12/29/2010

Here is a photo of our new, backup VHF radio. We installed both a backup chart plotter and a second radio for the Alaska trip this coming summer. It is always important to have backups in that part of the world.

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Don/Small Craft Advisory for the Islands
12/29/2010, Bellingham - Northwest Explorations

Today was a very long day for us. We left home at 3 am for a 6 am flight from Hartford. Hooray for upgrades!!! We arrived in Seattle, through Dallas, at 1 pm Pacific Time, got our rental car and drove to Bellingham, arriving about 3:30.

We stopped in at Radar Marine to thank them for the wonderful job of installing a new back up chart plotter with AIS at both the upper and lower helm stations. After bringing our gear to the boat and making sure the heater was working, we had a number of errands to do: banking, getting a new cell phone charger, having a bite to eat, and very light provisioning at Fred Meyers for things that may be more expensive or not as good quality over on Vancouver Island: meats, beer, wine and......cookies! Then we headed back to the boat and stowed all our gear and the food away. There are always little things that need doing to make our boat right so we stayed up doing some of those things (more tomorrow!).

We set up all of the remote thermometers in the refrigerators and freezers that show their temperatures on a central display. This sounds like another gizmo Don has bought but it really serves its function well. At a glance we can see the termperature in every unit and even the inside cabin temperature and outside temperature as well. It also has a weather forecast that is remarkably accurate for the next 12 hours. Right now it is showing partly cloudy. We'll see!

We finally went to bed about 10 pm Pacific, 1 am Eastern - a 22 hour day. Sigh! It is good to be aboard.

The weather looks a bit rough for later today (I am up early and writing this entry.) Here is the marine forecast for the next few days (from 2:30 am this morning on 12-29).
PZZ133-291745-
NORTHERN INLAND WATERS INCLUDING THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS-
254 AM PST WED DEC 29 2010

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...
TODAY...NW WIND 20 TO 30 KT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 6 FT. CHANCE OF SHOWERS EARLY THIS MORNING.
TONIGHT...NW WIND 20 TO 30 KT...BECOMING NE 15 TO 25 KT LATE THIS EVENING. WIND WAVES 3 TO 6 FT...SUBSIDING TO 2 TO 4 FT.
THU...NE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT.
THU NIGHT...NE WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING E AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT.
FRI...E WIND 10 TO 20 KT...BECOMING NE. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT.
SAT...NE WIND 5 TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS.
SUN...LIGHT WIND...BECOMING SE 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS.


We will evaluate things later in the morning and decide if we should go across to Sidney to meet up with friends and complete provisioning or wait here for another day.

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Don
08/08/2010, Bellingham - Northwest Explorations

This poem that I wrote two years ago, sums up my feelings at the end of a summer cruise.



Red Right Returning

It's sad to see the welcoming messenger.
The end of a long summer passage.
Red right returning.
First sign of the channel.

In several short weeks
A world away
A different life is lived.

The journey restores.
New lessons are learned.
Sustaining us through the winter.

As fog descends,
Radar begins
Its silent sweep of hazards.

Transition is here.
We enter the mist
Thinking of next year's journey.

Red right returning.
First sign of the channel.
It's sad to see the welcoming messenger.
The end of a long summer passage.

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Don
08/08/2010, Sudden Valley - Bellingham

A wonderful time with Dotie

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Don
08/08/2010, San Juan Islands

On the way to Bellingham

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Don
08/06/2010, Bellingham - Northwest Explorations

Bristol fashion!

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Don
08/06/2010, Bellingham, WA

We slept in, knowing it was a short leg today to Bellingham. We departed about 9 and headed out. We went through Pole Passage and the chart again showed us on land, going through this narrow pass. It is always a good reminder that chart plotters are not always right and one should never depend on them, by themselves, for navigation. The trip back home at the dock at Northwest Explorations, where we keep our boat in their fleet, was pretty uneventful. When he sees the first red buoy, marking the return channel, Don always thinks of the poem he wrote on another trip, "Red, Right, Returning." It is posted above.

On arrival, we headed to the fuel dock and filled our tanks with diesel. Then we made a great downwind landing with the help of John and Sarah. We pride ourselves in securing our boat to the dock correctly and neatly. Brian and the group at Northwest Explorations have taught us well. The photos above show our lessons learned.

That evening we brought take out over to Don's sister, Dotie, and had a great meal from Busara's, the Thai restaurant in town. We had a great time together recalling family stories and catching up on family events.

On the return back to the boat, we raced a setting sun to capture our final sunset. Sarah took the shot that appears with this post and concludes this summer blog. The next day, Don, Sarah, and John would pack up and clean up the boat a bit and head to the airport in Seattle. It was the end to the best summer trip ever aboard Change of Latitude.

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Don
08/05/2010, Roche Harbor, WA

We all had a great sleep, except for Sarah, who heard thunder. They started fires on Vancouver Island. After breakfast, we cleaned up Rubber Ducky from all the fishing and then brought her aboard. We raised anchor and departed one of our favorite spots. Cabbage had once again been good to us. On the way out, we cruised by the islet at the entrance to take additional photos of those cute little harbor seals, then we headed off to civilization and Roche Harbour, one of the chi-chiest marinas in the San Juans. On the way out, we marked a lot of salmon on the fish finder in Tumbo Passage, the only place we did not fish!! Sarah took us across Boundary Passage and into US waters. At Roche, we had to first clear customs so we landed at the customs dock and Don got us through. Then we headed to our slip and backed in sweetly and tied up.

A question - We hate to say this, it seems a bit snobbish, but why do owners of Bayliners seem frequently to be a bit, how shall we say it........obnoxious, rude, and not very thoughtful boaters? We docked next to a couple with a Bayliner and the pattern proved all too true. We thought - Welcome back to civilization and the human patterns that all too often define life in our contemporary world. Thoughtfulness, compassion, and courtesy are infrequent visitors. We all sensed that our wonderful trip was closing its special window.


John and Sarah went off to explore the island and ice cream possibilities. They even brought Don some huckleberry ice cream. Yummmm!

That evening, John fixed another meal of salmon, this time with crab cous cous. Double yummy!

The evening flag ceremony took place, as it always does at Roche. Sarah blew our horn, the deepest, loudest horn in the harbor. It is just about the only time we get to blow it! We went to bed, preparing for our final leg in the morning, to Bellingham.

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Don
08/04/2010, Cabbage Island Marine Park- Gulf Islands, BC

This little guy strikes a common pose when harbour seals want to keep head and tail dry on a raising tide. He was just outside Cabbage Island. We saw him on our way out.

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Don
08/04/2010, Cabbage Island Marine Park- Gulf Islands, BC

Sarah caught this awesome Ling Cod while we were trolling off Cabbage Island. (Don is in his bandito pose - to protect against the sun.

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