The summer cruise: heading nortH
Date: June 18, 2015
Time start: 1:45 p.m.
Time finish: 5:40 p.m.
Cruise from: Swantown Marina, Olympia
Cruise to: Penrose Point
Engine hours start: 146
Engine hours finish: 150
Weather: Gray morning, mid 70's, calm, clearing to blue skies
The past several weeks have been spent prepping NORTH STAR for our big cruise of the summer. Yesterday was the final push as we loaded final provisions, filled the refrigerator, wrapped up personal business, and readied the house for our absence. We have a great caretaker this year, our friend and neighbor David Nelson, so we have no worries!
We squeezed in a little time for socializing, too. A couple of my friends came for a visit, and Kelda and the three grands dropped by the marina with early Father's Day wishes for Dan. They are heading on vacation to California, completely the opposite direction of where we are headed.
Time start: 1:45 p.m.
Time finish: 5:40 p.m.
Cruise from: Swantown Marina, Olympia
Cruise to: Penrose Point
Engine hours start: 146
Engine hours finish: 150
Weather: Gray morning, mid 70's, calm, clearing to blue skies
The past several weeks have been spent prepping NORTH STAR for our big cruise of the summer. Yesterday was the final push as we loaded final provisions, filled the refrigerator, wrapped up personal business, and readied the house for our absence. We have a great caretaker this year, our friend and neighbor David Nelson, so we have no worries!
We squeezed in a little time for socializing, too. A couple of my friends came for a visit, and Kelda and the three grands dropped by the marina with early Father's Day wishes for Dan. They are heading on vacation to California, completely the opposite direction of where we are headed.
TODAY, JUNE 18, IS THE DAY! We are on our way! We get a bit of a late start, so we won't go far, but here we go! We don't have an exact itinerary, this is a vacation after all. We will see what the weather does and what we are enjoying as we make our way north into Canadian waters. Desolation Sound and maybe the Broughtons are on our minds. So is Princess Louisa Inlet and Chatterbox Falls. And of course the fabulous Gulf Islands and San Juans are right along our route. Our only constraint is to be home in early August for Dan's work obligations.
The veil of clouds lift to reveal blue skies as we say goodbye to Swantown Marina in Olympia. The tide is low, and a sailboat has run aground at the edge of the shipping channel. We swing over to make sure they are O.K. They are fine and are waiting for the tide to set them free.
The veil of clouds lift to reveal blue skies as we say goodbye to Swantown Marina in Olympia. The tide is low, and a sailboat has run aground at the edge of the shipping channel. We swing over to make sure they are O.K. They are fine and are waiting for the tide to set them free.
South Sound is beautiful as we make our way past Harstine, Anderson, Eagle, and McNeil Islands. Along Anderson, it looks like raindrops are hitting the water, but the little circles are from zillions of small forage fish breaking the surface. They could be herring, surf smelt or sand lances. There is a lot of sky reflected in the water today, too.
McNeil is a place to stay away from, it is the site of a state prison. From Eagle Island we have a distant view of Tacoma and the brown "greens" of Chambers Bay, site of the happening U.S. Open golf championship. A Goodyear blimp is hovering in the sky over the tournament site, but we are too far away for us to see any of the action.
Our timing off for transiting the Narrows today as the currents are strong and against us. Instead, we circle around McNeil and head to Penrose Point for the night. The weather is also turning, clouds and wind are both building up, and wind chop sprays our bow windows. We are able to latch onto a buoy at Penrose. The skies are now gray and the wind on the chilly side. The wind begins to die, and then we have a sound we haven't heard for awhile, raindrops hitting the canopy! There will be no sunset to watch today, but the rain is welcome, It has been a very dry spring in the Pacific Northwest.
Date: June 19, 2015
Time start: 8:30 a.m.
Time finish: 5:20 p.m.
Cruise from: Penrose Point
Cruise to: Elger Bay, Camano Island
Engine hours start: 150
Engine hours finish: 159
Weather/sea conditions: Gray and cool a.m., clearing to 60's, breezy
We had plenty of rain last night. That rain did us a favor. NORTH STAR got a good bath, rinsing off the grime that settles on her from the log storage in Olympia's port facility, located right beside our marina. The morning is gray and cool. We are ready to hit the Narrows with the currents flowing in our favor as we continue heading north.
We pass under the Fox Island bridge, enjoying our "northwest" gray skies. A whole flotilla of seals (at least 20!) are feeding in a group just off of Fox Island, a sight we have never seen before. Then we are on the approach to the Narrows and get a boost of four knots from the current as we pass under the two paired bridges.
Our timing off for transiting the Narrows today as the currents are strong and against us. Instead, we circle around McNeil and head to Penrose Point for the night. The weather is also turning, clouds and wind are both building up, and wind chop sprays our bow windows. We are able to latch onto a buoy at Penrose. The skies are now gray and the wind on the chilly side. The wind begins to die, and then we have a sound we haven't heard for awhile, raindrops hitting the canopy! There will be no sunset to watch today, but the rain is welcome, It has been a very dry spring in the Pacific Northwest.
Date: June 19, 2015
Time start: 8:30 a.m.
Time finish: 5:20 p.m.
Cruise from: Penrose Point
Cruise to: Elger Bay, Camano Island
Engine hours start: 150
Engine hours finish: 159
Weather/sea conditions: Gray and cool a.m., clearing to 60's, breezy
We had plenty of rain last night. That rain did us a favor. NORTH STAR got a good bath, rinsing off the grime that settles on her from the log storage in Olympia's port facility, located right beside our marina. The morning is gray and cool. We are ready to hit the Narrows with the currents flowing in our favor as we continue heading north.
We pass under the Fox Island bridge, enjoying our "northwest" gray skies. A whole flotilla of seals (at least 20!) are feeding in a group just off of Fox Island, a sight we have never seen before. Then we are on the approach to the Narrows and get a boost of four knots from the current as we pass under the two paired bridges.
Beautifully forested Point Defiance is just ahead. We turn into Colvos Passage and follow along the western shore of Vashon Island and then pass Blake Island, a lovely state marine park within easy access of Seattle. The city skyline is off in the distance, and there is plenty of ferry traffic from the big city to various destinations in Puget Sound. There is plenty of other shipping traffic to be aware of, too. Waters are a whole lot busier than in South Sound!
The captain is hungry. The cabin steward gets busy in the galley! What'll you have today, sir?? Mini bagel sandwiches are on the menu, with turkey breast and sliced tomatoes and some fresh cherries for dessert.
We have our lunch, keeping an eye on the shipping lanes and ferry traffic.
The kids call from Oregon! Love having modern communications.
We cross towards Edmonds when the shipping lanes look clear.
The Victoria Clipper heads by on its return trip to Seattle. Her colors are so patriotic, but for which country?? U.S., Great Britain, Canada??
Saratoga Passage between Camano and Whidbey Islands is playfully choppy today and we get a lot of spray over us. NORTH STAR is wet and salty! We could use some more of that rain to wash her off. We drop our anchor at the north end of Elger Bay on Camano, just around the bend to the south of the state park. Dan gets hired to give the windows a good rinsing. He should get a bonus today! There is plenty of caked on salt.
The evening skies over Camano and Whidbey bring the day to a stunning end.
And then the night . . . a sliver of a moon, and a sky full of stars.
Date: June 20, 2015
Time start: 8:30 a.m.
Time finish: 4:40 p.m.
Cruise from: Camano Island (Elger Bay)
Cruise to: Cap Sante, Anacortes
Engine hours start: 159
Engine hours finish: 164
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny with light clouds, light breeze, 60's, perfect cruising day
A year ago we stayed in this spot on Elger Bay and named it "moth cove". We were on our R25SC HOKU KAI. For some strange reason, we were invaded by moths during the night. Well, this morning we are renaming this anchorage "rock and roll cove". That is just what we did all night long, with swells and turbulence and chop from yesterday's wind taking forever to mellow out. We will have second thoughts about anchoring here again.
We pull up the anchor and round Powell Point. Camano Island State Park is located here. We follow the shore of Camano until we reach Rocky Point, passing an amazing number of homes and housing developments and small communities. Camano is a big island and well occupied! We are humming along, Willie Nelson music playing as we cruise. Boat traffic is light for a summery Saturday, we see the Clipper again and a crab boat.
Time start: 8:30 a.m.
Time finish: 4:40 p.m.
Cruise from: Camano Island (Elger Bay)
Cruise to: Cap Sante, Anacortes
Engine hours start: 159
Engine hours finish: 164
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny with light clouds, light breeze, 60's, perfect cruising day
A year ago we stayed in this spot on Elger Bay and named it "moth cove". We were on our R25SC HOKU KAI. For some strange reason, we were invaded by moths during the night. Well, this morning we are renaming this anchorage "rock and roll cove". That is just what we did all night long, with swells and turbulence and chop from yesterday's wind taking forever to mellow out. We will have second thoughts about anchoring here again.
We pull up the anchor and round Powell Point. Camano Island State Park is located here. We follow the shore of Camano until we reach Rocky Point, passing an amazing number of homes and housing developments and small communities. Camano is a big island and well occupied! We are humming along, Willie Nelson music playing as we cruise. Boat traffic is light for a summery Saturday, we see the Clipper again and a crab boat.
We cross over towards Whidbey's Strawberry Point, and Dan takes over the helm as we make our way past the Skagit Flats area and on to Deception Pass. We are timing our arrival at the Pass to coincide with slack tide
Dan takes the helm as currents and wind chop increase. We have hazy views of the Cascades, the Skagit River delta flats and bay. Two eagles fly right over our bow! Mt. Erie lies ahead, and then Deception Pass is right in front of us. We are timing our arrival to coincide with the slack tide through the Pass.
The terrain is looking more and more like we are in the San Juans, beautiful rocky shores and points and island style vegetation. It is getting beautiful here! And here we go through the Pass! It is so amazing with its high bridges, rocky shores, swirling waters. Photogenic!
The terrain is looking more and more like we are in the San Juans, beautiful rocky shores and points and island style vegetation. It is getting beautiful here! And here we go through the Pass! It is so amazing with its high bridges, rocky shores, swirling waters. Photogenic!
We make our way to the floating dock in Bowman Bay to tie up for lunch and wait for a favorable current for continuing to Anacortes. The wait gives us time to chat with other boaters on the float and to mount our stern tie reel in preparation for Canadian anchorages. "Beachcomber" next to us has a pirate theme. A woman is taking the time to work on a painting. We all are interested in the Sea Wolf aluminum boat made in nearby Burlington. We watch eagles, kingfishers, and an osprey as they fly, soar, and fish.
We are loving following the rocky shorelines in San Juan country! Headlands, islands, rising mounds of hills, browns and yellows against the rocks, green trees, blue skies, it's an inviting bit of paradise that makes cruising a pleasure. Another photo op ashore is the scenic Burrows Island lighthouse.
We make our way through the Guemes Channel, passing ferries and marine related activities along the shore.
We get a slip at Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes. We have been here many times before, and all is so familiar. Some Ranger Tugs we know are on the "For Sale" dock - Andiamo, Northern Comfort, Auklet. We also see Ranger Tugs sprinkled throughout the docks. The colored hulls really stand out!
Dinner is out on the town tonight at one of our favorite spots, the Rockfish Grill. It's a great evening to stroll through town (lots of good places to eat, interesting small shops, historic cutouts against buildings, and the most amazing flower baskets). Anacortes makes us really feel welcomed!
Date: June 21, 2015
Anacortes layover day
Weather: Sunny, 70's with breeze
It's the first day of summer as well as Father's Day! We are having a day of rest in Anacortes, a relaxing Sunday morning on NORTH STAR. We are at the outer end of "M" dock so we get to watch the parade of boats heading out today as we listen to mellow symphonic music and have a late breakfast. What a lovely way to start the day!
Anacortes layover day
Weather: Sunny, 70's with breeze
It's the first day of summer as well as Father's Day! We are having a day of rest in Anacortes, a relaxing Sunday morning on NORTH STAR. We are at the outer end of "M" dock so we get to watch the parade of boats heading out today as we listen to mellow symphonic music and have a late breakfast. What a lovely way to start the day!
NORTH STAR gets a complete exterior rinse and the cockpit is scrubbed. We note that the canopy is in need of a good cleaning, too, especially on the port side.
We walk to town again, taking more photos of this inviting place, and find a sidewalk table for a Fathers Day lunch at Frida, a Mexican restaurant. We have a few errands - West Marine (of course!), a hardware store, bookstore, and grocery shopping take up the remainder of the afternoon.
We walk to town again, taking more photos of this inviting place, and find a sidewalk table for a Fathers Day lunch at Frida, a Mexican restaurant. We have a few errands - West Marine (of course!), a hardware store, bookstore, and grocery shopping take up the remainder of the afternoon.
I toast Dan for Fathers Day as we dine on salads and strawberries for dinner, a parade of boats returns to the marina, and then we take a walk through the marina to take photos and enjoy the atmosphere.
Evening in the marina is calm with the late day sun making for long reflections on the water. Quiet, peaceful, lovely, the first day of summer ends beautifully at Cap Sante.
Date: June 22, 1025
Time Start: 9:05 a.m.
Time Finish: 2:20 p.m.
Cruise From: Cap Sante, Anacortes
Cruise To: Shallow Bay, Sucia
Engine hours start: 164
Engine hours finish: 169
Weather/sea conditions: Clear blue skies, plenty of sunshine, breezy, windy day. Light clouds p.m. 60's.
It's Monday morning but without the usual routine! Dan gets us up at 7 a.m. anyway, eager to start the day. We hit the marina showers, have breakfast (fresh strawberries today!), apply our sunscreen, do the little chores to make NORTH STAR ready for today's cruise to Sucia. Looks like we have a routine after all! Allison Krauss serenades us from the Fusion stereo as we prepare. Cameras, cell phones, and iPads are all charging. Whatever did we do before all of these gadgets?
We enjoyed our stay here in Anacortes, now it is time to leave the marina world for a day or two. Fuel tank gets filled and the statue of the lady with the lantern bids us farewell. We round Cap Sante to the view of a hazy Mt. Baker. Two Foss tugs are meeting up stern to stern, the Garth Foss and lindsey Foss. And then a Ranger Tug, we believe it is the Nellie Too, passes by, going in the opposite direction.
Time Start: 9:05 a.m.
Time Finish: 2:20 p.m.
Cruise From: Cap Sante, Anacortes
Cruise To: Shallow Bay, Sucia
Engine hours start: 164
Engine hours finish: 169
Weather/sea conditions: Clear blue skies, plenty of sunshine, breezy, windy day. Light clouds p.m. 60's.
It's Monday morning but without the usual routine! Dan gets us up at 7 a.m. anyway, eager to start the day. We hit the marina showers, have breakfast (fresh strawberries today!), apply our sunscreen, do the little chores to make NORTH STAR ready for today's cruise to Sucia. Looks like we have a routine after all! Allison Krauss serenades us from the Fusion stereo as we prepare. Cameras, cell phones, and iPads are all charging. Whatever did we do before all of these gadgets?
We enjoyed our stay here in Anacortes, now it is time to leave the marina world for a day or two. Fuel tank gets filled and the statue of the lady with the lantern bids us farewell. We round Cap Sante to the view of a hazy Mt. Baker. Two Foss tugs are meeting up stern to stern, the Garth Foss and lindsey Foss. And then a Ranger Tug, we believe it is the Nellie Too, passes by, going in the opposite direction.
We cruise along Guemes and then the east shore of Cypress and Orcas. We have white caps today and sailboats are enjoying the breeze. We cross to Lawrence Point on Orcas (my brother's name!) with beautiful rock faces that drop steeply (we get a 300 foot depth alongside), and the faces rise a good 500 feet above us. I have to take photos for Lar!
It's sloppy crossing to Sucia, and we think it is our lucky day when we snag the innermost buoy in Ewing Cove. We have our lunch, and then decide we need to move, this spot doesn't provide enough protection from the wave action on this windy day. There are seals on the small rock islets as we leave the cove, and an eagle is perched high in a snag tree. Eroded sandstone, Sucia's trademark, molds the shorelines into works of art.
We circle around to Shallow Bay and drop our anchor. We still have winds but in a more protected bay. Luckily, the wind drops as we explore the sculpted sandstone galleries and tide flats along the shore. A young eagle is perched atop a snag on our beach walk. We meet a group of counselors for Camp Orkila on Orcas who are here to train before their campers arrive.
An adult eagle soars over NORTH STAR and lands in nearby trees, followed by an old World War 2 B-24!
The rest of the afternoon and evening in Shallow Bay are lovely, with evening light highlighting the sandstone along the shore as well as the distant islands layered against the sky. We even see a "ghost" ship! We are looking at islands that are in the U.S. (San Juans) as well as Canada (Gulf Islands).
Daylight lingers late as we are in the longest days of the year. This is a perfect spot to enjoy it all. Darkness comes slowly and gradually, painting our surroundings in so many colorful ways.
Date: June 23, 2015
Time Start: 8:00 a.m.
Time Finish: 10:30 a.m.
Cruise From: Sucia
Cruise To: Pt. Roberts
Engine Hours Start: 169
Engine Hours Finish: 171
Weather/Sea Conditions: Sunny, 70's with breeze
Date: June 23, 2015
Time Start: 8:00 a.m.
Time Finish: 10:30 a.m.
Cruise From: Sucia
Cruise To: Pt. Roberts
Engine Hours Start: 169
Engine Hours Finish: 171
Weather/Sea Conditions: Sunny, 70's with breeze
We are crossing to Point Roberts this morning, that little bit of Washington State that juts out from Canada and is isolated from the rest of the United States. Dan has some survey work to do for the Point Roberts Marina, helping them out with their biological evaluation for doing some dredging work.
We will be in the Strait of Georgia as we cross. We pass the south and eastern shores of Patos Island in the San Juans. It looks inviting, next time! We even get a glimpse of the lighthouse as we pass by.
We will be in the Strait of Georgia as we cross. We pass the south and eastern shores of Patos Island in the San Juans. It looks inviting, next time! We even get a glimpse of the lighthouse as we pass by.
OMG, WHALES! A pod is between Sucia and Patos! We see lots of spouting, fins, breaching. We keep our distance and just enjoy the spectacle.
We are in the Strait now, rolling some but it isn't at all bad, there are no whitecaps this morning. We have a following sea on this fifteen mile crossing. The Gulf Islands are to port, the silhouette of Point Roberts and Cascade Mountains are in the distance ahead. A tug and barge may converge with us, we have them in view. They move faster than we do, so there is no problem.
We are in the Strait now, rolling some but it isn't at all bad, there are no whitecaps this morning. We have a following sea on this fifteen mile crossing. The Gulf Islands are to port, the silhouette of Point Roberts and Cascade Mountains are in the distance ahead. A tug and barge may converge with us, we have them in view. They move faster than we do, so there is no problem.
We arrive at our destination. Point Roberts Marina is man made, having been dredged to create the marina. We settle in on T dock at the head of the marina after fueling and using the pump out. The rest of the day is free time for us. Dan preps for his survey work tomorrow, and I have time to sort our growing collection of photos.
Date: June 24, 2015
Point Roberts layover day
Dan plans to use his fish eye camera dropped from the dinghy today for his survey work. Connected to a lot of electronic equipment, he can get all kinds of measurements needed for his site evaluation, things like depth, time, GPS coordinates, etc., are all recorded with the video footage. Then he has the task of reviewing it all later and transferring everything into scientific reports.
I am up early and get a glimpse of the sunrise at 5:30 a.m. before grabbing a couple of more hours of ZZZ's. Our "nest" on NORTH STAR is so comfortable, we have good sleeps! We have breakfast, do the boat clean up, and Dan is off to do his work while I get in a terrific walk to Lighthouse Park and back, taking photos galore along the way and enjoying the laid back atmosphere of Point Roberts. I love the painted fire hydrants, fences, landscaping, views, flowers, beaches, everything!
Point Roberts layover day
Dan plans to use his fish eye camera dropped from the dinghy today for his survey work. Connected to a lot of electronic equipment, he can get all kinds of measurements needed for his site evaluation, things like depth, time, GPS coordinates, etc., are all recorded with the video footage. Then he has the task of reviewing it all later and transferring everything into scientific reports.
I am up early and get a glimpse of the sunrise at 5:30 a.m. before grabbing a couple of more hours of ZZZ's. Our "nest" on NORTH STAR is so comfortable, we have good sleeps! We have breakfast, do the boat clean up, and Dan is off to do his work while I get in a terrific walk to Lighthouse Park and back, taking photos galore along the way and enjoying the laid back atmosphere of Point Roberts. I love the painted fire hydrants, fences, landscaping, views, flowers, beaches, everything!
Inland from Lighthouse Park is a nice campground. There are stupendous views from Lighthouse Park, where I am the only visitor, wishing for whales to swim by. The park has a lot of beach, and a lot of picnic shelters for protection from the wind. There are views toward Tsawwassen, the Gulf Islands, and even toward Mt. Baker. Driftwood dominates the beaches, enough to make terrific shelters or to go log hopping.
Putting together a salmon pasta salad for our dinner, the water tank suddenly goes empty. The water gauge says we still have half a tank, but we have been out for six days and it is obviously empty. We'll have to have Ivan check the tank for us when we return. I fill the tea kettle and a pot from the dock spigot to tide me over until Dan returns.
We have a neighbor! Chuck rows into the slip behind NORTH STAR in a beautiful rowing skiff. He has just rowed fourteen miles across the Strait of Georgia from Patos! He does this every year (and does lots of rowing throughout the year, he is in great shape!). He built the skiff himself and it has places for everything he needs to do the crossing and to camp. He has lots of water bottles, emergency supplies, flashlights, etc. He is a gentle soul and lives at Point Roberts with his wife, also a rower. The most amazing thing is that his crossing today took only four hours! We see him again later after he has been home for a shower and a rest, he looks like a new man. He tells us a lot of stories, especially about boating escapades in Hawaii and how he met his wife by skinny dipping. To top it off, he is now a minister.
We have a neighbor! Chuck rows into the slip behind NORTH STAR in a beautiful rowing skiff. He has just rowed fourteen miles across the Strait of Georgia from Patos! He does this every year (and does lots of rowing throughout the year, he is in great shape!). He built the skiff himself and it has places for everything he needs to do the crossing and to camp. He has lots of water bottles, emergency supplies, flashlights, etc. He is a gentle soul and lives at Point Roberts with his wife, also a rower. The most amazing thing is that his crossing today took only four hours! We see him again later after he has been home for a shower and a rest, he looks like a new man. He tells us a lot of stories, especially about boating escapades in Hawaii and how he met his wife by skinny dipping. To top it off, he is now a minister.
An early supper gives Dan time to take the dinghy and wrap up the survey work. We make use of the marina laundry and prepare for leaving tomorrow. There are lots of electronics to stow away. NORTH STAR has been a work station here at Point Roberts. The day ends calmly, with a hint of a sunset.
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