Change of Latitude in the Pacific Northwest

Change of Latitude in the Pacific Northwest

Who: Don/Debbie/Katie Baxter/Sarah Leu
Port: Bellingham, WA

The Rest of the Summer Trip: June 10-15

15 June 2012
Don

We picked up the shrimp pots on the way our of Fjordland and harvested a number of deliciously sweet spotted shrimp. Next time, we plan to soak our pots for two nights in hopes of attracting even more shrimp.

June 10: To Bishops Hot Springs
We saw a lot of humpbacks on the trip to Bishops Hot Springs. One went right in front of the boat and we had to stop to avoid a collision. He must have had herring in his sights. At Bishops, we managed a great deep water anchor and shore tie and then Dave and I went up to the hot springs for a soak. It felt good! That night we had shrimp and crab dinner, oh my!!

June 11: To Patterson Inlet
It was a foggy, boring day. To break the boredom, the fleet had a nature contest. Deception called out nature questions to see which boat knew the answer. Debbie cleaned up, answering most of the questions about birds, etc. She won a Northwest Explorations hat. We found an anchorage in Patterson Inlet, a new anchorage for us, and Don fixed crab cakes for dinner.

June 12: To Newcombe Harbour
Dave and Don went out fishing before leaving Patterson but failed to connect. They saw herring but no salmon. They are late this year. We left for Newcombe Harbour where we anchored in a small cove just inside the entrance.

June 13: To Prince Rupert
We cruised to Prince Rupert today. Don made an awesome fisherman's landing at the PRRYC dock, in a tight space with the tide running strong. A lot of the crews from the other boats were on the dock to assist, given the tough conditions, but Don backed Δ Latitude up perfectly, facing backwards from the bridge, and Debbie simply stepped off and tied us up. It made Don's day, though he failed to get the applause he was expecting for such an awesome move!

We were to have a lay day in Prince Rupert but the weather forecast was calling for a very large summer storm, up to 60 knots, two days out so we made plans to skedaddle to Ketchikan and bypass Foggy Bay. Don and Dave were disappointed, since they had been looking forward to the great salmon fishing in Foggy Bay.

Sad news arrived, too. Don's younger brother Dwight passed away. We got an email from Heather in Prince Rupert. Don made plans to fly south to San Francisco from Ketchikan as soon as we arrived.

June 14: To Ketchikan

We crossed Dixon Entrance ahead of the storm and enjoyed good weather. We arrived in Ketchikan and fueled up at the dock near the Coast Guard station. Don packed and prepared to leave. Deb and Dave stayed for another day or two to wait for their flight.
Comments
Vessel Name: Change of Latitude
Vessel Make/Model: Grand Banks CL 42
Hailing Port: Bellingham, WA
Crew: Don/Debbie/Katie Baxter/Sarah Leu
About: We live on the East Coast but enjoy wilderness cruising in the Pacific Northwest.
Extra: We enjoy crabbing, shrimping, fishing, and clamming. Some of us are crazy enough to swim in Northwest waters during the summer.

Change of Latitude in the Pacific Northwest

Who: Don/Debbie/Katie Baxter/Sarah Leu
Port: Bellingham, WA