Decided to head back to the boat instead of exploring more and wait. This bay (Fossil Bay) has now filled up with about 22 boats between the docks and mooring buoys. Fred decided to take a nap, and while he did so, Heather commented that she was sad my trip was already half over. Then I said that it was a bummer that I suggested Heather only come for a week. So the wheels started turning, and after talking with her father to make sure he was still cool watching Nala, Heather called the airline and turned her 7 night trip into an 11 night trip. Since the winds didn’t die down too much today, we didn’t get the kayaks down. We decided to stay in this cove another night and go kayaking earlier in the day tomorrow. We made BBQ salmon for dinner, watched some Canadian turn of the century cop show that we got on tv, an episode of Star Trek Voyager, then an episode of Beauty and the Beast to wrap up the evening.

Blind Bay to Rosario, Orcas Island 1 hour 7 miles

Poor Heather woke up at 6:30am to Merlin barking like crazy. Fred & I didn’t hear him, so she went up to see if he needed to go out. Once out, he just stared at her. So back to bed she went. We had a very short cruise to Rosario on Orcas Island. We wandered up to the mansion, which is now the resort hotel. Very beautiful building with a lot of character. It has a spa on the bottom floor, common areas and restaurant on the main floor and a museum and music room on the 3rd. We wandered down to the beach and let Merlin run around. Then there is this great pond above the marina with water lilies, fountains, a bridge and little islands. We walked further back up toward the hotel and spotted a deer just off the side of the road. It was staring at Merlin while we got some nice photos of it. There was a pipe organ concert by Christopher Peacock back in the music room of the hotel at 4pm. The performance was wonderful. He played a 1900 Steinway piano, enormous pipe organ and gave a wonderful history of the Moran Family and Rosario. We wandered around the small museum and saw many old photos, a replica of Rosario and a model of the USS Nebraska that was one of the ships that the Moran family built. The music room what really great. It had 2 walls of organ pipes, which were apparently just decorative and hid the working ones. Between the two walls was a 1900 Steinway Grand Piano. Christopher Peacock is the entertainer who has worked at this hotel for 30 years. He played the piano, organ, played a slideshow of Robert Moran’s early 1900’s photos and told stories about the family. It was a very enjoyable hour, very glad I went. We stopped at the restaurant in the resort after and decided to eat there instead of on the boat. The restaurant is brand new, only open for 4 weeks, called The Quilted Pig (http://www.quiltedpigrestaurant.com/). All the tables are right at the window overlooking the cove. Everything, except for one small side dish at the menu, is made from scratch right at the restaurant or locally grown. After dinner we headed back to the dock and spotted our waiter there. Fred left his credit card at the restaurant and waiter knew we were on a boat, so came down to return it. Very nice of him. We watched an episode of Beauty and the Beast as I caught up on my journal and downloaded some pictures. And change of plans for tomorrow… we’re going to try for Sucia again instead of Reid Harbor.

Anacortes to Blind Bay, Shaw Island 3 hours 16 miles

We wanted to get on the fuel dock before 9am so we could fill up and get on our way. We took 154.8 gallons @ $3.27/gallon. Just outside the marina we spotted a couple of Dall porpoises playing in the water. What a nice way to start our cruise. We’re headed to Sucia Island. We have never been and it’s supposed to be nice, and also pretty popular, so we’ll see if we can get on a buoy or anchor. Well after a little time of going against the tide and only going 1.5 knots, it was going to take several hours to get there. So change of plans. We hung a left and cruised another 90 mins to Blind Bay on Shaw Island. We anchored with no problem. After getting the dinghy down from topside, we took a short trip over to Orcas Landing on Orcas Island. They have a cute hotel, several gift shops, and espresso place and a great grocery. Heather ran into the grocery to buy some stuff for a frittata she’s going to make one of these nights. They had a great deli with awesome cheeses, specialty candy, and specialty food like herring, Greek feta, blue cheese in olive oil, crème fraiche, etc. Pretty great little place. We hopped in the dinghy and headed back to the boat. On the way back there was a small island we passed with about 10 seals sunbathing on it and one swimming around. We slowed down from a distance to take some pictures. Once we got back to the boat and unloaded everything, Heather asked me for my purse so she could get her glasses out. Well what do you know, the purse is no where to be found. Heather stayed on the boat with Merlin while Fred & I headed back over top Orcas Island in search of my purse. I asked at the gift shop, hotel, grocery, etc with no luck. We were about to give up and get back in the dinghy when I spotted my purse at the far end of the dock. I apparently had placed it on the dock while I put on my life vest (and Merlin’s). I can’t believe we just left it there. Had I looked on the dock before running all around Orcas Landing I would have saved a lot of leg work. When we returned to Aquila we started planning our next 4 nights out, as Heather’s final night (Monday) will be back in Anacortes in the marina. As of now, we are looking at Rosario on Orcas Island, Reed Harbor on Stuart Island, Roche Harbor then Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. After dinner we decided to watch a movie we borrowed from Heather, Laagan. It’s a Bollywood movie and wasn’t sure how we’d like it. It was subtitled, which is fine. However, it was also 3 ½ hours long and cute but a bit boring. Finally we were fast-forwarding on the singing sections and were able to see it to the end.

Anacortes

Heather was expected to arrive this afternoon via Bellair Shuttle service. Her flight was late so she would have had to wait at the airport and take a shuttle that would not have her getting here until around 8 PM. Since we still have our car we decided to pick her up at SeaTac (90 miles each way…) We arrived back in Anacortes around 5pm or so. We were all hungry, so we stopped in town at the Brown Lantern and all had fish and chips with sweet potato fries and slaw. It was delicious. We drove through town a little and showed her a bunch of the murals painted on the sides of buildings and even some downspouts on buildings shaped like watering cans. Afterwards we finally headed to the marina to go to the boat. We watched an episode of the old show Beauty and the Beast while having some popcorn.

Anacortes

We have a beautiful sunny day today. I saw in the paper that there was going to be a “fly-in” at the Anacortes Airport today. It is a bit chilly by the water but the airport is located in a little valley here on the island. It was in the 70’s without much of a breeze there. It is mostly a general aviation airport but it is also a hub for San Juan Airlines. San Juan Airlines uses small 4-6 passenger planes to get around the islands up here (as opposed to via boat or ferry). Merlin had a wonderful time checking in with the other dogs who attended. There were several fly-overs by acrobatic aircraft. It was beautiful to see. Many of the hangar doors were open and we got to see some of the many toys these aviators have acquired. There were beautiful model aircraft as well as vintage cars.

Anacortes (Whidbey Island)

Looks like the fog will burn off and we will have a lovely day. Since we are still stuck here on the dock in Anacortes, we decided to head south today. Between Fidalgo Island (where we are now) and Whidbey Island to the south is Deception Pass. Deception Pass is a strait separating Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island, in the northwest part of the state of Washington. It connects Skagit Bay, part of Puget Sound, with the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We stopped at the pullout before the bridge so we could walk out onto the Deception Pass Bridge and look down on raging current below. On the other side of the bridge is a state park. There is practically no one here (it is Friday). It is really beautiful. The beaches are full of driftwood and many rocks for the courageous to climb. We also were able to see the bridge from below. Maybe one of these days we will try and go through there on the boat. As we continued our drive down Whidbey Island we passed mostly farm and ranch land. There were also areas with very dense woods. There aren’t many cities here and everything is a 100 shades of green. We stopped for lunch in Coupeville. This is small town whose main industry is tourism. This is apparently a great place to retire. I can see why. It is located on the east side of Whidbey Island so it is completely protected from the ocean. We are pleased that Heather will becoming up to join us next week. We will have a nice itinerary for her in the San Juan Islands. She has never been here before.

Anacortes (La Conner)

The weather is rainy but Fred suggested that we go to La Conner for the day. It is approximately 20 miles from Anacortes but very different. The main street is full of restaurants and art galleries. Somewhat like Carmel, but on a much smaller scale. It was raining earlier but we were able to walk around town without getting wet. Fred asked a local where the best food in town was and she suggested The Tavern. It is overlooking the Swinomish Channel and the food was excellent. When we got back, I took Merlin over to the beach which is on the SW edge of the island and about ½ from the marina. I just let Merlin run and he had a wonderful time. He was chewing driftwood and looking for interesting rocks in the water. He got filthy but I know he didn’t care. Of course, he probably wasn’t anticipating the bath that awaited him back on the boat. His fur is a magnet for leaves and sand.

Anacortes - June 3-9

Due to the process of selling our home, we have had to remain available via phone and internet to our realtor. We are happy to be moving forward on the sale of the property, but really very frustrated that we are living on our boat, but tied to the dock here in Anacortes. This is why blogs about our exploits have been so slow in coming. We are done with most of the pre-cruise work and provisioning so we are going to do some exploring of Fidalgo Island and Whidbey Island soon.

Anacortes – on to Aquila

Today we moved out of our second motel and onto Aquila . We are still trying to figure out what stays of the boat and what goes back in the car to take back to California . It is a beautiful, sunny day and good for moving a lot of “stuff”. As we checked and re-checked our belongings, we are sure we do not have our passports and boat information which would allow us into British Columbia . I’m sure many people think cruising in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands is wonderful. However, we crave the peacefulness and beauty of the wilderness. Too many people down here. The hawse pipes are done and look wonderful. Poor Fred has an employee discount at West Marine and they have very few of the items he needs. Fred immediately made sure all systems came online. The generator & heater came up without trouble. Much to Fred’s surprise the wireless internet equipment came up without a major headache. Fred is happy to report that his bilge is still dry. Jason graciously offered to go to the warehouse where our belongings are being kept to look for our passports, etc. He was on the phone with us most of the time and we believe that he went through every crate without success. Neither Fred nor I can remember what we did with the documents. I called Heather after Jason’s failure to find our stuff and she agreed to go to our small storerooms in Alameda . She and Ann went together and went through the larger of out two storage units and spent over an hour without success. Ann offered to look in the smaller of our two units. We really didn’t think she would find anything there. We hung up the phone and the next I hear is a text message on my phone. It showed Heather holding our two passports!! Thank God. We have been so very worried. Now we can start planning our summer.

Anacortes

We got to the boat early to meet with Danny from North Harbour Diesel. He is going to install our new hawse pipes in the stern. Fred had them made over the winter. One cannot just go to the store and buy these to fit an older boat. We had them chromed (made from brass) and they look very good. They are a bit smaller that the ones already on the boat, but overall looks good. We got Danny set up and then the Ship Shape folks showed up to finish waxing the boat and shampoo the carpets. We had to empty part of the lazerette for the hawse pipe guy to have access to put reinforcement in the transom for the new pipes. We decided to head north to Bellingham . We heard it a very pretty and interesting town. The rain held off as we wandered “ Old Town ”. They have numerous interesting stores and restaurants. We had a great lunch and drove around a bit. They have a very nice Amtrak station and a ferry terminal. We got back to the boat about 3 PM. One hawse pipe was completed and the carpets look great. We think we will check out of the motel tomorrow and finally move aboard Aquila .

Anacortes

The weather is overcast and muggy, but no rain. We headed back to the boat to continue cleaning and getting it ready to hit the water. We were able to get a 3:30 PM splash time. The folks from Ship Shape Yacht Care finished up waxing the hull and started on the house. They brought their one year old St. Bernard, Harley. She is gorgeous. Weighs about 130# and still growing. Her father weighs 165#. She and Merlin got along fine. She wanted to play but she is just too big. She did follow Merlin around. So cute! Atalo (the yard manager) was right on time to get Aquila into the water again for the 2010 season. Fred followed the boat and I went to car with Merlin to follow them out. I found out that I did not have my key with me. I called Fred was he was busy with the boat. So, Merlin & I walked to 2 blocks to the boat and left the car in the lot. We tied the boat up and started the engines. They came up and running quickly. When we moved to the slip we will occupy for 3 days or so we started to fill the water tank. After about 5 minutes Fred said “I hear water running”. I said yea, up here into the tank. He said no, it’s something else. We found that the bilge pump came on and was pouring out water. After some investigation, Fred found that the valves for fresh water were open to the bilge and flowing right out of the water tank. Well, fortunately it was a minor crisis and the bilge pump worked just like it should. We were working and tidying and both said “Oh s__t at about 5:15 PM. We couldn’t believe it. We had managed to get the car locked into the boat yard again! We just couldn’t call the owner again. He might kick us out of the marina. We decided that we would just stay on the boat (we have no food) tonight. I would walk up to the corner store and get some basic provisions. About half way to the store I saw Atalo driving past. He stopped for me and said he came back because he knew our car was locked in the lot. How sweet! Now we have the car and we can head back into town for some dinner. We were both feeling a bit frazzled to say the least. When we arrived back at the motel room, Fred received a call from our realtor. She said we received an offer on our house for the full asking price! We’ll see if it all pans out.