Picture added from a 5/28/2012 visit to Orcas Island by my sister Donna and Brother in law JD White. They offered to let us use their second car while we prepared ourselves and the boat to go north. I'm sure they expected us to borrow it for a week or so - it ended up being a month! But what is family for if not to take advantage of ;) So a big thanks to Donna and JD.

We have been real busy getting the final preparations done to head north. However, listening to the daily weather reports, the weather has been getting much better. We are not hearing so many gale warnings and small craft advisories as we were two weeks ago for the open areas like the straits of Georgia, Johnstone straits and Queen Charlotte sound. All of these areas we will travel through. The recommended weather window for a cruise up the inside passage is June and July so we are on schedule for meeting that window perfectly. We have just finished replacing the cracked pilothouse window, the electronics has been repaired and has been checked out, and countless little projects have been accomplished. The only thing holding us up now is the life raft we ordered has not yet arrived. It should be here this coming week or the following Monday at the latest. But our time has not been all projects. We met a fellow sailor and local resident, Dick, in the slip next to us and he has been more than helpful, taking us out in his boat to transit a tricky passage that will save us 12 miles of "going around". Now that we have done it with Dick we won't have to go around Orcas before turning North. So our target date keeps slipping but we are really enjoying Orcas Island and who knows Orcas Island may be in our future down the road. It really is a beautiful place.