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Island Dreams No. 922 - Salish Sea Sail

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T O P I C R E V I E W
Carl in LA	Posted - 07/29/2019 : 19:18:55 Greetings everybody... This year I set aside time to have an extended sail in the Salish Sea. My home port is San Pedro, CA so the adventure of this cruise also includes getting there - which is partially described in the Preparing to Haul thread in the 250 subforum. I'm scheduled to be in the cruising grounds for a little over a month. My only goals of the cruise are to visit Desolation Sound and attend the Port Townsend Wooden Boat show. The boat show is on September 6th thru 8th. I thought about starting a blog to record the adventures but for now - I'll use this thread as a kinda-blog to record progress and findings.
25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
csmcg	Posted - 12/28/2019 : 01:16:00 Hello Carl, Thank you so much for the write-up of your trip. Really awesome to read through your adventure. Regards,
wm36	Posted - 09/18/2019 : 19:36:39 Carl, Thanks for taking us along on your amazing trip. Maybe I will be able to repeat all or some of it someday. It helped satisfy my sailing appetite somewhat for the adventure that wasn't to be ours this summer. Wish I had known you were stopping in Portland. Someday Lady is moored on Hayden Island and we live about 40 minutes away. Would have enjoyed meeting you and your bride for a meal or an adult beverage. I agree with your talking about how poorly the home port compares after spending time somewhere like the Salish Sea. After spending time in the San Juans, the rest of our summer is spent cruising up and down the Columbia River. Not nearly the adventure, but it's still getting out on the water for a couple hours, then there is usually some happy hour to be enjoyed in the cockpit after returning to port. Hope you find a new boat that enables great new adventures!
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/18/2019 : 14:05:16 Time to scoot out of San Francisco... I trusted Google Maps to get us out of there efficiently... and it happened... But not without drama... Google Maps directed us a couple blocks over and onto Gough Street... and it is one of the mega-steep San Francisco streets... The sign said no vehicles over three tons... I cheated and ignored that the truck weighs closer to three and a half tons... At the top of Gough Street the angle of approach to the intersection was so steep you could not see over the hood of the truck to check for cross traffic - I ain't slowing down - I'm powering through... Thankfully the remainder of Gough Street is easy enough... Google then told us to make our way to the 280 Freeway... The 280 in Silicon Valley is the weirdest freeway... its like you are in the country - cant hardly see any buildings - even though you are paralleling a super-dense string of communities. No issues were encountered on our approach to Salinas... then overnight at the Goodnight Inn. https://www.goodniteinnmonterey.com/ A word about the Goodnight Inn... our bell clerk was perfect - she made our entry into the facility easy. Thanks. But... The Goodnight is a working man's hotel... price not so high that it appears the people might live there... hummmmm. Anyway - another day... Our last day... My "Truckers Dream" took the wheel for the whole route home. And her smooth driving coaxed 21-mpg out of that diesel F350. Impressive. A quick lunch stop in Pismo Beach was in order... Video here... https://photos.app.goo.gl/3nUdtWX7WuxUNtYh6 After the truck-drivin' momma safely delivered me home - a 322-mile day for her behind the wheel... it was start unloading... all good - and - "there's no place like home" All that has been a few days into the past at the time of this post. Dejection that I sold the boat... but it was appropriate. Elation that I achieved both cruise goals. Double-epic that I better understand the ways and means of British Columbia waterways. I'll still have to digest how this adventure played out...
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/18/2019 : 12:03:27 I wish I could have squeezed this pic into the previous post... My wife had not driven the F350 before today. And we just figured that switching drivers in Grants Pass would be convenient. So she hopped into the drivers seat and of course had to turn straight into the heavy traffic of downtown Grants Pass competing with semi's for lane space and stop and go traffic... great - still - she handled it. Then - rather than cruising down the sweet paving of the I5 she found herself plowing up long mountain passes and then down before grinding up another pass. And then that fifty mile long Smith River Canyon and its cautious tight curves with cliff to the river on one side and a rock canyon wall on the other! Suffice to say - her first day driving a 20-foot long nearly 7,000-lb missile was challenging - but she passed the test! Sorry - no photos of Crescent City nor the epic beauty of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Highway 199 goes through the northern end of the park and friends - those redwoods are huge - and thick in the forest of the park. The paving of the now narrow highway brushes the side of the tree trunks in this reach of the highway... I'll simply place a link to a google street view which was typical of this part of the highway... wish I had taken photos but I was mesmerized by the beauty. https://goo.gl/maps/J3Jh7LDDgCUfXQNs7 And Crescent City... I had not previously been to Northern California - and I did not really know what to expect. Crescent City is tiny by Southern California standards... and low rise... no big buildings to my eye. And the port was mostly fishing boats - did not see too many yachts in there when we drove past. So I'm not too sure what drives Crescent City - hopefully someday I'll return and spend a day or two learning more about the place. And we had made it back to the ocean - the wild Pacific of Northern California... What? Another Paul Bunyan statue? Yep - This in the parking lot of Trees of Mystery - maybe a tourist trap - but interesting none the less... https://www.treesofmystery.net/ Whoa!!! What's that? Elk? I think so... Yes - a dozen or so elk wandering along in the pasture... Cool... Whoa!!!!!!! Wow... Mucho more elk lollygagging at the entrance to Elk Meadows Cabins - https://elkmeadowcabins.com/ Link to video... https://photos.app.goo.gl/aKCP3CfMFPLkM2EaA Who knew - mega elk in NorCal... In any event - we made it down to Eureka where we stayed at a Travelodge... the hotel was not glamorous - but it served as just what we needed for the night. That - was a super spectacular travel day - 422-miles of Oregon and NorCal. The next day, Tuesday I believe, we made our way from Eureka ultimately to Salinas... But there were a couple cool stops along the way... The 101 Highway in NorCal bewilders me... South of Eureka the road is a nice wide separated four-lane as evidenced in this video... https://photos.app.goo.gl/AN3PzjktHTjL7ysg8 But further along the highway diminishes into just enough paving between the trees for two lanes - and no shoulder! Yes - this is the same highway that cuts through Los Angeles with a total of 14-lanes! Not so up here. A new place to be... Ukiah. We stopped in town to see the place and have lunch... Ukiah appears to be a bustling little town. Next stop - San Francisco... You can bet 101 Freeway got bigger here... And crossing the Golden Gate Bridge... Nice. When ever we are in San Francisco we stop for bread down at the wharf... love that sour dough... And while at Fisherman's Wharf we always have lunch... if your are fortunate to know precisely where this place to eat is - hat's off to you. It's one of our favorite stops in San Francisco. So enough pics in this post... maybe just one more to complete the trip.
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/18/2019 : 09:55:01 Its time to conclude this post/blog... many thanks to our administrators for tolerating a four page post. Goals accomplished, boat is sold, time to scoot back to LA to see what the future holds... On the two lane 101 Highway south of Port Townsend. I was struck about how southerly the waters of Puget Sound range... seemed like we were paralleling the water for hours. And by the time we were on the 5 Freeway in southern Washington the rain was pounding hard... We made Portland, OR our destination to close out the first day of the return trip... Stayed at a Holiday Inn Express on Hayden Island. We wanted to slow the drive just a little and explore Portland a bit... so instead of following Google Maps which would have said just get back on I5 South and go - we took the long way through town to see the sites... And the bridges in Portland... big time... And we drove across the Broadway Bridge... See the video here - https://photos.app.goo.gl/7cZ6LfdFdrWsnUpS9 After driving through downtown Portland we made our up the hill toward the Pittock Mansion - expecting it to be an interesting brief side trip to better understand Portland... http://pittockmansion.org/ And impressive it is... Nice that these old gilded mansions are open to the public. And the view overlooking Portland was spectacular. But - a long journey requires that you keep making progress in the proper direction - so it's back on the 5 Freeway and continuing southbound... Video - https://photos.app.goo.gl/oncZpmK76RUeystu6 Video - https://photos.app.goo.gl/N1LY3x7jHazitBut8 Video - https://photos.app.goo.gl/YzwS1C4URJULtdLL9 A long driving day from Portland into Northern California... and a surprise by leaving Interstate 5 and taking the 199 out of Grants Pass to connect with the 101 at Crescent City, California. The 199 is a heck of a highway as it has to climb through several mountain passes in Oregon as it grinds its way southwest. Worse (or better depending on your love of driving), once in California, the 199 follows the Smith River on its canyon path to Crescent City - and it is tight down in that canyon - and beautiful of course. The Highway 199 in California is named the Redwood Highway - and there were plenty of redwoods abutting the tight road as we snaked our way down the canyon... OK - maybe just one more post to finish up - we'll see in a few moments...
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/18/2019 : 08:46:54 Continuing with a couple more photos from the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Show. These guys were a bit of a hit... here is the link to the short five second video I took... https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOU0HCmhnDCeO-EyuaEhUhj7TSNsdJQ_Y_cz1wI Continuing our tour of the show... we went inside the shop at the Northwest Maritime Center. https://nwmaritime.org/ Which was the conclusion of our visit to the boat show. Walking back to the ferry terminal we took a few pics of this part of Port Townsend... The return ferry ride was uneventful as was the drive from the Coupeville Ferry Terminal to the actual town of Coupeville - which is not that close - maybe five miles away... but whats in a name anyway... Then, settled in at the Coupeville Inn on Penn Cove http://thecoupevilleinn.com/ all is well with the Longhorns on the TV!!! Lets call that quits for this phase of the adventure. Both goals of reaching Desolation Sound and attending the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Show met.
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/18/2019 : 08:39:43 In order to drive from Anacortes to Port Townsend you have to cross the bridges over Deception Pass. And Deception Pass is notorious for its extreme currents during the changing of the tide... Sorry - no decent pics as we were moving along in the truck and no chance to slow down to properly frame a photo... Before the next picture there needs to be an explanation of sorts... Crossing the bridge over Deception Pass takes you onto Whidbey Island... and at the south end of Whidbey Island you have to take another ferry to get to Port Townsend. There were signs along the highway in Anacortes that recommended that you have a reservation for your car to ride the ferry. The clerk at Ship Harbor Inn recommended that you have a reservation to use the ferry to Port Townsend... the Anacortes Ferry terminal ticket clerk said you need a reservation to guarantee yourself a vehicle spot on the ferry to Port Townsend... OK OK - got it - you need a reservation... We did not have a reservation... Concluding the boat transaction interjected a bit of uncertainty onto when we would be able to leave Anacortes. Keep in mind that the only reason to go to Port Townsend was to attend the Wooden Boat Show. The solution? The truck would have to stay at the ferry terminal on the Whidbey Island side of the ferry while we walked onboard - and then - depending on the situation - walk to the wooden boat show... then return to Whidbey Island and get a hotel for the night... BTW - The ferry terminal on Whidbey Island is actually called the Coupeville Ferry Terminal. This plan played well into the overall program... we were not tied to a schedule for our drive from Anacortes to the Coupeville Ferry Terminal, there would not be any parking hassles on the Port Townsend side trying to find a spot close to the show, and by staying the night in Coupeville I would be in front of a television for the evening Texas Longhorn/LSU football game... decent compromise. And so that is how that all played out... We drove to the terminal, which is kinda desolate, and parked on the side of the road along with a hundred other cars. And bought out tickets and eventually boarded the ferry. The Coupeville terminal was packed with both cars and pedestrians... Whats up? The boat show of course!!! The terminal staff said this Saturday was their busiest day of the year with hundreds going to the boat show... us too... And walk-on ferry passengers disembark first here too... and we assembled on the foredeck ready to go. Yay!!! We made it... and we have accomplished the second goal of the trip - the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Show. First - apologies of sorts... there will not be any decent photos from the event... there were hundreds of attendees and the exhibits were kinda close together, and the boats were double and triple tied and as such there were not many photo sight lines available... Still - here we go... Posing at the bow of a dragon boat... And the incredible beauty of wood as used in boats... Ok... another photo introduction... this is the "Funky Dory." And the Funky Dory is made famous by it's entry into the R2AK race earlier this year. Please take a read of Funky Dory's bio on the race website... https://r2ak.com/2019-teams-full-race/team-funky-dory/ And here is a great video that captures the crews spirit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2OZ0QuEPOg Just love these guys. Such spirit - if not a bit missguided - but just the same - glad they were at the show. I believe that is ten photos - lets open another reply to continue the boat show adventure.
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/18/2019 : 07:51:44 I had wanted to take my wife to Friday Harbor as it somewhat represented all the places I had visited on the Salish Sea adventure... BTW - The clerk at the Ship Harbor Inn helped me decipher the ferry schedule and we did manage to walk from the hotel to the Anacortes ferry terminal without any issues. And foot passengers dismount the Washington ferry just like the BC Ferries... foot passengers go first... Lunch out on the observation deck overlooking the marina was great... https://www.riptidesanjuan.com/ Including crab cake appetizers... And perfect sandwich/salad lunch. While in Friday Harbor I took my wife to all the places I had visited and we really had a perfect afternoon... On the return ferry trip we stopped at Lopez Island... while there I took this picture of the sistership ferry on its route to Friday Harbor and beyond. The next day we took advantage of perfect weather to take a walk down to Washington Park... and this very telling sign about the water... no chance... Here is a panorama from the beach looking into Rosario Straight from the park... Here is something interesting as seen from Oakes Drive... There is a small shipyard down there... https://www.lovricseacraft.com/ And it appears that one side of the breakwater is actually an old clipper ship - can that really be possible? Enough of Anacortes... its time to scoot southbound... to Port Townsend...
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/18/2019 : 06:56:57 So... How does one handle picking up their spouse after being apart for a month? Well... you go to the airport, get into the terminal, and stand at the bottom of the escalator bringing passengers from the gates to the baggage handling area - at least that's what I did... And then the light of your life arrives bringing smiles and unbounding happiness... And we then made our way from SeaTac up to Ship Harbor Inn where we took advantage of that great porch seating... How idealyc is this place... deer feeding on the grass below the porch... Blackberries growing by the tens of thousands in the area... Just a really nice place to stay... Oh no... A prospective buyer had contacted me several days earlier while I was in Friday Harbor on anchor... and over the next few days we traded emails clarifying condition and features of the 250... which led to an offer which I accepted... Island Dreams had been a good boat for me... the Catalina quality is the best and the sailing had been good... the adventure had been epic. So I had one of those melancholy moments where you rationalize moving on to what comes next... And that was that - signed the titles and sent them overnight to the new owner. But life does not stop with the loss of a loved one - and so we will continue on our adventure.
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/16/2019 : 17:30:24 Back on land... after a month afloat... I needed a hotel room... Love the 250 for what it is but not a lot of headroom or elbow room in there... Now... the way this story has to be told diverges from my boating hobby to my alumni football fixation... The first game of the year for my Texas Longhorns is being televised on the Longhorn Network - which is a premium channel on most services. I purchase a higher tier service from Direct TV to get the Longhorn Network and its completely worth it... Longhorn sports fill most of the time on the channel but they even toss in lectures and features. Best of all - they provide a full game day broadcast with re-runs of the coaches rewind of the previous weeks game as well as look aheads to the following game... Suffice to say, my criteria for picking a hotel was - "do you carry the Longhorn Network?" Generally no... I think I went to five or six, called a couple more, even stopped at the bowling alley - even called the local casino and checked at their sports bar... nope... So my room choice then became cost and convenience - and the Cap Sante Inn won out... But I was not to be deturred from finding a watch my longhorns... as I was driving down the Commercial Avenue I noticed a fellow wearing a Longhorn cap!!! Yes! I'll simply barge my way into his house and watch the game with him... right? Nope... He is suffering too... no LHN for him - and he is resigned to following the box score on the web during the game... Ouch. Desperation had set in... I did what every modern human does - I said "Hey Siri"... "show me the closest sports bars"... Siri found several - and the closer ones I had already called... and then I called this place - way the heck across the county in Sedro-Wooley... Yay! They said they carried the LHN!!! And I drove all 25-miles over there to watch the game at the bar... And there were interesting wood chainsaw sculptures on the street corners... But just like Bigfoot... there was no LHN at the bar... the staff had made a mistake. So back to Cap Sante Inn to lick my wounds and follow the stats on the web... Oh well... at least the 'horns won their game - I'm happy. Another day and another story... Here is a fellow I chatted with back at the marina... He towed his home-built beauty from Eureka, CA... a decent haul. And a beautiful home built boat... he said he spent five years building the boat. He would also be leaving the boat here at Skyline after his upcoming cruise. He mentioned he and his brother would be taking a two week cruise up into the Canadian Gulf Islands - great choice - with him only having two weeks I recommended he visit Montague Harbor as well as Ladysmith and possibly Nanaimo. I mentioned that one of the reasons I was selling the Catalina was that it was not a good enough ocean boat for me... and he told the story about how he attempted to sail from Eureka to Crescent City... apparently he got pounded and decided that cruising the northern California coast just wasn't that fun in a small boat. So this is the third person that I have met that keeps their boat in the Pacific Northwest while living elsewhere... Hummmmmmm. Good times are about to be with the arrival of my wife...
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/16/2019 : 16:56:43 Shifting gears... The return to LA... Fortunately my wife was able to get away from work after Labor Day and fly up to join me for the return trip. Fantastic. Before leaving at the end of July I noticed the Ship Harbor Inn which is conveniently located close to the marina as well as the Anacortes ferry terminal. When I called for a room they mentioned a cabin... A cabin? Heck yeah. I was informed we would be staying in No. 10 - the middle cabin in the picture. Looked really good with parking adjacent to the porch... And a pretty good view from the porch as well as through the picture window. Starting to plan our tourist adventures... and trying to read the ferry schedule - no clue how to read this thing... hopefully someone can clarify... Time to get to work preparing for a return trip... I had noticed that after installing the new hydraulic trailer brake actuator back at the beginning of the trip that the discs did not show even wear - so I searched for an automotive shop that would pressure bleed the brakes - that should make a big difference... Hummmmmmm... what is this? Well... Maybe the Rosebourogh would make a good replacement boat after the 250 sells... This example seemed to be at the end of its first life... Ten years old and the canvas showed about ten years of wear - and Sunbrella is only warranted for ten years - and I have learned from Sailrite and the local loft that most upholsters only use thread that survives six years - unless you pay extra for the version of thread that can last as long as the sunbrella... So whoever buys this beauty is going to have some replacement costs to figure into the price of the boat - which by the way was pretty high in my estimation. Still - it was nice to see one in person - generally like the boat. So with time to kill until my wifes flight arrived I took a marina walk to see the other vessels - including this beauty - a Fisher 25... Nice. Back to work... My appointment to haul Island Dreams was nine AM on Friday morning... First in line I believe... Up she goes... yes - this is after the power wash to remove a months worth of crud from the bottom. And back she goes to her parking spot in Skyline Marine Centers parking lot... Excellent. That marks the close of the boating phase of the adventure... or does it?
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/16/2019 : 16:23:32 Another day... the last day of cruising... And off we go in the morning attempting to time our arrival at Rosario Straight for slack... Oh no... what's this? Fog? Yup... I had been told that the season after summer brought fog and here it is... How will I get through the fog without being run over by a ferry or something else? Well... two parts of a solution. First - the fog was not everywhere... and stay close to the side of the channel way out of the ferry's route... But not so fast... there it is again - and down by Thatcher Pass which leads to Rosario Straight and eventually home... But a couple of happy coincidences happened... Rosario Straight went slack at about 11:30 and that was just late enough in the morning that the fog in the area began to lift and dissipate. Excellent... and lucky... And that gap in the mountains is the pass that leads to Skyline Marine Center. And in just another half hour or so I was docked at Skyline... The beautiful Island Dreams performed perfectly on a fantastic Pacific Northwest cruise. What more could you ask for. And now begins the closure of the cruise - getting back home...
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/12/2019 : 08:51:55 Another morning... And what a morning... Somehow I poked my head out just before dawn to see this... Wow. This is one of the reasons why we cruise. And a few minutes later the rays from our sun began shredding the upper atmosphere... Wow. What a wonderful planet we have. So... time to relax... far enough along on the way to Skyline Marine Center to not worry about getting there... business complete... weather perfect... lets go look at a couple boats I had seen in outline from the anchorage... Tug yacht - what a beauty... And yet another beauty... And a photo from the interior of smaller commercial marina... just south of the large municipal marina... I thought about renting that Grand Banks but prices were not listed on their web page... no worries - I'll be cruising along soon enough. And to further the relaxing day - ice cream... Ice cream... it seemed like ice cream was a common thing at essentially every port with development - not a bad thing. And what is that in the background of the ice cream cone picture... A busker but a busker with style. Video here - https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qaxgy4eAvXWf49fP6 So that wraps up a great multi-day visit to Friday Harbor. Tomorrow - onward to Skyline Marine Center to shut it all down and head home.
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/12/2019 : 08:10:16 I advertised the incredible and good vessel Island Dreams... Truth be told I had taken the titles to the truck, boat, and trailer with me on this trip - on the off chance that I ran into somebody that would be interested in swapping boats... perhaps a catamaran owner looking to downsize... Not likely but I took the titles anyway. So why would you sell a perfectly fine vessel that has performed so well it deserves a medal for cruising to Desolation Sound and back? Well... My wife and I need a larger boat... and more than likely a power boat. After sailing in British Columbia, going back and forth to Catalina Island off Los Angeles just does not have the same appeal that it used to. The Catalina 250 is just marginal, in my opinion, for open ocean sailing - which going to Catalina Island really is. I only sail to Catalina if the wave forecast is three feet or less. Near perfect conditions. I live 40-miles from Cabrillo Dry Storage which is in San Pedro, CA and I have to drive through downtown LA to get there - so the commute has worn me down. Sailing this 250 from Anacortes ultimately into Desolation Sound including two crossings of the Straight of Georgia was a pretty big accomplishment and I tend to look for new challenges - so it�s ok to sell this good boat and move on to what comes next. So let's see what happens with the advertisement.
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/12/2019 : 07:47:37 Continuing on the second visit to Friday Harbor... After the tour of the southern end of the harbor I went back to the north end for anchoring. I had been told by a boater back at the beginning of the trip that they tended to anchor in the southern end as there was less commotion and noise from the ferry and float planes taking off... all that is true... but for me, with the tiny 8-foot dinghy and only 2.5-hp it made better sense to anchor north which is closer and more protected to make the run to the dingy dock... The anchorage is a bit rolly during the day due to all the boat wakes from vessels arriving and departing to and from the harbor... https://photos.app.goo.gl/9svA3o5VHADevDvQ6 This was a surprise... my neighbor started a construction site generator... loud... https://photos.app.goo.gl/oDzJu5Z82gfUETT5A Perhaps I mentioned it or perhaps not - but part of the reason for returning to Friday Harbor was to participate in a closing for a property I shared ownership in with my brothers. The property is in Texas and that is where the action was... As I was unavailable due to being off-line and out of the country, they waited until I could return to the United States to close. My closing documents were transmitted to San Juan Title... Super convenient to the harbor... And Sara handled my side of the transaction with perfection. and as seen walking back from the title company... would this fit in the back of the truck on the way home? and another interesting vehicle in Friday Harbor... And with business concluded it was relaxization time onboard... That schooner in the distance is the Spike Africa... https://www.sanjuansailcharter.com/ As always - another favorite boat... as seen in the Friday Harbor Marina... Its for sale if you are interested... And speaking of vessels being for sale...
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/12/2019 : 07:10:10 Appreciate the note... Best to you, Carl quote: Originally posted by glivs Once again Carl, thanks for posting.
glivs	Posted - 09/09/2019 : 18:31:14 Once again Carl, thanks for posting.
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/09/2019 : 08:01:47 Sunday morning I believe. And conclusion of a wonderful stay at Stuart Island. Today's cruise is a short morning jaunt to Friday Harbor. Super calm conditions allowed me to finish coffee in the cockpit while underway. And the kayakers that spent the night on Stuart Island had an easy paddle back to Roche Harbor. The cruise to Friday Harbor was easy enough although there were numerous yachts also going southbound which contributed to bouncing across their wakes. Once in Friday Harbor I decided that rather than anchor right away at the marina-convenient north end I'd take a loop through the southern end. The route southbound in Friday Harbor first takes you past the large marina, then the ferry dock, then a mooring field, then a no-anchor zone where electrical cables cross, and then finally to a roomy southern anchorage complete with its own exit back to the San Juan Channel. One of the first interesting boats anchored down south is Sea Ductress. Cool... I've followed development and building of this vessel on the Diesel Ducks Web page. She is from Sea Horse Marine in China. And this odd ball... I like the lines and the idea has merit... but the outboard is not the right propulsion for the diamond in the rough. Paint would help too. And at the southern end of the harbor is another marina this one with a couple big tug-yachts... bet they are huge inside. Ok. More to follow...
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/02/2019 : 21:28:35 And I think I know why the super yacht left Prevost for Reid... dragging anchor... they must have never been able to set the anchor. Because they tried three times to set the anchor and failed each time backing down on the anchor... Eventually the captain relocated again and apparently managed to set the anchor. A while later Greg came by in his very seaworthy dinghy and asked if I wanted to go for a hike over at Roche Harbor... heck-yah! I grabbed a PFD and stuffed the backpack with water and an extra shirt and away we went... A word about this dinghy... I think Greg told me it was a 12 foot Novurania... with a 70 horse Suzuki. That boat hopped up in plane and we scooted out from Reid Harbor for the two mile trip to Roche Harbor. Actually we went beyond Roche Harbor... we went to Garrison Bay. Oh boy... Somebody's going to need a history lesson... this place looks important. And it is... Greg explained everything to me but its far too much to type so I'll refer you to Wikipedia. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_War_(1859) And Greg knew all of the parts of the story. And these are the barracks. But we were here to hike... And the trail was in pretty good condition. And the view from the top was spectacular. Looking northwest. And looking southwest. Very impressive... no more pics from the hike or the return dinghy ride but we did go all the way into Roche Harbor which was interesting and the return dingy ride - with the wind was smooth and quick. So hat's off to Greg who visited with me in Nanaimo, turned me on to Montague Harbour, helped me clear back into the United States, and totally served as tour guide for a jaunt to the most historic place in the area. I really appreciated all that.
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/02/2019 : 19:08:32 So... while visiting with Greg he asked what I was going to do about clearing in to the USA? I explained that I intended to do walk-up at the Customs dock in Friday Harbor. Greg wasn't so sure that I should wait the additional day. As I had cell service I went ahead and called the customs number from a Google search and I used auto dial. The Customs offer that answered, and apparently knew where I was, explained that I could report to Roche Harbor or Friday Harbor or use the ROAM app... we concluded the phone call. I told Greg that I would attempt to use the ROAM app even with intermittent cell coverage - and 3G when I did have coverage. After a couple of attempts and maybe a half hour of downloading the app started. And I did not get past the part where I had to "register" with the government - maybe the first level of federal government? In any event, after registering the Web page threw me back to the app, at which time, I followed the prompts and filled in the requested data... and then the next prompt simply said PROCESSING... So, no worries, just wait until it quits processing... and with my endless connectivity issues I figured it might be a while. DING... the next prompt said I needed to be interviewed. What? I put in my hearing aids and clicked the prompt. Officer Sanchez was apparently using my tablets camera and speakers to conduct the interview. Officer Sanchez first asked that I turn on more lights in the boat so he could around. Really? Then he asked similar questions to the first part of the app. And during the questions I turned the tablet to swi g the tablet camera to show, for example, that I was the only person on board. At the end of the questions the Officer approved my reentry and I received an email as evidence. Pretty cool app... The next morning proved to be ideal. Glassy waters and perfect morning sun. No pictures were taken during a somewhat lengthy dinghy ride to the State Park dock. At the dock there were maybe four yachts tied up but there was still enough room for a couple dinghies. From the dock I walked up the somewhat steep gangway. Up on top there is a kiosk and bulletin board. The camping area was similar to the grounds at Montague. And it's a very brief walk to the Prevost Harbor side of the island. My clumsy attempt at a panorama. Make note of that huge yacht way on the right... I walked along the one mile trail... Which offered a couple of vantage points... And along the way I noticed this unusual tree bark. And when I got back to the boat I noticed that the big yacht from Prevost side was now on the Reid side...
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/02/2019 : 05:57:27 Oh no. It's raining. No worries. The rain was forecast and I had prepared by mounting the rain shield over the hatch. The forecast indicated the rain would taper off as the morning progressed. Rain tapering off would also be a good fit as I had to wait until perhaps eleven am to depart for Stuart Island due to the current going in the wrong direction early... And it was beautiful in the harbour... sunny Thursday afternoon replaced by rainy Friday morning. Soon enough it was time to haul anchor and get underway. Heading south out of Montegue you are still in the Trincomali Channel for a couple miles until you clear the Active Pass, after which you bear to starboard a bit and from then on you are on a direct course for Stewart. Be careful... several ferries use Active Pass to go between Vancouver and Victoria. I believe the picture shows the northern end of North Pender Island. And to me, it was cold... brrrrrrr... my wife teased me - she said I'm thin blooded. Yeah, maybe... Progress... after clearing South Pender Island it was crossing Boundary Pass - which I had seen from the lighthouse on Stuart Island. And I recall the tide rips off the lighthouse point. I gave plenty of leeway to the point. After rounding the point another boat and I clawed our way south along Stuart Island as by now the tide had turned and we were going against almost two knots. Soon enough I turned the corner and made my way back northbound into Reid Harbor. On my way up two thirds into the Harbor I passed this interesting vessel... catamaran, aluminum, unstayed masts, and severe damage to that port hull... And here is Greg's beautiful Tolly... she's a roomy 48-feet. And what a great cruising day... started rainy, cool-ish, flying along with favorable current, crossing a major straight, grinding against adverse currents, and now anchored in an excellent harbor. Perfect.
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/02/2019 : 05:16:14 As I began my dinghy ride to the north end of the harbour I took a picture of the Montegue Harbour Marina and the shore facilities including the General Store and it's neighboring restaurant. After dinghy cruising through the anchorage I arrived at the dock for access to the park. Yet another really nice dock. And a very nice park it is. Several campsites, toilets, and a parking lot off to the east. I took a closer look at the campsites... each campsite had a picnic table and a pedestal on which to set your tent... interesting - guess it beats continuously tearing up the ground with tent stakes. Walking back to the dock a photo opportunity presented itself... What a beautiful place Montegue Harbour is...
Carl in LA	Posted - 09/02/2019 : 04:57:27 And so begins the day for cruising to Montague Harbour. It was a bit dreary out but the wind was from behind me and the current flowing with me. Not bad. And looking to starboard I noticed this yacht headed south. And I somewhat recognized the shape with its long flat aft deck - and then it dawned on me that I had seen that vessel while berthed at Ladysmith. To me, that was another milestone that I was closing the loop. Not only had I retraced my steps through Nanaimo and Dodd Narrows, now I had seen a vessel that I recognized. Recognizing the vessel made me feel that I had local knowledge which was comforting. And it was a cool morning - I had to wear the synthetic wool cap that I purchased in Refuge Cove. In order to cruise from Chemainus to Montague you start south on the Stuart Channel and then turn to port sailing along the north side of Saltspring Island before you turn south again in Trincomali Channel. When I made that turn to port the sail flowed out to starboard and the sun made an interesting sight showing the incorrectly mounted flag. While headed south on the Trincomali I noticed another favorite boat... the Gemini 105... Shortly after crossing paths with the Gemini I cruised into Montague Harbour. The picture does not adequately show the number of boats anchored in this larger anchorage. Another feature that enticed me to go to Montague over Ganges was the fuel dock. And as Chemainus did not have an operational fuel dock it was fantastic that Montegue did. But, those big boats were taking on lots of fuel so I had to wait my turn by circling several loops before they cleared out and I was able to dock and fuel. After refueling I anchored out a ways from the fuel dock. This picture looking north might give a sense of the scale of Montegue Harbor... it's roomy in there... room for maybe a couple hundred boats at anchor. A fortuitous and fluky event occurred. I had a few additional Canadian dollars that I needed to spend and I was curious about the general store at the Montegue Marina so I went ashore to see what there was to see. At the store I ordered an ice cream cone and figured I could be cleaned out of Canadian money by also purchasing something small so I picked out a package of napkins... I was left with one Canadian dime after paying. So I'm out on the gangway eating the ice cream cone and I'm tapped on the shoulder... what? It's Greg! Greg who I visited with in Nanaimo and he's the fellow that suggested I visit Montague. Re-meeting Greg was a fluke - if I would have been early or later I would have missed him. Greg has a lot of local knowledge and advised that I visit the park at the north end of the island. Greg ask about where I was headed and I told him my next stop would be Stuart Island. We chatted about the two harbors on Stuart Island which includes Prevost to the east and Reid to the west. As I had anchored in Prevost on the outbound leg I said I wanted to visit Reid on the way back. I believe Greg mentioned that he would also be headed to Reid. Greg recommended anchoring about two thirds the way up into Reid on the west side. He mentioned that a nest of Peregrine Falcons was in the area and they were impressive to watch. So not only did I learn about the park at the north end of Montegue I also learned of an incredible reason to go to Reid Harbor on my return trip.
Carl in LA	Posted - 08/29/2019 : 07:16:14 Continuing in Chemainus... And sure enough, there is a water wheel in Water Wheel Park. And in the park parking lot there was a craft fair. Believe me, this is exactly the thin I hope to see while out cruising. How do other people do things. And the farmers market or craft fair is the perfect place to see how things go. Chemainus has a museum at the park. Right at the door the curator wanted to make sure you knew you were in Canada. The museum was not large but it was stuffed with artifacts, displays and noteworthy items. I learned that Chemainus was started as a logging town. And sure enough - the patio at the museum overlooked the port which was set up for shipping wood products. And this fantastic carving at the park entrance. It had been a long and monumental day... I had passed through Dodd Narrows for the second time. To me, Dodd Narrows represents the gateway to the north. Everything to the north is big water and big deep Sounds... everything to the south are islands, channels, passages and smooth water. And going south represented heading home... The rain, the headwinds, the exposure, better shut down for the day and as such I headed back to the marina taking a picture of the ferry while walking down the gangway. Tomorrow - headed to Montague Harbour.
Carl in LA	Posted - 08/28/2019 : 20:25:04 Every boat represents a compromise... the fellow did say they bought it expecting to move up... and that was 14 years ago. Very cool. quote: Originally posted by Stinkpotter I've always liked the C-28, and agree with a statement I heard that in the 20s, every additional 3' makes a sailboat twice as big! Of course, to trailer it, you'd have to get a Freightliner and a wide load permit for every state (and probably province) you want to transit. But to leave in BC.......

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