Grays Harbor above.
Neah Bay below
Neah Bay below
Aug. 3
We left Astoria, as well as Oregon and headed back out over the Columbia River bar, again we left at slack tide and there was little more than a ripple on the water. Coming and going on the Columbia River is nothing to mess with. The Coast Gaurd uses this bar for training. It can be very Dangerous, or you can do the right thing and wait. We chose the latter. We had a relatively short day going up the southern coast of Washington just as far as Grays Harbor, about 40 miles North of Astoria, this was supposed to be "an easy bar to cross at any tide." It was a bit tricky, but we did enter at max eb and made it over with no problem, however I would time it to go in during a flood or slack tide next time.We spent the early evening in Grays Harbor walking around the Coast Gaurd museum and the marine museum with its different whale skeletons and artifacts. Then through town for another great sunset
Aug. 4
This is one of the longest legs of our journey north, over 100 miles from here around Cape Flatery, The Northern most point on the Olympic Penninsula of Washington. This would be the point where we turn East and leave the Pacific Ocean, head up the Strait of Juan De Fuca to the San Juan Islands. Going around Cape Flatery was nothing less than breathtaking, easily the most stunning coastline so far. Around the point and about 6 miles we landed in Neah Bay, at the Makah Marina, owned and operated by the Makah Tribe. This was another fishing harbor and not kept very well. There was a lot of trash in the water and fish being cleaned on the docks which of course brought in plenty of sea birds and eagles. We enjoyed watching the eagles but the seabirds like to land on the mast or spreaders and POOP on the boat.
Aug. 5
Mostly foggy and drizzly, we spent a great deal of this day in bed recovering from a long rainy day on the Ocean. We did finally get out and walk around town a bit then topped off the fuel tanks and ready the boat for our first leg east.
Aug. 6
The morning came early again as we wanted to use the early flood tide and currents to push us up the Straight to Port Angelas, Washington. We found this to be a clean well kept waterfront with a very nice marina. We walked about a mile into town and enjoyed the sites of the city pier and public beach. The boat got a much needed bath and we topped the water tanks then enjoyed a nice sunset on deck with a glass of wine.
Aug. 7
A very foggy morning as we set out for Victoria, BC. on Vancouver Island. about 20 miles across the Straight of Juan de Fuca, we had great winds for sailing about 12 to 18 knots all the way across, we made great time and didn't come across any freighters in the fog as I kept my eyes on the radar and Lisa kept watch outside. This is a busy freighting area and luckily the fog was only on the U.S. side. Almost as soon as we entered Canadian waters the fog lifted and the sky cleared. Now we had good wind and clear weather, what a day.
Entering the Harbor in Victoria was like flying a cesna into O' Hare airport. About 2/3 of the waterway is used as taxiway and runway for the largest all floatplane airline in the world. There are also large ferry's coming and going and little water taxis zipping everywhere. But somehow it all seemed organized.
Victoria is a beautiful city with lots going on from street venders to street entertainment, tons of history and historical landmarks, and a very clean city. Lisa and I walked around town, took in some of the entertainment and walked through the majestic Empress Hotel.
Aug. 8
Had a relaxing morning, I walked around town and the Legislation building in Victoria the most grand building I've ever seen, an amazing structure. Then over to fishermans warf and back to find Lisa awake and ready to go for a walk. :) We had a small breakfast and went sailing, another perfect day for sailing.
We left Astoria, as well as Oregon and headed back out over the Columbia River bar, again we left at slack tide and there was little more than a ripple on the water. Coming and going on the Columbia River is nothing to mess with. The Coast Gaurd uses this bar for training. It can be very Dangerous, or you can do the right thing and wait. We chose the latter. We had a relatively short day going up the southern coast of Washington just as far as Grays Harbor, about 40 miles North of Astoria, this was supposed to be "an easy bar to cross at any tide." It was a bit tricky, but we did enter at max eb and made it over with no problem, however I would time it to go in during a flood or slack tide next time.We spent the early evening in Grays Harbor walking around the Coast Gaurd museum and the marine museum with its different whale skeletons and artifacts. Then through town for another great sunset
Aug. 4
This is one of the longest legs of our journey north, over 100 miles from here around Cape Flatery, The Northern most point on the Olympic Penninsula of Washington. This would be the point where we turn East and leave the Pacific Ocean, head up the Strait of Juan De Fuca to the San Juan Islands. Going around Cape Flatery was nothing less than breathtaking, easily the most stunning coastline so far. Around the point and about 6 miles we landed in Neah Bay, at the Makah Marina, owned and operated by the Makah Tribe. This was another fishing harbor and not kept very well. There was a lot of trash in the water and fish being cleaned on the docks which of course brought in plenty of sea birds and eagles. We enjoyed watching the eagles but the seabirds like to land on the mast or spreaders and POOP on the boat.
Aug. 5
Mostly foggy and drizzly, we spent a great deal of this day in bed recovering from a long rainy day on the Ocean. We did finally get out and walk around town a bit then topped off the fuel tanks and ready the boat for our first leg east.
Aug. 6
The morning came early again as we wanted to use the early flood tide and currents to push us up the Straight to Port Angelas, Washington. We found this to be a clean well kept waterfront with a very nice marina. We walked about a mile into town and enjoyed the sites of the city pier and public beach. The boat got a much needed bath and we topped the water tanks then enjoyed a nice sunset on deck with a glass of wine.
Aug. 7
A very foggy morning as we set out for Victoria, BC. on Vancouver Island. about 20 miles across the Straight of Juan de Fuca, we had great winds for sailing about 12 to 18 knots all the way across, we made great time and didn't come across any freighters in the fog as I kept my eyes on the radar and Lisa kept watch outside. This is a busy freighting area and luckily the fog was only on the U.S. side. Almost as soon as we entered Canadian waters the fog lifted and the sky cleared. Now we had good wind and clear weather, what a day.
Entering the Harbor in Victoria was like flying a cesna into O' Hare airport. About 2/3 of the waterway is used as taxiway and runway for the largest all floatplane airline in the world. There are also large ferry's coming and going and little water taxis zipping everywhere. But somehow it all seemed organized.
Victoria is a beautiful city with lots going on from street venders to street entertainment, tons of history and historical landmarks, and a very clean city. Lisa and I walked around town, took in some of the entertainment and walked through the majestic Empress Hotel.
Aug. 8
Had a relaxing morning, I walked around town and the Legislation building in Victoria the most grand building I've ever seen, an amazing structure. Then over to fishermans warf and back to find Lisa awake and ready to go for a walk. :) We had a small breakfast and went sailing, another perfect day for sailing.
sailed over to San Juan Island, checked back in with U.S. Customs, I must say the woman that was working there was a B---H, so much so that when she left to search another boat the other person working customs apologized for her attitude. I almost wanted to turn around and go to Canada until the second customs agent stepped in. The west side of San Juan Island is beautiful, with a maze of bays and harbors all perfectly protected anchorages. We found a quiet anchorage in the back of Westcott Bay.
Aug. 9
Woke up to find the coastline has closed in and made our quiet cove much smaller, we knew the tide would go way out but didn't realize just how small the bay would get. There were several boats moored on private moorings near shore that were sitting 20' or 30' from the water. Some were sailboats laying over on their sides and others small fishing boats looking as if they were just pulled up.
We left our quiet bay and sailed around Henry Island and the North coast of San Juan Island then down the East side of the Island to Friday Harbor, where we anchored for the night. While there we went up to town to get food and other supplies (beer). We checked out the town then jumped back on our little dingy and went back to the boat.
Aug. 10
Got a late start, we went to Bellingham, WA. as we were told there was a motor for our windless being overnighted there, only to find out the next day there was no motor to be sent, we had been told what we wanted to hear, instead of the truth.
Aug. 11
Left Bellingham and headed back to the Islands, Orcas Island would be our next stop. We sailed into the West Sound of Orcas Island, all the way to the North end, to Massacer bay. One thing we found that we didn't expect about the San Juan Islands is that most of the shoreline is either private or National Wildlife refuge, very few areas to go ashore unless you're at a marina. We kayaked around "skull Island" in Massacre bay and found there were alot of crab just near the shore we caught several but none were big enough to keep so we had to return them all back to the cold water, instead of the boiling pot.
Aug. 12
Lisa and I spent the day exploring the shoreline and relaxing on deck in the west sound. We did some housekeeping and took the dingy to the local marina and marine store, really just so we could legally get on shore and walk around.
Aug.13
We sailed around Shaw Island and down the west coast of Lopez Island to Fisherman Bay, about half way down Lopez Island. This is a very shallow cove, with a very narrow channel. We got there at low tide, and like many other boats, had to wait outside the channel for the tide to come up before entering. Even with the tide in you have to stay right in the channel or risk running aground. OK, we hit bottom... but we didn't hit hard or get stuck. As the locals all seem to come down to watch the tourists get stuck. there must have been 20 of them with their chairs on the bank, and I didn't see 1 fishing pole.
Although the harbor appeared to be very protected, the south end of the bay was a very low isthmus where the wind blew right in. setting a good anchor here was a must, the boats just packed in here and the wind blew most of the night, if one boat broke from its anchorage it would have caused a chain reaction. I knew our anchor was good but I didn't sleep well wondering who was going to drift into whom.
Before all the worry about anchors, Lisa and I walked into town and tasted some local wine, not bad, but not as good as "Mt. St. Hellens Cellars."
Aug. 9
Woke up to find the coastline has closed in and made our quiet cove much smaller, we knew the tide would go way out but didn't realize just how small the bay would get. There were several boats moored on private moorings near shore that were sitting 20' or 30' from the water. Some were sailboats laying over on their sides and others small fishing boats looking as if they were just pulled up.
We left our quiet bay and sailed around Henry Island and the North coast of San Juan Island then down the East side of the Island to Friday Harbor, where we anchored for the night. While there we went up to town to get food and other supplies (beer). We checked out the town then jumped back on our little dingy and went back to the boat.
Aug. 10
Got a late start, we went to Bellingham, WA. as we were told there was a motor for our windless being overnighted there, only to find out the next day there was no motor to be sent, we had been told what we wanted to hear, instead of the truth.
Aug. 11
Left Bellingham and headed back to the Islands, Orcas Island would be our next stop. We sailed into the West Sound of Orcas Island, all the way to the North end, to Massacer bay. One thing we found that we didn't expect about the San Juan Islands is that most of the shoreline is either private or National Wildlife refuge, very few areas to go ashore unless you're at a marina. We kayaked around "skull Island" in Massacre bay and found there were alot of crab just near the shore we caught several but none were big enough to keep so we had to return them all back to the cold water, instead of the boiling pot.
Aug. 12
Lisa and I spent the day exploring the shoreline and relaxing on deck in the west sound. We did some housekeeping and took the dingy to the local marina and marine store, really just so we could legally get on shore and walk around.
Aug.13
We sailed around Shaw Island and down the west coast of Lopez Island to Fisherman Bay, about half way down Lopez Island. This is a very shallow cove, with a very narrow channel. We got there at low tide, and like many other boats, had to wait outside the channel for the tide to come up before entering. Even with the tide in you have to stay right in the channel or risk running aground. OK, we hit bottom... but we didn't hit hard or get stuck. As the locals all seem to come down to watch the tourists get stuck. there must have been 20 of them with their chairs on the bank, and I didn't see 1 fishing pole.
Although the harbor appeared to be very protected, the south end of the bay was a very low isthmus where the wind blew right in. setting a good anchor here was a must, the boats just packed in here and the wind blew most of the night, if one boat broke from its anchorage it would have caused a chain reaction. I knew our anchor was good but I didn't sleep well wondering who was going to drift into whom.
Before all the worry about anchors, Lisa and I walked into town and tasted some local wine, not bad, but not as good as "Mt. St. Hellens Cellars."
Various places we have seen or Anchored around the San Juan Islands:
Aug. 14
We left Fisherman Bay and sailed South through Cattle pass, a narrow channel between San Juan Island and Lopez Island. The currents swirl here, sometime violently depending on tides. We sailed on through and out into the Straight of San Juan De Fuca, looking for whales. I was turning to avoid a large boat coming our way, when he turned 90 degrees, then I saw he was a whale watching charter so I got out the binoculars and looked out in front of him. sure enough there were whales out there we just couldn't tell what type, they were to far away. We headed that way, then could see there were 4 Killer Whales at least 1 of them was a youngster. What a great sight they are very acrobatic and playful creatures. We felt really lucky to see them in the wild like that. After watching the whales for a while we headed back north to the south end of Lopez Island and anchored in a very beautiful bay called Mackay Bay.
We left Fisherman Bay and sailed South through Cattle pass, a narrow channel between San Juan Island and Lopez Island. The currents swirl here, sometime violently depending on tides. We sailed on through and out into the Straight of San Juan De Fuca, looking for whales. I was turning to avoid a large boat coming our way, when he turned 90 degrees, then I saw he was a whale watching charter so I got out the binoculars and looked out in front of him. sure enough there were whales out there we just couldn't tell what type, they were to far away. We headed that way, then could see there were 4 Killer Whales at least 1 of them was a youngster. What a great sight they are very acrobatic and playful creatures. We felt really lucky to see them in the wild like that. After watching the whales for a while we headed back north to the south end of Lopez Island and anchored in a very beautiful bay called Mackay Bay.
Aug. 15
After a quiet night with a bit of Kayaking we left Mackay and headed around to the east side of Lopez to Hunters cove. Our first attempt at anchoring was wierd. We were in only 15 feet of water with a mud bottom and no current, I let out about 100 ft of anchor line, and still the anchor was dragging. I decided to drag it slowly for a bit to see if it would catch, it didn't. I pulled up the anchor, and we had a crab pot. NO crab :( oh well, at least I know why the anchor didn't hold.
After a quiet night with a bit of Kayaking we left Mackay and headed around to the east side of Lopez to Hunters cove. Our first attempt at anchoring was wierd. We were in only 15 feet of water with a mud bottom and no current, I let out about 100 ft of anchor line, and still the anchor was dragging. I decided to drag it slowly for a bit to see if it would catch, it didn't. I pulled up the anchor, and we had a crab pot. NO crab :( oh well, at least I know why the anchor didn't hold.
Aug. 16
Left a foggy hunters cove and went across the Rossario Straight to the east we sailed to Anacortes on the north shore of Fidalgo Island. This is a very nice marina and a quaint little town that is rich in marine history. Was once the largest salmon canning port in the world. This is my favorite town so far that we have visited.
Aug. 17
Most of the day was spent doing chores. Laundry, Grocery shopping, taking down the jib and flaking it, (folding it) so we can have some preventative maintenance done. After we finished that we went to the oldest marine supply store on the west coast. Very cool, half the store was antiques the other half was a working marine store. Then Lisa and I stopped at the marina restaraunt for happy hour $5.00 for all appetizers and $3.00 beers (Microbrew)
Left a foggy hunters cove and went across the Rossario Straight to the east we sailed to Anacortes on the north shore of Fidalgo Island. This is a very nice marina and a quaint little town that is rich in marine history. Was once the largest salmon canning port in the world. This is my favorite town so far that we have visited.
Aug. 17
Most of the day was spent doing chores. Laundry, Grocery shopping, taking down the jib and flaking it, (folding it) so we can have some preventative maintenance done. After we finished that we went to the oldest marine supply store on the west coast. Very cool, half the store was antiques the other half was a working marine store. Then Lisa and I stopped at the marina restaraunt for happy hour $5.00 for all appetizers and $3.00 beers (Microbrew)
Aug 25
During the last week we have traveled South into Peuget Sound, stopping in some very cute and interesting towns. After leaving Anacortes we went through a small canyon, called Deception Pass, the current here was strong and squirrelly. It is imperative that you pass through this area with the tide, as the current runs through here at up to 8 knots and our boat, under power can reach up to 8 knots. We spent the night in Bowman Bay surrounded by a state park that was a monument to the Civilian Conservation Corps, started by President Franklin D.Roosevelt during the depression. The Bay was very close to Deception pass allowing us to time our passage safely. The next stop was Edmonds, WA. Then down to Quartermaster Cove near Burton Wa. where we were treated to a regae concert on the water. We set our anchor out in the bay where this large Party boat had been hired by the residents of the cove, and a band had set up on the top deck of the boat to play for all the neighborhood. There were parties on all the patios, there were boats anchored all around the band, then at 9:30 the band stopped and it was a very peaceful anchorage, even tried out the hammock to watch the stars for a while. PERFECT NIGHT.
The next morning we cruised down to Tacoma and picked up our good friends Jim and Terry then went over to Gig Harbor and met up with some new friends Gary and June and their friends Larry and Nancy. The 8 of us had lunch then all went out for an afternoon sail on Always & Forever. We had warm sunny weather with good winds and a few bottles of wine after our sail, Gary and June own and operate a vinyard and winery. We had a terrific 24 hours with our friends then said goodbye, and started making arrangements for the boat just incase " Irene" hit the Eastcoast.
Turns out we made some great decisions on where to look for moorage. We spent 2 days in Poulsbo WA. and found a great marina run by the sweetest lady, Kathy. We also went down to Port Orchard and Bremerton to check out marinas there, but Kathy won hands down. She even took us to the bus this morning at 6:30 so we could catch a flight to Denver. So Always & Forever will spend the winter in Poulsbo and we will continue our trip North to Alaska in the spring.
Lisa will be adding the last batch of photo's while on the East Coast for anyone wishing to see them.
We both hope you all enjoyed our pictures and narratives and hope you continue to tune in to www.sailingintercourse.com in April 2012 to follow us into Alaska then south to Panama.
During the last week we have traveled South into Peuget Sound, stopping in some very cute and interesting towns. After leaving Anacortes we went through a small canyon, called Deception Pass, the current here was strong and squirrelly. It is imperative that you pass through this area with the tide, as the current runs through here at up to 8 knots and our boat, under power can reach up to 8 knots. We spent the night in Bowman Bay surrounded by a state park that was a monument to the Civilian Conservation Corps, started by President Franklin D.Roosevelt during the depression. The Bay was very close to Deception pass allowing us to time our passage safely. The next stop was Edmonds, WA. Then down to Quartermaster Cove near Burton Wa. where we were treated to a regae concert on the water. We set our anchor out in the bay where this large Party boat had been hired by the residents of the cove, and a band had set up on the top deck of the boat to play for all the neighborhood. There were parties on all the patios, there were boats anchored all around the band, then at 9:30 the band stopped and it was a very peaceful anchorage, even tried out the hammock to watch the stars for a while. PERFECT NIGHT.
The next morning we cruised down to Tacoma and picked up our good friends Jim and Terry then went over to Gig Harbor and met up with some new friends Gary and June and their friends Larry and Nancy. The 8 of us had lunch then all went out for an afternoon sail on Always & Forever. We had warm sunny weather with good winds and a few bottles of wine after our sail, Gary and June own and operate a vinyard and winery. We had a terrific 24 hours with our friends then said goodbye, and started making arrangements for the boat just incase " Irene" hit the Eastcoast.
Turns out we made some great decisions on where to look for moorage. We spent 2 days in Poulsbo WA. and found a great marina run by the sweetest lady, Kathy. We also went down to Port Orchard and Bremerton to check out marinas there, but Kathy won hands down. She even took us to the bus this morning at 6:30 so we could catch a flight to Denver. So Always & Forever will spend the winter in Poulsbo and we will continue our trip North to Alaska in the spring.
Lisa will be adding the last batch of photo's while on the East Coast for anyone wishing to see them.
We both hope you all enjoyed our pictures and narratives and hope you continue to tune in to www.sailingintercourse.com in April 2012 to follow us into Alaska then south to Panama.
