San Juan Islands and Puget Sound

    As we inched our way down the 210 freeway, north of Los Angeles, it was the beginning of our next adventure.  The weather was typical July heat and it was hot all day long.  The trailer wheel started giving us trouble by Bakersfield and by the time we were north of Sacramento we were nursing a tire, trying to get it to the city of Williams before any disaster struck.   At 8:00 pm we arrive in Williams, the tire still intact and Boris proceeds to empty out the back of the truck to get to the trailer tire that is stashed under everything.  Two hours later the new tire is on, everything is stored in the back of the truck and Boris falls into bed.  The next morning we stop in Redding and buy two new tires for the trailer.  The start of this summer's trip was bumpy.  The first few weeks we were afraid to touch anything on the truck or boat for fear we would either have to replace or fix it.  No need to say anymore, we all have had those experiences and are just happy when it all settles down.  And a thank you to WalMart for having a parking lot where we fixed the trailer hubs.

    The weather was hot, hot, hot until we reached the middle of Oregon.  When the sun set in Albany, Oregon we actually had to put jackets on.  Don't get me wrong, we were quite OK with the new found cool weather, not realizing that we would have more cool weather than we had bargained for.  Our first night in Washington was in an RV park, it was a clear night and we thought we were going to freeze that first night but still happy it wasn't hot.  There was no 60 degree ocean waters keeping the boat a moderate temperature.  For us it was in the upper 40's and the heater chose not to work that night.  We certainly knew that we were no longer in California.  For the next few days we visited with family in Tumwater.

    The first part of our cruising trip started when we launched in Bellingham.  Our plan was to spend a couple of weeks with one of our daughters, Rachel and two of our grandchildren, Max and Kate, touring the San Juan Islands in the United States and the Gulf Islands in Canada.  There was excitement in the air for all of us; them, because it was a new experience traveling on the boat and for us it was the excitement of sharing these wonderful islands and anchorages with them.

    Laying in our beds that first night, with Max and Boris sleeping in the cockpit under the skies, around midnight I awoke to the pitter-patter of rain drops on the top of the cabin.  Soon Boris and Max were making their way into the cabin: Max in the V-berth with his mom and sister and Boris arranging a sleeping spot on our floor, which is 8 X 2 ½ feet.  The following night Boris and I laid in the boat, still tied up to the dock in Bellingham, planning to leave in the morning, and listening to the wind whistle outside which made us both nervous.  Our experience with Bellingham Bay has usually been difficult and the wind only re-enforced our concerns for our departure early the following morning. 

    The skies were gray, it was cold and drizzly – this was the start of our summer in the San Juan Islands.  Even though this weather left much to be desired, it was better than the 100 degrees the rest of the country was struggling with even though this was the beginning of July.  Unfortunately for Rachel, Max and Kate the weather was not all that it could be that first week; it was continually wet, damp and gray.  But they were real troopers and just put their rain gear on and enjoyed these beautiful islands and all that they had to offer.  The second week the weather was a bit better and the five of us headed up to Canada.  We did a whirlwind tour and hit all the popular spots.  The first week: Lummi Island (by truck,) Sucia Island, Roche Harbor, Garrison Bay, Stuart Island (where the windlass died.)  Our second week we went to Deer Harbor on Orca Island, then into Canada to Montigue Bay where Boris and Max finally did get to sleep outside.  The following morning Boris and the kids took the dinghy to a bakery located on an old ferry in the middle of the bay and picked up pastry for our breakfast.  Then off to Telegraph Marina, which is such a lovely spot, and then back to Friday Harbor in the US.

After Rachel and the kids left we started the next phase of our trip: visiting small islands and anchorages we have not been to before.  Joanie & Larry, who live on Lummi Island, were a great help discussing places they have been and enjoyed.  Visiting them on Lummi Island was so much fun, you felt like you were in a different world.  Our first stop out of Bellingham was Anacortes which we hadn't been to for probably twenty years.  Resting for several days, provisioning and cleaning the boat we decided it was time to start exploring again.  To show those islands, here is an image of the San Juans
La Conner was our next stop, a well known town located on a small narrow channel where the water sped by like a fast moving river at times. That was because there is a strong tidal current created by all the water trying to squeeze through such a small channel and changing direction every 6 hrs.   Local artists display their wares in these small out of the way towns and you can come across some interesting finds. 

The following morning we left around 9:30 am waiting for the current to settle down.   We exited south, the opposite way where we came from, which let us circle around Fidalgo Island and up through Deception Pass.  Since we were going with the tide, it spit us out like a watermelon seed.  The opening was narrow between two high pieces of land.  Large boats announce on the radio or honk their horns when they are getting ready to pass through because there is not too much room for maneuvering.  Just after we passed through, which felt like small rapids, the water was very deep and we could only imagine the turbulence going on under the water as we were being pushed from side to side.  As we moved out into more open waters there were many currents converging as the water worked its way around many different islands and at times it was extremely choppy. 

Our next destination was Eagle Harbor on Cypress Island, a well protected spot with a gorgeous little cove.  There was a mooring ball available, we grabbed it and tied off the boat.  What an amazing spot, so beautiful, it was what we have been waiting for since we arrived in the San Juan's.  The weather was sunny and we sat in the cockpit enjoying nature's beauty.  Ate dinner outside; there isn't a restaurant that could have offered us a better view.  That night it was cool but we were quite warm tucked in the V-berth keeping each other warm.  This island is solid trees and we watch other boaters take their dinghies ashore knowing there were trails to hike.  Last night was calm, so calm that the boat bumped into the mooring ball in the middle of the night, which catches your attention.  As I sat in the cockpit with my cup of coffee in the morning, I knew the tide was going out because I saw grasses float pass our boat as it drifted back out with the tide and out of the anchorage.  While I journal and look at the calm waters, with cloudy skies, I listen to a boater nearby plucking on his mandolin and he is actually quite good.  It is so quiet that I can hear the fish hit the water after they have jumped out to catch their breakfast.  Right now this anchorage is so pristine and lovely I don't ever want to leave.  So happy we are investigating new places.

  Boris has become infatuated with some birds, guillemots, that are black with white on their  wings and orange feet.  He has been watching them land, take off and dive for fish, trying to determine what bird it is.  Peterson's Western Birds solves that problem.  Their bright orange feet make them easy to spot.  They are feeding around the bay; they dive and come up minuites later in some other spot.

 Later that morning we took the dinghy ashore and walked up to Duck Lake.  The path was an easy walk with a slight incline, looked like a logging road in times gone by.  The lake was covered in lily pads and somewhat difficult to see because it was surrounded by trees.  We continued on this circular route back to the beach and discovered that the path back was much steeper and appeared more like what a prehistoric forest would look like with a creek running along the side of the path, fallen trees, rocks to walk around and large ferns growing everywhere that the sun reached the floor of the forest; it was beautiful. 

 The following morning when we woke up it was cold but not cold enough to turn the stove on because the heat from the sun was shining into the cabin and took the chill off.  One of the joys of being in a cove is that we usually leave the side window covers off and we can experience the dark nights, the sunrise and the sun shining into the boat at dawn.  This morning is beautiful; blue skies, a green tree covered island and almost glass like water.  Looking out I see Guemes Island across the channel, fog inching its way up the island and before long it is totally covered in fog but still beautifully clear everywhere else.  One of my true joys about cruising is when I get to sit in the cockpit with my cup of coffee with time to think, observe, journal and embrace the solitude.  Soon I see river otters swimming from the shore, just their little heads poking up above the water, then dive, come back to the surface and munch on whatever they caught.  Boris is out rowing and exploring the shoreline. 

Now it is time to get ready to leave and head for Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.  The fog has moved in around us but fortunately it is not terribly thick.  Our antennas are up because we need to go through a few channels, the waterways that create passages through the islands, where the fog sometimes is drawn first and can be thicker.  Our radar and chart plotter were on and we found out that we could see fairly far out, a half mile or so and we reached Friday Harbor with ease.   Friday Harbor is a popular destination for cruisers, definitely tourist oriented with lots of shops, restaurants, ice cream parlors, museums and I am sure much more.  Went to a restaurant for lunch that was located on the second level that overlooked the harbor.   We enjoyed seeing all the activity of boaters coming in and out of the harbor, boaters coming back into the US and checking into Customs on the outside dock and the many ferries that bring cars and pedestrians from other islands and the mainland here to tour this great island.  The water was swirling from all the different boats coming and going, leaving their wakes from moving all over this large harbor.   When we got back to the boat, we stepped onto a wet rug – not a good sign.  After taking the rug outside and laying it across the back of the boat, Boris' job was to track down the leak; fortunately it was fresh water.  I went up to take a shower and he went to work.  By the time I got back he had taken apart the cupboards under the stove in order to get to the fittings he needed to tighten and had fixed the leak.   The definition of cruising – fixing your boat in exotic places.  Unfortunately it is such a true statement.  There are a lot of boats in Friday Harbor and a lot of activity at the docks.  We happened to be in between a group of cruisers traveling together so it ended up being a pretty busy and noisy place, at least during the day.  Some of the activities you do while at the dock is watch the big boats come in and squeeze into the slips they are assigned.  There can be some pretty exciting and entertaining moments; some of those moments we have provided for other people's entertainment as well. 

The following morning we were getting ready to leave for Blind Bay on Shaw Island and as I put the chairs in the head, the top of the toilet seat fell off.  Really!  It was becoming a little silly on how many things were breaking.  Though I have to admit I was thankful it was the top of the toilet seat and not the bottom that broke.   

Shaw Island was looking pretty good to us for some quiet time and we were happy to get away from the busy, noisy, crowded Friday Harbor.  Since there were no mooring balls we anchored and the new windless for the anchor worked beautifully.  The anchorage is fairly windy in the early afternoon, the boat  swung from side to side but the anchor held nicely.  Boris and I put the plastic sides up as soon as we anchored and it gave us a lovely protected haven to sit outside and enjoy the view of Orca Island.  Now it was time to explore Shaw Island.  Boris rowed us to shore and we took a lovely walk to the ferry dock, which was maybe a mile or so, passed some small farms in the middle of harvesting, looked down into some gorgeous small coves, observed some enchanting houses, walked by what appeared to be a sculpture garden along a path and rounded the corner to find the ferry dock.  There was a small store where we both got an ice cream and two nuns were standing there paying for a few items.  Found out that a previous group of nuns actually ran the store for years but all had gotten up in years and were moved to a convent in Oregon.  Nuns still live on the island and you can visit the convent but you need to call in advance.   A small park was located in this same area where local children were being shown by a 4-H Club instructor how to carve designs on walking sticks with plans on showing their wares at the County Fair that was to be held at Friday Harbor.   The weather report said the wind would kick up around midnight tonight.

Sometime in the middle of the night the anchor line pulled tight and we could hear the anchor chain making noise as it drug over the bottom, so we knew that indeed the wind had kicked up.  Fortunately there was nothing to be concerned about because the anchor was holding tight so we fell back to sleep.  Boris got up first, around 7:00 am and turned the stove on for some heat, even though it wasn't as cold as some nights had been.  Soon he was in the dinghy exploring the abandoned anchored boats that dotted this end of the bay.  After he came back we sat in the cockpit with our coffee and listened to the roosters crowing from the nearby farms, heard the honking of the Candian Geese approaching and watched them fly by overhead.  This is another beautiful, quiet anchorage.  There is not a breath of air, the water looks like glass and you can see the reflection of the trees in the water that line the shore. 

Soon we were on our way to Griffin Bay on San Juan Island.  This is where the American  Camp was located during the Pig War around 1860 and the English had their camp at the other end of the island in Garrison Bay which we have visited several times.  Griffin Bay is an open anchorage with a long beach front with piles of bleached drift wood just above the high tide mark and a thick forest of evergreen trees rise high just beyond the shore.   After lunch we got into the dinghy to explore and see if we could find the American Camp.  Man, can we go fast in the dinghy with the motor on – it planes beautifully.  We zipped across the bay but nothing stood out to us as to where the camp would be so we went ashore.  There were quite a few people on the beach so we asked if anyone knew where the American Camp was and their response was that it was about five miles from this location but inland not on the water.  We were not into walking five miles that day.  Also, on the shore were many university students that had taken a sein net, put it in a half circle and drug it to shore.  Then they pulled out certain fish, put them in coolers that had water in them to take back to school for a study.  It was quite a project and fun to watch. 

Since the camp wasn't here, we decided to leave this anchorage because it was too open and go to a smaller, more protected one not far from here, Watmough Cove on Lopez Island.  Leisurely we motor over and enjoyed the coast line of these beautiful islands.  When we reached Watmough Cove we went around a large rock which protected this small anchorage from the swells and worked out way in and anchor with a decent amount of space from the other boats.  This anchorage is like a tight “U” shape with high cliffs on each side and a sandy beach at the mouth.   It was a little windy but we were nice and cozy with the sides up in the cockpit; it is a sunny, beautiful afternoon.  Dinner was served outside and we enjoy the amazing view that lays before us.  After a bit the sun goes behind the extremely high vertical rock wall that lays just to the west of us and it immediately started to get cold.  We go inside and close everything up to capture some of the warmth.  It was very cold that night. 

The following day turned out to be quite challenging.  Boris got up early and turned on the stove to try and heat up the cabin because it was so cold.  After he got back into bed he said that he saw fog flowing up the channel outside the entrance of this anchorage.  When I got up, an hour or so later, we were socked in with fog.  I could barely see that immense vertical wall not far from where we were anchored.  This morning we were going to Anacortes so it would definitely be a radar day.   The small sailboat, anchored close by, pulled up his anchor, sailed off and disappeared into the fog.  After breakfast we also pull up our anchor and slowly left the anchorage with the chart plotter and radar on.  As we slowly moved out, using the same path on the chart plotter that we came in on, we could not see the huge rock that we had passed coming into this anchorage.  Always spooky when it is this foggy.  Boris had a course to Anacortes, our eyes were continually scanning the horizon but all we saw was gray on gray with no definite horizon.  As we pulled away from the island a little, a small circle opens up around us but we were not sure if we can see 20 feet or 100 feet out.   Boris was constantly checking the radar, tracking other boats going by but we could not see them.  It felt like we were in our own little weird world.  After a couple of hours we were close to Anacortes and the fog finally lifted enough to comfortably see and when we pulled into Cap Sante Marina the fog was gone.  The weather this summer has been unusual, as everyone who lives up here kept telling us.  We are into August and feeling lucky when we see the sun. 

Bill and El met us at the dock, another couple who also have a C-Dory and have traveled extensively, grabbed our lines and the four of us enjoyed a lovely visited on the dock.   That is cruising for you, one minute you are struggling with the boat or weather issues and then the next minute you are sitting on the dock with good friends laughing and visiting, having a beer. 

The reason for returning to Anacortes was to meet up with our friends, Fred and Sharon.  We visited, walked to downtown Anacortes and had dinner.  It was a good time by all.

The following day it is overcast but no fog, which is a good thing.  We say good-bye to Bill & El and head for Bellingham for a few days to get ready to tour with Joanie and Larry to Vancouver Island for a week.  That evening we talk about the itinerary on their boat but the following morning they decide they cannot be gone that long and we certainly understand because they are in the middle of building a brand new house, so we will spend a long weekend with them in Sidney, Vancouver Island, Canada.  After a couple of days in Bellingham doing laundry and provisioning we are ready to start our next adventure.

On Wednesday morning it is cloudy, looks like it could rain as predicted, but we also see a little blue sky – a ray of hope.  We get an early start because we are heading out of Bellingham Bay and as usual it is a crappy ride out the entire way, an hour of rolling, tossing and banging against the short choppy waves.   We finally got into Hall's Pass, the pass between Lummi Island and the mainland and bucked standing waves from the tide and current fighting each other.   In the middle of Lummi Island is a small anchorage next to the ferry landing,  where we dropped our anchor, blew up the dinghy, locked up the boat and called Larry to come and pick us up at the shore.  It is low tide and Larry walks out to meet us and helps pull the dinghy up to the shore line, through the mud and secure it to a tree.  Then we pile into the Larry's truck, muddy feet and all, and head for their home to spend the night.  But since we are there so early we got to see the progress on the building of their new home, toured the island in the car, went for a hike, had a wonderful dinner, talked about our revised itinerary, watched a little TV and then went to bed.   It was a very fun day. No pictures, too good a time.

In the morning the sun peeked through the branches of the tall pine trees that surround  the house, into the upstairs windows that have no curtains, aroused our sense of morning and gently woke us up.  It is so serene and peaceful here, it is kind of hard to leave.  Soon we can smell the coffee that Joanie has started and we hear Larry doing electrical work on the new house before the framers arrive.  For breakfast we sit down to scrambled eggs, bacon, home made cinnamon rolls that a neighbor had brought by the before – what was left of them anyway – cut up oranges and toast.  A little better than our usual instant oatmeal and dry cereal.  We were feeling quite spoiled and loving it.  After breakfast we gather our stuff, Joanie and Larry take us back down to the dinghy and help us haul it out to the water's edge, of course, it is low tide again.   We hop in, wave good-bye and head for the boat.   Tomorrow night we will see them in Sidney and spend the weekend in Canada.

After we get the boat ready, we pull up the anchor and head for Fossil Bay on Sucia Island.  It is only ten miles but we find Rosario Pass more turbulent than we expected.  There are clouds in the sky but they are white clouds on blue sky, not the big dark ugly ones.  In Fossil Bay we hook up to a mooring ball; it is a beautiful day, sunny, warm and this narrow little bay is still and calm.   After lunch we take the dinghy ashore and go for a long hike through this state park, at least a long hike to us.  Picked a few wild black berries for a snack along the way.  It has been so cold this summer that the berries are not ripening at their normal time.  Joanie & Larry called around 5:00 pm and said they were on their way to Fossil Bay.  They had a great run out of Bellingham Bay and would be here in around an hour and a half, and they were, but we would not see them until the next day in Sidney.  For dinner we sat in the cockpit and enjoyed the gorgeous evening and scenery with a bright full moon to light up the evening sky.

The following morning we slept in because we didn't have that far to go to Sidney.  Boris usually let's me get up first so I can get ready for the day and then he gets up.  We decided to deflate the dinghy and have it on-board for the next few days since we will be in a slip.  Soon we noticed fog drifting into the bay.  Boris called Larry and Joanie and they had left the anchorage at 6:30 and were doing 9 knots with the current.  Well that puts a fire under our butts, so we put it in high gear and got the boat ready to leave and soon we were slowly motoring into the fog.  The fog is low and white, not gray, and when I look up I can see blue sky.  This is all good because it means it is not thick fog and soon we can see fairly well and not long after that we are out of the fog.  As we pass through Haro Strait and get to Boundary Pass, we dodge several large freighters.  Now we are in Canadian waters and work our way to Sidney and into Port Sidney Marina where we check into Customs and meet up with Joanie & Larry.  By 1:00 pm we are on a bus headed for Victoria to visit an Art Gallery where Emily Carr, a local artist, has an exhibit that Joanie wanted to see.  Emily painted local Indian villages and homes about 100 years ago, one of the few records left of those places.  After we get into Victoria, about an hour ride, I sent a text to find Joanie & Larry (they had left earlier,) but my phone wasn't working.  Fortunately for us, as we were walking up the street trying to figure out where this Art Gallery was located and they came up behind us.  We visited the Emily Carr exhibit, had lunch and took the bus back to the marina. Victoria is such a great city and it was fun to be there again.  A lot of building going on.  After we get back to the boat the four of us share our dinner on-board, spend some time visiting after dinner and then hit the sack because tomorrow we have a full day in Victoria.

Victoria's museum on the waterfront was our first destination.  It is one of those museums that you can visit over and over again.  For lunch we walked along the waterfront of the bay where we saw Dragon Boat races in the harbor, along the walkways the venders had their wares out; there were people everywhere.  The harbor activities were interesting to watch as ferries were coming in and out, float planes were landing, water taxis were moving people from one side of the harbor to the other and then there were regular boats moving about.  A lot of logistics were going on to keep everyone safe.  After a a full day of being on our feet we were happy to get on the bus for the hour ride back to Sidney.  The four of us went out to dinner at a local restaurant, the food was great and we had a spectacular view of Mt. Hood.  As we walked back to the boat we saw a thin layer of dark clouds covering the sky.

Woke up to the pitter-patter of rain drops, saw that it was still dark outside and went back to sleep.  Soon we heard noise next door and saw that Joanie and Larry were getting ready to leave; it is about 6:00 am.  Quickly got dressed to say good-bye and helped them out of the slip.  They were heading back to Bellingham, roughly forty miles. As for us, we were planning on staying in Canada for a few more days.  

One of our goals on this trip was to go to places where we have not been before, so our next destination was Cowichin Bay in Canada, not far from Sidney.  About 10:00 am we leave Port Sidney Marina with dark clouds above but calm.   As we get underway the wind kicks up behind us and builds as we move along.  Around noon we reach Cowichin Bay that has a small marina tucked up at the end of an inlet.  It always amazes me as to how different marinas can be and entering each one is another brand new experience.  This one was an older marina with a combination of fishing and local boats. The dock master directed us to a spot on a long dock and we tied off.  After getting settled we walk up to the street and it turns out to be a small waterfront village, obviously popular, with a row of specialty shops.   Everything from special cheeses, gourmet bakeries, ceramics and art shops with local artist items and, of course, restaurants.  Condos and hotels lined the hillsides above the village – it is definitely a resort town.  Our first stop is the bakery where we buy a loaf of their yummy bread.  When we get back to the boat I slice it up and we enjoy it for a wonderful afternoon snack, the entire loaf.  It was a light dinner that night and we enjoyed the sunset.  

The next day we took a bus into a small town called Duncan, one that Joanie & Larry recommended we see.  Made you think of a small mid-western city with farms lining the road to town.  The bus dropped us off at the old train station that had been turned into a town museum.  Even though it was small it gave a lot of information about this town and displayed a lot of old photos.   Across from the old train station stood a two story building that use to be a mechanics garage that kept the old facade of the building, but now was a book store, organic grocery store and a tasty coffee house; it was great how they preserved the outside of the building. Our next stop was another bus ride which would drop us off at the Logging Museum located outside of town that had a running steam engine and was dispersed across many acres.   Touring this museum was great fun and Boris enjoyed it immensely because of all the logging machinery distributed throughout the entire park.  There was a restored Chevvie truck, similar to the one that Boris' family had on the ranch. And, of course we had to take a ride on the steam engine train.  About half way through we got off the ride and walked back looking at all the old devices from years gone by, most of it had to do with logging.   When we got back to Duncan we took the walking tour of the totem poles they had displayed throughout their town that were carved by local artist in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  Definitely glad we took the time to tour here.

The following day we head back to the United States.  At 7:30 am we leave the dock,  it is a clear, sunny day and no wind.  The sun blinds us as we head west to the U.S. But after a while the angle is high enough that it gives us some relief.  I kept wanting to bring down the sun visor but was continually reminded that this was a boat and not a car.  The day is gorgeous, the waters calm and the tide is giving us extra speed.  Can't ask for much more than that.  Did a quick check in with Customs at Friday Harbor and then headed for Fisherman's Bay on Lopez Island, about an hour away.  The entrance was shallow, curvy and narrow, definitely kept an eye on the chart plotter and depth sounder getting into this anchorage.  After dropping the anchor it felt good to be on the hook because it felt like you had a little privacy, something you do not have in a slip at a marina.  Later in the afternoon Boris spliced the new anchor line onto the anchor chain.  We exchanged out the old line for the new and we were good to go.   It was a lovely, calm, quiet evening and we got a great view of Mt. Baker. 

The following morning we woke up to sunny, blue skies but it was cold.  Boris got out of bed and turned the stove on and then crawled back into bed.  When I finally got up the boat was warm from the stove plus the from the sun coming in through the windows.  When I looked west it was blue skies and sunny but when I looked east I could see heavy fog cascading over the top of the hills of Lopez Island.  I take my coffee, sit outside and journal.  It is a beautiful calm morning and I can see the moon setting in the western skies.  Boris blew up the dinghy, we put the motor on and headed toward the dinghy dock.   We read that there was a small town near by so we put our walking shoes on and went exploring.  Checked out the museum, bought some wine for Larry & Joanie and some bread for us at the local bakery.  Stopped for lunch, sat outside and enjoyed the sun, food and scenery.  After we got back the wind really kicked up and it just kept building.  There was no protection in this anchorage from a west wind.  Around 4:30 pm we decide to leave for Lummi Island then (right now) instead of tomorrow morning because of what the wind might bring tonight and possibly fog tomorrow morning.  As we got the boat ready to leave we notice other boaters leaving too.  Once we got out of the anchorage and round the north corner of Lopez Island we had protection from the wind.  The only other place we had to deal with the wind is at Rosario Pass but for the most part it wasn't a bad ride.  As we pulled in front of Lummi Island to anchor, we were quite surprised to see Joanie & Larry in their dinghy setting crab pots.  What luck.  We anchor, gathered our gear together to stay at their house, climbed into our dinghy and they pull us to shore with their dinghy; their dinghy had a motor.  After getting to the water's edge we each pulled our dinghies to the shore line, tied them off to trees and again piled into their truck and headed for their home.  We were looking forward to spending a couple of days with them and someplace that was not moving.  As always, it is great fun to spend time with Joanie & Larry.  They are great hosts to all and give so freely of themselves. 

Puget Sound

After two nights and one day, it is time for us to leave and actually leave this part of the state of Washington.  Joanie and Larry had to catch the 8:00 am ferry and there was much to do before then.  At 6:00 am we all got up and it was foggy outside at their house, not a good sign.  Then at 7:00 they drive us down to the dinghies, we pile all our stuff in the dinghy and they again pull us out to our boat.  They check their crab pots and head back to shore to catch the ferry for Bellingham.  While checking the crab pots, Larry found his old mooring bouy and will get it repaired, as opposed to setting a new one.  We bring luck.  We get our boat ready, pull up the anchor and slowly work our way back to Bellingham through the fog and today the waters are calm.  Tied off to the visitors dock for the last time this year because we will pull the boat out of the water in a couple of days and head south.  

 Monday morning, August 22, we pull the boat out of the water, wash her down, it starts raining and we head for Everett, Washington to put the boat in and explore the northern section of Puget Sound.  Also to visit some dear friends, Janice & Ken Sommerfield.  Boris and I were both impressed with the marina in Everett, it is probably one of the best that we have used.  There were several launch ramps and the guest docks were amazing.  Each guest slip was 40' long but you only paid for the length of your boat, they were solid, no tipping from side to side, of course each had electric and water but also each slip had a dump station for the head.  This marina had the most modern facilities of anyplace we have been and we were impressed.  After spending some time with Janice & Ken it was time to explore this section of Puget Sound.  Boris had laid out a nice itinerary for us for the next week. 

The sun was shinning with beautiful blue skies, it was a great day to start exploring.  As we left Everett we head through Possession Sound and at the narrowest point where the ferries make their crossings there were gobs of commercial fishermen with their nets out.  There were so many that all of the smaller boats had to thread their way through the nets, being diligent to miss them all.  A little further on was a long line of small boats, all hoping to catch some salmon.  We rounded the bottom of Whidbey Island and headed for Port Ludlow, a small town that is tucked away in an inlet on the Olympia Peninsula.  This is an older marina, but wow, what character.  The marina is old and not all that big, it has wood pilings instead of cement, with little tufts of branches sprouting out of the top of the pilings and the marina is tucked up in a small cove surrounded by hills of pine trees.  We get our walking shoes on and head towards town and we have been told it is pretty small but Ludlow Falls was worth visiting.  The walk shows us that we are in a resort town, hotels, beautiful homes on the waterfront to rent, condos and the scenery is gorgeous. Only one  restaurant, though. After lunch we find Ludlow Falls and follow the path through the forest, read the signs along the way describing how this use to be a logging camp and then we come upon the falls.  The only things left of the camp were old large wire cables coming up through the ground and old chain that was used in the logging operations but now were used to show the end of a path.  After we get back Boris takes a nap and I sit in the cockpit reading and enjoying the view.  Soon I hear music echoing and I just sit and enjoy it.  This is a resort area and I thought the resort was putting on a little concert.  Turns out a French couple, touring the world, was in the Seattle area to perform an acrobatic show suspended from the mast of their sailboat, which is also their home.  Soon I become aware that they were performing so Boris and I, along with a large group of people sitting on the shoreline, docks and the dock ramps surrounding the boat, which was anchored in the center of a little part of the bay.  They performed two different acts; one comedic and the other acrobatic.  Both were extremely entertaining and at the end of each performance they would pass the hat around.  This turned out to be a sweet surprise along our travels.

The following morning we woke up to sun and soon we were engulfed in fog.  I sat outside to journal and watched the fog swirl and drift through the trees and then disappear again; it was beautiful.  Around 10:30 we left and worked our way towards Port Townsend dodging the submarine pens along the way.  We got a slip right downtown and after lunch we toured the town which is quite a tourist area now.  It's history is interesting because of all the different types of ventures they tried to develop their town starting in the early 1800s until the 1960 from small mills to fishing adventures.  Hoping for the train to come there and then waiting for roads to develop.  They built the big buildings in hopes of luring big business but it never really happened.  In the 1960s the government came in with money to help refurbish some of the old beautiful buildings and a little at a time it has developed into a tourist town.
  
The temperature dropped again last night but we stayed nice and warm in the v-berth.  It is foggy again in the morning but this harbor is so picturesque.  The marina is small, the water is like a mirror, the town buildings along the waterfront make me think of a New England town and you hear the constant cries of the seagulls.  After the fog lifts we head towards Mystery Bay on Marrowstone Island, which is located close to Port Townsend.  Inside this island is a long bay and from the entrance to about one quarter of the way down the bay it is extremely shallow and we closely watch the depth sounder and stay inside the red and green buoys.  Mystery Bay is a State Park and when we arrive there are only a few people on the dock, which is long but mostly locals who have launched their small boats and a lot of kayakers.  We're the little boat at the left end of the dock. There is a bridge that connects this island to the mainland and I think a lot of locals launch from here to do crabbing in the large bay.  Since there were no stores here we could actually stay on board and just rest.  It was great.  As we sat there a man whom we had spoke with earlier came by with a crab and asked if we wanted the crab that he had caught.  I said “OK” and he dropped this crab upside down in the cockpit.  It was alive and I just froze, looking at the crab, waiting for it to do a back flip and crawl off sideways and try and get away.  The guy said, “Just boil some water and throw it in”.  I knew I needed to tackle this but for me there were too many missing pieces of the puzzle on how this whole process works.  I started boiling the water, I knew I could do that, but getting this live crab into the pot, wow, I was totally freaked out about picking this crab up.  Boris was not offering any help at this point.  The water started boiling and I knew I needed to do something.  The crab was still upside down but I could see his feelers move.  Finally I walked down to another boat, the host boat, and the man graciously came down, pulled the live crab out of the cockpit and proceeded to kill it by splitting it in half and also cleaned it out, just like Larry always does.  Man was I grateful, I could do the rest.  We had a great crab dinner that night. 


Woke up to another morning of thick fog. This summer has certainly put our navigation skills to the test. After working our way out of this shallow bay through the fog, we started working our way west in Puget Sound where the fog only became more dense. So for the next four hours all we saw was gray fog on gray water with a gray horizon that had a quarter mile visibility, when we were lucky.   Elliott Bay, the home of downtown Seattle finally became visible and the fog became less dense the closer we got to shore.  Earlier we had made reservations in Bell Marina, which is right downtown Seattle, so that we could tour Seattle for a couple of days.  But because of the fog boaters were not anxious to leave the marina not knowing what they were going to get into once they were out on the water.   They squeezed us into a different slip, which was fine with us, but once we came into the entrance we were surprised to see how small this marina was.  The marina is attached to a dock where cruise ships tie up.  I am sure this was built for the proximity of the tourist area of Seattle, Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. These attractions were within walking distance of the cruise ships, elevators that are literally across the street to get you to higher street levels.  This was certainly beneficial for us in the marina too.   The view of the city is impressive with its large office buildings in downtown Seattle, the many beautiful hotels along the waterfront and the cruise ship that is docked right next to us.  Looking east you can see that Seattle is built on a large hill that is fairly steep, which we would later learn about more in detail.  In the picture on the left (port,) the marina is at the right edge (starboard.)  In the afternoon we walked over to Pike Place Market; this was a Sunday and it was packed.  There was a little park where locals could hang out, sidewalk restaurants, local artists selling theirs wares and then the many, many shops inside Pike Place Market. Picked up some dessert and went back to the boat.  The evening was crystal clear and we sat in the cockpit and enjoyed all the lights that light up the city; the skyscrapers, the ferries going back and forth on the water, the airplanes flying overhead and colorful decorative lights on the marina's architecture. 

The following day we took the bus to Pioneer Square, an old section of Seattle, to to go on the Underground Tour.  What a kick.  The history we learned about Seattle was priceless and our tour guide presented it in such a fun way.  As shown, the Seattle waterfront was originally a story lower than at present.  After lunch we walked over to the Klondike Gold Rush Museum: that gold rush was in 1887 and lasted about 10 years.  Touring just a couple of these tourist attractions gave us a sense of it's history and helped us see Seattle with different eyes.   On our way back to the boat we walked through Pike Place Market again and bought some piroshki, a meat pie surrounded by crust, at a specialty shop where that was all they made.   Boris' mom made them for him when he was boy.   When  we got back to the marina we saw that the cruise ship had left which gave us a view of a gorgeous sunset on Elliott Bay with all the different channels of water flowing out in many different directions that worked their way through the many islands that lay west of Seattle.

After two days of touring Seattle we leave Bell Marina and today there is no fog, so we get to enjoy the view of these islands, the houses that line the shoreline and the homes that are built higher on the hillside that must have a spectacular view.  We are on our way to a little place called Brownville located on Kitsap Peninsula, on the other side of Bainbridge Island.  Again, Boris is trying to go to places we have not been before.  On our way there we were surprised as to how much wood there was floating in the water, more than anywhere else we had been.  With an alert eye for any logs or large pieces of floating wood, we missed them all.  The only thing in Brownville was the marina.  All we saw was open land as we went for a little hike; this marina is mainly for the locals.  There are a lot of commercial fishing boats there,  with no nets, but a lot of hose.  Boris asks what the hose is for and we learn that they are used for diving for geoduck clams.  There is someone underwater for 8 hrs a day, diving for clams, which are sent to China, among other places.  We saw them unloading at the pier, which is dry at low tide, so they work fast.  Notice the air hose coiled on the aft side.

The morning is gray and cool and we leave Brownville for Everett around 9:00 to close out a week of touring this part of Puget Sound.  As we leave Brownsville, sure enough there are about 10 boats, anchored at the north end of Port Orchard Bay with hoses leading down.  The trip to Everett has sunshine which we enjoyed.   Tomorrow we will pull the boat out of the water and head for Laura's to spend a little time with the family in their new home in Olympia over Labor Day weekend.  It is a busy time for Laura with only being in their new house for about three weeks and getting the kids ready to start school but she is a gracious host. 

After Labor Day weekend we put the boat in the water for our last week up in Washington touring a few places in South Puget Sound.  Summer has finally arrived in Washington and the weather is great.  This next weekend is suppose to be the hottest weekend of the entire year.  Of course, that is not saying much considering the summer they have had up here. 

The boat gets launched and after about three hours on the water we arrive at a State Park that basically has a large hill, not to far off shore, with mooring balls located here and there.   It just wasn't some place either one of us wanted to spend time, there was not enough protection.  Off to the second location, only about four miles away, to Mayo Cove in Penrose State Park.  Fairly remote with only about four mooring balls with one open, that we grabbed.  It is after Labor Day weekend so things are pretty quiet.  The anchorage was lovely, it was off by itself, fairly shallow and a couple of other boats that  just wanted some quiet time too.  The morning was spent in the cockpit drinking coffee, journaling, reading and just enjoying this beautiful location.

 Around noon we are off to Narrows Marina located just south of the Tacoma Narrows and before us Mount Rainier raises above the horizon.  The ride there was slow and easy, just enjoying the scenery along the way.  Another marina, another challenge.  This marina is very old, covered, narrow and has small slips.  This is basically the opposite of  what we enjoyed last night.  Because of the covered slips, it was dark and also noisy from the creaking of the wood and metal that constantly move against each other.  There are train tracks that run along the waterfront bluffs and we heard the train often.  After we got settled in we took off to explore this area.  It was interesting to see where the Tacoma Narrows Bridge was realizing that it had collapsed.  You could see how the wind would howl through these narrows because of the high steep cliffs that are on both sides of this passage.  As the tide receded in the evening a structure started appearing that had been completely under water.  It was  just on the other side of the marina structure where our boat was located.  In the morning we were floored when we saw this plant and sea creature covered cement rectangle structure now standing many feet high before our eyes.  Turned out that was a foundation for a pier in the 1940s but a terrible storm came through and ripped out the pier.  We were glad to leave this marina but I have to say it is someplace I will always remember.

Our last destination for this season for just the two of us was Jarrell Cove.  After staying in that crazy marina last night, this place looked like heaven and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay.  When we arrived there was room at the long dock that connected to the State Park, so we decided to tie off there instead of hooking up to a mooring ball.  Other boaters soon arrived, many who knew each other and soon the dock was full.  There were many houses in this cove tucked up in the trees but still open enough to feel like it was a State Park.  The dock lead up to a great RV and camping area, beautiful trails and small coves for kayaking.  Visited with some other cruisers which is always a plus while cruising.  The weather was gorgeous, we finally had our week of summer, complete with the bright moon.

The following morning was cold; I guess we were fooled by the warm day we had.  The sky is blue and the sun peaked over the hill top to warm up the cabin.  As we sit in the cockpit, enjoying this beautiful morning, we can see circles radiating out from schools of small fish searching for food on the surface of the water and sometimes there is a jelly fish that gently touches the surface that also makes that round circle.  But then we see larger fish deeper down, looking up at the small fish for their morning meal.  As we enjoy the scenery we see gray herons flying in pairs across the water and big black ravens flying and perching themselves on the top of the beautiful tall pine trees that surround this cove.  It is time to leave and head for Swantown Marina in Olympia. 

For the last weekend in Washington we take Laura, Jade and Tiffany out for a weekend and we chose Jarraell Cove again because it is the perfect place to capture and share what it is like for us to cruise these beautiful waters up in the Northwest.  The dinghy was blown up and we all took leisurely rides and explored the shoreline.  The five of us just kicked back with really nothing to do except enjoy each others company.  It was the perfect way to end our summer up here in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.