The return home to Napa and Rio Vista, September 25, 26, 27

Tuesday, 9/25

I said my goodbyes to Encore.  Margaret took my picture as I headed out of my slip in Cap Sante Marina.

Here are a couple of pictures I took while leaving my slip:

 

Junior the cat was a little distraught by all the  activity this morning (as evident by the crazed look in his eyes) so he found a safe observation perch in the spot where the microwave usually sits.

Before leaving the marina, I had one last stop to make. . .

The pump out station awaits!

At the pump out.

After suffering the indignity of yet another public debalasting procedure, I headed into Fidalgo Bay.

Leaving the marina for the last time.

It was a bit foggy in the bay, but enough visibility for me to safely cross the short distance to where I would be hoisted out of the water.

Cap Sante Marine Services staff were ready and waiting for me when I arrived.

I was in the slings and out of the water before I knew what happened!

Next, I was hauled off for a quick bottom rinse.

Heading to the marine bidet.

Coming back with a clean bottom and ready to be loaded onto the trailer.

Casey from DRFTCO waiting for me.  That’s Mike to Casey’s left.

Vince and Casey making final inspections before I hit the road for one more cruise on the I-5.

Junior and Pam patiently waiting.

Casey and I left first at about 10:00a.m.; Pam & Vince, and Junior left shortly thereafter. They made it home to Napa in 17 hours with only a couple of quick stops at rest areas and gas stations.

Traffic in Seattle.

Pretty fall colors.

A picture Pam took of Junior in his cozy back seat spot.  I’m pretty sure he’s given up all hope of ever again seeing his spacious 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, wall-to-wall carpeted home.

Wednesday,  9/26

But, at last!   He’s home!!!

And so is Vince.  He and the cat appear to have relaxation down to an art form.

While the cat and Vince napped Pam looked through 3 month’s worth of mail.

And on Thursday, 9/27, I arrived home to Rio Vista safe and sound, thanks to Casey from DRFTCO!

I’m currently in the service building of Sierra West Boat Yard where I’m undergoing cosmetic surgery. . .that is, I’m getting my bottom paint scrapped off and a new coat applied!  My bottom has been well overdue for new paint!

It’ll feel so good to be back in fresh water; especially with my new paint! I’ll frolic like a kid!!  but I do kind of miss the salty Pacific North West, too.  Who knows, maybe I’ll go back someday to explore even more of the PNW.  Until then, I look forward to all the fun I’ll have here in the California Delta once I’m back in the water.  I’ll reacquaint myself with my old haunts and enjoy time in The Delta and the San Francisco Bay area.

And just to remind me of what I have to look forward to once I’m out of surgery, Pam gave me pictures she took when she and Vince took the new dinghy out to play in the water:

Back at the Delta Marina Yacht Harbor. Home again:

So, that’s a wrap for my PNW blog.  I hope you’ve enjoyed it! Thank you for spending some of your time with me as Pam, Vince, Junior, and I have had the time of our lives.  We’ve spent the summer with good friends and have shared quite an experience.  We all have wonderful memories to last a lifetime.

Tugzilla, signing off for now and wishing you all fair winds and following seas.

Return to Anacortes, continued. More of 9/21, plus 9/22-9/24

After Ted’s Joy was out of the water, Pam and Vince came back to the marina to test drive the dinghy they were considering buying from Ocean Pilot,  a 35′ Nordhaven motor/sail vessel who is docked a few boats to my port side.

This is Ocean Pilot.  Her captain, first mate, and first dog are on the left in the photo:  Bill, Brenda, and Leili (sp).

And here’s the new-to-Vince dinghy:

Yes, he bought it! It goes like stink! 30hp engine; a bit faster than the 2.2hp he’s been using on this trip.

Pam’s first ride in the “new” dinghy:

Margie L.’s is still here with Encore and me, but her people, Tom & Denise are staying at their daughter’s house in Seattle.  Margie is mostly prepped, just a few final items to take care of.  She’ll come out of the water tomorrow morning and go to storage until the 9th, when Casey from Drftco comes to haul her home via I-5.

Next day, Pam and Vince hit the road on a quest for a trailer for their “new” dinghy.

An intense search located one at West Coast Marine Services in Bellingham.  After this purchase, Vince has now officially bypassed Pam’s total souvenirs and gifts expenditures for the entire PNW cruise!

The new trailer!

Celebratory dinner at a Mexican restaurant:

Is this the face of a happy man or what?

Strange rainbow in the sky that night.  Also celebrating the dinghy purchase? Perhaps not, but we can say so.

The sunset looked like fire!

Sunday, the 23rd, was Oyster Run day! Say whaaaat?! It’s a huge motorcycle event that draws in anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 motorcycles! Cray-cray!

Pam and Vince bypassed the oysters in favor of good, old-fashioned hot dogs!

Amongst all the motorcycles, Vince spotted this old car.  He asked me to put this picture in my blog in honor of his mother-in-law. He’s such a nice son-in-law.

After checking out the happenings at the oyster run in Anacortes,  Pam, Vince, Margaret, and Mike went to a small craft fair in Mt. Vernon.  Vince quickly located his favorite booth. . .

He sampled a slice of ginger peach bourbon pie! (For research purposes of course.)

That evening, Pam and Vince took a dinghy ride around the marina.

They stopped by Encore to pick up Margaret & Mike and then headed to the fuel dock for ice cream bars! I prefer their diesel in my belly…mmmm!  

What’s left of Pam’s Whidbey Island ice cream bar.  That’s the fuel dock in the background.   In case you were wondering: Pam had the orange chocolate, Vince and Margaret had coconut, and Mike had peanut butter.  Nobody tried their diesel?  They don’t know what their missing…

While eating their icecream bars, they walked near the waterfront (attempting to burn some calories??).  This mariner’s statue is a memorial to local fishermen who lost their lives at sea.

Next day, Monday, we had visitors from the sea:

The cat was overwhelmed with the visit and had to take a cat nap.

Monday, Mike and Vince helped Tom with his haul out.  It went smoothly.  Tom and Denise said their goodbyes and then there were two. (Boats left in the water that is.)

Margie L. Coming out of the water.

The two hold outs: Encore and I.

For the most part, Pam & Vince spent Monday prepping me for my south bound I-5 cruise.  On the outside, my radar, mast, and stack must all come down so I can safely clear highway overpasses.  On the inside, loose items and breakables are all secured, refrigerator emptied and freezer defrosted.

Margaret and Mike spent their Monday having the same kind of fun preparing Encore for the cruise down I-5 to Rio Vista.

Captain Vince and 1st Mate Pam must have been too busy to take pictures of my prepping, because they only gave me the following pictures to mark the occasion:

Break time! Dual purpose break: resting and eating/drinking leftovers.   Wait! Is that wine before Noon?! Well, I guess it’s 5:00 somewhere.  . .

Dock cart to my starboard side.  Waiting on the dock to be filled with items Pam & Vince will take home in the truck with them.

By 4:00, everyone had made good headway with their departure preparations and were ready to meet up with Robyn & Brad, wonderful folks Pam & Vince had met Sunday evening.  Robyn and Brad had moved from American Canyon, CA to Anacortes, WA about 2 years ago and they keep their 34′ American Tug, Ko’Olina, at the Cap Sante Marina.  They invited Pam, Vince,  Margaret, and Mike to come over to their dock to see Ko’Olina and to share dinner with them at Anthony’s afterward.

From what I heard that evening, they all thoroughly enjoyed seeing the beautiful Ko’Olina, visiting with Robyn & Brad, and sharing an excellent meal.

At Robyn & Brad’s suggestion, all 3 couples drove up to a scenic overlook in Cap sante Park before dinner.  Judging by the pictures Pam gave me to post, the short drive was well worth it!

Margaret, Mike, Brad, and Vince taking in the breathtaking view!

The breathtaking view.

Looking out over the marina and Fidalgo Bay and Padilla Bay.

And, considering that they took another ride up to the park after dinner, Pam & Vince really must have liked it.  Here are a couple pictures from their second trip up:

The beautiful Anacortes sunset was a perfect end to the day.

Next morning, Pam and Vince were up and at ’em bright and early.  The morning was foggy, but so calm and peaceful.

Morning of my departure from Cap Sante Marina and the Pacific Northwest.

Pam and Vince hit the shower at 6:30 to get ready for the log day.  They intend to drive the 860 miles straight home since th cat is such a pain at hotels!

I’ll catch you up on their return to California and wrap up this blog in my next posting.

Cheers for now,

Tugzilla

Return to Anacortes – Sept. 18 – 21, Tuesday – Friday

Before I get all nostalgic about my last stay in Anacortes, I’ll share some pictures of my La Conner departure and my cruise back to Anacortes.

Leaving La Conner

The cat soaking up some sun while I suffer the indignity of yet another pump out before continuing to my final port of call in beautiful Washington State.

Here I am going past the railroad swing bridge in the Swinomish channel just south of Anacortes.  I got stuck here for about 30 minutes while the bridge was closed for repairs!

Here I am entering the Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes.  This is the last port of call for me on our PNW adventure.

So, can you believe it?!  We have, for the most part, reached the end of this grand Pacific Northwest adventure!  All that remains are a few days here at Cap Sante Marina while I wait for haul out at the service yard.

It has been the cruise of a lifetime shared with good friends and meeting new friends.

I’m still trying to decide when to end this blog; seems it shouldn’t end.  Maybe it doesn’t.  I’ll just pause it for a minute while I eagerly wait for my next expedition.   Who knows what, when, and where that will be? I can hardly wait!  Bring it on, Pam and Vince. . .

Meanwhile, here are some pictures from my third, and final, 2018 stay at Cap Sante in Anacortes.

Sunset view of me on the first night back at Cap Sante Marina.  Thanks, Margaret, for sharing this picture.

The next day (Wednesday), Pam, Vince, Margaret, Mike, Ted, and Joy took a ferry (just for fun) to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

The ferry to Friday was named “Samish”.  Here it is waiting for passengers.

Samish arriving at port in Friday Harbor.

Samish is docked and foot traffic ready to disembark.   Autos will drive off after all foot traffic safely ashore.

Here’s a view of auto traffic leaving the ferry.

Everyone enjoyed walking town and browsing the shops.  Pam and Vince went back to a shop that had been closed during our previous visit to San Juan Island when I had been docked at the Friday Harbor Marina back in the day.  They were glad they went back to the shop because it was open this time and they thought the artwork in the store, as well as the artist herself (Jayne), was delightful!

Whittington the cat represents the store.

This is Kahlua.  He’s the Friday Harbor hardware store cat and works the back counter.

After shopping, the group had lunch at the Rocky Bay Cafe.

The return to Anacortes was aboard the ferry, Yakima.  You can see the backs of Mike, Ted, and Vince to the left.

Beautiful scenery and other ferry boats on the return trip:

Arriving back in Anacortes:

Dock locals:

Thursday was group photo day and matching T-shirt day for the girls. . .

The happy survivors of the great 2018 Pacific Northwest Adventure!

The girls modeling their new, matching shirts.

That evening, the gang got together at the local bowling alley for their last group meal.

and they had the pleasure of sharing it with Bob and Nita (lower right) who’ve become dear friends since first acquaintance back in June!

Friday was a bittersweet day as the first of my friends, Ted’s Joy, came out of the water and hit the road heading for home.  Having spent the last three months together in the PNW, it just doesn’t seem right somehow!

Ted backing Encore’s trailer onto the launch ramp at North Harbor Diesel.

How many men does it take. . .

Vince doing truck gymnastics after making adjustments to the trailer winch and working his way back to the driver’s seat while trying not to fall into the water.

The boys taking a good look at their handiwork to make sure Ted’s Joy is sitting properly on her trailer.

Ted & Joy and Ted’s Joy.   Almost ready to start their trip South to Rio Vista.

There were hugs and kisses all around as Ted and Joy said their goodbyes; sad that this adventure had reached its end, but happy knowing they would be back with family soon to tell stories of their PNW escapades and plan for the next great adventure!

More from Anacortes tomorrow,

Tugzilla

 

 

 

 

 

La Conner, Sept. 17

Leaving Port Townsend bound for La Conner:

Margie L., Ted’s Joy,  & Encore

This is a picture Margaret took of me as I left Port Townsend.

Junior wants to know:  “Seriously?  Are we @#$%* moving AGAIN?!”

Passing Point Wilson Lighthouse:

Below are pictures of what the Strait of San Juan de Fuca looked like as I traversed it.  This was a very good day indeed!  Bad days on this body of water have earned it the nickname of “Strait of I wanna puke-a”!  😨😖

One of our most carefully timed passages was Deception Pass.  Currents here can be unforgiving to the unprepared!

Approaching Deception Pass:

Going under Deception Pass Bridge.

Nailed it! Made it through the pass with no problem.  2.5 knot push.

Ted’s Joy coming through after me.

Everybody’s through!

Coming in to Swinomish Channel.  Working my way to La Conner.

Entering La Conner:

If you look closely, the two specs near the bridge are my and Ted’s Joy’s backsides.  Margaret shot this picture as we went under the Rainbow Bridge in La Conner.

Lunch at Pier 7 Waterfront Cafe in La Conner.  That sandwich looks yummy.  If only there were some diesel dipping sauce for it!!

The whole gang had dinner at a good, little Mexican restaurant in town.  Patty and Alex from the 58′ Katey Krogen called Water Dog

After dinner, Pam rode an elephant!

Next day, Water Dog was hauled out for services, cleaning, and a long winter’s nap.  Patty and Alex have decided to keep her in La Conner for the winter.  They plan to come back in the spring and cruise her further up the coast to Alaska!

Here are a few pictures of Water Dog’s haul out.

First, Alex had to cruise Water Dog to the travel lift area:

Once in place, she was put onto the lift slings and hauled out of the water:

Ted, Mike, and Vince confirming that size really DOES matter.  Water Dog is massive.

And, on that note, that’s all for our brief, 1-night stay in La Conner.  It’s on to our final water destination tomorrow:  my Washington State “home” port of Anacortes.

Tugzilla

 

Port Townsend – Day 3, 4 & 5, Friday/Saturday/Sunday, Sept. 14/15/16

Friday morning, Pam & Vince had breakfast at the Point Hudson Cafe:

While eating, they were treated to an otter show from their window seat in the cafe:

After breakfast, Pam, Vince, Mike, And Margaret took a bus across town to the Marine store so Vince could try on some shoes that he’d seen there on Thursday.  He bought them.

Then, they watched as a fishing boat was taken out of the water on a giant travel lift.

They had lunch at a funky little cafe in the shipyard area.

And met up with Joy & Ted at Safeway and then boarded the bus to go back to Point Hudson.

That night, after dinner, Margaret, Mike, Ted, Joy, Pam, and Vince went to see a movie at an old theatre in town.  The movie was “The Bookshop” and it was showing in The Starlight Room at the Rose Theatre.

The Starlight Room

Here’s Margaret working her way downstairs after the show:

On Saturday, Margaret, Mike, Pam, and Vince trolled the shops for most of the day.  They didn’t take a lot of pictures for my blog.  Here are the only pictures Pam gave me for Saturday:

Lunch at a neat little pizza place called Hillbottom Pie:

And, later, they took in another movie.  It was “Crazy Rich Asians” at one of the main theatres in the Rose Theatre:

They said the movie was very funny.

Then, on Sunday, the group mostly took a day of rest; although, after breakfast, Pam and Margaret finished up with the shops they hadn’t had the chance to get to on Saturday!

Later in the afternoon, Vince and Pam went for a walk.

And a lovely 44′ American Tug pulled in next to Margie L and me:

Her name is Asylum and I think I may be in love with a rubenesque tug!  Her owners, Noelle and Jaime, are very friendly.

Noelle and Jamie joined the gang for dinner at Doc’s Marina Grill:

Remember the show on the tall ship that I mentioned in an earlier Port Townsend blog? Well, the Saturday performance was postponed to Sunday and, even though none of the gang went to the show, Pam and Vince stopped by for a few minutes.  They got these pictures:

The show was a combination of stage props on the ship, image projection onto a see-through black mesh draped over the masts of the ship, and acrobatics performed onboard.  Pretty cool!

I’ve truly enjoyed Port Townsend and don’t really want to leave.  Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.  This is true not only of my stay in Port Townsend, but also of the whole amazing Pacific Northwest adventure!  We’re almost at its end.

We’ll head for LaConner tomorrow as we make our way back to Anacortes and, from there, home to California.

Still, I have a few days left in Washington which I intend to enjoy to the fullest!

Tugzilla

Port Townsend – Day 2, Thursday, Sept. 13

Today, we moved from the Port of Port Townsend Marina to the Point Hudson Marina at Encore’s recommendation.  This was an excellent move as it put us much closer to town and one night at the other port was just enough time for everyone to explore the shipyard, go to Safeway, West Marine, the hardware store, and a couple of marine stores in that area.

The cruise over to Point Hudson at the east end of town was quick.  We were settled into slips in no time.

Leaving the Port of Port Townsend headed for Point Hudson on the east side of town.  That’s Encore in front of me leading the way!

A beautiful sailing ship I saw on my way to Point Hudson.

Margie L.

Views of Port Townsend and the downtown area from the water:

Here I am entering the Point Hudson Marina.  I can see Ted’s Joy off to my starboard already docked.

Here we are nicely settled in, or so we thought:

Heading up to the marina office to check in:

Uh-oh! When we checked in, we were told we needed to move to slips on the next dock finger over if we wanted to stay through Sunday! So, we undid the dock lines and made the big move.

See below for me and Ted’s Joy moving into our new dock assignments.  Check out the line handling by Joy.  That girl can throw a line!!

Ahhh!  Settled in once again and for 4 whole nights!  There’s Encore moving in to her new spot.

The group heads to town for lunch:

Their destination? The Nifity Fiftys Diner:

First, and most critical to the lunch mission, were the malts and floats:

Next, a delicious, nutritious lunch:

After lunch, Pam took pictures of some of the many, cool historic buildings in town:

And, of course, she checked out a few of the shops, including a couple that were in the underground section of town:

Exhausted and starving from the exertion of roaming town, Pam and Vince ended their day with a lovely dinner at a romantic, Italian restaurant. . .awww!

Exhausted from my day, I closed my eyes for the night with my last waking vision of a Washington State ferry, fully lit, gracefully gliding by outside the marina.

Junior closed his eyes, with a full belly from his dinner of stinky cat food, and slept soundly at the foot of the bed.

On a side note, and before I sign off, I want to mention that we are sharing the marina with (among other boats) a tall ship called the Amara Zee upon which the Caravan Stage Company performs a live show:

It is quite an undertaking, or so Pam says, with all the staging and rigging necessary to pull off the show.  Pam and Vince aren’t sure yet whether they’ll go to see the show, but they did walk by it tonight.  That’s where the night photo, above, came from.  If they go while they’re here, I’m sure they’ll give me more pictures to post.

For now, goodnight!

Tugzilla

 

Port Townsend, Day 1 – Wednesday, Sept. 12

We left Port Ludlow at about 9:45 headed for Port Townsend.

Leaving Port Ludlow Marina with my dinghy following closely behind.

Looking out at Encore & Ted’s Joy in Port Ludlow Bay.  The smoking boat is a Coast Guard cutter that had just started its engines.

Margaret took this picture of me leaving port.

Encore, Ted’s Joy, Margie L., and a sailboat following me out of Port Ludlow Bay.

We passed by a military zone on our way to Port Townsend:

Coming in to Port Townsend.

Along Port Townsend’s waterfront.

Entering the Port Townsend marina.

View from my bow.

View from my starboard side windows.

First up on the post-docking agenda: lunch! You can just see the purpose in Vince’s walk!

Next up on the agenda: looking at the boats in the nearby shipyard.

There were two boats of particular interest in the yard:  “Northwind” and “The Western Flyer”.

“Northwind” was built in the 1930s by the Manitowoc Shipping Corp. for a wealthy American industrialist.  During World War II, the vessel came under the ownership of the British government and was used during the evacuation of British troops at Dunkirk.

“The Western Flyer” was built in Tacoma, WA, in 1937 and made famous  by John Steinbeck in his novel “Log from the Sea of Cortez”.  In 1940, Steinbeck chartered the boat with a biologist friend and a few others for a six week trip to Mexico. This trip inspired his book.

After a busy day in the boatyard, Pam and Vince joined Denise, Tom, Margaret, and Mike for a gormet dinner at “Sea J’s” for fish and chips or, in Vince’s case, chili!

This sign, seen hanging on one of Sea J’s walls, has been slightly (and hardly noticeably) altered for purposes of this blog posting.

Because we’ve decided to stay in lovely Port Townsend for 4 days rather than 2 (due to weather considerations and our plan to go through Deception Pass), I’m breaking up my blog for this stop into at least a couple of posts.  So, stay tuned for more from Port Townsend!

Tugzilla

Port Ludlow, Sept. 10 & 11

Saying goodbye to Poulsbo

Part of the planning process when we cruise is for Vince to check currents for any passes or straits that we’ll be cruising through on any given day.  Today we go through Agate Pass which can have pretty strong current flow.  Based upon what he saw online,  Vince decided a 10:00 departure from Poulsbo would be best for us to reach Agate Pass at reasonable current flow for us.

We made it through Agate Pass with ease.

Approaching Agate Pass Bridge

Going under Agate Pass bridge

Junior assisting at the helm

The cat got a new food mat.  Hopefully, this will limit the amount of cat food that ends up on my floor!

Oh, and remember Poulsbird from Poulsbo in my last blog? Well, the little bugger hitched a ride with us.  He flew off somewhere before Port Ludlow.

On our cruise to Port Ludlow, we passed the Point No Point lighthouse and Pam took one of her binocular photos. It wasn’t easy, especially because the water was a little jumbly.  Here’s the beginning-to-end result:

I’ve got Port Ludlow in my sights!

Almost there! I can see the totem pole off my starboard side.

Coming in to the marina to find my slip.

Encore gliding into her spot.

Ted’s Joy making the turn in.

Margie L.  Making her approach.

Margaret got this picture of me as Encore was bringing her into the marina.  I’m the handsome one with the green kayaks on my roof.

Here’s the view from my stern as I sit comfortably tied to the dock.

Once we had settled in, Pam and Vince took a short walk and saw some of the marina property:

While at the dock on the second day, we saw the following cuteness:

A family of river otters swam in for a visit!

And, as quickly as they arrived, they left.  It might have had something to do with Pam’s walking over a metal ramp.  The noise was rather startling!

Otters running for their lives!

What the heck???  These disgusting looking sea creatures are called geoducks (pronounced “gooey ducks”). One of our neighbors on the dock happened to be a commercial fisherman.  He says these beauties fetch about $50 -$60 per pound in China!

For lunch on Tuesday, the group took a shuttle to the Port Ludlow golf course to eat at the little cafe there.  They did NOT have geoduck!!

Pam and Vince went for a dinghy ride the second day:

One last sighting of river otters before leaving Port Ludlow.  Cuteness factor “10”! (Thanks for the photos Margaret.)

“What are you looking at??!”

“Nobody can see me here behind this sailboat mast.”

This was a quiet stop; perfect to get us rested up from our busy stay at Poulsbo and ready for our visit to Port Townsend.

Tugzilla

 

Poulsbo, Sept. 7 – 9

We left Port Orchard at about 9:45 headed for Poulsbo, or is it “Paulsbo”? Keep reading for the answer to this riviting question!

Leaving the Port Orchard Marina.

Last views of Port Orchard and the foot ferry:

In Dogfish Bay (aka “Liberty Bay” shortly before entering the Poulsbo Marina:

Entering the Poulsbo Marina:

Encore in

Ted’s Joy in

Margie L. in

Welcome to Poulsbo, Little Norway!

A Norwegian welcome.

Shuy’s Bakery.  THE best bakery EVER:

Poulsbo is a wonderful,  little town filled with interesting shops, excellent restaurants, and even a gourmet ice creamery.

This is inside one of Pam’s favorite shops called “The Red Plantation”.

Vince inside his fav., “Longship Marine”.

My old electrical system, wasn’t quite up to snuff and wouldn’t work at the Poulsbo Marina due to their newer GFI electrical system.  Vince bought me (from Longship Marine, of course) a new part, an inverter neutral bus, which he installed in my electricals.  I’m now GFI compliant and can function like all the new boats when it comes to dock power!

Vince installing my new inverter bus.  No butt crack here folks! Just good, old-fashioned know how.

Joy gets a visit from a feathered friend:

Italian for dinner the first night.

Next day, farmers market:

 

View of us from the small park above the marina.

View of the park:

This is Vince visiting with Virgil the tiny tugboat.  Virgil lives at the Poulsbo Marina.

Dinner at Casa Luna the second night.  Joy & Ted ate aboard, but Sylvia & Chester came to Poulsbo for the day.  So the dinner group still numbered 8.

Next day, Pam & Vince went for a walk along the bay:

They took a break to enjoy the morning view of the bay.

And then realized. . .

. . .they’d been in this very spot a little over a year ago! This is a picture of Vince and Pam in Poulsbo July 2017!

After their break, they stopped by the Poulsbohemian Coffeehouse for coffee and a danish:

Mostly a view of the town; but, to the right, you can see the sign for the Poulsbohemian Coffeehouse.

Here’s the view Pam & Vince enjoyed from the coffeehouse.

Next stop following the coffeehouse was the museum where they learned about “Poulsbo” vs. “Paulsbo”:

 

Activity later in the day. . .

Gourmet ice cream! Say whaaaaat?! Pam & Vince must have misbehaved because they’re sitting outside.  You can see Margaret & Mike on the other side of the window and Denise & Tom at the next table further in.

Shuy’s Bakery is a thing of beauty even at night!  Brings tears to my eyes until I remember I prefer diesel not donuts.

The entire gang had dinner at JJ’S Fish House (don’t worry, Vince found pasta with chicken on the menu).  Somehow, Pam forgot to take pictures so there’s a void here in the blog!

But here’s a picture I stole off the internet of the outside of the restaurant.  I thought of using one of the internet pictures of other happy groups eating at JJ’S,  but figured somebody might catch on.

Sandy & Rick joined the group for dinner at JJ’S.   Two nicer people would be hard to find!  Or so Pam and Vince said.

Pam, Vince, and Margaret had met Rick on their way to an art walk in town.  Turned out that he was one of the artists and quite an interesting fellow.  He and his wife, Sandy, lived aboard a 100-year-old boat named Tusitala.  Vince, Ted, and Mike went to see the boat and were treated to wine and snacks.  Before leaving, Rick told each of them to choose a print from his artwork to take with them!

Rick. Sandy, and Vince aboard Tusitala

Tusitala

Vince looking at Rick’s vintage bicycles outside the shop where Rick’s artwork is displayed.

Even though Pam didn’t get any pictures to memorialize it, she said the dinner at JJ’S was great and it was a pleasure to have shared it with Rick and Sandy.

Monday morning, before we left for Port Ludlow, Joy’s feathered friend came back to see us off.  According to one of the marina staff, the little bird has been hanging around for about a week and has been named “Poulsbird”!

First he visited Encore:

Poulsbird on Mike’s hand.

Flying into Encore!

Waiting to be served?

Mike trying to lure Poulsbird out with bread crumbs.

Poulsbird on his way back outside!

Then he visited Pam, Vince, and me:

After everyone said goodbye to Poulsbird and Poulsbo, we set off for Port Ludlow.

See you there!

Tugzilla

Port Orchard, Sept. 5 & 6

As usual, I’ll start this blog with a couple of pictures of me leaving the previous port.

Here’s me leaving my slip and last glance back at Tacoma and Dock Street Marina:

 

Cruising the Foss Waterway as we leave Tacoma.  That’s Ted’s Joy in front of me in the second picture.

 

Junior gets playful on the trip to Port Orchard:

 

 

 

I saw this tug/barge along my route.

Here’s what I saw coming into the marina:

 

Off to my starboard side, I saw The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton

Nosing my way into Port Orchard Marina

Heading to my slip

Tugs coming in:

 

All settled in:

That’s Encore in front and me to the right with my red umbrellas.   Ted’s Joy is on the other side of Encore.  Margie L.  Is on the other side of me.

Vince, Pam, Margaret, and Mike walked to a Chinese restaurant for dinner that night.

Here are a couple of pictures from the walk:

 

And from the restaurant:

 

That second picture, above, is Vince multitasking as a crossing guard and a Chinese food delivery person!

Later that night:

 

 

Here’s the view I woke up to the next morning:

After Pam and Vince woke up,  they went in search of a fine breakfast and found it at The Homemade Cafe.  It was a neat, little place that had previously been a church.

 

They had a beautiful walk home through some of Port Orchard’s residential areas:

 

And, from up on a hill, even caught a glimpse me and my friends at the marina.

Squint and you can make us all out in the marina’s guest docks at the end of the street!

Here are pictures they took of town:

 

Later in the day, Pam, Vince,  Margaret,  Mike,  Joy, and Ted took the foot ferry across the Sinclair Inlet to Bremerton.

 

Joy, Ted, and Mike toured the Navy destroyer, USS Turner Joy.  Pam, Margaret, and Vince opted to walk around Bremerton, since they had toured the Turner Joy last summer.

Here’s the Turner Joy:

 

Here are a couple of pictures from town:

 

Sadly, there are very few business left in Bremerton and, according to Pam, it felt almost like a ghost town.

On the return trip to Port Orchard, they got to ride back on the Carlisle II, a much prettier ferry than the one they had taken to Bremerton.

 

The Carlisle II is 101 years old!  To borrow from Wikipedia: “The Carlisle II is the oldest of only two operational examples of a Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet vessel. They were once part of a large fleet of small passenger and freight carrying ships that linked the islands and ports of Puget Sound in Washington State in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”

Vince, Mike, and Ted on the ride back from Bremerton.

Pam got to go into the pilot house.  Here’s a picture of the captain and of her view out the pilot house window:

 

On the way back to Port Orchard.  That’s Vince’s elbow, lower right.  In the background is one of the Washington State car ferries.

Here’s a view of the Port Orchard Marina from the Carlisle II.  You can see my red umbrellas.

That’s it from here.

I’ll catch you in Poulsbo next!

Tugzilla

Tacoma, September 3 & 4

The cruise to Tacoma was short and sweet.  We left Gig Harbor at about 10:30 and were in Tacoma shortly after Noon

Goodbye for now, Gig Harbor!  You were lots of fun.

On the way to Tacoma we saw the Tacoma Narrows twin bridges which span Puget Sound from Gig Harbor to Tacoma.  While these existing bridges are safe and sound,  a point of interest is that the original Tacoma Narrows bridge, opened in July of 1940, was nicknamed “Galloping Gertie” because of its strange bouncing and oscillating behavior in winds.9  On November 7, 1940, it dramatically collapsed in 40-50 MPH winds!

The first picture below was taken through binoculars (because the bridge was off to my starboard about 3 miles) and the second picture is a cropped version of the first picture.

We also saw a massive, castle.  You’ll never guess what it is!

Stadium High School, Tacoma

Other sights along the way:

Military reserve ship outside Tacoma

Cement factory

Big ships

I see Tacoma!

Entering the Foss Waterway.

Traversing the Foss Waterway about to go under the Murray Morgan/11th Street Bridge.

Going under the bridge:

Ted’s Joy cruising under the bridge.

More sights on the waterway:

East 21st Street Bridge.

Turning in to my slip with Ted’s Joy close behind and Encore and Margie L. bringing up the rear.

Here’s my slip! That strange looking cone is part of the Tacoma Chihuly Glass Museum.

The others coming into their slips:

And. . .

Everyone’s in place!

We’re right near the East 21st Street Bridge.

Time for everyone to explore:

Outside the Chihuly Glass museum.

Inside the glass museum in the “hot shop” where glass art is made:

Below, are whimsical pieces of art that are made by Chihuly artists based upon children’s drawings.  Fun stuff! The artists make 2 of each and 1 stays with the gallery; the other is given to the child artist.

And here are pieces from Chihuly’s designs:

These next pictures are some that Pam took of the bridge of glass which is a freeway overpass from the glass museum to the city center.  The overpass is set up, basically, as a beautiful display case full of Chihuly glass art.

Part of the overpass has a ceiling that also displays glass:

And, here are a couple of pictures of what Pam and Vince saw of Tacoma while standing on the overpass:

For dinner the gang all dinghied to the “Fish Peddler”  Yes, Vince found something non-fishy to eat.  He had land tuna (aka “chicken”)

On the way to dinner.

Approaching the restaurant and dinghy dock.

Joy, Ted, Denise on ramp; Vince and Tom on the dinghy dock.

Vince’s selfie with “Betty” and one of the restaurant staff.  Pam says, “Sorry, Mom!”

It was dusk by the time everyone arrived home from dinner.

Next day, some of the group went to the LeMay car museum.

Mike and Vince at the back entrance.

 

Pam took this picture of me.  She was standing out on a balcony at the car museum overlooking the marina.  I know, it’s kind of difficult to see me in the picture, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

While at the museum, Vince spied the race car simulators and immediately recognized Sears Point (Sonoma Raceway).  So, being a 3 time formula singles champion, motorcycle race instructor and a top 10 in the AFM (American Federation of Motorcycles) with over 8 years of racing at Sears Point, he figured he would demonstrate his vast experience to all those around him… unfortunately he got SO car sick a minute and a half into his 8-minute stint with the simulator that Pam had to take over!  She immediately crashed into the simulated wall several times.  Between the two of them, they didn’t complete a single lap.  Geeze. . . EMBARRASSING. . .

That evening, after recovering from their simulator trauma,  Pam and Vince took the light rail train to dinner with Margaret and Mike at Old Spaghetti factory where Tom and Denise joined them by Uber.

Pam had a nonalcholic (for those who are concerned that she may be drinking too much) cotton candy limeade.  It came complete with a color-changing straw and a big blob of cotton candy!

After dinner, when they got back to the marina,  Pam and Vince wrapped up the evening with a walk.

And, on that note, I say goodnight from Tacoma.  See you next in Port Orchard.

Tugzilla

Gig Harbor, August 31 – September 2

I’d forgotten to mention that, after leaving La Conner through the Swinomish Channel, we entered an area called Puget Sound.

Here is a satellite view of The Sound and a map to help you better understand the area:

And, to quote from Wikipedia, for an even clearer understanding:

“Puget Sound /ˈpjuːdʒɪt/ is a sound along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is a complex estuarine^[3] system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and two minor connections to the open Pacific Ocean via the Strait of Juan de Fuca—Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and Deception Pass and Swinomish Channel being the minor.”

So, there is your education on Puget Sound!

Back to today and my continuing adventures in The Sound. . .

We left Seattle a few minutes after 9:00a.m. on Friday.  Tom & Denise took on 2 guests, daughter, Sylvia, and Sylvia’s partner, Chester.  Sylvia & Chester will be with us for one night while we’re in Gig Harbor.

Saying goodbye to Seattle:

Nifty trick Pam learned on the cruise to Gig Harbor:  When something’s too far away to take a picture using the zoom on her cell phone, hold the phone lens to the binoculars,  take photo with phone, and then crop!

Picture without using binoculars.

Shot through binos

Ta-da!  After cropping the bino shot!

Here’s how Junior kept busy during the trip:

Sitting next to Pam in the pilot house

On the couch

And here I am taking on one of the big boys:

Washington State ferry encounter!  I was a little afraid, but was pretty sure Vince wouldn’t run me into the ferry.

Entering Gig Harbor:

Entering Gig Harbor Boat Yard Marina

Entering my slip; home for the next 3 days.

The rest of the gang gets settled in:

Ted’s Joy & Encore

Margie L. and crew docking

Socializing on the dock.  The additional faces to the usual suspects are Sylvia & Chester, Tom & Denise’s daughter and her partner.

Junior, not socializing in the pilot house.

The whole gang had an enjoyable dinner here the first evening.

Pam & Vince had breakfast at “Netshed No. 9” the next morning.

Vince waiting to be seated

The patio area

Gig Harbor is home to several historic netsheds.  Some dating from as early as 1910 and many of them still in use by the original families for storing and mending fishing nets and repairing equipment used for their commercial fishing vessels.

The Netshed 9 restaurant is a converted netshed and is registered by the city of Gig Harbor as the  Novak (Stearns) Netshed/Netshed K; however, the restaurant owners chose the name “Netshet No. 9″ in reference to the fact that fishermen used the netsheds as markers in the harbor and, in days past, had referred to the Novak shed  as “number nine” because it was the  ninth shed viewable as they returned home.

Here are pictures of a few of the remaining netsheds in gig harbor:

And here are pictures of some of the fishing vessels:

For obvious reasons, the town of Gig Harbor is full of nautical references.

Cleat benches!

A working boat shop

A greeting made with nautical flag images at the Gig Harbor post office.  It spells out “Welcome to Gig Harbor.”

There are also lots of shops and beautiful homes.

An overview of town

Town

Another view of town

Skansie Brothers park in town

This is the public restroom building in town with tables on the upper level.  The town is very visitor friendly!

A few miscellaneous pictures Pam took from the dinghy:

Can you believe the unicorn? First, we see mermaids in Heriot Bay and now unicorns in Gig harbor.  This trip has been totally cray cray!!! Makes San Francisco seem normal!

So, on to the next day in Gig. . .

Pam & Vince and Tom & Denise dinghied to a small, but highly recommended restaurant for breakfast on Sunday morning:

Denise & Tom on their way to breakfast.

Vince standing in the dinghy; restaurant behind him.

Heading toward the restaurant.

At the restaurant enjoying breakfast.

Sunday afternoon, some of the gang went shopping and some hung around.  Pam and Vince did a little of both, but not before Vince subjected me to a visit from the pump out boat! It’s always somewhat humiliating,  but I sure feel better afterward!

Scott, the friendly pump out operator.

Sunday, the whole gang gathered on Encore for more socializing before dinner:

They dined  at a terrific Mexican restaurant in town.

One of Vince’s panoramic masterpieces! That’s him on the left; photobombing his own selfie!

According to Pam, not only was the food excellent, but the decor was charming.

All in all, and from what I heard, the group had a great stay here in Gig Harbor.  I know I did.

Next stop:  Tacoma.

TTFN,

Tugzilla.

Seattle, August 29 & 30

August 29! A very special day.  It’s Vince’s birthday and, true to his word, he shaved off that scruffy beard-like thing he’s been growing over the past 2 months!

“Before” (on a previous day)

“After” (on his b-day).  He can’t  be 58!!!

Before leaving Langley, Pam and Vince had to walk in to town to find the backpack they’d left behind! Fortunately, it was right where they’d left it on the back of a park bench!

Walking along the water from town.

Town is very quiet in the morning.

 

Flat water this peaceful morning.

That’s Ted and Vince up there disposing of garbage and recyclables before we leave.

Leaving the marina:

Well, lunch enroute included b-day shortcake since we had no pie onboard.   Birthday boy seemed OK with it.

 

I can see Seattle!

Then this 1200′ monster went by us at about 17 knots and left a wake the likes of which I’ve never seen! About 5′!   Got my bow pushed out of the water and then pushed back into the water from his wake!

Seattle skyline!

Almost there!!!  I see the marina breakwall.

Coming in to the marina:

 

All settled in and waiting for the others.

Ted’s Joy, Margie L., & Encore entering their slips:

Birthday dinner was at “Anthony’s” with something close to pie for dessert.

Anthony’s Restuarant

Peach slump for the b-day boy!

My view of the night skyline.

Next day Pam & Vince took the shuttle bus to town.

Exploring Seattle

Pike Place Market:

The wall of gum! As luck would have it, Pam had been looking for a place to get rid of her gum. . .

Pam, Vince, and Margaret went to the Chihuly Glass Museum where they saw some fantastic glass art.

Indoor displays:

The Chihuly Glasshouse and sculpture:

Outdoor art:

Earlier in the day, Ted and Joy gave each of us a North West adventure flag to commemorate our trip! So cool! Mine is now proudly displayed on my mast for all to see.

Here are a few more shots of Seattle just before I go to sleep to rest for tomorrow’s cruise to Gig Harbor:

Goodnight,

Tugzilla

Whidbey Island, Langley, WA – August 27 & 28

We departed La Conner at about 10:45 on 8/26. The late start allowed us to take advantage of the tide to get a good push for part of our cruise to Langley.

Leaving the La Conner marina

Ted’s Joy and I got breakfast at the fuel dock before leaving La Conner.

Yummy!  I was hungry.

Ted’s Joy coming in to the fuel dock

Leaving La Conner:

Our cruise took us through Skagit Bay and Saratoga Passage.  The journey was beautiful.

Sights we saw along the way:

Incredible houses. . .

Beautiful scenery. . .

Mediocre lunch. . .

Fair winds and following seas:

After almost 4 hours of cruising, we made it to Langley.  Now there’s a docking story!  Tightest spots we’ve had yet.  The word “crazy” comes to mind.  Fortunately, our captains are darned good at maneuvering us boats AND the marina has experienced, helpful staff.  Ashley and Duncan made it almost easy for us!

Here’s my view as I pass the marina breakwall:

Here are a few shots of us coming in to our tight quarters for the next two nights.

Ted’s Joy:

Margie L.:

Encore:

All settled in:

Tight-quarter living requires some vigilance when other vessels are arriving or exiting!!. . .

No sooner were we all settled in, than we had a visitor from the Sea Scout Boat that had arrived just before us and docked at the outside breakwall.  Neil came over to see all the tugs that had come from California and with whom his boat, MV Propeller, had been travelling for the past several miles before arriving at Langley.  And, of course, Vince talked his way into boarding Propeller.  The vessel is  used for the Sea Scout Program which is similar to Boy and Girl Scouts.  Captain Al and Neil, pictured with Vince, below, were the volunteers in charge of the boys and girls for this particular 1-week cruise.  They were on their last day and heading home to Seattle the next day.  It was great visiting with them; so much in common with Vince because of his background with the Great Lakes Maratime Academy and his time sailing with the Ford and US Steel ships.

By the time Vince was done visiting with his new friends, it was time to wander in to town for dinner.  Marilyn,  one of the great staff members at the marina, gave us a lift into town.

And, of course, there was dessert. . .

Ice cream!

The walk back to the marina was lovely:

Junior made a cameo appearance:

Howling for attention! Action photo taken by Margaret.

Junior’s wish is, apparently, Vince’s command.

Next day, Pam & Vince spent most of the day shopping in the quaint stores.  Correction (per Vince): PAM spent most of the day shopping.  Vince tagged along and did an admirable job as porter!

First stop, the Firehouse Glass Gallery.

Second stop, Mona’s Sweets.  Reportedly, one of the finest chocolate shops Pam has had the honor to visit! Her mom, Betty, doesn’t know it yet, but a sample box of some of Mona’s confectionary delights is winging it’s way to her door!

That’s Mona there in the second picture, below, with one of her employees who, by the looks of him, might be her son.

Homemade gelato! Another of Mona’s specialties.

As well as checking out the shops, Pam and and Vince looked around at some of the other local landmarks:

One of Langly’s churches

The residential area closest to town:

And one of the town’s inns:

Pam and Vince took the dinghy out and got a good look at the shoreline and the backsides of some of the town businesses.  Bottom left of the pictures below is the back of the pizza place and bottom right is the back of the inn that had the lovely garden.

Finally, as if they hadn’t packed enough into the stay in Langley, Pam, Vince, Mike, and Margaret went back to town that evening to see a movie at the old “Clyde” theatre.  They saw the only movie playing: “Mission Impossible, Fallout”. The talk I heard when they came back was not an endorsement, but they said the popcorn was good!

Walking back from the theatre.

Full moon over the marina (that spot to the left of the sailboat mast).

Well, I’d say they got everything they could out of their 2 days on Whidbey Island in the nice little town of Langley, wouldn’t you?

You’ll hear from me next in Seattle!  Off to the big city tomorrow.

Until then,

Tugzilla

La Conner, Washington – Saturday, August 25 & 26.

First, here we are leaving Anacortes, WA:

And enroute:

I saw a mess of seals resting in the mud while working my way down the Swinomish Channel toward La Conner.   This was at a low tide.  Depths ranged from between about 8 to 20 feet.  So, it was very important that I stay between the channel markers to avoid going aground!

Cruising the channel

Vince, Pam, and that meow monster, litter-packing furball, Junior.

The cat chillaxing…

Arriving at the La Conner marina, we were all pleasantly surprised to see little place markers hanging off the dock with our names on them!

Everyone lends a hand with docking:

It was lunch time when we pulled in, so Pam & Vince and Tom & Denise set out by dinghy to see what town had to offer.

Views from the dinghy of all of us docked at the La Conner Marina:

Here’s the downtown public dock

Denise & Tom at the public dock.

Denise & Tom dinghied back to Margie L. after lunch and Pam & Vince walked the town a bit,

That evening, everybody dined aboard.  I think the cold, rainy weather encouraged everyone to stay “home” where it was cozy and warm.  Pam & Vince kicked back with a good movie they had borrowed from Ted.

Next morning, it was still overcast and cool, but no rain.  Afternoon brought breaks of beautiful sunshine interspersed with some grey clouds and blue heron:

Pam, Vince, Margaret, and Mike walked into town at about 8:30 for a tasty breakfast treat from the Scone Lady.

After walking back to the marina for quick showers, Pam & Vince were off in the dinghy again to explore more of the town.

Abandoned building

Butterfly Garden

Tug towing tug through Swinomish Channel

City Hall

1869 cabin

The weather was mostly mild, but got pretty cold in the evening when Pam, Vince, Denise, and Tom dinghied into town for dinner.

Brrrrr!

After dinner and upon returning home to me and the cat, Pam and Vince got their jammies on and cozied up for another good movie borrowed from Joy & Ted.  Life is good.

Tugzilla

Back in the U.S.A. – Anacortes, WA, August 22 – 24

This blog will be brief since I covered Anacortes in earlier blogs back in June when we first started this adventure.

But I do have some pictures to share with you from leaving our last port and arriving here in Anacortes.  And a few random, goofy shots from this stay in Anacortes.

We’re here to rest up and provision before we head out on our southern loop down to Tacoma.

Leaving Poets Cove, our last stop in Canada.

Encore, Margie L. and Ted’s Joy running from a tug pulling a barge!

On the way to Anacortes, we cruised through the Wasp Islands which, despite all the smoke in the air, were quite beautiful.

Arriving at Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes, WA

Dinner at Anthony’s

Followed by a luscious,  fresh peach cobbler that Vince just couldn’t eat fast enough so he used two spoons!

Mmmmmmm! Dessert time for Vince and photo-bomb Tom.

Shirt says it all. . .Boat hair dont care! Actually, it’s Vince’s bed head.  Pam and he were on a morning mission to find a good coffee house.

 

The gang drove to La Conner Friday morning to take a tour of the American Tug factory.

Vince turns traitor on me and enjoys sitting at the helm of a 42′ American Tug!

Pam and Vince walked to a concert in a park near the Anacortes marina

 

Enjoying a treat from Nita and Bob, friends we made while here in Anacortes this past June.  They stopped by the marina yesterday to see everybody.

And it’s on to La Conner today for 2 nights.

Meet you there!

Tugzilla.

South Pender Island, Bedwell Harbour, August 20 & 21

From Ganges on Salt Spring Island,  we made our way to South Pender Island.

Leaving the Ganges Marina

Visibility, as we cruised out of Ganges Harbour was somewhat limited due to the many wildfires burning in BC.

Ted’s Joy,  Encore, and Margie L. Out front in the smokey haze as we leave Ganges.

Our stay on South Pender Island will be at the marina at Poets Cove Resort and Spa in Bedwell Harbour.   This is our last Canadian port.  I’m rather sad about that, but have such happy memories that I hope to be back some day.

I came in first to our slips, Margie L. next, then Encore, and then Ted’s Joy.

This is what I can see of the resort during the day:

The resort property

The pub and restaurant

The store and cafe

This is my nighttime view:

Pam & Vince’s view from the upper level of the store/cafe building

Pool time:

Baluga? Naw! That’s Vince having a good time in the pool!

Young at heart.

Scenes from the resort property:

At the road entrance to Poets Cove.  These two are loving the selfies, right?!

See?! I told you they were loving the selfies.  Here’s another one!

Mike and Tom inside Syrens’ Bistro

This is so cool!  Pam and Vince saw this rock marked “HMS Egeria”.  The plaque to the right of the mark explains that Captain Sir John Parry of the sailing vessel HMS Egeria (and hydrographer for the British Royal Navy), inscribed the rock as a survey benchmark in 1905.

Pam and Vince also explored outside the resort property and found these points of interest:

They didn’t try this mode of transportation,  but heard it’s fairly common on the islands as is hitchhiking.

1938 Church of the Good Shepherd. Vince looking, for good reason, somewhat apprehensive.  Fortunately, lightening didn’t strike!

There were these buildings near the church:

Building behind the church. Maybe the pastor’s house?

Building to the side of the church. Hmmm. . .wonder what it was?

Beautiful countryside

South Pender Fire Hall.  Notice the fire danger sign is at extreme.  BC has been having unseasonably warm weather and many forest fires this summer.

Butt crack rock?!

Cameo appearance by Junior:

“Hurry up with my food, Mom!  I’m starving here!”

Bedwell Harbour was a really fun place to dinghy.

Lots of things to see from the dinghies.

Beautiful homes. . .

Beautiful islands and rock formations. . .

Beautiful water and white shell beaches. . .

And beautiful everything!

We say goodbye to Canada for now.  It’s been a memorable visit.

From here, we move on to Anacortes, Washington.

Standing by,

Tugzilla

Salt Spring Island (SSI), Ganges, August 18 & 19

We left Montague Harbour for Ganges Harbour at about 9:00a.m..  It was a short, one-hour cruise.

Pulling away from the dock at the Montague Harbour Marina

View of the marina and restaurant/store as I cruise off.

When we arrived at Salt Spring Island, we were a bit early and the marina wasn’t ready to receive us yet.  So we motored around the harbour for a time.

Encore visiting with a float plane!

Then, Vince got a bee in his bonnet to try his hand at one of the mooring halls.  All the public mooring balls were occupied, so he decided to hijack a private one.  We ended up using one labeled “Franklin’s”.

Thanks, Franklin!

I was only on the mooring ball for about 15 minutes before Vince was hailed by the marina to come on in.

They put me in quite a tight spot, but with Vince at my helm and the assistance of the experienced Ganges Marina staff, I got in with no problems!

Squeezed in on a connector wall between a dock finger and another boat.  Waiting for my friends to show up.

Gradually, my friends were called in to join me.

All together again!

At the Ganges Marina

Here’s where we are in the big picture!

Having settled us boats in nicely, our people were off and running.  Lunch and a visit to the SSI Saturday Market were top priority.

Here’s a sampling of the market attendees

Here’s a sampling of the fabulous bracelet Vince insisted that Pam purchase! The artist is an island resident and makes all her own beads.  She’s also a friend of Paula, first mate of the vessel, Verstovia, whom we met in Comox.  Paula also lives on SSI and happened to be at the market and scored a discount on the jewelry for Pam!! Dont, worry, Pattie, your sister loves you and got you a bracelet, too.  It’s in the mail.

The group spent a little time resting up before dinner.  My people, Encore’s, and Margie L.’s took dinghies over to Moby’s Pub.  Ted’s Joy’s people opted for a quiet meal aboard ship.

Moby’s

Dinghies at the dock

There was some discussion over dinner as to who had the best beard.  Too close to call. . .

Next day, Pam & Vince and Margaret & Mike wandered around town a bit, but not before Pam & Vince had a leisurely, late breakfast at the Tree House Cafe.

Sharing heuvos rancheros for breakfast.   Yum!

Here’s the Tree House at night.  There was live music in the evening.

While wandering town, Vince spotted a sign that he thought was for pets as well as for Margaret:

Vince, really??!!

There was a little bit of dinghying in the harbor after exploring town:

The gang decided to have a potluck dinner on the dock that night.  They were all enjoying it and having a great time.  .  .

Until. . .

Shock and awe

The behemoth arrived. . .

This is what I saw

This is what they saw

Whoever said size doesn’t matter??!

The party was over.  Besides, the burgers and the mac & cheese were pretty much gone.  Time for the gang to call it a wrap and return to us cozy, dear tugs!  Tomorrow is another adventure.  This time at Poets Cove on South Pender Island.

Yours affectionately, and with no aspirations of being any bigger than I am,

Tugzilla

Galiano Island, Montague Harbour, August 16 & 17

Leaving Nanaimo

We left Nanaimo at 7:00 a.m. in order to time our passage through Dodd Narrows to coincide with slack tide.

As we were leaving we saw airplanes landing,

tugs pulling barges full of wood chips,

And paper mills

About an hour after leaving Nanaimo,  we reached Dodd Narrows and made a successful passage at about -1.2 knots.

My dinghy, Encore, Ted’s Joy,  Margie L., and another boat traversing Dodd Narrows

Tugzilla going through.  (Thanks for the picture, Encore!)

We made it to Galiano Island and Montague Harbour shortly before Noon.

After lunch, Mike & Margaret and Vince & Pam took their dinghies over to the provincial park.

On the dinghy ride back,  Pam and Vince saw the biggest jellyfish ever!

What???!

Here’s me at the dock. The marina restaurant and store is the building off to the left

That evening, the whole gang got on the party bus to the Hummingbird Pub.  They all came back laughing.  It must have been fun!

Bus driver, Tom, cranked up the tunes and played the cow bells and cymbals while driving!  Good sing-along tunes like “Blueberry Hill”, “Yellow Submarine”, “Burning Ring of Fire” and, of course, “Magic Bus”!

The final destination was the Hummingbird Pub where everyone had dinner.

The next day was mostly a day of rest

Family time.  Junior’s looking a little cranky and Pam and Vince? Well, they didn’t even bother to shower!!

Is he attempting to rock climb or trying to move the rock?

Dinner at the marina restaurant was well attended!

The evening meal was followed up by yet another beautiful sunset.

Progress update:  As of today, we’ve travelled approximately 530 miles out of 830.  We are over half way through this grand adventure.

Tomorrow we move on to Salt Spring Island.

In the meantime, Pam wants me to share this thought with you as shared by Tom, the pub bus driver, as he quoted Lou Holtz:

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it.”

I’ll talk with you again soon from Ganges on Salt Spring Island.

Tugzilla

Back to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, August 15

After realizing the construction noise at the Fairwinds Marina would continue all the next day and that Nanoose Bay was primarily residential with not much of interest for a flotilla of tourists, the group decided a 2nd stay in Nanaimo would be better than staying a second night at Nanoose Bay!

So, this morning we set off for Nanaimo at 8:00.  Again, the winds were busy.  Fortunately, they were following winds so the 2 hour trip from Nanoose Bay to Nanaimo was rocking and rolling, but not unbearable.

Goodbye Fairwinds Marina in Nanoose Bay.

Rocking and rolling in the Strait of Georgia:

Encore rocking

And

Encore rolling

As we journeyed to Nanaimo, here’s what we saw:

Fishing boats,

Rocks with warning markers on them which I was sure to avoid!

Ferry boats 

Float planes landing right into along side us!

Here’s Encore and Ted’s Joy with a float plane between them.

Junior was his usual Mr. Casual.

Vince discovered a marine supply store in town and thought he’d died and gone to heaven!!

L

The group had a potluck dinner on the dock that night

Short and sweet, that’s our stay in Nanaimo.  We’ll be heading for Galiano Islane, Montague Bay tomorrow.

Until then,

Tug,illa

Schooner Cove, Nanoose Bay, August 14

The cruise from Comox down to Nanoose Bay was very long, relative to the shorter trips we’ve been doing.

Leaving Comox:

We left Comox at 7:00 to try to avoid the winds we heard might kick up.  Fortunately,  the current was with us for the most part and the winds were behind us and weren’t bad.  The water was really rolly, though!  We rocked and rolled our way along the northwest edge of the Strait of Georgia for a few hours before making it in to the Fairwinds Marina.

Enroute to Nanoose Bay, Junior took in the strange orange glow of the sun and its reflection on the water.

Junior in the pilot house.  The orange haze outside is due to wildfires burning in the area.

A lighthouse we saw along the way.

In the Strait of Georgia:

It really doesn’t look bad, but it was rolling.

Arriving at Fairwinds Marina:

Ted waiting on the dock for Encore to arrive.

Margie L. Coming in.

Ted’s Joy  and Tugzilla in place:

We shortened our stay here by one day because the marina doesn’t have much to offer at this point.  We’re here about a year or two too early! There is a really big project in process that will result in a restaurant, new marina office, shops, and even a hotel.  Unfortunately, like I said, we’re a bit early.

The marina is undergoing some serious construction!

The marina

Dinner out at the local country club restaurant.  The country club provided free shuttle service from the marina.

Vince sitting outside making adjustments to our route plans:

Well, that’s all from Nanoose Bay and the Fairwinds Marina!

Tugzilla

 

Comox, Vancouver Island, August 12 & 13

Leaving Campbell River for Comox:

Made it safely across Comox bar and into Comox:

Here’s some of what we saw enroute to Comox:

Hungry cat

Radar image shows that the group is neatly aligned

Sea Lions on one of the markers.  Picture by Margaret; all rights reserved!

Low tide & high tide.  Notice no water to the outside of the dock in first picture below; second picture is high tide.

Comox is a nice, sleepy little town.

There is the nicest play place for kids.  Pam had to keep Vince away from it so the REAL children could use it!

Since the play area wasn’t available for “adults”, everyone went shopping at the local grocery store and at Dollarama.  These older kids sure know how to have fun!

They also know how to eat:

There was an eagle who took up residence on top of one of the sailboat masts:

And there was an old, abandoned fishing dock that was home to a bunch of harbor seals with pups!  Here are some shots Margaret took:

Mama and baby!

Another cool picture (borrowed from Margaret) of local wildlife:

Here’s a picture Pam took of some wildlife!

Photogenic bubble bee

That’s about it from Comox.  We had a great time,  but are now moving on to the Fairwinds Marina at Schooner Cove in Nanoose Bay. Vancouver Island.

Over and out,

Tug-Z (trying out my “street” name)

Campbell River, Vancouver Island, BC, August 10 & 11

We left Heriot Bay at about 9:00a.m.

And arrived at The Coast Marina in Campbell River at about 11:30a.m.

We made ourselves at home:

Some of us even found big brothers:

Ted’s Joy  and her new friend, Scout II

There were harbor seals

And sea cucumbers

starfish

And eagles

Oh! And even a sasquatch!

Some of the other sights in Campbell River:

 

Vince, Mike, Pam, and a high rigger statue.  The high riggers are the loggers who cut off the top branches and the tops of the trees before the tree is felled.

Canadian Coast Guard boat

A Holland America cruise ship passing by the marina

And what blog post would be complete without food/eating photos?

Fried coconut-encrusted bananas with coconut ice cream drizzled with chocolate and topped with whipped cream and a cherry!  Whaaaaat?!

Fine dining at the Quay West restaurant

That’s a wrap for C.R..  I’ll meet you in Comox next.

Tugzilla

Heriot Bay, Quadra Island, August 8 & 9

After leaving Gorge Harbour and Cortes Island, we made our way to Heriot Bay on Quadra Island.  This will be our furthest point North.

Here we are leaving Gorge Harbour heading for Cortes island.  This is looking out my stern door.  The net is to keep the cat in!

Encore, Margie L., and Ted’s Joy coming out of Gorge Harbour behind a work boat

As we were underway to Quadra Island, just a few miles from our destination, we spotted some whales!

Margaret got good shots with her camera:

Spout from one of the whales

We spent about 30 minutes watching them.  They came closest to Ted’s Joy.  It was pretty exciting!

Whale watching.

When we arrived at Heriot Bay Marina, I was in first so Vince and Pam could relay directions to the others and handle lines.

Here I am sizing up the entry to the Heriot Bay Marina.

Next in was Encore. . .

Then Ted’s Joy. . .

And last, but not least, Margie L. . . .

And, here we are all secured:

 

Heriot Bay Inn, pub, and restaurant.  Oh, and a great gift shop (Pam says)

Pam in full-on shopping mode!

As if the whale sighting on the way to Heriot Bay wasn’t enough excitement, we had mermaids visit us!!

Their mermaid names were Katja and Lumina.  They were enjoying the summer before going off to college (for Katja) and work (for Lumina).

It was quite a treat.  Oddly, for some reason, the old men seemed a tad more enthralled than the old women!  Whatever. . .I thought it was pretty cool.

As I’ve mentioned before, the tides and currents here are pretty extreme.  Here are some pictures of the marina ramp at low tide:

And a picture of a “high and dry” that Margaret took while she and Mike were dinghying.

Relaxation time included some swimming, dinghying, and sitting around.

Even a little eagle watching.  (Thanks for the picture, Margaret).

The gang all had dinner together at the marina restaurant on the last night in Heriot Bay; but before then, they shared appetizers with a friendly couple, Ardyth and Dave, aboard their 42′ American Tug, Haiku.

Ardyth, aboard the American Tug.  Watching us leave port.

Dinner!

Heriot Bay was good!

Tomorrow we go to Campbell River to continue our adventures!

Tugzilla

Gorge Harbour, Cortes Island, August 6 & 7

We said our fairwells to Powell River and headed to Cortes Island for a 2 night stay at Gorge Harbour.

Approaching the entrance to Gorge Harbour

My dinghy, Encore, and Ted’s Joy following me into the harbor

Tied to the dock and fully accessorized!

Checking out the grounds:

 

That’s Vince & Pam kicking back in some Adirondack chairs

Vince & Pam enjoying fruity beverages at the Gorge Harbour pub

View from the pub

Marina office

Contemplative moment.  Wondering WHY he’s keeping that “beard”?

There was, of course, dinghy time:

Tom & Denise

Mike & Margaret

Ted & Joy

Vince & Pam

Pam, Vince, Mike, & Margaret

Pool time!

Dinner time

Relax and visit time

Next stop, Quadra Island! See you there.

Tugzilla

Powell River, BC, August 4 & 5

On to Powell River. . .

After cruising for a little over 4 hours from Egmont, we reached our destination, Westview Marina, at about 11:15 a.m.

Waiting outside the Westview Marina breakwall to be called in for docking.

That’s Margie L. and Ted’s Joy waiting way over near the marina entrance.  They went in first; Encore and I followed.

I’m entering the marina! That’s one of the British Columbia (BC) ferries on the other side of  the breakwall to my port side.

Space was at a premium at the marina so we had to raft up at the docks.  Encore and Margie L. were beam to beam on one side of the dock and Ted’s Joy and I on the other.

Me looking over Ted’s Joy’s roof toward Margie L’s.  You can see Encore’s stern sticking out behind Margie L.’s

From my roof looking down at Ted’s Joy

There’s Joy settling in.

I’m tied up next to Ted’s Joy.   We’re watching the BC ferry.

Powell River turned out to be a nice, little town.  And the marina had great amenities,  including free shuttle service.

The gang all had lunch aboard.  Pam and Vince snacked on my bow.  It was hot outside,  but nice under the shade of my umbrella!

Dining al fresco!

After lunch, everyone took the shuttle to the mall to go grocery shopping and to see what else the mall had to offer!

At the mall in Powell River.   Reminded Pam and Vince of the Houghton, MI mall in better days!

When they got back from the mall, dinner was on board for Mike & Margaret and Ted & Joy, but Tom & Denise and Vince & Pam walked to town.  They had a wonderful dinner at a little Mexican restaurant and completed the meal with an avacado ice cream sandwich. They said it was delicious!!?

Tom & Denise meandered back to their boat.  Pam & Vince explored a bit.  They walked over to Willingdon Beach and saw some of the chainsaw carvings that were left from the Powell River July logging sports event.

Willingdon Beach:

Next day, Pam and Vince explored even more.

They stopped at the forestry museum.

140lb 2-man chainsaw!

Lots of chainsaws!

From the museum, they walked the 3 miles to the national historic district of old Powell River, called “Townsite”.  It’s the original town that was built by the pulp/paper mill.

Campbell River mill

To get to Townsite, they had to follow a trail through the woods from Willingdon Beach.  The trail followed the path where the mill’s railway tracks once went.

Notice the bear sighting notice taped to the trail sign!!

Pam & Vince didn’t see any bears on their walk, but they did see lots of logging artifacts:

There was even a photo bomb by a strange looking character. . .

Vince?!!

Here’s something called a steam donkey and a steam donkey winch:

And Vince in a boomboat:

Pam pointing out a springboard notch in a tree stump.  This was a tree that was logged.  Notice the new tree that grew on top of the stump? The stump is called a nurse tree stump for obvious reasons.

And here’s Pam standing alongside another odd survivor of the forest:

Just outside of Townsite, there were logs in a holding area.  The breakwall is made of concrete ships! Here’s some information that I found at the “concreteships.org” web site:

“Of all the concrete ships built during World War I and II, only 10 are known to still be afloat. These ships form a massive floating breakwater on the Malaspina Strait in the city of Powell River in British Columbia, Canada.

The breakwater was constructed to protect the logging pond of the Powell River Company pulp and paper mill (later purchased by Pacifica Papers).

While nine of these ten ships were built during the Second World War, the tenth ship, the S. S. Peralta, is the last remaining WWI concrete ship afloat.”

The mill’s logging pond with its concrete ships breakwall

The historic buildings in Townsite were wonderful!  Below are a few of them.  Clockwise from upper left:  the Patricia Theatre (1928), the Provincial Building (1939 – former courthouse),  the postmaster’s house (1912), and the St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church (1916)

Vince visiting with a friendly Townsite cat

The sunset that night was incredible.  I’ve never seen such a colorful one in all my years on the water!

Vince took this picture of me with the beautiful sunset as my background.

Powell River was a hoot!

Looking forward to what our next stop at Gorge Harbour on Cortes island will bring us!

Tugzilla

Egmont, Backeddy Marina, one more time, August 3

Back to Egmont for one night before we head to Powell River.

We left Chatterbox Falls at 8:45 a.m. to time our run through Malibu Rapids.  We went through just fine and in good company.  There were at least 10 boats going through in line.

Princess Louisa Inlet, the exodus through Malibu Rapids

Encore and Ted’s Joy in Jervis Inlet outside the rapids

As we made our way down Jervis Inlet back to Egmont for the night, we caught a little bit of wind, but nothing I and the other vessels couldn’t handle.

Looks like a snow storm, but it’s just the spray off my bow as I look out at Encore from my starboard side

We arrived in Egmont at the Backeddy Marina about 2:00.

Encore’s people and Margie L.’s and Ted’s Joy’s stayed aboard for dinner.  Pam and Vince, who are big fans of eating out (in case you hadn’t noticed), wandered over to a local resort for adult beverages and chow.  As you can see in the picture below, the resort had BIG binoculars for viewing the local scenery.

Mostly, the stop was uneventful except that we had our first whale sighting!  A pod of 4 or 5 Orca whales went past the marina.  Pam and Vince were watching from the upper deck of the restaurant so weren’t able to get any good pictures, but here’s a shot Margaret took from the marina dock:

Orca dorsal fin

The whale sighting was a great finish to our day!

On to Powell River tomorrow.

Tugs and kisses,

Tugzilla

Princess Louisa Inlet, Chatterbox Falls, British Columbia, August 1 & 2

From Egmont, we were off to Chatterbox Falls!

Leaving Egmont:

 

Are we there yet?!

Sights along the way:

Beautiful, ‘ey? . . .That’s Canadian speak or, possibly, Yooper speak!

Pam says that the picture of the grey rock wall (above left), has the semblance of a man’s face in it and that it kind of reminds her of her dad.  He must be looking out for her.

Motoring along beautiful Jervis Inlet enroute to Princess Louisa Inlet and Chatterbox Falls:

Encore with Ted’s Joy following

Because we arrived a bit earlier than expected, we had to wait outside Princess Louisa Inlet for slack tide (or close to it) in order to cross safely through Malibu Rapids.  The Rapids can run with a current of 10 knots and, since I and my friends don’t push much more than about 12 to 14 knots, you can see that, if Captain Vince took me through the Rapids at peak current flow, I could get over powered.  That could be ugly! And Tugzilla don’t like ugly!!

Me waiting

Encore waiting

Margie L. waiting

Ted’s Joy waiting

So, after waiting patiently and with much anticipation, we entered the rapids very close to slack tide and made it through beautifully!

Doesn’t look scary at all, does it?

Once through the Rapids and into the inlet, we only had 4 miles to go before reaching the dock where we tied up and got into relaxation mode.

 

After Pam, Vince, and Tom took a quick dip in the water, the gang went to see the falls close up and personal.

Walking to the falls after a refreshing swim

Group photo at the falls

Afterwards, Junior stepped out for a little dock time!

Back on board, worn out from his “walk”, Junior curled up in his favorite sleeping spot:

Sleeping with the fishes in the berth.

Everybody had dinner on their own the first night followed up by s’mores at the LaCourses.

Next day was cooler and overcast.  Pam and Vince went kayaking.

And found a small waterfall

Later, they got crafty and built some rock cairns.

Vince, always the over achiever, built the best one!

View from the falls looking back at the dock.  See my red umbrellas? I can tell Pam & Vince miss me when they’re gone because they take lots of pictures of me!

That second night, Ted & Joy cooked up salmon that had been given to them by friendly folks docked nearby when we were in Nanaimo.  Of course, Vince wouldn’t touch it, so he had ribs instead!

As peaceful and beautiful as Chatterbox falls is, all good things eventually come to an end and well be moving on to more good things.

Stay tuned for an update from our one-night return to Egmont.

Tugzilla, standing by.

Egmont, July 31

This is a short, one-night stop and is, for us, the gateway for our cruise tomorrow to Chatterbox Falls!

The cruise here from Pender Harbor, was calm and short; less than 2 hours.

Here we are settling in at the dock.

The marina is named “Backeddy” for good reason!  The tides and currents cause quite a ferocious backeddy or counter flow in the marina to the main channel current.  Also, the docks are constantly bouncing as the tides do their strange things and everytime a boat goes by.  It reminded me a lot of the surge action at Pier 39 in San Francisco!

After docking, Vince and Pam had lunch at the Backeddy Pub

Later, Pam, Vince, Mike, & Margaret walked to the General Store and the Bakery in the Woods.

Along the way, they passed the ice cream bus! They didn’t stop, though, because they were focused on getting to the bakery.

Vince & Mike heading toward the Skookumchuck Bakery

Bakery in the woods!

Pam, Margaret, & Mike savoring pastries and enjoying the view from the bakery’s back deck

Thats all from Egmont!  It’s been a brief respite to get us in good position for our trip tomorrow up Jervis Inlet to Chatterbox Falls.

Over and out,

Tugzilla

 

 

Pender Harbour, Garden Bay, July 29 & 30

Leaving Nanaimo at 8:00 in the morning to head across the Strait of Georgia bound for Pender Harbour

Tug barge that we saw on our way out of Nanaimo

Let me tell you! The weather gods were very kind to us for our Strait of Georgia crossing! Here’s what I saw as I made my way across:

We made it into Pender Harbour right about Noon and immediately settled in at the John Henry Marina in Garden Bay.

Encore settled in

The Margie L. Settling in with a little help from Vince and Megan, one of the friendly marina staff

All 4 of us in place.  That’s me, Tugzilla, in the forefront.  Then, Margie L., Encore, and Ted’s Joy.  A mighty fine armada!

After settling in Pam & Vince walked over to the general store with the rest of the group to see what it had to offer.  It was very well stocked with food, souvenirs,  and marine supplies.

John Henry’s general store, pub, and post office

Pam, Vince, Tom, and Denise decided to try the pub out for lunch while Mike & Margaret and Ted & Joy ate aboard their boats.

One of the pub’s spectacular desserts!

There was even a little time to sit back and enjoy the scenery

Ahhh! That’s the ticket!

Next day, Pam & Vince spent very little time on board.  I hardly saw them at all.  After stopping by the general store for coffee and fresh baked pastries. . .

they wandered off in search of the perfect swimming spot at Garden Bay Lake.

They said it was great to swim in fresh water again.  Meanwhile. . .

Junior meowed and waited and waited by my back door for them to return

And, when they finally did return, they were off in the dinghy for dinner at the Grasshopper Pub! The kids from Encore and Margie L.  Joined in the wild goose chase to find the place!

They FINALLY found it and tied up to the dinghy dock

And then they caught the shuttle for the ride up the very steep and long drive to the pub.  This photo, which Vince so nicely bombed, is courtesy of Margaret.

At the pub!

Myth buster. . .

Proof that Vince CAN eat fish and like it!  Yummy halibut and chips.

To answer your unasked question about the above photo:  He refused to have any part of the shrimp salad!  Or, depending on the question: Yes, I believe he intends to continue (at least until our trip is complete) to actually attempt to grow a beard out of the current mess that’s on his chin!!  Shhhhh,  don’t tell him, but I think it’s never going to be a prize winner!!

After dinner, they had a beautiful dinghy ride back to the marina:

Where they all relaxed a bit and then turned in for a good nights sleep in preparation for next day’s cruise to Egmont.

More to come from Egmont. . .

Tugzilla

Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, BC, July 27 & 28

View from my bow as we leave Telegraph Harbour for Nanaimo

From Telegraph Harbor, I brought my family and friends safely to the port town of Nanaimo.

Last night, I had overheard some discussion among Pam, Vince, and the other humans, expressing concerns about the passage through Dodd Narrows.  Apparently, the currents run swiftly through this rather narrow passage so it’s critical that captain and crew plan carefully to pass through the narrows as close to slack tide as possible.

Their concerns were put to rest when I and my trusty boat friends (Ted’s Joy, Encore. & Margie L.) cruised smoothly through the narrows with less than a knot of current to fight.  It was a perfectly timed passing.

Encore, Ted’s Joy, & Margie L. passing through Dodd Narrows

Me (or at least my dinghy) cruising through the narrows

Arriving in Nainamo

Panoramic view of Nanaimo

Pam & Vince exploring Nanaimo

Pam & Vince ate at a nice, little Mexican restaurant called “Penny’s Palapa” on the downtown docks:

Here’s one of the funny looking work boats they saw at the dock:

Work boat used for pushing logs around at the saw mills

Pam & Vince visited The Bastion, a wooden fort from 1853

Selfie outside the Bastion

Pam at a display inside the Bastion

Nanaimo at night:

Evening at the Waterfront Marina.  Check out the full moon!

The crews from Encore, Margie L., and me dinghied to a local pub. The Canadians mostly call restaurants “pubs”

Tom & Denise dinghying back from the pub

Mike & Margaret dinghying back from the pub

Interesting sights from town:

Pam standing behind some balanced rocks.  Vince wouldn’t let her move any of them!

Artwork along the waterfront.  Seethe full moon in upper left corner of the artwork frame?

Tomorrow, we’ll be heading across the Strait of Georgia destined for the Sunshine Coast harbor of Garden Bay.  There we’ll spend 2 nights at the John Henry Marina.

I hear the Strait will take at least a couple of hours to cross and can get snotty, but the weather is looking good for tomorrow.  I’ll let you know all about that crossing and my stay at John Henry in my next blog.

Tugzilla, standing by.

 

 

Telegraph Harbour, Thetis Island, July 25 & 26

On to Telegraph Harbour, Thetis Island. It was a short, smooth cruise from Maple Bay.

Here we are arriving at telegraph:

And here we are all settled in:

The grounds at the marina are beautiful.

Marina office

After everyone had settled in, they went exploring by dinghy.

The first night, the group enjoyed homemade pizza made by Tara, one of the marina owners.  Then they finished off the delicious meal with one of Tara’s homemade pies!  Vince thought he’d died and gone to heaven!

Afterward, the group all enjoyed some time on the dock chatting and a beautiful sunset:

Next day, while Ted, Joy, Tom, & Denise relaxed at the marina, Vince, Pam, Mike, & Margaret took a ferry boat ride to Chemainus.

Pictures of the happy couples:

Some of what we saw on the ride over, including logs in a holding area near the saw mill:

Arriving in Chemainus:

Chemainus is an interesting little logging town that is known for its murals.  There are now over 50 murals painted on buildings throughout the town.   Pam took pictures of several of them:

She even got a shot of one in progress:

Pam and Vince checked out the local museum and met the most interesting fellow, Bill, who was a Korean war vet. and a volunteer at the museum.

Bill introduced Pam to a Canadian mounty

When Margaret & Mike and Pam & Vince returned to Telegraph Harbour after a pleasant day of being tourists, they dinghied with the rest of the group to a local pub for some grub.

On the dinghy ride back, they took a closer look at the model sail boats that the marina anchors in the harbour during the summer months.

Alas, as much as everyone enjoyed the tranquil Telegraph Harbour, we started our engines and headed to Nanaimo on Friday.

Beautiful spot on the grounds of Telegraph Harbour Marina

I’ll blog out to you again from Nanaimo.

Tugzilla

 

Maple Bay,Vancouver, BC, July 22-24

So, from Brentwood Bay, I motored us to Maple Bay.  Maple Bay is in the Cowichan Valley of southern Vancouver Island.

The weather has been, dare I say it, almost too hot.  Currently, as I write this, it is 87 degrees.  Pam is holed up inside with the fan running.  She would like to run my air conditioner,  but we’re at an older dock with 15 amp service rather than 30.  We’d probably blow a fuse if we went for the creature comforts of AC.  Pam considers this “roughing it”.  First world problem, right?!

I think Junior would like AC also.  He appears to be melting:

“Please, for the love of God, would someone turn on the AC?  If only I had opposable thumbs!”

No, seriously, Pam & Junior are NOT complaining and are, in fact, very grateful for the good weather we’ve been having.

Leaving Brentwood Bay Marina.  Encore and Margie L. waiting in the bay for me to join them for the cruise to Maple Bay.

Maple Bay Marina offices and patio area

The group had great meals at The Shipyard restaurant during their stay.  The restaurant building previously housed a tugboat building yard, hence the name!

And, of course, they explored the marina and surrounding area by dinghy.  Here are some pictures Margaret took of Pam and Vince while she and Mike were out dinghying, too:

Exploring the shallow end of the bay

A quaint home on the water

Another plane encounter!  Fortunately,  this one was parked.

Visiting with Joy & Ted

And a few pictures Pam took:

Beautiful floating homes at the marina

Floating home under construction

Local

While at Maple Bay, Pam and Vince, Mike and Margaret, and Ted and Joy took the marina’s shuttle into the town of Duncan.  The old downtown had plenty of shops as well as a totem trail that visitors could follow to see the many totem poles on display throughout town.

While previously in Brentwood Bay,  Pam and Vince had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with a local master totem Carver named Doug LaFortune.

Pam & Vince with Doug LaFortune and his wife

Vince,  Pam , and Mike  admiring one of Doug LaFortune’s totems at Bouchart Gardens.

Vince and Pam in Duncan standing in front of two totems carved by Doug

A few odds and ends:

Margaret spied a bald eagle from the patio area of the marina and managed to snap this photo!

Junior scarfing down fresh salmon, complements of Auntie Margaret!

Cute marina yard art

More locals!  Star fish near one of the marina’s gangways.

Another pleasant stay comes to an end.

I’ll blog more from our next port, Telegraph Harbor on Thetis Island.

Tugzilla.

 

Brentwood Bay & Butchart Gardens, Saturday, July 21

On July 21, I cruised to Brentwood Bay, just a couple of hours (at my speed) southwest of Sidney.

The itinerary for this stop was Butchart Gardens.  Pam and Vince must have really liked it because they took a ton of pictures!

First, here is what the marina looked like:

And here is where we were docked:

Then, there was the much anticipated visit to Butchart Gardens!

What was once a limestone quarry owned by the Butchart family, was transformed into a garden paradise by Jennie Butchart.  The transformation began in 1909 when the limestone deposits were depleted.

Here are a couple pictures of the section of the gardens called the sunken garden:

The sunken garden was just the beginning.  The gardens are now huge!  Here are a few stats from their web site.

There are numerous water features, including these, that Pam took pictures of:

Rumor has it that the occasional garden nymph can be spotted traipsing through the grounds:

Most likely, the nymph is just there to explore and enjoy the beauty!

Although, it may be that the fireworks were part of the draw:

Or possibly the concert:

Pam and Vince, Tom and Denise, Mike and Margaret dinghied over from Brentwood Bay to the gardens early in the day to stake their claim for a spot on the lawn.  It’s a good thing they did!  The turnout was rather large judging by the picture!

The dinghy ride to the dingy dock at the gardens was entertaining what with all the other boats in the area, not to mention the occasional plane. . .

That orange speck in the second picture above was Pam & Vince in their dinghy challenging a float plane!

And here’s a picture looking down at the dinghy dock from the back entrance to the gardens.

Back at the Brentwood Bay Marina, there were oodles of jellyfish floating all around me.

I really enjoyed my short stay here in Brentwood Bay and I know Pam and Vince did, too.  Not sure about Junior; but, then again, he’s a cat and all he ever does is eat, sleep, use the litter box, and (on rare occasion) goes outside with Pam and Vince.

I’ll catch up with you again later from my next destination,  Maple Bay.

Signing off for now,

Tugzilla

Sidney, Vancouver, British Columbia, July 19 & 20

Hello from Sidney!  I brought Pam, Vince, and Junior safely into Port Sidney Marina after a lovely cruise from Victoria.   The waters of Haro Strait and the Strait of Georgia were wonderfully calm, although sudden, gusty winds came up soon after we arrived in Sidney.  Fortunately, by then, I was safe and secure in my slip and Pam, Vince, and the rest of the group were able to sit back and watch a sailboat rescue that took place just outside the marina breakwall.  The Canadian Coast Guard was there and the Canadian equivalent of Boat U.S came to tow the sail boat in to the marina right near where we were.  As they were towing the sailboat, it blew into another boat!   The group also saw a large catamaran drift into a boat.  Quite a show!  Eventually, things settled down and the rest of the day and evening was drama free.

Pam and Vince walked into town and had fun at the Thursday night farmers’ market.

A lively farmers’ market in Sidney.

And, afterward,  they walked around town and the surrounding area.

The fish market

Vince enjoyed relaxing in the Adirondack chairs in Beacon Park

And Pam took pictures of the lovely flowers:

Junior stayed home. . .

Junior napping (again) on the seat in my pilot house.

Friday was spent by most of the group shopping at the many local gift stores.

Pam took Junior out for a walk.  He loved it.  It was a good opportunity for him to become better acquainted with the group.

Junior’s day out.

Visiting with the neighbors.

While walking the docks, Vince discovered a large jelly fish and, then, we all noticed that there was a crusty crab nibbling on it!

A huge jelly fish near the bow of Encore.  It looked as though there was seaweed above it, but. . .

It was a crab!  Can you see the crab’s legs?

Sidney was much smaller than Victoria, but Pam and Vince liked it very much.

Our next destination is Brentwood Bay and Butchart Gardens.  More news to come  from there!

Tugzilla signing off.

 

More of Victoria, July 17 & 18

Tugzilla reporting in from Victoria for July 17 & 18.

While Junior and I don’t have anything new to report, having done nothing except sit in the harbor and watch the water planes, water taxies, and ferry boats come and go, Pam and Vince have lots to share.  They’ve scarcely been on board except to sleep!

July 17 they spent the day touring Victoria.  They took the “hop on; hop off bus” around town along with Ted, Joy, Tom, & Denise.  They hopped off at Craigdarroch Castle for a fascinating (they said) self-guided tour.

Below are pictures of rooms in the castle.  Clockwise from upper left:  dining room, smoking room, stairwell landing (picture from upper level) with stained glass, and servant quarters.

Below left:  Ted & Joy in the uppermost room of  the castle; below right: Tom & Denise waiting for the bus back to the marina.

Other sites seen along the tour bus route:

One of the many beautiful churches in Victoria

2 more:

 

Fan Tan alley in Chinatown.  Famous for a movie scene with Goldie Hawn and Mel Gibson in “Bird on a Wire”.

Vince & Pam on the bus.

Parliament buildings during the day.

Parliament buildings at night.

Pam standing near killer whale shrubbery

July 18, last day in Victoria, Pam & Vince took full advantage of the day!

They, of course, had to fuel their bodies up first so stopped at a place called Cora’s.

“Light” breakfast to begin a busy day

After breakfast, they headed to the Royal British Columbia museum.  They spent a total of about 4 hours there and said they could have used more time!

Royal BC Museum

The museum was featuring an Egyptian exhibit that was amazing.  There was a collection of ancient artifacts pulled together from several different institutions (museums and universities).

The “First Peoples” exhibit was very interesting, too, and included some amazing totems.

It also featured a section on natural history where Pam and Vince were frightened by a wooly mammoth!

Vince was so frightened he sprouted scraggly white whiskers!!

There was also a really neat section about “Becoming BC” that included some fabulous displays made to look like actual store fronts and streets.

In between being frightened by mammoths and visiting the “becoming BC” exhibit, Pam and Vince took a break from the museum to enjoy high tea at The Empress hotel.

Below, left:  Pam & Denise; below right: Vince, Pam, Denise, and Tom

Inside the tea room

It was a busy, fun-filled day for them and they didn’t even bring me or Junior a lousy T-shirt!

Next stop:  Sidney.

 

 

 

Victoria, British Columbia, July 15 & 16

I’m in Canada!  My first time in foreign waters.

By the time we all cleared customs Sunday and got settled into our dock spaces it was almost Noon.

The Victoria customs dock

Here’s my view of the Empress Hotel from where I’m docked:

Here’s a picture that Margaret took of me and my boat friends docked at the marina:

Pam, Vince, Mike, Margaret, Tom, Denise, Ted & Joy all enjoyed a nice get together on friends’, Wayne & Linda’s, boat for beverages and bratwurst.  It was a wonderful reception!

Above pictures show some of the group on the “back porch” of Wayne & Linda’s boat, Tribute, and a nice shot of Tribute leaving the marina Tuesday morning.

Junior decided to bow out of going to the party and, instead, chilled on my salon floor.

The group walked the downtown Victoria area and checked out the street vendors and performers.  Pam thinks the atmosphere is a lot like San Francisco; very vibrant and fun.

One of the street vendors making a name out of wire and glass beads.  See the spool of wire behind her?

There are so many flowers everywhere and the weather has been gorgeous!

And, of course, everyone is enjoying the fresh seafood except for Vince!

The gang went to Red Fish, Blue Fish for lunch Monday.  It’s a small seafood business on the pier in Victoria’s inner harbor.  There’s always a line!  See below.  In the picture to the left is Joy,  Margaret,  and Mike ordering.  To the right is a fine plate of fish and chips.

And, not that they’re always eating (but it sure seems like it), here’s where Pam & Vince had dinner.  They shared a seriously good burger!

Chinatown was a fun spot to see:

Interesting tidbit of information:  There are no one dollar bills here and no pennies!  There are one and two dollar coins which are referred to, respectively, as “loonies” and “toonies”!

Canadian quarter, loonie ($1), and toonie ($2)

One more picture to show you before I sign off of the fleet’s front side:

Aren’t we a good looking group of boats?!  That’s Encore in front, then Margie L., me (Tugzilla), and Ted’s Joy.

Good night, sweet dreams, and don’t let the bed bugs bite.

Tugzilla, signing off for the night.

 

July 13 and 14, Roche Harbor, San Juan Island

From Sucia, we motored to Roche Harbor on San Juan Island.  Every stop seems even more interesting than the last!

Roche Harbor is a beautiful resort area once known for its lime quarries and lime processing.

From where I’m docked, this is what I see of Roche Harbor:

Daytime view

Evening view

Once we were all settled in, Pam & Vince set out to explore and find some lunch.  The watermelon freeze on the cocktail menu struck Pam as an excellent pairing choice for the clam chowder she ordered.

Decadently de-lish!!

The grounds were beautiful

And there was a very interesting sculpture garden

Pam & Vince spent part of the second afternoon enjoying the pool

I spent time visiting with the “Phecal Phreak” who came to empty my holding tank. . .

The poo boat!

The whole gang went to dinner Friday evening:

Dinner at Madrona Grill

And Saturday night we had a fish fry on the dock

The little church on the hill played lovely organ music at certain hours of the day

Our Lady of Good Voyage Chapel

All in all, Roche Harbor is a very nice place to stay!

Tugzilla signing off for now.

July 11 & 12 – Sucia Island

Wednesday, July 11, I cruised to Sucia Island where we all stayed in Fossil Bay.

Tugzilla in front, Ted’s Joy to the inside of Tugzilla, Encore and Margie L. In background.

Creature from the black lagoon?!  No, just a starfish hanging on to one of the pile guides on the dock.

More creature sightings!  These aren’t pizzas floating in the water; they’re strange jelly fish.

And, once again, Captain Vince and Pam left me to cat sit while they went ashore for hiking and s’mores!

Margaret, Pam, and Vince hiked 7 miles to Ewing Cove.

Could the sunsets on Sucia be even prettier than those on Stuart?

Could the views from Sucia be even prettier than those from Stuart?!

Seem that every new port of call is prettier and more interesting than the last.

Tugzilla signing off.

Saturday, July 7 through Tuesday, July 10

This post covers our stays on Stuart Island and San Juan Island.

On Stuart, we stayed in Reid harbor.  On San Juan, we stayed at Friday Harbor.

STUART ISLAND, REID HARBOR – July 7 & 8.

Reid Harbor is part of the Washington State Parks system and is located on Stuart Island.  The island has 15 full-time residents and receives mail delivery only 3 times a week!

While I waited patiently in the harbor with the cat, Pam and Vince spent much of their time  hiking.

Here’s a picture of me waiting in the harbor with Margie L., Encore, Ted’s Joy, and some other boats who were staying at Reid Harbor:

Here are pictures of the happy hikers:

The first day, they hiked to the old, one-room school house and the cemetery.

The second day, they hiked even further to the light station.

The sunsets were spectacular!

And so were the day time views!

Mt. Baker

Vince, the wood nymph?!

In the evenings they grilled dinner and made s’mores for dessert!  I especially liked this because that meant they spent time with me!

Pam & Margaret making s’mores while Vince and Denise supervise.

Sometimes they sit out back on me with the cat:

Junior wondering where all the fish are.

They also had fun in the dinghy:

And saw wildlife while they dinghied around:

After the quiet sanctuary of Stuart Island,  we cruised to the much different, very active port of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

SAN JUAN ISLAND, FRIDAY HARBOR – July 9 & 10.

Friday harbor is a bustling little place and the marina is very large.  There are so many people, ferries coming and going, and even float planes landing and taking off!

Pam and Vince hadn’t eaten on the trip over from Reid Harbor so they were hungry.  After settling me in at the marina, they wandered off in search of food.

They found a great restaurant near the marina called The Downrigger.  Pam had deviled eggs topped with fresh crab meat!

What better beverage to accompany deviled eggs with crab meat than a coconut margarita?

And for lunch the following day, they found an even better place called The Blue Water Grill.  Coconut shrimp and clam chowder.  Pam is in fresh seafood heaven!  Vince sticks with his usual no seafood diet.  Poor guy!

And then there’s ice cream!!

Vince, Margaret, & Mike.  They all scream for ice cream!

And, so you don’t think that all they do is eat, let me tell you that they also browsed the gift shops in down town Friday Harbor.

This port was also a good time for the entire group to do laundry and go grocery shopping. They saw fresh spot shrimp, but Vince would NOT partake. . .!

Fresh shrimp

There was a resident harbor seal in the marina called “Popeye”.  He floated near my stern a time or two.

Junior didn’t care. . .

I must say, I’m having a fun time in the PNW.  I only have a couple more stops here in the San Juan islands before we move on to Canada!

Signing off for now,

Tugzilla