Blessed Lady

This is the cruising blog of the sailing yacht Mabrouka. The Favorites in the side bar allow those with discriminating taste to filter for just the stuff you want to read. Thanks for visiting, Roy.

13 September 2015
21 August 2015
21 August 2015
20 June 2015 | Marina Mazatlan, Mazatlan, Mexico
15 June 2015 | Marina Mazatlan, Mazatlan, Mexico
15 June 2015 | Marina Mazatlan, Mazatlan, Mexico
15 June 2015 | Mazatlan Marina, Mazatlan Mexico
13 April 2015 | Off Club Nautico, Mazatlan Commercial Harbor, Mazatlan, MX
15 February 2015 | Marina Mazatlan, Mazatlan, Mexico
13 February 2015 | Marina Mazatlan, Mazatlan, Mexico
25 January 2015
06 January 2015 | Mazatlan, MX
24 December 2014 | Marina Mazatlan, Mazatlan, Mexico
24 December 2014 | Mazatlan, MX
22 December 2014
21 December 2014
18 December 2014 | Playa Isla de la Piedra, Mazatlan, MX
18 December 2014 | Mazatlan, MX
15 December 2014 | Ensenada des los Muertos, Mexico

Exploring Montague (back-dated from 09/05)

31 August 2013 | Montague Harbour Marine Park on Galiano Island, Canada
Roy / Mostly sunny with light breeze
Leaving my mark

Early morning found me in the dinghy poking around the bay in the early morning mist. I putted through the flotilla of sleeping boats to the little store in hopes of a latte and a hot cinnamon roll, but was too early, so headed back to Mabrouka to satisfy at least the coffee urge. My immediate needs met, I went back to the marina store and explored the book shelves buying some much needed tide and current tables for the Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound as well as a couple of books on local cruising and history. Having spent too much money, I dropped my booty back on Mabrouka and headed to the north side of the bay to some inexpensive exploration on the trails and beaches of the marine park.

Although the scenery of the various islands has begun to blur into one continuous collage of Madrone-dotted woods, fern-lined paths, and rocky beaches, it is a pleasant blur. The Madrones (called Arbutus around here), are a constant pleasure to me with their tortuously twisted branches streaked in yellow and red, bark curling off in flakes, and trunks stretching almost every way but skyward. Take a look at the Montague Harbour Marine Park sub-album of the Local Cruising - 2013 gallery for photos of some prime examples.

Madrone

My photo adventures ashore distracted me for several long, sweaty hours, so I headed back across the bay to the marina cafe for a sandwich and a beer. After returning to Mabrouka for my obligatory nap, the plan for the remainder of the day was to catch an early evening ride to the Hummingbird Pub on the Pub Bus. Shaving and a showering and getting togged-up took me a little longer than planned and I missed the 6pm ride, so I dilly-dallied for a while, then motored in around a quarter ‘til for the 7pm bus.

Walking up the road to the pick-up point, I recognized the familiar figure and mannerisms of past co-worker Marsha Hudson standing at the stop. Marsha is a constant entertainment, so it was with great pleasure that I stopped a few paces away, arms spread in greeting to catch her attention. With apologies to her husband Michael for doing so before shaking his hand, I gave Marsha a big hug hello.

Marsha and Michael were just starting out on a two-week vacation, visiting all their favorite Gulf Island spots. One of their must-do experiences was riding the Pub Bus to the Hummingbird for dinner and music. I’d been told by other friends not to miss it, so I was very happy to have a couple of experienced revelers to keep me in line. The experience was everything I’d heard it would be, although the bus was less dilapidated than Marsha and Michael remembered. The old bus had apparently been retired to what was purported to be a glorious career in demolition derby. In moving from its first career of transporting school kids to a second of transporting drunken party-goers, the new bus had been equipped with a blaring sound system and had the ceiling over the driver’s seat festooned with a rack of cow bells, cymbals, and various other noise makers.

With what started out as mild concern, but was soon abandoned to full-hearted participation, we all joined the driver in paying more attention to making noise and singing oldie goldies than driving as he wove down the narrow, darkening roads to pick up a mixture of unsuspecting and fully-knowledgeable victims for transport to the Hummingbird.

We survived the trip to arrive at the restaurant for a good dinner with lively conversation and live music to boot. The roads seemed even narrower in the dark of the return trip, especially while the driver related the tale of the previous bus rolling out of a parking lot and through the roof of the marina store, but we survived that too and I think I was back aboard Mabrouka around 10:30.

It had been a long day and my bunk was a welcome place to spend the rest of the nighty.
Comments
Vessel Name: Mabrouka
Vessel Make/Model: CT-41
Hailing Port: Seattle, WA
Crew: Roy Neyman
About:
Mabrouka and I have been partners in crime since October 1998, hanging about in West Coast waters, first in San Diego, then in Seattle. All of that time we've lived together aboard. [...]
Extra:
I've called this blog "Blessed Lady" because that's my preferred translation from Arabic for "Mabrouka". She's a 1980 CT-41, one of several clones of the original Bill Garden design Mariner ketches. At 50 feet from the tip of her mizzen boom to the tip of her bow sprit, she's 16 tons of [...]
Mabrouka's Photos - Main
Photos 1 to 10 of 10
1
On the streets of Freemont
Street art edited.
Elvis the stuffed cat is a memento of my daughters at the age of about 5.  The peace sign was a gift from good friend, Karyn Borcich.  Thanks to both!
This is Swan as I knew him, though in a more rugged environment than we ever shared.  We usually met at the coffee shop or at Voula
This is of Swan as I would also like to have known him, ...cigarettes, cameras and wine.
This is Steve hosting our Elliott Bay Design Group company picnic at his vacation home in Darington.
I never went fishing with Steve, although he let me try out his fly casting rig in the river by his house during one of the company picnics he hosted.  I
The winter slip on Lake Union
Temporary raft up with Molly Bella near my old slip at Stimson Marina
 
1
This album shares photos from mainland and Baja Mexico.
1 Photo | 3 Sub-Albums
Created 1 March 2015
The beginning of the South Pacific cruise, heading to San Diego and Mexico
1 Photo | 6 Sub-Albums
Created 15 August 2014
Killing time with local sailing and projects before heading south with the Coho Ho Ho cruiser's rally
56 Photos
Created 29 June 2014
Kathy and Karyn (with a "Y") used me as an excuse for a party. I was just fine with that!
25 Photos
Created 31 May 2014
On Lake Union where Mabrouka and I spent the winter
20 Photos
Created 31 May 2014
Shakedown cruise to Port Townsend
7 Photos
Created 25 May 2014
Gunkholing in the Seattle area, with me and Mabrouka getting our sea legs back under us.
50 Photos | 28 Sub-Albums
Created 14 April 2013
Custom made sailing skiff hand-built by NW School of Wooden Boatbuilding in Port Hadlock, WA
18 Photos
Created 21 March 2013
Pre-retirement cruising pics
27 Photos
Created 21 March 2013
Photos accompanying Projects blogs.
43 Photos | 1 Sub-Album
Created 12 March 2013