Goodbye to Family; Leaving the Gulf Islands for Desolation Sound

                

Days 7 cont., 8 & 9.  June 23, 24, & 25, 2013:

Sunday, June 23.  After dodging the BC ferries in the middle of Active Pass we are on the hook at Montague Harbor.

A pleasant but drizzly afternoon is spent at this huge bay, one of BC’s largest marine park.Cam is feeling better but spends most of t the day resting.  Ginny and Kristin take the 3 grandchildren ashore to ‘gunk hole’ and I do a dinghy cruise to the store on a beer and fishing gear quest.

To see our present location click on this typing.   After the map loads zoom in for detail.

Ginny served a delicious pot roast and noodle dinner and Cam eats for the first time in 24 hours feeling much better and ‘starving’.  One of John Wayne’s classic Saturday ‘Nickel’ Matinee western movies is ‘enjoyed by all’ after dinner. At 52 minutes they are a perfect length for the young ones before bed time reading.

Monday, June 24.  It rains hard all night so the flying bridge camp out crew are a bit damp in the am. It is also chilly so everybody sleeps inside tonight.

A big pancake breakfast fills and warms them.  We depart for Otter Bay but about half way there Cam learns that Caden has a playoff baseball game scheduled a day earlier than hoped for.  Accordingly we alter our course for Port Sydney Marina, where the family will depart via the ferry back to Anacortes at noon tomorrow, a day earlier than anticipated.  

We arrive early afternoon and the young Morthlands work off their ‘cabin fever’ exploring this charming Vancouver Island town about 20 miles north of Victoria.  Dad suspects a possible battery issue and stays on board to deal with that.

Tuesday, June 25.  

The day is spent bidding good bye to the young Morthland clan, having a marine electrician test the entire battery system-nothing diagnosed- so apparently only a perceived issue on my part- so now I have ‘peace of mind’ and a much emptier pocket! Cest la vie.  

Spot shopping , boat cleaning, laundry, etc. and updating and uploading this blog consume the rest of the day.

Day 10, Wednesday, June 26.  After a well deserved and good night’s sleep and a leisurely morning Ginny C, with Dave, Ginny, and Lizzy aboard, departs Sydney about noon and heads north.  The weather is clearing but is still quite squally. We have a great run up Sansum Narrows showing 9.7 nm speed over the bottom at one point and a steady 8 plus most of the way.  Our overnight tonight is a 4 hour , 27.8 nm run to Telegraph Harbor Marina on Thetis Island, one of our favorite places in the Gulf Island group.

To see our present location click on this typing.   After the map loads zoom in for detail.

 Day 11. Thursday, June 27: The challenge of Dodds Narrows and on into Nanimo,BC

Dodds Narrows is 13 nm north of Telegraph.  It runs 8-10 knots current making transition at slack a necessity.  Today, our nav. aids tell us it will be slack at 7:34 am and again at 1:39 pm. being 13 miles away we have about a 2 hour run to get there in time to traverse it at slack tide.  Not wanting to depart at 5:30 am to make the 7:30 slack, we decide to sleep in and depart about 11am to give us plenty of time to get through this passage at the 1:39 slack water.  Once thru we will have only about a 6 nm run into Nanimo. 

Thursday, June 27.  We have left the Gulf Islands and docked in Nanaimo after a 2 3/4 hour,19 mile run via Dodds Narrows. We reached these turbulent narrow 1 hour ahead of  its predicted slack at 1:39 pm.  My Nav aids said it was running over 4 knots against us so we killed about 15 minutes until we saw 3.5 knots and went through 50 minutes before slack being tossed a bit but no real issues.  it is narrow so boats were lining up in both directions.  Traffic was my biggest concern.

10 minutes after we docked our former Selene 5022, Ina Marie ( now ‘No Sheets’) called for dock space.  We watched her come in and dropped by for a short visit with Mike and Lori Young who purchased the boat from us in 2010.

We will have dinner with Tucson friends, Al and Joy Grant.  We will spend the night here before leaving for a much longer day crossing the Georgia Straights on Friday, on our first leg toward reaching Desolation Sound where we will slow down again to spend several days enjoying this beautiful part of the inside passage/ Today’s small craft advisory in the GS is supposed to dissipate overnight.  If it does we will go but if not we will enjoy another day here waiting for predicted light winds on Saturday and will cross then.

To see our present location click on this typing.    After the map loads zoom in for detail.

Friday, June 28.  After a great evening  and yummy dinner as guests of Tucson friends, Al and Joy Grant, it was off to bed and up at 6am for our 4 hour, 32nm crossing of the Georgia Straights and on into Madeira Landing in Pender Harbor. Seas were calm as SE Winds died overnight and gradually shifted to light NW, which should bring good weather--Finally--!!!   We did some basic shopping and are relaxing this afternoon before heading to Desolation Sound in the Morning.

To see our present location click on this typing.   After the map loads zoom in for detail.



Ginny and I have been happily married for 50 years , have 2 sons and 6 grandchildren. We have been avid boaters since the mid 1970's. We have sailed in various parts of the world making 'bareboat' charter trips in the Washington and Canadian San Juans and Gulf Islands, Maine,the British Virgins, South Pacific's Moorea and Tuamoto's and New Zealand. We owned and raced a J-24, Laser, and cruised a Newport 30 before buying a long range trawler in 2003 and cruising the waters of the Pacific Northwest and the 'Inside Passage' of British Columbia to SE Alaska for the last 10 years. After first owning a 2000 Selene 47, and 2002 Selene 50 (both named 'Ina Marie', we now, in the 'bell lap' of our boating days, own, operate and thoroughly enjoy 'Ginny C' , our 2007 Selene 42.

Monday, June17, 2013: Under Way and Heading North

Ginny and I have been happily married for 50 years , have 2 sons and 6 grandchildren. We have been avid boaters since the mid 1970's. We have sailed in various parts of the world making 'bareboat' charter trips in the Washington and Canadian San Juans and Gulf Islands, Maine,the British Virgins, South Pacific's Moorea and Tuamoto's and New Zealand. We owned and raced a J-24, Laser, and cruised a Newport 30 before buying a long range trawler in 2003 and cruising the waters of the Pacific Northwest and the 'Inside Passage' of British Columbia to SE Alaska for the last 10 years. After first owning a 2000 Selene 47, and 2002 Selene 50 (both named 'Ina Marie', we now, in the 'bell lap' of our boating days, own, operate and thoroughly enjoy 'Ginny C' , our 2007 Selene 42.



Day 1.  June 17, 2013:

We are under way!!! 

 For our present location click on this text:   After the map loads zoom in for detail.

Since arriving back in Oregon in mid May, after spending the better part of two weeks prepping, servicing and provisioning the boat, as well as researching and developing a general navigation and cruise plan and establishing this new blog , we departed Olympia, at 9 am.  It is a mostly sunny day as we head out of Inlet and proceed on to Tacoma and Seattle. 

We traversed the tricky ‘Tacoma Narrows’ passing under it’s famous suspension bridge at 12:35, at almost slack current. Once through the Narrows we cruise on up Colvos Passage [Vashon Island] and on to Shilshoe Marina, enjoying the beautiful Seattle skyline.  

We arrive at Shilshoe at 3:30- a nice first day on the water for 6.5 hours and just over 50 miles.  Just before arriving I notice what seems like touchy stabilizers so I call Naiad on arrival.  Their Tech guides us thru some diagnostics.  All seems fine.  Tomorrow we will

test run in the AM to try and replicate and if it repeats he will come to the boat mid afternoon requiring a stay over an extra day in Seattle.

We spend the evening with Ray Kube and Judy Vandeveer, [to us and others ‘The VanKubys’ ]who live at Shilshoe on their Selene 4704 ‘Turn Point’.  We sold the boat to them in 2008.  It was then our ‘Ina Marie’.  They join us on board for dinner.  A very nice evening. 

For our present location click on this text:    After the map loads zoom in for detail.

Day 2. June 18:

Thinking we will be in Seattle for another day dealing with the stabilizers we sleep in a bit then took the boat out and ran it for 8.4 nm, about 1.75 hours,  Stab’s ran beautifully so whatever it was , was not them.  Talked with Naiad Tech. and he said we should cancel his mid afternoon appointment because he had no diagnostic suggestions beyond what we had done..  So we took off  about 11:30 and headed for Coupeville via Everett. Saratoga Passage and Skagit Bay on into Penn Cove, a 40 mile almost 6mile run.  We dodged crab pots all the last 15 miles.  They were thick or thicker than we remember dodging lobster pots for an entire week several years back while sailing ‘down east’ in Maine, as guests of our friends Tad and Joyce Lhamon.  the weather was windy in Penn Cove and the docking tricky.  We walked into town for a great Mussel feast on Penn Cove’s fantastic Mussels at Toby’s Tavern, a favorite of ours where you buy them by the bucket at $xxx per pound.  

For our present location click on this text:   After the map loads zoom in for detail.

Day 3: June 19

Today, we must time our selves for slack current to get safely thru Deception Pass in order to reach the San Juan Islands.  

Our destination is Shaw Island where we will pick up a private buoy in front of Jerry and Lori Molitor’s beautiful home nestled in its own cove at the NW corner of the island near the west entrance to Wasp Passage. 

Slack current at Deception Pass is a 1:20pm so we leave Coupeville just after 10 am to make the 20 mile run, not certain how much the tide will be against us en route. Time to dodge the crab pots again for the first 2 hours. Turns out we have a flood pushing us until about the last 5 miles where the two floods meet.  We arrive about 50 minutes before slack so we so we run in and take a look at Coronet Bay just east of the Pass to kill a bit of time.  My Nobeltec says the current is dying fast so we  we decide to make a try about 45 minutes ahead of slack with 3 knots on our nose.  We have no major issues tho we do get tossed around a bit in some whirlpools and tide rips and a few small overfalls.  So we are on to Shaw via Lopez Pass.  We are now dodging Ferry boats instead of crab pots.

 It is nice to see the Molitors again.  We first met at the 4th Selene Rendevous at Roche Harbor.  I had my Studebaker hat on.  They had their new Selene 36. Jerry is an avid Studebaker collector.  They also are now in Tucson during winter months.  We launched the tender and took a pasta dinner ashore. We had a great evening. It was nice to see them again and reminisce about their former boating days.  We went back to the boat and ended the day watching a beautiful sunset.

For our present location click on this text:   After the map loads zoom in for detail.

Day 4: June 20

We awoke cold rain and decided to head for Anacortes , 18nm east, a day ahead of schedule.  We will board Cam, Kristin and family late tomorrow afternoon. Most of the trip is in the Ferry lanes so we are on ‘alert’ the entire way.  Visibility was good but limited so we used the run time to brush up with some radar practice. We are booked into Cap Sante for the night.  We topped off with fuel on the way in [110 gal.] Because of wind our docking on the FD and in our slip was a bit tricky.   Dave’s sister and her husband are here on their Grand Banks 36 for the summer, so we called and went out for dinner.

For our present location click on this text:    After the map loads zoom in for detail.

Day 5: June 21

Woke up to a beautiful but breezy day and spent most of the day with making short trips to the hardware and marine stores and doing those small overlooked things that need doing.  Ginny provisioned dairy and produce for Cam’s family arrival.  We get a late checkout so when they arrive at 4pm we load up and take off at  5pm for a really nice evening run back to Shaw Island where we tie up to Molitor’s bouy at 7: 45, eat a great corned beef dinner and early to bed.

Day 6: June 26

We are off the bouy an on to Canada at 8:40, a 13 nm run to Bedwell Harbor.  We enter Canadian waters about 9:50, proceed into Bedwell and are cleared and on our way again at 10:35.  Our destination for tonight is Tumble Island Marine park, a small island and cove at the SE end of Saturna Island, getting a 2 nm favorable tide/current push for this 14 mile leg.  This lovely spot sits in the Straights of Georgia in a shallow  cove between a long reef and beach and Cabbage Island.  We are about to drop the hook when one of its 10 mooring bouys becomes available so we grab it.  The day is warm and sunny so we inflate the Kayaks, drop the tender and head for the beach to explore and ‘gunkhole’.  All three grandchildren have a grand time gathering shells and playing in the sand.  Cam, Keira and I set the crab trap in 35 feet while dinner is prepared.  

 Cam has furnished us with two full racks of his sumptuous baby backs to feast on. The day ends with another spectacular sunset.

Day 7: June 23

Not off to a great start as Cam awakens about 3am with a yucky stomach bug experiencing all that comes with this ailment.  We wake again to overcast skies and light drizzle. Caden and I pull the crab trap-no luck-just two small females.

Our destination today is Montague Harbor Provincial Park about 16 nm away.  We  ‘weigh anchor’ 10:15 and arrive here in a steady drizzle at 1:20.  The excitement for the leg is transiting 2 nm ‘Active Pass’ with its 2 blind corners.  This is the pass used by the huge B.C. ferries running from Vancouver to Sydney/Victoria.  We enter the pass at 8 knots and are immediatly slammed by a 3.5 knot current on our nose and a few minutes later the radio security calls come fro each of the 2 ferries entering the pass going in opposite directions.  We have no issues, giving them all the room they needed but it is a bit exciting as we have just 4 knots headway compared to their 18-20 knot speed in these tight quarters with its tight turns.

                                                                 Almost a "Head On' in the middle of Active Pass

For our present location click on this text:   After the map loads zoom in for detail.