Pete
03/12/2010, Puget Sound

Don't want to jinx us, but this winter has been pretty good for getting out on the weekends. Not a lot of miles, but some good overnights in the little bays around the sound. Yeah El Nino!

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Pete
11/28/2009, Seattle

So, despite the rain and big wind forecasted for this weekend, Rachelle and I decided that we needed to have thanksgiving dinner on the hook, so after making all preparations for getting off the dock this weekend, left for Blakely Harbor (a small bay across Puget Sound from downtown Seattle) on Thursday afternoon at about 4pm. A quick 6ish nm later and we started the diesel, pulled down the sails and got ready to motor into the harbor, unfortunately after dark. Promptly the diesel died. A quick listen for the fuel lift pump that has been the source of much anguish lately identified that it is again the culprit. (This time we are going to replace it completely and also install a spare as soon as possible, so as to avoid further taunting from a unnamed friend who just had to take this opportunity to point out that his boat is superior to ours in this regard).

We unfurled the jib and sailed into the very well protected bay and found that the wind was nearly becalmed in the bay, with the exception of puffs of air that would alternate directions, into and out of the bay. So, in these ridiculously fluky, wet, and dark conditions, we sailed into the bay and made anchoring under sail look easy.

After a hot bowl of soup, we spent the evening figuring out if we could get a new lift pump out to us, as our friends Marcus, Jen and family were coming out Friday, and if the parts store was open, might be able to bring a new pump to us. As it turned out the store employees had better things to do than to cater to our every need on a holiday weekend, so we started looking at the weather for a good day to sail home (Saturday vs Sunday, as Friday we were having our Thanksgiving).

Friday was spent baking and cooking our feast for two. Breakfast of homemade blueberry scones and coffee, dinner a feast of turkey with cranberry apple stuffing, rustic mashed potatoes, sweet potato souffle, sauteed kale, gravy, and roasted asparagus salad, followed by desert of pumpkin cheesecake (I'll never settle for pumpkin pie again!).

We finished our feast just in time to put out fenders and catch dock lines as Marcus and crew pulled in on Hooked, who came out to spend the night. Unfortunately, our normally still anchorage felt inordinately rough as the current in the harbor switched in the night and pulled the boats sideways to the mouth of the bay. Even small windwaves caused the boats give the fenders between them quite a workout. So we forced ourselves out of warm beds at 4am to put out a stern anchor to hold our bows into the waves which smoothed out the ride for the night.

Saturday morning, we arose to cast off the lines for Marcus and Jen, and got our boat ready to sail home. We pulled up the anchor and sailed out of the bay. The wind was perfect, a downwind run in 20kts of breeze, great for sailing into the slip (thankful for sails and having done these things a few times before it became necessary).

We wished all weekend long that we could be taking photos for you all to see our view from Blakely Harbor, our feast for two, and our sail home, but unfortunately we can't find it. So if anyone sees it, let us know.

Happy thanksgiving all.

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Rachelle
08/26/2009

Up early in order to catch slack tide at Gabriola Pass, warmth and sunshine (but no wind) made for a pleasant, although monotonous day. Pete caught a small pink salmon (too small), released him and was rewarded by breaking his reel on the next cast. Thought about heading into Pirate's cove (one of our favorite anchorages), realized it was super crowded and thought better. Decided to make the best of a "bad" situation and head to Ganges to catch some live music and good food (that we didn't have to cook first).

Desolation Sound 2009

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Pete
08/25/2009

Got up early with the intent of making it south as far as Secret Cove today, but by the time everything was ready to go, we got out at 1100. Then on top of it all, there was wind, so we had to sail (I know, life's tough). Unfortunately the wind was mostly 15-25 kts on the nose, which while made for great sailing, did not make for the best time.

Our late start put us at Garden Bay as it got dark, and made entering the well populated, and residentially lit bay a bit interesting to navigate. But having safely anchored and put up extra fore and aft lights to make sure no other late comers hit us in the night (a lesson learned from our friends on Whisper during their time in Mexico) we are content.

Desolation Sound 2009

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Pete
08/24/2009

Got up early and motored around the clam beds and rocky coves of Prideaux Haven, truly an amazing, if not heavily visited place. There were more boats here than everywhere else in Desolation Sound combined.

After going through quite an ordeal to pull up the anchors in such a way that wouldn't put us on the rocks (ended up tying the stern anchor to a fender, cast it off, pulled up the bow anchor, and motored out of the cove, at which point I climbed into the dinghy and went back and retrieved the stern anchor), we motored to Refuge Cove, where we picked up a few additional supplies to get us back to civilization, about two days away.

I decided to go fishing, took the dinghy and motored across the channel to about a mile north of Squirrel Bay, and whiled away a few hours. Caught and released a Lincod, which while they are good eatin', I only had room in the fridge for a salmon, so released him.

Desolation Sound 2009

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Pete
08/23/2009

A lazy morning in Toba Inlet allowed me to mess about in the estuary where the river in the valley meets the fjord. Lots of eel grass and wildlife from fish to loons, seals, and I was told a bear by another inhabitant of the anchorage.

We sailed out of Toba Inlet and the wind shut off as we exited the inlet and entered Humphrey Channel. We motored around the arc of this channel back to Prideaux Haven, the entrance to Desolation Sound, which for the most part was quite packed with boats.

We found a scary small bay at the north end of Prideaux Haven with lots of rocks and a really narrow entrance, that gave us our own well protected bay, but made for really interesting anchoring.

Desolation Sound 2009

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