Bellingham, WA September 25-28

I find it amazing to step off the boat and be taken into a home that is more spa-like than one can imagine. Sunny and Justin have created just that with their home located on Padilla Bay. There are 70 waterfront feet on and overlooking the bay. From the living room and porch you and sit and see all the way over to Sucia, Matia and Lummi Islands as well as Cherry and Robert Point. Sunsets are obscured only if the clouds get in the way. Justin actually saw and photographed 27 eagles working the tide flats this spring. The first evening there, we were enjoying the feeling of being sated from a first-rate dinner, the sliding door open to hear the waves breaking against the shore and sitting comfortable in red leather chairs and watching the sky turn shades of glowing red. Between this exquisite atmosphere it was unbeatable to pop up and hug my daughter whenever. Between schedules, we don’t get together often enough. Somehow I must work to change this.

Saturday Sunny created an excellent breakfast that included rosemary scones, baked to perfection. Mother Nature did us a great service and provided sunshine and light winds. Sunny had planned ahead and had all the ingredients of a wonderful lunch while Captain Pat navigated us out and around Bellingham Bay for a perfect afternoon sail. There was college laser competition going on – it was fun to watch however one of their buoys designating the course was right by the entrance to the marina. This was the only tricky aspect of the day, negotiating around them and not be pushed into shallow water.

Sunday Sunny was accommodating and chauffeured Pat to his PHRF meeting in the morning and then took me grocery shopping so the last week would find us eating fresh rather from cans. It was hard to say good bye to Sunny however knowing she had to turn around and clean up after house guests and prepare for a new work week it was the right thing to do. Sleeping on the boat after two delightful nights in a great bed, was doable but oh how I look forward to reaching home and sleeping in our full-sized bed again

Fossil Bay, Sucia Island September 23-25

We managed to snag the last free buoy in Fossil Bay. We think that any retiree with a boat grabbed the opportunity to get away for a last fling before the weather took a turn towards wet and cold. Many of these people did not venture off their boats but we did explore the trails to Echo and Shallow Bay and walking the beaches and picking up pretty rocks. Reading and completing Pat’s sweater were the ‘work’ we did for the most part of.

Roche Harbor Customs, Garrison Bay, San Juan Island September 21-23

Re-entering at Roche Harbor Customs was as easy and pleasant as it was last year. There were several boats tied up yet the process of being cleared went very well for us. Not needing amenities of the small store, nor wanting to be tied to a dock we selected to head back over to Garrison Bay. We love the open serene bay with English Camp a short paddle to wander around.

Pat had his introduction to bocce on the grounds of English Camp. Oh what fun it was to be soaking up sunshine and attempting to have our balls bounce or roll close to the marker among the crisp fall leaves. I did ‘crow’ a couple of times as luck had my balls manage to find their way closer than Pat’s!

The 1932 wooden boat, Catalyst, came in on the second afternoon and anchored behind us. It was built for UW as a research vessel. Between then and now it was in service during WWII and is now used as a small cruise ship which takes 12 passengers at a time to Alaska’s Inside Passage. They have eight kayaks stacked in the stern so the passengers can explore once they anchor for the day. I took some time the other day to check them out for more details. Definitely pricey, but what a way to see Alaska without having to use your own boat! In 1995 I went on the Norwegian Cruise Line, Noordam with thousands of other passengers. It was an inexpensive deal that made it possible to take my family to Alaska. Knowing now how up close we get to the inlets and various passages with my two Liberté cruises to Desolation Sound, the realization of what we missed due to the size of the ship and that much of the travel time was after daylight so we missed much of the scenery.

Cowichan Bay, BC September 20

It was enjoyable to return to “Cow Bay” and walk down the main street with the locals and visitors. Hilary’s Cheese Shop, the True Grain Bread & Mill Bakery and Udderly Guy’s Ice Cream were filled many with the desire to treat themselves to fresh and wholesome products. Beyond filling the gourmet gullet the treat of walking into and through Arthur Vickers Shipyard Gallery is a must! Arthur’s prints are exquisite and unique. We feel guilty at walking in and leaving without a purchase. I told Arthur and his wife that the third time back would be the charm. Many of the prints remind the viewer of places they have traveled to, especially we mariners wandering around Vancouver Island and Desolation Sound. There is magic hidden within each print too. The changing of the lighting or physically moving oneself, colors change or another layer/s appears. Awesome indeed. With a bit of luck we will own an Arthur Vickers print.

Chemanius, BC September 18-19

Owing to the fact that “The Woman Wearing Black” was sold out Friday, we elected to make our layover in Chemanius for two evenings. We were not disappointed to hold out for the play was entertaining. It had Pat sitting on the edge of his seat. This occurred after he was startled into an awareness that a third person, the woman wearing black was standing by him; softly stomping her feet to get his attention to move his feet in so she could progress toward the stage. Yes, we were sitting in the middle front row. Our attention was solely on the illuminated two actors directly in front of us.

Harmen, our host at the marina, was as congenial and helpful as last year. His role of harbormaster had an added dimension this year, while a couple young boys were left to their own devices to while away their day. The afternoon was hot; I was sitting under the awning, deep into my book when I heard, “Excuse me. Can you give me my hook?” It took a couple times to realize the little voice was directed in my direction. By the time I was responsive, Harmen was also tuned into the request. Once it was clear that the boys had been casting their line and it got away from them, leaving the hook up and over the boom and tangled in the lazy jack. Now you must realize that the boys were fishing for perch inside the marina. The hook once retrieved, was designed to hook a halibut twice the size of the boys! It was hard not to keep a straight face as Harmen is reminding the boys to drop the line, not cast. A short time later, bored with not having luck catching anything, the boys then began using the ramps as monkey bars. By this time, Harmen’s good will to the boys had been lost and they disappeared.

Chemanius is renowned for the murals and sculpture that depict the town’s history. The public parking at the edge of the town’s shops always had one or two large tourist buses. The average age of these tourists-graying. Late September found most of the shops light to empty. All the cafes were bustling with customers; the brunch and lunch crowd. We elected to eat onboard the boat for serving dinner is not a common option within walking distance of the theater and marina.

September 29, 2009 A safe harbor; welcoming Langley Marina, Whidbey Island

“Hello, I’m Sue and we are on a 38’ sailboat seeking moorage in your marina.”

“Do you have a tall black mast?”
“Yes! We are looking for a place to tie up tonight – to get away from the storm brewing.”
“Yes, I have room for you. I will meet and help you at the dock.”

What a welcome Wayne, dock master, gave us here in Langley. We were vacillating for just a few minutes whether to continue on for another four hours to reach Kingston and take the chance that the rising winds would do just that-escalate. The answer would lie in whether or not there was room in the marina. As the afternoon progressed with gusting wind and rain we are grateful to this decision to stop.

I had taken the helm with light, negligible wind. I was joking how lucky I was to have the warm and calm shift. Within forty minutes I watched the knot meter move steadily upwards and the direction of the wind rotate back and forth and end at the bow with gusts over 25. With this coming up so quickly, the waves had not had the opportunity to grow. Getting cold was my only discomfort. Before Pat returned to the helm, he listened to the weather report; winds 25-30 were expected. We left Bellingham at 7 AM with no winds; the southbound voyage out of Bellingham Bay was smooth with the wind lifting slightly. The Rosario Strait looked smooth at 10:30. However we decided that the slow but known path of Swinomish Slough was our choice. Not long after making this choice, the winds began to blow and the air was cold. Good choice! Once safely out of the slough my rotations at the helm began. The first couple shifts were easy – very pleasant. It was amazing to me that we were the only boat more often than not out on the waterways. As I began, my last shift as we approached the southern end of Whidbey Island weather changed very quickly.

We are tied up close to the dock, very close with the wind pushing the fenders snug to the point of groaning. Today is a lazy day of waiting this weather pattern to pass. Pat is relaxing with a new book while I make an attempt to catch up on ten days of our journey.

After another great meal last night, we have decided that this has been a journey of discovering great food, many in places we never expected four star meals. I wish that I had kept better record of those meals and had a camera when they were set before us. Everyone were worthy of a presentation in Gourmet magazine and Ruth Reichl writing a critique and rating them with stars. Anacortes’ small Bellisima Tattoria Italian restaurant my daughter Sunny recommended, began teasing and treating our taste buds: Westview’s Alchemist, Masthead Restaurant in Cowichan Bay, probably the best of all, Martine’s Bistro in Comax, Giuseppe’s in Bellingham another top choice thanks to Sunny recommending. The Penn Cove mussels at the Edgecliffe Restaurant last night will be our last meal out. Keeping Pat looking forward to my meals may be difficult – he may think every meal should begin with an appetizer and progress through to the grand dessert with coffee. I don’t think that would work with his slim waistline or my time spent in the kitchen. Once in a while yes, I love to show my creativity in the kitchen, but not every day, or week! Besides the finis of the chefs, it was the presentation that wowed me more often than not.

I shall close this out shortly and take Pat up to the town of Langley, treating him to his beloved mocha while looking for a book he has not read. That might take awhile! Afterwards I intend on being inspired with window shopping the shops and boutiques that offer high quality products made by the artists living on the island. This afternoon I will catch up on the stops at Chemanius, Cowichan Bay, the return to Garrison Bay, and Fossil Bay on Sucia Island.

September 18, 2009 Heading south to Chemanius, BC

As I predicted last evening, the air was fresh and as we left Nanaimo at 7 AM the air was permeated with the smell of freshly cut lumber, lots of it. The only swells on the water were those made by the ferries. If you saw them, you may wonder why the wake is not larger; these vehicles are so large, and by their appearance one would wonder how they stay afloat; lots of lead in their keel so says Pat. The area was virtually void of boats when we left so it allowed me to pay attention to the details of the new day. The sun was hidden behind a veneer of clouds, working hard to burn them away. A lot of effort was needed to warm the air, which was hinting at the new season, fall. A small quantity of seabirds skimmed the water, in groups of three to five. One could become very tired simply by watching them work at flying for their wings motion was very rapid- rather frantic looking!

Once we were well out in the bay, we looked astern and a contingency of other boats were lined in a row, about fifteen minutes behind us. Many were powerboats so you know that they would catch up any time they pushed the throttle forward. We actually slowed down as to not arrive at the rapids at Dodds Narrow too early. As it was, we did go through about twenty minutes before slack. Pat had fun running with the two extra knots the water was still pushing out this narrow channel.

A majority of those heading southbound at the same time as we, veered starboard towards Ladysmith, BC. We pulled out Waggoner’s Guide and perhaps it will be a place to explore on our next journey north. We are interested in revisiting Chemanius. Last year we saw the live production, Joan of Arc and we are curious and ready to have the culture of a play at this point of time. We now have tickets to see A Woman Wearing Black tomorrow night for tonight’s auditorium is sold out.

As was with Nanaimo, the town is quiet with few tourists. We hit our favorite used bookstore/coffee shop. We donated six read books and in return added three new ones to our library. I keep myself busy with knitting and writing this blog so have just read five books thus far. Pat, well, let’s say has read quite a collection, I have lost track as to the number. The important aspect to remember is that we both are content.