summer: north to anacortes
What could be better than setting off on a summer cruise with almost a month of days to fill before having to meet any of the obligations that arise in our daily lives! We are heading north to some favorite cruising grounds, the San Juans and the Gulf Islands. We have a blank itinerary so that we can be completely flexible, moving on when our whims dictate, staying put when we are content or when the weather doesn't cooperate. It's time for the easy life of boating
Date: June 26, 2017
Time Start: 3:15 p.m.
Time Finish: 5:45 p.m.
Cruise from: Swantown, Olympia
Cruise To: Eagle Island
Engine Hours Start: 615
Engine Hours Finish: 618
Weather/sea conditions: Light cloud cover, upper 70's, S.W. winds
NORTH STAR is loaded and ready for an extended cruise. We have over three weeks to enjoy some of our favorite places and hopefully find new ones, too. Today the start is late as we finish our last minute tasks, load and stow provisions, etc. By mid afternoon we are on our way but will have to wait until morning to transit the Narrows (tides are not favorable this afternoon).
The "Puget" (Corps of Engineers dredge boat) heads into Swantown and we pass them off of Priest Point. And, atop the outgoing range marker sits a bald eagle, what a treat! We are off to a good beginning.
Date: June 26, 2017
Time Start: 3:15 p.m.
Time Finish: 5:45 p.m.
Cruise from: Swantown, Olympia
Cruise To: Eagle Island
Engine Hours Start: 615
Engine Hours Finish: 618
Weather/sea conditions: Light cloud cover, upper 70's, S.W. winds
NORTH STAR is loaded and ready for an extended cruise. We have over three weeks to enjoy some of our favorite places and hopefully find new ones, too. Today the start is late as we finish our last minute tasks, load and stow provisions, etc. By mid afternoon we are on our way but will have to wait until morning to transit the Narrows (tides are not favorable this afternoon).
The "Puget" (Corps of Engineers dredge boat) heads into Swantown and we pass them off of Priest Point. And, atop the outgoing range marker sits a bald eagle, what a treat! We are off to a good beginning.
Winds ripple the water and clouds are thickening as we leave Olympia behind us. We encounter some white caps near Boston Harbor and in Dana Passage. Then, Eagle Island lies ahead and looks inviting. Yes, let's grab that buoy! We tie up on the west facing side of the island this time. Mt. Rainier is in the distance, seals are splashing, it is lovely.
As we dine on cold chicken and potato salad in the cockpit, seal eyes are watching, and seals are splashing around us as well. Maybe they want our dinner, too!
Clouds have thinned, just a few remain to get lit up by the setting sun. When darkness comes, the big dipper is right off our bow.
Clouds have thinned, just a few remain to get lit up by the setting sun. When darkness comes, the big dipper is right off our bow.
Date: June 27, 2017
Time Start: 9:15 a.m.
Time Finish: 3 p.m.
Cruise From: Eagle Island
Cruise To: Edmonds
Engine Hours Start: 618
Engine Hours Finish: 623
Weather/sea conditions: Gray and calm morning, blue skies in afternoon, 70 degrees
Morning is cool enough to use the heater as we watch the seals swim and play in calm water. The tide is up all the way to the base of the trees, so the seals won't have a beach for resting until the tide recedes again.
Time Start: 9:15 a.m.
Time Finish: 3 p.m.
Cruise From: Eagle Island
Cruise To: Edmonds
Engine Hours Start: 618
Engine Hours Finish: 623
Weather/sea conditions: Gray and calm morning, blue skies in afternoon, 70 degrees
Morning is cool enough to use the heater as we watch the seals swim and play in calm water. The tide is up all the way to the base of the trees, so the seals won't have a beach for resting until the tide recedes again.
We cruise through a gray world, not very photogenic this morning. The current gives us a 5 knot boost through the Narrows. Dolphins show us their dorsal fins and shiny backs in both the Narrows and Colvos Passage. They are so elusive, we get a brief glimpse of them and then they are gone.
I spend the morning at the helm while Dan works, sitting with the laptop at the table. He takes the helm at Blake Island, and we cross toward West Point where a sea lion seems to be sunning itself on the entrance buoy for Elliott Bay. We wonder if it is really alive as it doesn't move or blink an eye as we pass by.
The clouds lift, revealing blue skies. Just off of Shilshole, we witness a bit of a drama with tugboats and barges. A smaller tug with a huge barge seems to no longer be able to handle its load. A larger tug towing nearby barges comes to the rescue. The smaller tug is released from the large barge, the larger tug gets attached, the smaller tug heads toward shore, and off the larger tug goes towing the large barge. That leaves two barges loaded with gravel sitting off of Shilshole, waiting for a tow. How will it all end? We don't stick around to find out! (Tugs are "Triumph" and "Pacific").
It is a busy area off of Shilshole, a Seattle-bound Victoria Clipper passes us, and the Good Times and other tour boats are out cruising, too.
It is a busy area off of Shilshole, a Seattle-bound Victoria Clipper passes us, and the Good Times and other tour boats are out cruising, too.
Edmonds is our destination. We fuel up and dock in the marina just as a colorful groups of jet skis arrive. The group is on a week-long eco-tour that began in Prince Rupert and will end tomorrow in Lake Union after transiting the locks. They are with Dangerous Water Adventures, an outfit that sponsors global expeditions. Their leader has actually crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a jet ski!
It's shore time for us, time to stretch our legs with a walk along the docks and beaches and into town, taking photos of the ambiance of Edmonds. What a nice town! (Note: Some photos are verticals, you need to click on them to see the entire photo.)
Dinner is at Anthony's Beach Cafe, right next to the marina, followed by a walk in the adjoining beach park. We can't resist a photo of some bikes already decked out for the Fourth of July as well as some close ups of the jet skis.
Sunset turns the world red, and the seagulls on the breakwater along with unusual cloud formations make it a sunset to remember.
Date: June 28, 2017
Time Start: 10:30 a.m.
Time Finish: 4:35 p.m.
Cruise From: Edmonds
Cruise To: Hope Island, Skagit Flats
Engine Hours Start: 623
Engine Hours Finish: 630
Weather/sea conditions: Gray, cool morning clearing to upper 70's and sunny
We wake up to tribal boats surrounding us in the marina. They are crabbing and have either already dropped their pots or are getting ready to go out.
Beside us is a Tulalip tribe research vessel The crew knew my cousin Clifford who spent his career developing and running their salmon hatchery. He passed away a few years ago. It turns out Cliff actually hired one of the researchers, who spoke very highly of him. Today the group is conducting research on geoduck beds for the tribe.
Time Start: 10:30 a.m.
Time Finish: 4:35 p.m.
Cruise From: Edmonds
Cruise To: Hope Island, Skagit Flats
Engine Hours Start: 623
Engine Hours Finish: 630
Weather/sea conditions: Gray, cool morning clearing to upper 70's and sunny
We wake up to tribal boats surrounding us in the marina. They are crabbing and have either already dropped their pots or are getting ready to go out.
Beside us is a Tulalip tribe research vessel The crew knew my cousin Clifford who spent his career developing and running their salmon hatchery. He passed away a few years ago. It turns out Cliff actually hired one of the researchers, who spoke very highly of him. Today the group is conducting research on geoduck beds for the tribe.
The jet ski group is preparing to leave, the final leg of their adventure.
The whale watching "Chilkat Express" is fueled and loaded with passengers, ready for a day of adventure. And, we meet a couple who have sailed their yacht all the way up the coast from San Diego. Aboard are John and Jan Cone, both celebrating 75th birthdays as well as their 50th anniversary (we have ours this summer, too!).
And this is just the start of our day in the busy Edmonds marina . . .
And this is just the start of our day in the busy Edmonds marina . . .
As expected, crab pots are everywhere as we leave the marina to continue north. The ferry "Puyallup" is just leaving Edmonds on its crossing to Kingston. Off of Possession Head on Whidbey, we see the Coast Guard buoy repair vessel "Henry Blake". A red Ranger Tug just happens to be here, too.
We cruise along Whidbey and Camano islands to Skagit Flats. Six hours from Edmonds, we grab one of the buoys off of Hope Island. We are full of pent up energy and the need to move after cruising for so long. NORTH STAR gets some detailing, it is amazing how quickly a boat can pick up dirt.
Dan rows to shore where there is an abundance of mosquitoes. A group of state workers are camped for the week on the island. Their job is to remove invasive plants, and a pile of filled plastic bags attests to their hard work.
Daylight lingers, and evening is beautiful on the water. Paddle boarders are enjoying the evening, too. And, we are delighted to have seen six eagles here today!
Daylight lingers, and evening is beautiful on the water. Paddle boarders are enjoying the evening, too. And, we are delighted to have seen six eagles here today!
Date: June 29, 2017
Time Start: 7:50 a.m.
Time Finish: 12:30 p.m.
Cruise From: Hope Island, Skagit Flats
Cruise To: Cap Sante Marina, Anacortes
Engine Hours Start: 630
Engine Hours Finish: 633
Weather/sea conditions: Beautiful morning! Sunny & mid 70's. Perfect day for boating.
Deception Pass awaits us on this lovely morning. Slack is at 8 a.m, and we have an easy passage, soaking in the beauty of this unique waterway.
Time Start: 7:50 a.m.
Time Finish: 12:30 p.m.
Cruise From: Hope Island, Skagit Flats
Cruise To: Cap Sante Marina, Anacortes
Engine Hours Start: 630
Engine Hours Finish: 633
Weather/sea conditions: Beautiful morning! Sunny & mid 70's. Perfect day for boating.
Deception Pass awaits us on this lovely morning. Slack is at 8 a.m, and we have an easy passage, soaking in the beauty of this unique waterway.
We make a stop at the float in Bowman Bay, just beyond Deception Pass, to fix our breakfast. Four cute kids, ages 7 to 11, paddle to the float from the shoreside campground, wanting to see our boat. They are full of fun, much preferring their kayaks to our boat that looks "just like an R.V."!
San Juans, here we come! We see cormorants on wildlife refuge rocks near Allan Island, then swirling beds of kelp next to Burrows Island and islet.
A ferry is in dry dock and undergoing repairs in Anacortes. A tug awaits oil tankers for the refinery. An eagle greets us as we arrive at Cap Sante Marina, as does the statue of the woman with the lantern awaiting the return of a loved one from the sea. We top off the fuel and then pull into our assigned slip for the night. We are beside a REAL yacht, a beautiful white Viking. She dwarfs us.
It's fish and chips in the dockside Cabana for lunch, then bath time for NORTH STAR. We walk through town, shop at West Marine, and enjoy a sunset dinner in the cockpit.