Ten weeks: Lopez and anacortes
Date: July 30, 2016
Time Start: 10:15 a.m.
Time Finish: 4:20 p.m.
Cruise From: Glenthorne Passage, Prevost Island, Canada
Cruise To: Spencer Spit, Lopez Island, U.S.A.
Engine Hours Start: 523
Engine Hours Finish: 528
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny, breezy, hazy, mid 70's, a nice day.
It's back to the U.S.A. for us today! We are ready for another day of sun and fun, starting off with a hearty breakfast. Smoked salmon scrambles with tomatoes, red bell peppers, green onions and Swiss cheese; toasted English muffins; and sliced oranges on the side fill our bellies. Where has this chef been hiding for the past several weeks?
The tide is low in Glenthorne Passage on this hazy morning as we make our way past the docks on Secret Island and enter Haro Strait. Our views are muted, and a strong current pushes against us, keeping our speed down. A cargo ship, "Cape Rainbow", crosses our path in Boundary Pass. At 12:20 p.m. we cross the border and are back in the U.S.A. Home is growing ever closer.
Time Start: 10:15 a.m.
Time Finish: 4:20 p.m.
Cruise From: Glenthorne Passage, Prevost Island, Canada
Cruise To: Spencer Spit, Lopez Island, U.S.A.
Engine Hours Start: 523
Engine Hours Finish: 528
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny, breezy, hazy, mid 70's, a nice day.
It's back to the U.S.A. for us today! We are ready for another day of sun and fun, starting off with a hearty breakfast. Smoked salmon scrambles with tomatoes, red bell peppers, green onions and Swiss cheese; toasted English muffins; and sliced oranges on the side fill our bellies. Where has this chef been hiding for the past several weeks?
The tide is low in Glenthorne Passage on this hazy morning as we make our way past the docks on Secret Island and enter Haro Strait. Our views are muted, and a strong current pushes against us, keeping our speed down. A cargo ship, "Cape Rainbow", crosses our path in Boundary Pass. At 12:20 p.m. we cross the border and are back in the U.S.A. Home is growing ever closer.
The Turn Point Lighthouse on Stuart Island lies ahead, and a very hazy Mt. Baker is off our port side. We cruise close to the lighthouse and along the adjoining cliffs where cormorants nest. It is wonderful to be back in the San Juan Islands, a favorite place to cruise!
We are getting the effects of the tide rips as we cruise along Stuart Island, enjoying the golden hillsides, and rekindling memories of our hike to the lighthouse a year ago. We were so lucky to see a pod of Orca whales up close then (see September Cruise 2015).
Next come the hillsides of Speiden Island. No one lives on Speiden, but there is wildlife here, deer and other ungulates that were originally brought in for hunters. Usually we can spot a few animals under the shade of trees, and we see them today with our binoculars. The hillsides are barren, the grass grazed to a nubbin, looking like soft velvet from a distance.
It is official! We call customs using our NEXXUS passes and are readmitted to the U.S. A quick stop at Jones Island reveals what we predicted, all of the dock space and buoys are in use on this summer Saturday. Boaters are out in droves.
Finally we get some good views of Mt. Baker followed by the familiar sight of Washington State ferries. We join a horde of other boaters and drop our anchor along Spencer Spit on Lopez Island.
Finally we get some good views of Mt. Baker followed by the familiar sight of Washington State ferries. We join a horde of other boaters and drop our anchor along Spencer Spit on Lopez Island.
The water is really chilly, just 62 degrees. I take a quick dip, and Dan joins me for a few strokes. In spite of the number of boats (and crab pots!), there is plenty of room for everyone here. It doesn't feel crowded.
Date: July 31, 2016
Time Start: 11 a.m.
Time Finish: 12:30 p.m.
Cruise From: Spencer Spit, Lopez Island
Cruise To: Cap Sante Marina, Anacortes
Engine Hours Start: 528
Engine Hours Finish: 530
Weather/sea conditions: Partly cloudy, windy and cooler in morning, clearing to upper 70's
Can it really be the last day of July? It is a rolly polly morning off Lopez. Our Canadian courtesy flag comes down, well tattered at the corners from hours and hours of winds, ready to be replaced on our next cruise north of the border. We don't make it to the shore of Spencer Spit on this visit. We will have to return another time.
Time Start: 11 a.m.
Time Finish: 12:30 p.m.
Cruise From: Spencer Spit, Lopez Island
Cruise To: Cap Sante Marina, Anacortes
Engine Hours Start: 528
Engine Hours Finish: 530
Weather/sea conditions: Partly cloudy, windy and cooler in morning, clearing to upper 70's
Can it really be the last day of July? It is a rolly polly morning off Lopez. Our Canadian courtesy flag comes down, well tattered at the corners from hours and hours of winds, ready to be replaced on our next cruise north of the border. We don't make it to the shore of Spencer Spit on this visit. We will have to return another time.
We're on our way to Anacortes for a few provisions and to do our laundry. The Victoria Clipper passes us, giving us a good wake, one of many boats making wakes on the water today. We have another Ranger Tug paralleling us. We hug the shore as we pass several of our old project sites - the GEMS wharf, the park alongside the ferry dock, Anchor Cove Marina, the MJB project site on Fidalgo Bay, and others - we have spent many hours here performing biological surveys for various clients. It's fun to see what is happening along the water now, too.
We get a slip assignment for the marina. As we pull in, there is a problem with the stern thruster. Thankfully, another boater is on the dock and assists in grabbing our lines and pulling us in. It turns out that a line used to secure the kayak on the stern swim step came loose and is tangled in the thruster.
It's lunchtime! Anthony's has a new outdoor cabana alongside the marina. The fish and chips are terrific! We have a great view of the marina as we eat. A bocce ball court in front of the cabana is busy, as is the restaurant.
It's lunchtime! Anthony's has a new outdoor cabana alongside the marina. The fish and chips are terrific! We have a great view of the marina as we eat. A bocce ball court in front of the cabana is busy, as is the restaurant.
I was excited to see the Adventuress on one of the docks as we entered the marina. After lunch, I go to check her out while Dan gives NORTH STAR a much needed bath. We saw the Adventuress on Lopez Island at the beginning of this cruise, now we see her again as the cruise is nearing an end! She is getting ready to head out with a group of grandparents and their grandchildren on a hands on learning cruise. What fun! I want to do that! What a beautiful historic old schooner! Built in 1913 in Maine, she is listed as a National Historic Landmark and is operated by Sound Experience (www.soundexp.org).
There are plenty of other interesting boats along the docks as well! Some of them happen to be Ranger Tugs, on their way home from the group cruise to Desolation Sound. I meet Carol and Jay on the new red 29 "Sound Investment" as well as the crew of "Ilio Kai", another new red 29.
Dan is doing a great job of getting the salt layers off of NORTH STAR. Wearing his wet suit and mask and snorkel, he manages to untangle the line caught in the thruster. All is good!
Laundry and shopping are done. We walk into town for dinner. The restaurant we had in mind is closed on Sundays. We give "Pear Thai" a try, and the food is absolutely wonderful (as is the waitress!). Clear skies tonight. What will tomorrow bring?