We left Bedwell Harbour around 10 this morning for Ganges on Saltspring Island in hopes of re-provisioning. Along the way, we spotted two whale-watching boats and decided to follow them. Sure enough, they were tracking a pod of orcas. They’re beautiful and majestic creatures and, before we knew it, we’d spent more than an hour travelling with them missing Ganges completely.
We left Port Townsend around noon to make the best use of the currents and ended up taking a beating for an hour or so. What little wind there was opposed the three knot current stacking up the seas to over three feet with a very short interval between waves causing us to fall off one straight into the face of the next and lifting us even higher through the next wave before crashing us down again taking water over the bow up to the dodger. Things finally settled down around 1:30 pm and we were able to make Bedwell Harbour for the night and checked back into Canada!
I had a great time in Wichita returning on Tuesday completely exhausted. My week there flew by in a flurry of activities and I was able to visit relatives I hadn’t seen for nine years making it a mini-family reunion as well. The wedding was wonderful and my niece was the most beautiful bride I’d even seen.
We made the most of our layover in Poulsbo by fully re-provisioning and catching up with friends, but we’re both getting antsy and it’s time to head north. We left this morning, after fueling up, and arrived in Port Townsend around 4 pm where the wind was blowing 15 to 20 knots and it was much colder. That evening, we met up with Jeff and Karry Bice for the obligatory meal at Waterfront Pizza and homemade ice cream at Evolution. They brought garden-fresh corn, carrots, and potatoes with them as well as a crab (thoughtfully cleaned and cooked) greatly improving our meal options for the next few days.
We’re safely back in Poulsbo for the next two weeks making the final leg from Port Ludlow this afternoon with the incoming tide. I fly to Wichita on Tuesday for my niece’s wedding and will be gone a week while David stays here on the boat with Sally taking care of a few odd jobs..
We left Bedwell Harbour around 7 this morning and made way for Friday Harbor arriving by 10. It’s a busy place, but we managed to squeeze into the custom’s dock without waiting. David rang and had to go to the office to show our passports and cruising permit (most folks are cleared in by phone), but nobody came aboard. It was a very easy process and lacked all the drama we’d been expecting (dreading). Fifty minutes later, we were on our way again and decided to go as far as Port Ludlow in Puget Sound. We had a great push from the current around Point Wilson and Marrowstone Point seeing over 10 knots of speed. The waters down here have a life of their own and never fail to amaze me when they bubble and breathe.
the Gulf Islands
the Strait of Georgia
Bedwell Harbour, Pender Island
Friday, August 07, 2009TheCambrians
It was another early morning departure (4:30 am) to make the most of the current as we crossed the Strait of Georgia and entered the Gulf Islands. We didn’t get the push we expected and weren’t able to make Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in the US, so we spent the night in Bedwell Harbour on South Pender Island and will check back into the States tomorrow morning.
We left Secret Cove around 9 this morning for Gambier Island in Howe Sound. The conditions were better than yesterday, but we still had to bash against the wind. Go figure. The predominant wind direction around here is northwesterly only seeming to change when we need to go south.
the Strait of Georgia
the Sunshine Coast
Bashing and Crashing . . . AGAIN!
Wednesday, August 05, 2009TheCambrians
We reluctantly dropped our lines at 4:30 this morning and made our way down-inlet with the wind on the nose the entire way. The Strait of Georgia and Malaspina Strait were a mess. The wind was only blowing 15 knots but, because it was opposing the current, there was an incredible chop. Unfortunately, we’re on a tight schedule now and need to be back in Poulsbo by Monday, so we have no choice but to gut it out. These sorts of conditions are always harder on us than on Cambria and this was no exception, but we all made it safely to Secret Cove where we anchored for the night – a little tired, but no worse for the wear.
The heat hasn’t let up and is rumoured to stick around for another week – so much for the forecast. David put up the boom tent this morning which helped keep things cooler and allowed Sally to spend the afternoon on decks in the shade while we floated around on the kayaks making regular trips to Chatterbox Falls for an ice-cold swim. With the sun dipping behind the mountains by 5 pm, the evenings are much more pleasant here and we’re beginning to see signs of an appetite again. But it seems others on the dock aren’t able to manage the heat as well as we are. While we’re having an incredible time together making the best use of our surroundings, there are a few people who have unfortunately allowed their tempers to rise along with the temperature.
Around 6 o’clock this evening, a launch came into the anchorage and made a mess of the place with their wake. Nobody was very happy about it, including us. Normally when someone comes in, people gather to help them with their lines, but this time only one man came down and, very politely, let them know that they had upset a lot of people with their messy approach and should probably take a walk down the dock to apologize. That should have been the end of the story but, not two minutes later, an Eastern-European man soon came down and aggressively told the skipper, a baby-faced father in his forties, that he needed to go back from whence he came and learn how to drive his boat before returning. The guy was shocked, but not as much as his wife was minutes later when a woman came down and proceeded to ask her if she spoke English and understood something or another. I couldn’t believe it and, before I knew it, I was telling this lady that her behaviour was uncalled for: it was a mistake, he thought he was going slow enough, end of story. Meanwhile, the wife and three teenage daughters are in tears. It was awful and so disappointing. The last time we were here, most folks strolled the dock in the evening chatting with each other and sharing cocktails. We’d already gathered that we weren’t going to have the same social experience this time around, but we weren’t prepared for this. On separate occasions, David and I tried to talk the family into staying or, at the very least, anchoring nearby for the night and coming back in the morning after most of these people had left, but it was too late for that. What a shame. A man brings his family to one of the most beautiful places in the world, and a couple of crazy rednecks drive them away over something as silly as a boat wake.
But it didn’t end there, after dinner we were talking to a boat that came in from New Zealand when a few people started to run down the dock. The next thing we knew, a man was thrown in the water and people were trying to separate the offenders. The details are sketchy at this point, but we understand that there was a retired Royal Canadian Mounty tied up to the docks who took a list of witnesses and informed the victim of his rights so hopefully charges will be laid.
After spending hours sitting on the deck shaking our heads in disbelief over the evening’s happenings, I went down to get ready for bed. As I was finishing up in the head, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye – a field mouse had come aboard (our first) and I screamed bloody murder surely scaring it more than myself. He was a slippery little fellow, but David caught him with the help of a kitchen colander and sent him back to land. Sally definitely dropped the ball on this one; next time, we’ll get a cat.
Jervis Inlet
Princess Louisa Inlet
And to Princess Louisa Inlet . . .
Saturday, August 01, 2009TheCambrians
As predicted, 4:30 came early this morning and we considered going back to bed for a few hours and leaving with the afternoon tide before finally deciding that we could sleep once we got there. We untied from Randy’s mooring buoy close to 5 am and motored down Jervis Inlet making way for Princess Louisa. We arrived at Malibu Rapids earlier than expected and had to wait 15 minutes or so for the current to slow down before transiting. While we were waiting, it started to sprinkle and we grew excited in hopes that we were going to see this glorious place in a storm when 70 to 140 waterfalls are born from the rain, but we had no such luck. The shower only lasted a few minutes and cleared shortly after transiting Malibu – maybe next time. When we arrived at Chatterbox Falls, our old spot on the dock was open and waiting for us as if we’d never left and we quickly fell into our previous routine – lunch, kayaks, cooling down in the waterfall pools, dinner, and drinks – life is good!
