Here are a couple of pictures I took while leaving my slip:
Before leaving the marina, I had one last stop to make. . .
After suffering the indignity of yet another public debalasting procedure, I headed into Fidalgo Bay.
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.
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.
Wednesday, 9/26
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.
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.
And here’s the new-to-Vince dinghy:
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.
Celebratory dinner at a Mexican restaurant:
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!
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. . .
That evening, Pam and Vince took a dinghy ride around the marina.
Next day, Monday, we had visitors from the sea:
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.)
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:
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
The next day (Wednesday), Pam, Vince, Margaret, Mike, Ted, and Joy took a ferry (just for fun) to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.
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!
After shopping, the group had lunch at the Rocky Bay Cafe.
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. . .
That evening, the gang got together at the local bowling alley for their last group meal.
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!
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!
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:
Coming in to Swinomish Channel. Working my way to La Conner.
Entering La Conner:
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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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!
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.
Views of Port Townsend and the downtown area from the water:
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!!
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.
We left Port Ludlow at about 9:45 headed for Port Townsend.
We passed by a military zone on our way to Port Townsend:
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!
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!
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:
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:
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!
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.)
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.
We left Port Orchard at about 9:45 headed for Poulsbo, or is it “Paulsbo”? Keep reading for the answer to this riviting question!
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:
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.
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!
Joy gets a visit from a feathered friend:
Next day, farmers market:
View of the park:
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:
And then realized. . .
After their break, they stopped by the Poulsbohemian Coffeehouse for coffee and a danish:
Next stop following the coffeehouse was the museum where they learned about “Poulsbo” vs. “Paulsbo”:
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!
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!
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:
Then he visited Pam, Vince, and me:
After everyone said goodbye to Poulsbird and Poulsbo, we set off for Port Ludlow.
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:
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:
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.
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 SoundMosquito 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.”
Pam got to go into the pilot house. Here’s a picture of the captain and of her view out the pilot house window:
The cruise to Tacoma was short and sweet. We left Gig Harbor at about 10:30 and were in Tacoma shortly after Noon
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!
Other sights along the way:
Military reserve ship outside Tacoma
Cement factory
Big ships
Going under the bridge:
More sights on the waterway:
The others coming into their slips:
And. . .
Time for everyone to explore:
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”)
Next day, some of the group went to the LeMay car museum.
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.
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!
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:
Entering Gig Harbor:
The rest of the gang gets settled in:
Ted’s Joy & Encore
Margie L. and crew docking
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.
There are also lots of shops and beautiful homes.
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:
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!
Sunday, the whole gang gathered on Encore for more socializing before dinner:
They dined at a terrific Mexican restaurant in town.
All in all, and from what I heard, the group had a great stay here in Gig Harbor. I know I did.
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 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!
Leaving the marina:
Coming in to the marina:
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!
Next day Pam & Vince took the shuttle bus to town.
Pike Place Market:
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:
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.
Ted’s Joy and I got breakfast at the fuel dock before leaving La Conner.
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. . .
The walk back to the marina was lovely:
Junior made a cameo appearance:
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:
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!
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
On the way to Anacortes, we cruised through the Wasp Islands which, despite all the smoke in the air, were quite beautiful.
Followed by a luscious, fresh peach cobbler that Vince just couldn’t eat fast enough so he used two spoons!
From Ganges on Salt Spring Island, we made our way to South Pender Island.
Visibility, as we cruised out of Ganges Harbour was somewhat limited due to the many wildfires burning in BC.
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:
Pool time:
Baluga? Naw! That’s Vince having a good time in the pool!
Young at heart.
Scenes from the resort property:
Pam and Vince also explored outside the resort property and found these points of interest:
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?
Cameo appearance by Junior:
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.
We left Montague Harbour for Ganges Harbour at about 9:00a.m.. It was a short, one-hour cruise.
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.
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”.
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!
Gradually, my friends were called in to join me.
Having settled us boats in nicely, our people were off and running. Lunch and a visit to the SSI Saturday Market were top priority.
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
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.
While wandering town, Vince spotted a sign that he thought was for pets as well as for Margaret:
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. . .
The behemoth arrived. . .
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,
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
Rocking and rolling in the Strait of Georgia:
And
As we journeyed to Nanaimo, here’s what we saw:
Junior was his usual Mr. Casual.
Vince discovered a marine supply store in town and thought he’d died and gone to heaven!!
L
Short and sweet, that’s our stay in Nanaimo. We’ll be heading for Galiano Islane, Montague Bay tomorrow.
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.
In the Strait of Georgia:
Arriving at Fairwinds Marina:
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.
Vince sitting outside making adjustments to our route plans:
Well, that’s all from Nanoose Bay and the Fairwinds Marina!
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:
Another cool picture (borrowed from Margaret) of local wildlife:
Here’s a picture Pam took of some wildlife!
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.
After leaving Gorge Harbour and Cortes Island, we made our way to Heriot Bay on Quadra Island. This will be our furthest point North.
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:
We spent about 30 minutes watching them. They came closest to Ted’s Joy. It was pretty exciting!
When we arrived at Heriot Bay Marina, I was in first so Vince and Pam could relay directions to the others and handle lines.
Next in was Encore. . .
Then Ted’s Joy. . .
And last, but not least, Margie L. . . .
And, here we are all secured:
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.
Heriot Bay was good!
Tomorrow we go to Campbell River to continue our adventures!
After cruising for a little over 4 hours from Egmont, we reached our destination, Westview Marina, at about 11:15 a.m.
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.
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!
After lunch, everyone took the shuttle to the mall to go grocery shopping and to see what else the mall had to offer!
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.
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.
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.
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. . .
Here’s something called a steam donkey and a steam donkey winch:
And Vince in a boomboat:
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 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)
The sunset that night was incredible. I’ve never seen such a colorful one in all my years on the water!
Powell River was a hoot!
Looking forward to what our next stop at Gorge Harbour on Cortes island will bring us!
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.
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.
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:
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:
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!!
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pam, Vince, Tom, and Denise decided to try the pub out for lunch while Mike & Margaret and Ted & Joy ate aboard their boats.
There was even a little time to sit back and enjoy the scenery
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. . .
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!
Myth buster. . .
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.
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.
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:
Pam & Vince visited The Bastion, a wooden fort from 1853
Nanaimo at night:
Interesting sights from town:
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.
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.
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.
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:
No, seriously, Pam & Junior are NOT complaining and are, in fact, very grateful for the good weather we’ve been having.
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:
And a few pictures Pam took:
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.
A few odds and ends:
Another pleasant stay comes to an end.
I’ll blog more from our next port, Telegraph Harbor on Thetis Island.
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.
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.
And, afterward, they walked around town and the surrounding area.
Vince enjoyed relaxing in the Adirondack chairs in Beacon Park
And Pam took pictures of the lovely flowers:
Junior stayed home. . .
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.
While walking the docks, Vince discovered a large jelly fish and, then, we all noticed that there was a crusty crab nibbling on it!
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 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:
2 more:
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.
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!
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!
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
It was a busy, fun-filled day for them and they didn’t even bring me or Junior a lousy T-shirt!
By the time we all cleared customs Sunday and got settled into our dock spaces it was almost Noon.
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.
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”!
One more picture to show you before I sign off of the fleet’s front side:
Good night, sweet dreams, and don’t let the bed bugs bite.
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:
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.
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 whole gang went to dinner Friday evening:
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
All in all, Roche Harbor is a very nice place to stay!
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!
In the evenings they grilled dinner and made s’mores for dessert! I especially liked this because that meant they spent time with me!
Sometimes they sit out back on me with the cat:
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!
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!!
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. . .!
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!