The weather turned cool and rainy around the last time I made a blog post (3 weeks ago). Since the last time I posted we visited Grace Harbour, which was beautiful even in the rain. The day before we arrived there was a bear sighting, but we didn’t spot any. While we were there we met Bill, Paddy and Libby of Seastrand – we would take our dogs for shore leave on the same schedule and we visited each others boats.   When there was a break on the weather we headed out of Desolation Sound. We were heading to a port called Westview to re-provision and fill our water tanks, etc but when we got close enough to check on dock space they were full. We headed to the nearest other port, which was Van Anda on Texada Island. We were still a ways off when the engine RPMs started to go crazy. We shut down the engine and sailed even though there were only a few knots of wind. It turned out that the alternator arm snapped. Ralph was able to make a temporary repair to get us to the dock at Van Anda.

Once we got near the harbor we noticed that Seastrand was also headed to the same dock. We had a very nice happy hour that evening about Seastrand. The community around Van Anda was peaceful. Walking along the road, everyone waves at you while you are walking. It’s very sweet. We heard someone say that the island population is 600 people and 3,000 deer – that wouldn’t surprise me!

We stayed at the dock for three nights and then headed south again. Ralph was able to make a sturdier temporary repair to the engine and we felt comfortable heading out, with a good forecast for sailing weather. As things tend to go, the forecast wasn’t quite accurate and we got hardly any sailing in, but we made it to Pender Harbour where we stayed anchored for several days, again waiting out foul weather. While we were there we met some people from San Diego who had built a house there with a dock to keep their boat – it’s a great location for cruising.

Once again a weather window opened and we headed to Plumper Cove on Keats Island, which is in Howe Sound northwest of Vancouver. We stayed at the park dock for 4 days and enjoyed the lovely walks in the campground while the wind raged in Georgia Strait.

We left the dock early and headed to Vancouver, soon wet from a rain shower. We arrived and anchored in False Creek, which is in the heart of the City. It’s a little bit of shock at first with the water taxi’s racing by us many times a day, lots of boats coming and going, party boats making noise, boaters of all types getting their exercise, etc. We were anchored near the home of our friends Anne and Henri and have been able to meet up with them several times and enjoy their company. Soon after we arrived in town we picked up our car and went to take a look at the marina we had made arrangements with to keep the boat during the winter. Unfortunately for us there was a misunderstanding and it turns out they don’t have room for us there. For the last week we’ve been looking for moorage. There are a few options and we hope to have something settled soon. For now we are at a dock in the slip of a friend of Anne and Henri’s, which is comfortable for us. We recently went to visit Bill, Paddy and Libby at their house/farm and had a wonderful dinner.  Vancouver is a great city with great people and we are enjoying it.

Burrard St Bridge crossing Flase Creek

Anchored in Vancouver with lots of activity around us

Grace Harbour

Cloudy but no rain

It’s apple season!

Dave’s shed I guess

Dock at Texada Island

Little pies were for sale right up from the marina – selling out of someone’s house. One blackberry and one apple. Yum!

Pumper Cove Park dock

The beach at Plumper Cove

Sunset at Plumper Cove

Heading to Vancouver in the rain and fog

Point Atkinson

As we entered False Creek we noticed this boat on the beach. Sad.

Anchored with the lovely city in the background

Vancouver

Shore trips in the rain

Canadian Money – I think this is $15.35

Visiting with Bill, Paddy and Libby

Charlie makes himself at home

A beautiful bridge – was until recently the widest in North America

At the dock in False Creek

The same beached boat, viewed from land. I wonder how long it will be there?

We met Anne and Henri of Ariel X at Pender Harbour and spent the next 10 days getting an expert tour of the Desolation Sound Area and learning to use our prawn trap. After Anne and Henri went back to Vancouver we met up with Nancy and Phill of Forever Young and they showed us some of their favorite spots. For the last week we have been on our own, exploring more coves and bays. The last couple of days we have had some pretty severe weather but we are safely anchored, waiting for the storm to pass.

Now, for a little history: This area was named by English explorer Captain George Vancouver in 1792. He was tasked with surveying and charting the west coast from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Alaska. Although this area is extraordinarily beautiful, with soaring peaks, fjords and much wild life, George is quoted as saying “there was not a single prospect that was pleasing to the eye” – the old beauty is in the eye of the beholder thing, I suppose. Vancouver died at 40 of an unspecified disease, but he must have been supremely depressed to come away from here with that impression.

This area is largely undeveloped, although very popular with boaters. One very odd thing is that the water in the area is much warmer than southern waters. While we have been here it has varied from low 60s to low 70s. We’ve done a lot of swimming here, and we are having such a great time. It is truly a gorgeous area. The photos can’t do it justice, but I’ll let them tell the story. We are planning to head south in a few days, working our way back to Vancouver to get read to put Toga away for winter.

Anchored at Tenedos Bay

Sunset at Squirrel Cove

Mussels grow on trees here

Hiking at Roscoe Bay

Squirrel Cove dock

Roscoe Bay entrance

Side tied with Forever Young at Lagoon Cove, Pendrell Sound

Alfred Island sunset

Sad goodbyes

Ralph and Henri – pals!

Salmon at work

Beautiful sailing

Sailing Vista

Melanie Cove

Deer at Melanie Cove

Low clouds

Dinghy parking for Charlie’s walk

Outdoor chess game at Herriot Bay

More vistas

Rebecca Spit park

Von Donop inlet sunset

Beautiful, harmless jelly fish

Many jellies

Anne and Charlie kayaking

Delicious prawn feast

Catching prawns!

Bucket o’prawns

ArielX and Toga rafted together

Caught one!

Desolation Sound views

Entering Desolation Sound

Hiking at Lagoon Cove, Pendrell Sound

Hiking at Roscoe Bay

We left Madrona Bay at Saltspring Island after a rough couple of days of weather. Canada requires that we take the boat out of Canadian waters before 1 year passes. We had depleted ourselves of most food purposely, because the USA has a lot of rules about what you can bring across the border. We decided to go to Roche Harbor on San Juan Island, which was about a 15-20 nautical mile trip.

We cleared customs over the phone with no problem thanks to the Nexus program, which Ralph and I applied for and were accepted into in May. That program enables us to call into customs rather than appear in person, which saves a lot of time and hassle. We called Roche Harbor marina to see if they had space for us at the docks and we were in luck! We tied up and had a really nice stay there for 4 days (we intended to stay for 2 days). Roche Harbor is party central! All three of us had fun (Charlie especially liked the dog park). Every evening they do a flag ceremony, which includes a canon salute for old glory and several anthems. They have nice restaurants and fresh seafood on the docks plus a great little market right in the marina. We loved it and will definitely go back someday. We were kind of bummed out that we didn’t buy Washington fishing licenses because everyone was catching so many crabs! We were jealous.

We decided to go to Friday Harbor next because it is the “big city” of the San Juan Islands (in fact, the only incorporated town) and we needed to do some big grocery shopping and get fuel for the boat. We loaded up with water and did laundry at Roche Harbor, so that was out of the way. When we got to Friday Harbor, the docks were packed so we just anchored in one of the coves there for the night. We discovered that the property rules in Washington are different than California in that a property owner seems to own the waterfront down to the low tide line, rather than the high tide line. So, we did some trespassing on the beach and got yelled at. But we did see some otters, so it was worth it. The next day we had heavy rain in the morning, but by afternoon the weather was great. We did one round of shopping by taking the dinghy in to town. The next day we stayed at the day moorage dock and did another 2 rounds of shopping (important to note that we have to carry everything we buy). We filled up our fuel and headed northward to Jones Island.

Jones Island is a truly picturesque and serene place. It is a small island with bays on the north and south. We anchored on the north side and it was dreamy: wonderful kayaking and quiet. There was a really nice trail and we saw several deer. The next day we headed northward again, this time to Sucia Island. Another gorgeous place to love! We stayed there and enjoyed the beauty for two days.

The next day it was time to reenter Canada. We called in to Canadian customs, and although the process was a little confusing, we are officially checked back in. We spent a night at Montague and then headed for Nanaimo via Dodd Narrows. We are now at the Nanaimo Yacht Club, which is great! We were able to do laundry, fill water, grocery shop, etc. Everything is pretty handy here. We are preparing to head back across the Strait of Georgia to Pender Harbour and then northward to Desolation Sound. We have wanted to go there for so long, we are very excited. We are meeting up with our friends Anne and Henri of ArielX, who can show us the ropes a little.

Cute name for this service

Roche Harbor glory

Gardens at Roche

We miss you too!

Some of the bounty on our dock

Island beauty

Rain at Friday Harbor

Friday Harbor is a busy place

Jones Island, south side

Approaching Jones Island, North side

Jones island harbor

Sunset fro Jones Island

Kayaking buddies

Sucia Island

Breathtaking views from Sucia

Underway

Nanaimo Yacht Club

Delicious dinner

Prawns from Roche Harbor

Charlie is on dish duty

Anchored at James Island

James Island deer

Sunset at Sucia, looking east

Sunset at Sucia, looking west

Sucia moon

Made chile verde in the pressure cooker – it was great!

Moonrise at Montague

We left Port Browning marina on Monday and headed to Montague Harbour on Galliano Island, which I have written about before and is a favorite spot for many reasons. We were only able to sail a little bit, but we did see dolphins along the way – that is always a treat.

After anchoring we took a walk at the park and had a swim. The water is pretty cool in most of the bays, 63-64 degrees, so these are quick swims! Ralph calls them refreshing. On Tuesday it was Noah’s 16^th birthday, so he and I went on an adventure that is famous in Montague Harbour, the pub bus to the Hummingbird Pub. The bus driver, Tommy, is a famous ex-bus driver from Vancouver who hands out percussion instruments as you board and everyone rocks out as we bump along. He stops to offer rides to anyone along the road and to point out things of interest (one thing is a very large meadow where a woman takes care of retired race horses).

The pub itself is nice enough, Noah and I shared nachos and had drinks (beer for me, a special fruit drink for him) and we watched the MLB all-star game on TV. It was a fun celebration and then we went back to the boat for spaghetti and birthday brownies.

On Wednesday we decided to check out Fulford Harbour on Saltspring Island. Saltspring Island is the largest of the gulf islands and is home to lots of funkiness – artists and free spirits abound. The town of Fulford is really cute and we enjoyed anchoring there for a night. Thursday we headed to Russell Island, just about 1.5 miles away, which is a tiny island that is part of the Gulf Islands National Park reserve. At one time the island was privately owned and there is a historical home on the island. To walk around the island takes about 30 minutes and it covered with lovely trees and has beautiful vistas. We met Henri and Anne there from ArielX and two other Sceptres showed up in the small anchorage – we had a fun time socializing, kayaking and hiking. No swimming in this area – the water registered at 59 degrees! We have to draw the line somewhere.

We stayed at Russell Island for 2 nights; it really is at the top of our current list of favorites. On Saturday we went to Madrona Bay, which is near Ganges on Saltspring. Anne and Henri had given us some bait for our crab trap, so on Saturday morning we set it out. Sunday we hauled it up, only to find one crab on top of the trap (?) and one crab in the trap, which we had to release because it was a female. Oh well, hopefully next time! I shouldn’t forget to mention that we went to the fabulous Ganges market on Saturday, which is filled with work by the local artists, local foods and fresh fruits and veggies. We got ice cream.

This morning Charlie and I took Noah over to Ganges with the dinghy to he could catch his flight back to Vancouver. It was fun having a young person on board. Today it was so windy and choppy that when Charlie and I got back to the boat we were soaked! Such is boat life sometimes. We are planning to go to Roche Harbor on San Juan Island tomorrow (in Washington), so we’ve depleted our fresh food as much as possible (strange border crossing rules we have in the U.S.) We need to check out of Canada before we wear out our welcome.

Sunset kayaking at Montague

Noah and I on the Pub Bus

A beautiful collage mural by local artists

Russell Island

One of the giant jellyfish around here

My kayaking buddy

Pizza party with Anne and Henri

Ralph and Noah squaring off at an old form of checkers

Panorama from Russell Island views

Russell Island sunset

Catching crabs – this is a girl so she gets thrown back

Noah taking off from Ganges

Learning how to drive

Sunset at Montague

Resting during our hike at Montague Park

Beach dog taking a break

Brave Noah jumping in

Pub bus fun

Toasting his 16th!

Noah and Tommy Transit, the famous pub bus driver

Birthday brownies

Noah giving the thumbs up to classic Johns family cuisine, the spaghetti burrito

Apples growing on Russell Island

Russell Island – dog and boy friendly

Crab trap ready!

Crab trap down – this is what you see from the surface

We left Vancouver Rowing club on Tuesday as the tide was rising (we had a small issue with low tide upon entering) and headed across the Strait of Georgia toward Porlier Pass.  We had a light southeast wind and had a really peasant sail across the Strait.  The pass was calm, as we went through at about slack tide.  We decided to try to anchor at Clam Bay, but it was crowded and there wasn’t really a good place to take Charlie ashore.  So we decided to head for Preedy Harbour, a familiar place with a nice dock and warm water.

We had a calm night at anchor and the next day we decided to take a long walk and see both marinas that were close by:  we walked to Telegraph Harbour and looked at Telegraph Harbour Marina, which was really quaint and homey, and Thetis Island Marina, which had a nice pub.  We spotted a farm market neat Telegraph Harbour Marina and went in to find that it was based on the honour (nod to our Canadian friends) system. Can you imagine? Meats, fruits and veggies, fresh baked goods – it was amazing! We ended up picking out a zucchini for dinner, some tomatoes and some cherries.  The cherries were the best I’ve had in a long time. We had another peaceful night at Preedy Harbour(warm, swimming water temp).

The next day we headed to Ganges Harbour, Saltspring Island, and anchored; Noah arrived by seaplane in the afternoon.  We did some provisioning at the great market at Ganges and headed out the next day.  Our first stop was Bedwell Harbour at South Pender Island.  We picked up a mooring at the provincial park – what a lovely place.  Noah and I took the dinghy out with Charlie and explored the beach and a little bit of the campground, and we also kayaked around the bay.  We took the dinghy over to Poet’s Cove resort and rubbed elbows – a very nice place.   We had a very calm night at anchor.

The next morning, Noah and I decided to take the kayaks out and had a lovely paddle around with Charlie.  He likes to sit on the bow of my kayak.  We decided we would go to Port Browning, which was about a 7 mile trip.  We had a nice motor/light sail and arrived at the lovely harbor. We anchored and had a fun afternoon and evening, filled with games and popcorn (it was raining).  Our night at anchor was peaceful.  This morning we decided to try to get a spot at the dock at the marina in Port Browning, as several household chores were piling up (grocery shopping, trash, recycling, etc). The marina is really comfortable, and has a pub, cafe, store and a grocery sore within easy walking distance.  Tonight we are barbequing steaks and relaxing at the dock, having fun with Noah.  He swam in the marina pool and we’ve enjoyed warm showers. Life is grand!

Self-serve farm market! This place was amazing.

Treats from the farm market

Dock at Port Browning

Noah getting dinghy driving lessons.

Pender Island plums

Noah Kayaking

Dominoes – rainy day activities

Ralph gave me a haircut – much easier to manage

Celebrating crossing the Strait

Noah swimming at the Port Browning pool

Port Browning

Port Browning

Noah kayaking in the rain at Port Browning

Crew on watch

Crew on watch

Noah testing out the PNW waters

Noah arriving at Ganges Harbour

Noah arriving at Ganges Harbour

Telegraph Harbour marina bistro

Beach at Preedy Harbour

We reluctantly left Montague Harbour and headed north to Thetis Island, Preedy Harbour.  We were basically the only boat anchored there, the other two were derelicts.  It was a really hot day and after getting the anchor set we jumped in for a swim – the water was a refreshing and comfortable 72 degrees!  We had a nice evening but got up early the next morning as we were heading for the Gabrioa Island Pass and needed to arrive at the right time to pass through with relatively little current.  We got through the pass fine, although we hit a log right beforehand – there are a lot of runaway logs up here.  No damage done.

We decided to spend the night in a little cove called Dog Fish, right outside of the pass.  We set the anchor in lovely conditions – warm, light wind.  We had lunch and took a dinghy trip to the beach, where a family of geese was having a battle of wills with a racoon.  We waded and Charlie swam and ran on the beach – he was in heaven! When the evening came the wind picked up and tossed us around a bit during the night.  Our anchor was holding so there wasn’t any danger, but it was a bit uncomfortable.  I have to admit that I hadn’t checked the weather.  It had been so calm and warm, I just didn’t think about it.  The next morning we needed to cross the Strait of Georgia to get to Vancouver and meet up with Amy and Michelle.  We set out at about 9 am and had 20-30 knots of wind during our crossing – it was a little rough and challenging, but the crew managed splendidly.

We’ve been staying the last several days at Vancouver Rowing Club in Coal Harbour, which is in downtown Vancouver.  It’s a great spot, right next to Stanley Park.  We arrived on Canada Day, July 1st, and we met up with Michelle and Amy a little while later.  They had been on a week-long road trip that culminated in a Vancouver visit.  We celebrated Canada Day by having  BBQ with our Vancouver friends and enjoying the fireworks over the bay – felt just like the 4th!

We had a great visit with Amy and MIchelle, did some touring of the City.  Yesterday morning I drove them down to Bellingham to fly home – a short but sweet visit.  Now Ralph and I are preparing to cross the Strait again tomorrow and head back to the islands.  My nephew Noah will arrive in a few days for a 10-day cruise! We are excited to have him.

1st of July (aka Canada Day) fireworks

Smoke on the water – forest fires raging in BC

Fun dinners on board!

Love this

Got to check “photo with a Mountie” off the list!

Had delicious fish & chips in Steveston

Dock at Vancouver Rowing Club

Charlie swimming at Dog Fish

Toga anchored at Dog Fish

Moonshine at Preedy Harbour

Anchored at Preedy Harbour

Spotted an eagle at Princess Harbour

Hazy sky filled with ash clouds

Granville Island wonderfulness

Amy & Michelle trying on Canada hats for me

Hanging out on board, playing Trivial Pursuit

Moonrise over Vancouver

Going to a party by boat!

Beach at low tide – Dog Fish

We’ve been away from the boat yard for almost two weeks.  We started our time by attending the Sceptre rendezvous on Vancouver Island (in Mill Bay, which is near Victoria). It was such a great time with our friends and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  I participated in my first sailboat race, which I really liked.  The winds were very light, so it was pretty mellow.  We came in 3rd! Also, our team won the dinghy rally – woo hoo! Mill Bay is lovely and we stayed at an apartment through Airbnb that was so comfortable and beautiful. It was a great weekend.

We took the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles and then started the drive home.  It was pleasant drive and we had a nice time. We picked up Jacob in San Luis Obispo and got to spend a little time with him before we headed to San Diego for Amy’s graduation. We all enjoyed the commencement and are so proud of Amy.

Tomorrow we are leaving to drive back to the Pacific Northwest – we are getting good at this route. Hope to be back in the water soon!

Charlie and I racing – although slowly

On the road

View from our BnB

Beautiful Goldstream Park

Victoria

Victoria – we stopped in to see our friends Dick and Sue who were at the docks there

Sceptre racing – Ralph crewed aboard Forever Young

Grants Pass brewery

Charlie and his boy Jacob

Heading to UCSD

Amy graduates from UCSD – heading to Law School!

Proud family

We are finishing up here in the boat yard, getting ready to go (via car) to the Scepre rendezvous on Vancouver Island and then back home for a short visit for Amy’s graduation.  Things have been moving along slowly here and we have been combining work with fun, as usual.

We’ve completed many tasks, including: replacing the bilge pump, repairing the refrigeration, getting keel bolts tightened, repairing windlass, prepping the bottom for painting, cleaning and waxing the topsides, de-winterizing our systems, and many other things (including a lot of cleaning).  Among the fun things we’ve been up to: visiting several parks with Charlie, taking the ferry to Bowen Island, visiting Steveston Village, and sailing/dining with our friends.  We will be very happy to be back on the water but we haven’t been suffering here!

Fun on the ferry

Evidence I have worked – paint all over me

Our pals, Anne and Henri

Fun on ArielX (photo credit – Anne Brumwell)

Gorgeous sunset

Beautiful downtown Vancouver

Dogs at the dinner table – OK on the patio of RVYC (photo credit AB)

Love birds 🙂 (photo credit – AB)

Fun at the yacht club (photo credit AB)

Ralph at the helm of ArielX (photo credit AB)

Charlie is pretty comfortable aboard (photo credit AB)

Rainbows but no rain ok, maybe a few sprinkles)

Beautiful evening sail (photo credit – Anne Brumwell)

Hello from beautiful British Columbia! Spring is in full swing here in Shelter Island Boat Yard. There are a lot of boats here and a lot of work is happening to prepare them for getting back in the water. The boat yard is next to the Fraser River, which is quite lovely. Lots of spring flowers around and birds galore. The Canada geese have their young and it is fun to watch them.

Work cut out for us

Canada Geese and Goslings

View of the boatyard from Toga

Fraser River from Toga

We’ve been back in Canada for almost two weeks. Aside from learning how to live on a boat again, we have been stowing, cleaning, scraping, organizing, fixing, mending and washing. We have several important things to complete before we go back in the water, but we are hoping to do so in about a week.

Ralph and Charlie fixing things

This is me working on the water system

We have a new crew member to introduce. Charlie is a cocker spaniel mix (most likely) and he has come aboard as chief security officer, constant companion and bird watcher. Charlie was his name before we acquired him, so I do apologize to our friends and relatives of the same name/derivative. So far Charlie is adapting really well to boat life and we think he will love it when we are on the water.

Charlie

Charlie’s bunk

There is so much to do here, but we are also good at relaxing and having fun. We took a trip to Point Roberts, WA recently and have visited some great off-leash dog parks in the area. Unfortunately, we have both had to deal with colds but we are making the best of our time.

We visited Point Roberts, WA- a lovely town and seaside community – spring flowers in bloom

Point Roberts is in an interesting location

The other day a boat sunk at the dock here in the river.  Apparently, the new owner had brought it here just a few days ago.  They have not had success pulling it up yet.

This vessel sunk while at the dock

Crane sent to haul up boat

That’s about it for now. I wanted to update you and let you know that we are back in Canada. The next post will be after we are back in the water unless something interesting happens in the meantime.  Here is a map of where we re now:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zhEzTN6BSc3A.kqWlXmcmqQbc