Day 20 & 21:

At this moment we are circling on Alaska Airlines over an area north of Seattle, due to President Obama arriving this afternoon on Air Force One. They don’t let any other planes in the same air space, so we are doing “donuts” for 30 minutes. Interesting, because the flight is only scheduled for 25 minutes in total, but now will be closer to one hour. Oh well, we have a 2 ½ hour layover in Seattle, so not a big deal for us.

Yesterday we had a great day sailing to Roche Harbor to clear US customs. We saw some whales at various points along the way, but did run into some fog before arriving in Roche Harbor, so we followed one of our boats that had radar. They kept us updated on ferry crossings and other commercial ships in the channel. Arriving in Roche Harbor was a treat for us, it is so beautiful; and quiet this time of year because the season is over. The dock for customs was very tight, and a bit like parallel parking with a fancy yacht in front and other boats clearing customers behind. We did a nice job with the landing. The procedure allows for your crew to get off briefly to secure the boat to the dock but they (Dianna) must immediately get back on the boat. Until the customs process is complete only the captain is allowed on shore (with everyone’s passport). Once cleared we moved the boat so we could look around and take pictures. The group was deciding about staying for while or departing, because of the fog. We looked around a bit and took pictures. It looks like a great place to come back to. My sister Joan recommended The Lime Kiln Café, for breakfast or lunch, but we did not have time, because the group decided to push on.

Rosario Resort on Orcas Island was our target for the night. That would give us a shorter trip back to Bellingham on Friday morning, about 3 ½ hours.

(Plane landing soon)

The resort has a very large mansion on the bluff overlooking the channel and is noted for it’s five star restaurant, so we planned a group dinner for fifteen people. The afternoon was filled with doing some boat chores and a nap. Yea. We put on the nicest clothes that we brought with us, had a cocktail, and headed to the mansion. I had clams in a wonderful broth with bread for dipping as an appetizer, then ahi tuna, and a baked pear dessert with homemade vanilla ice cream. Wow, really good. Dianna had a delicious potato leek soup, scallops, and a special chocolate birthday cake, that the group surprised her with. It was a nice surprise and very much appreciated. Later that evening we sat on the boat and enjoyed a bottle of red wine that we have been saving for the last night. It is a Columbia Valley blend called M100 that we found on the first night in Bellingham at Hagger grocery store. I thought it was appropriate to start and end the trip with the same bottle of delicious Northwest red wine.

This morning was kind of quiet….. We just got up and did our usual preparations for departure. This day was to be 7:30am. I think we were both reflecting on our trip, with all the people we met, waters we sailed, and marvelous vistas that we viewed. The morning was beautiful with a red sky, but that should have probably been our first clue to potential weather. The forecast was for wind of 15 to 25 knots, so very doable. It was also going to be favorable for sailing after the first 90 minutes of travel through some fairly narrow passages. As we left the dock, Dianna took a few pictures of the morning light and the mansion on the hill. The air was really warm out, and we learned that a hurricane in Hawaii was the cause of the unusually warm air. There was heavy commercial traffic, probably because of being so close to Bellingham and the shipping lanes leading to Vancouver.

We put the sails up for a beam to broad reach across to Bellingham Bay. As we rounded Sinclair Island the wind started to kick up to 20 knots. It was a great ride for 20 to 30 minutes, then the wind increased to between 25 and 30 knots with a rising swell that included “white caps”. It was this point when we looked at each other and decided to furl the jib to better control the power we were dealing with. The main was still up and we were making good speed at above 8 knots, but we had at least an hour and a half to travel before Bellingham Marina. Turning north we were now experiencing the waves directly on our starboard beam causing the boat to pitch and roll quite a bit. After such a long trip, we were now both thinking the same thing, “let’s just get in before this gets worse”. We always monitor channel 16 and 9 on our VHF radio, 16 for emergencies and 9 for our group conversations. Mike radioed that winds closer to the marina were now above 35 knots and gusting to 40! He wanted to make sure everyone was aware so sails could be doused, and senses were on high alert for crab pots buoys that would appear out of nowhere as the waves passed by us. While listening to channel 16, we heard an exchange where a 30 foot sailboat called in a “mayday”. They were in trouble of capsizing. The end result was the coast guard sent a helicopter with a basket for a rescue attempt. We never heard the end of the story but we knew the coast guard arrived so assume all is well with the people. Not sure about the boat. We were experiencing waves crashing agains our starboard hull with lots of spray, and we still had over an hour to go before we could get out of those conditions. We were hanging on and bouncing with every wave and were fairly quiet, waiting for the distant shore to get closer. After 30 minutes we turned more to the north and the waves now came more from behind us, and that was very welcome. Occasionally the boat seemed to raise up and surf on the waves from behind us. The other members of our group were scattered about, some were arriving, and some were still behind us. It seemed to take forever but now we were getting closer and moving at more than 10 knots of speed over ground. The wind in the marina was running at 20 knots so much better, but we had a concern over docking with those winds. We radioed ahead so they could help us with the landing. Finally we rounded the breakwater and were inside. Yea! The docking went well and we were greeted with “high fives” by those who were there to meet us. Everyone had a different story about their morning but all made it in without incident. I took a very long, hot shower on our boat, then we gathered our belongings, took out the trash, cleared out the fridge, topped off the water, and off loaded everything. We had one last moment with “Messing About” and then got off and headed up the dock toward our trip home.

The “big finish” we experienced, made it easier to get off the boat for the last time. We were again quiet, because after three weeks of having an amazing time, it was time to go………

Lunch with the group led to stories of the day, then a taxi to the airport, where we are in Seattle waiting for our plane back to San Francisco. It will be a few days for all of our experiences to truly sink in, but all I can say at this point is, we are both blessed to have each other and lucky to be able to see and experience all that we do!

Cheers from Dianna and I!

Winds hit 40 knots today on our way to Bellingham. A bit scary but we are fine. On the plane to Seattle. More later. Cheers

Just crossed back into US waters. Cheers!

We just arrived at Montague Harbor on Galiano Island after crossing the Georgia Straits yet again. Our boat “Messing About” is now tied to a mooring ball and we are bobbing around a bit, but after today’s ride it feels fairly smooth. I checked the oil and cleaned up the boat a bit, then turned on the heater, so it is getting nice and cozy in here. Outside is cold, gray, and raining a bit. Dianna is in the shower while there is still hot water from running our engines all day. Our group has requested to gather again on our boat for cocktails, so they will arrive by dingy, as we will all be moored on differnt “balls” around the harbor.

We got up at 6:15am and it was dark until almost 7:15. We left the dock at 7:00am and could bare see to navigate; but with the chartplotter, that becomes your eyes under way, it is fairly easy. I kept wanting to reach for the headlights and turn them on. We wanted to get an early start because the winds were due to build up more around noon. When we first left Secret Cove we were greeted with mild wind and seas, so our hopes were high for a smoother ride than expected. Then through Welcome Passage it was still not bad, but when we rounded the corner of the island, we knew it was going to be exciting. The waves and wind were hitting our port bow, and white caps were present. Now we have a 28 mile crossing that will likely take five hours. We talked and bounced, and talked and bounced some more. Dianna is reading Moby Dick so she filled me in on the story line, the characters, and, of course, the whale. I am sure I must have read it in high school but don’t remember much, so that helped the time to pass. The power boat with us decided to smooth out there ride by going fast, so soon they disappeared into the gray horizon. The two other monohulls that sailed with us decided to try putting up their sails to smooth out the ride, but that meant they had to change course slightly to gain the proper course for wind to fill their sails. They were now on a very close reach, that doesn’t really work for a catamaran, so we choose to “stay our course” of motoring in the most direct crossing possible. We kept them in sight for most of the time but occasionally, they would disappear. We were going across the Nanaimo ferry path to Vancouver so we needed to keep watch on the horizon. One of our group members spotted them first, so we watched them appear out of the gray horizon. Those things really move when the get going, so just stay out of their way is the best plan to adopt. After about two hours of lumpy seas and bouncing, things actually calmed down and the ride was now far better, but neither of us wanted to comment on that because maybe the lumps would return. We were over half way and condidtions were improving. We were headed for Gabriella Passage, a narrow body of water that takes you from the Georgia Straits to Trincomali Channel where the Gulf Islands are located. Gabriella Passage is yet another waterway that requires timing because of currents. We figured out that if we hit the passage at noon, there would be current of 2.6 knots going against us, but we felt like getting on with it, so went ahead. It turned out fine but I really had to pay attention to the eddys and whirlpools. They move the boat significantly. The passage is a bit tricky also because of many shallow areas that need to be obviously avoided. But we made it through just fine and immediately, the wind and waves stopped, and we were sailing on a smooth flat mirror. Yea!

Our friends Franny and Jeff have a family place on Hall Island, so we made a detour to check it out. We circled the island and took some pictures. It is a beautiful setting where peace and quiet must “live”. One of those places that you picture sitting by a fire and reading a good book. Maybe with a pot of coffee or some hot chocolate.

Tomorrow is supposed to be cloudy with some light rain but winds are not forecasted to be too bad. We will travel to Roche Harbor where we will clear US customs, and then move on to a location closer to Bellingham, to allow us to get in on Friday morning by 11am.

Dinner tonight is steak & lamb chops with some fresh potatoes that we bought yesterday, along with some fresh romaine leaves that we also bought yesterday. I know what you are thinking, “don’t these people eat anything other than romaine leaves?” It just tastes really good and one of the few things that can be fresh.

At tonight’s gathering we are cleaning out our left overs, and putting them out for appetizers, including: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Cheetos, a few corn chips, a few fritos, some egg salad on custless sourdough bread slices, chicken salad on triscuits, and some almonds. It will likely disappear before our eyes……

Cheers from Dianna and I, from a lovely mooring spot in a beautiful bay, in a great & friendly country, where most of the world is forgotten, at least for two more days!

Day 18 & 19:

So, it is late on the evening of Tuesday October 6th. We had a nice trip down from Princess Louisa Inlet, but the weather is turning colder and there are strong winds forecasted for tomorrow. We sailed for seven hours to get to Pender Harbor where go took on fuel and water, and then headed further south to Secret Cove. The winds were starting to come up this afternoon, but still pretty nice. On arriving in Secret Cove Marina, we found them to be closed for the season, so we have a really cheap rate on their dock, but the restaurant is also closed, but not a worry. When we stopped at Pender Harbor we thought maybe Secret Cove would be shut down, so we bought ice and something else for dinner. We have three nights left including tonight, and we really only had dinners for two nights. We bought chicken noodle soup in a package, and then added more stuff to make it more special. A can of chicken that we use for “Karen Brayton’s chicken salad” and some more noodles we just happened to have on board (who would have guessed?). It was delicious and served with, yes you guessed it, romaine lettuce with a lovely mustard vinaigrette. It tasted really good with fall coming on …. Oh and we had some rosemary flatbread left from our provisioning trip to Costco, so that was yummy. Maybe I am spending to much time writing about what we eat and drink, but then I think…….a lot of thought has gone into making this a perfect vacation, so for us that includes good food and wine. And the wine tonight was, again, a local grown cabernet with another cool label (see tomorrow’s photos).

Tomorrow we are again crossing the Georgia Straits heading south toward the Gulf Islands, and the weather is not good. It is scheduled to be winds of 15 to 20 knots in the morning, then building to 20 to 30 in the afternoon, so we are in for a “sleigh ride” with southwest winds on our port side. It is about five hours for the crossing, then south through the beautiful Gulf Islands where we hope to get a break from the waves. The wind is still constant, but the waves should diminish.

We only have two full days left, with a brief day on Friday back to Bellingham, so we are feeling a little sad, but lucky to be on this boat for three weeks and experiencing an incredible journey through a beautiful part of this planet. As we say, “it is not a sad story”, just a wonderful trip coming to an end, but with memories that will last a lifetime!!

Cheers!