Cambria (the tallest mast on the outside dock) during the beginning minutes of the blizzard. The season's first major snowstorm arrived on Monday.  The day began innocuously enough with some flurries but, by 4 o'clock that night, we were in a full-fledged blizzard with sustained winds at 35 knots with much stronger gusts and Poulsbo had become a ghost town.  By 5 o'clock, the docks were undulating and...

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Our plan was to return to Poulsbo for a few days to get organized so we could move the boat back up to Port Townsend and haul-out for her regular bottom paint and an insurance evaluation/survey while the weather was still settled.  But you know what they say about best-laid plans.... The day after we arrived, David started to come down with a chest cold and looked like...

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We got up Thursday morning and set about our regular complement of chores – taking Sally for a walk, checking the weather, etc. –before upping anchor and making way for Orcas Island. David had spoken to Bill a couple of times by phone and they were going to meet us in West Sound shortly after lunch.  Which they did.  We had a nice visit aboard catching up on...

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The alarm went off early.  Well, it would have gone off had I remembered to set it.  But I hadn't. It didn't matter.  It was cold,dark and dripping wet with condensation when I woke up at six, not he best conditions to travel in, leaving me with only one choice –ignore our original plan to up-anchor early and go back to bed.  Which is exactly what I did....

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One of several beautiful midden beaches on Galiano Island. With our late arrival Tuesday, we decided to stay an extra night in the marina and went about the usual suspects of chores on Wednesday –laundry, groceries, cleaning the decks, etc. – before dropping our lines this afternoon. Our original plan was to cross the border tomorrow, but plans were meant to be broken.  The weather is still too...

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Scuba Dave gearing up. Lance called this morning while I was onshore walking Sally to say that he had the part in hand, so David made arrangements for a berth with the marina and, a few minutes later, we were on our way.  Unlike the past two days it was cold, grey and forbidding – perhaps we should have taken that for a sign. The entrance to the...

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Sidney Spit looking back towards the island. We left Tod Inlet yesterday afternoon for Sidney Spit, one of the coast's most popular marine parks a few miles outside the city of the same name.  Along the way, David was able to harness the heat from the engine and run it through the system warming the boat up to 65ºF – a very welcomed change from the morning low...

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With no real agenda or plan of action, we chose to linger in Tod Inlet which turned out to be a good decision.  Over the past few days, the central heating system on the boat has gone out but, fortunately, we're in the right place at the right time.  Lance, our installer, lives only a few miles away in nearby Sidney. Tuesday evening, David turned the heater on...

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The Sunken Garden which looks out to Tod Inlet. We waited the weekend for the big storm to hit, but all we saw was some rain and a little wind. That's not to say that it didn't arrive.  It did.  But the protection in Telegraph Harbour is such that we didn't see much of it.  So, with a good forecast in hand, we left the marina Sunday afternoon...

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The city of Nanaimo from Mark's Bay. Tuesday morning started off cold, but turned into another beautiful day as we motored our way southwest across the Strait of Georgia for Nanaimo.  The leisurely sail we'd been looking forward to will just have to wait as, per usual, there wasn't a breath of wind to push us along. When we arrived in Mark's Bay, the anchorage just off Newcastle...

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Standing waves at Skookumchuk Narrows. We spent the past six days anchored in Garden Bay enjoying Pender Harbour and its nearby offerings. It seems the more time we spend here, the less we want to leave. The villages are quiet, yet active, and the people are friendly, often going out of their way to make you feel at home. Like us, Bill and Sylvia are taken with Pender...

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Cambria making her way to the head of Queens Reach (photo by Bill Emmens). Unfortunately,our time in Princess Louisa Inlet is over and we left the dock this morning at eleven o'clock with Bill and Sylvia aboard Salubrious following behind. It was a magical week, my personal favourite for various reasons – the mysterious weather, having the basin to ourselves for a day but, above all, sharing this time with...

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Cambria and Salubrious alone at the dock. As promised, the rain set in on Thursday giving life to more than sixty waterfalls in the basin alone as it continued for five days. Each moment was different from the last: an ever-changing scene with low clouds and fog moving down the inlet, catching itself on a tree to hang for a moment before slipping past the falls and through...

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We left Pender Harbour around eleven o'clock yesterday morning for Princess Louisa Inlet with Bill and Sylvia following close behind. There's a large storm with high winds (20 to 35 knots from the southeast) predicted to hit the area on Thursday but, for now, the weather continues to be beautiful and we had another incredible passage to the dock at Chatterbox Falls where we'll spend the next week...

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A Pender Harbour sunset looking out to Texada Island. Last Tuesday was another gift of a day that we gladly accepted as we upped anchor and motored south to Pender Harbour for the 14th Annual Jazz Festival – days ahead of the event but just before the forecasted rain moved into the area on Wednesday and Thursday. By Friday, the weather had cleared and our friends, Jeff and...

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An adult black bear swimming near the entrance to Ballet Bay. Today was one of those magical days where everything went our way: an incredible gift that we won't soon forget. With our chores done, we left Westview in the early afternoon and made our way south to Ballet Bay for the night. It was an exceptional passage – warm and sunny with blue skies all around and...

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The forecast for the weekend isn't exceptionally good – 15 to 25 knots of wind from the southeast with showers – and, although we're well protected from the wind, it's time to seek out an anchorage with better holding. There are several “hurricane holes” in Desolation Sound – Roscoe Bay, Gorge Harbour, Squirrel Cove, Von Donop Inlet – so it was just a matter of picking the one...

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We woke up early Monday morning to rain and fog so, not being too pressed for time, we went back to bed and spent one more leisurely day in Shoal Bay before finally leaving for the year Tuesday morning. We upped anchor around eight and brought the boat over to the dock to say good-bye to Mark and Roger – the last men standing. Mark came aboard for...

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Shoal Bay from the lookout. It rained all day Tuesday leaving no reason to go to Bute Inlet, so we hunkered down below decks for the day until the rain slowed to a spit and I could take Sally to shore for her evening trip. Mark, who had gotten back from Campbell River that afternoon, was walking from the pub to his cabin and invited us to dinner....

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Orcas swimming in Nodales Channel looking toward Frederick Arm. This afternoon, we upped anchor and made way for Dent and Yuculta Rapids. Our goal was to be back by week's end for the Labor Day Beef Roast but, just in case we get delayed by weather, we said our good-byes to Nicholas, who will be leaving on Friday, and Bill, who won't be too far behind him. Our...

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