Don/Brrrr
12/30/2012, San Juan Islands of Washington

Hooray!!!! We are ready to begin our winter frostbite cruise. This year, my brother Dave and sister-in-law Mary are joining us. We are sooooooooooo happy! They are sailing around the world but left their boat in Malaysia while they are seeing family here in the US. Temps in Malyasia have been above 90. Now they are here with temps around freezing. The picture above says it all, I think. They are not used to our winter temps. Such a bro and broessa to join us on our boat!!!! We had dinner last night with sis Dotie and today slipped our frozen lines in Bellingham and crised through the fog with radar and AIS to Roche Harbor where we had dinner at MacMillans. OMG! Such a meal! There was a schnitzel to die for, crab bisque with local crabs, prime rib cooked perfectly, and deserts that made tummies feel very good. A wonderful meal. Afterwards, we walked carefully down icy docks to our boat and had a wondrful time as Dave and Mary played a fierce game of Blokus. They are so competitive but such a loving couple. Let's call it a draw. ;-)

Current Position

Comments [0] | | More

12/25/2012

This is where they were last in Indonesia. Holy moly is that the life or what??!! Dave isuch a bro and MM is such a broessa to give up this kind of weather for what we will have in the San Juans....and no, that will not be Puerto Rico! LOL! A link to Dave and MM's blog, aboard their boat Leu Cat, appears to the left.

Current Position

Comments [1] | | More

Don
12/25/2012

Merry Christmas everyone! It is nearly time for our winter cruise in PUget Sound and the San Juan Islands of Washington. This year, we get an incredible treat -- Don's brother Dave and sister-in-law Mary Margaret are joining us!!! How great is that!! They are sailing around the world in their Lagoon 44 catamaran and have come back for a bit while their boat stays in Indonesia. They are warm weather folks, enjoying the balmy temps of the tropics but have agreed to brave the cold weather of the Northwest for a frostbite cruise with us for a bit. Snow is predicted... holy moly!! Dave and Mary Margaret are so great to do this so we can see them and talk boats for a few days together. Our current plans, weather dependent are to meet at SeaTac on Dec. 28 and drive to Bellingham. Dec. 29th is provisioning day and dinner with Doti, Don and Dave's sister. It is also a big bb game on TV for the UConn Women Huskies vs. Stanford. Then it is to Roche Harbor on the 30th for dinner at McMillan's. On the 31st we plan to head to Prevost Harbor to celebrate the New Year in a more wilderness location. Steaks on the aft deck for dinner and maybe oysters' too. Then, we hope to cruise on Jan. 1 to Coupeville through Deception Pass. Dave and Mary will be able to cheer for the University of Michigan in their big bowl game as we travel and enjoy Penn Cove mussels at the restaurant in Coupeville and maybe even some Marionberry Bearclaws from Kneed and Feed, the best in the world! From there, maybe to Anacortes and then back to Bellingham. Dave and Mary need to catch a flight so Deb and I willhead back to the islands until about Jan. 8th. So excited!!!!!

Current Position

Comments [0] | | More

Don
06/15/2012

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.

Current Position

Comments [0] | | More

06/10/2012

The early morning light was spectacular on the mountains this morning.

Current Position

Comments [0] | | More

06/10/2012

The sunrise, over our shoulder on the boat, cast a beautiful purple color on the lagoon and western sky.

Current Position

Comments [0] | | More

Don / Full of Anticipation
06/10/2012

The Morning Mists of Culpepper Lagoon

Having traveled up the Kynoch Inlet in search of new lessons
We anchor for the night in Culpepper Lagoon.
Listening to the silent sounds of darkness settle for the night.
The waves kissing the sides of our boat.

That evening we prepare:
Charts, weather, tide
Knowing that soon we will see
The special morning mists that define our anchorage.

In the early morning, the sun begins to its long climb
Over the mountains
At the head of the lagoon.
Revealing faint foggy light to erase the night.

We haul anchor for an early morning exit
Through the tidal narrows
With jagged rocks on each side
But a current that is strong, swift, and true.

Bonaparte Gulls line a long log in review.
Determining our preparation for the rapids ahead,
Making certain we are ready.
In turn, they each nod their approval.

We look back and there we see the lines of mist
Stacked up unevenly across the mountain's face
What do they mean, these layers of wispy streaks?
That will disappear with the day.

Do they reveal some hidden truth?
Do they represent another time?
Or do they simply signal our need to return
As we run the rapids, leaving Culpepper Lagoon?

Current Position

Comments [0] | | More

06/10/2012

We took Rubber Ducky out for a spin and all seemed to work well. You can see the magical mountains of Culpepper in the background.

Current Position

Comments [0] | | More

06/10/2012

A short burned out our capacitor on Rubber Ducky. Dave and I replaced it in Culpepper with the new one flown in to Shearwater.

Current Position

Comments [0] | | More

06/10/2012

This is where we anchored. Silver (Coho) salmon run up the river about Sept. 1. There are usually grizzlies at the river mouth. This time we saw a mother and her two cubs.

Current Position

Comments [0] | | More