Parks Bay to Port Ludlow

Last night was a cold night aboard.  We buttoned up the boat, but went to bed slightly chilled, though by the morning I was warm.  The day was also cold, with Rod and I both in our heaviest gear (neither of us were geared up for winter, so "heaviest gear" basically. means fleeces and light jackets).

We've officially closed the loop  Port Ludlow was where we spent the first night on the outbound leg.  Almost everything we do is for the last time on this trip other than pulling up anchor and having breakfast.

We timed our crossing of the San Juan de Fuca strait so that we would have an outgoing tide helping us down the channel on our approach, then (mostly) slack crossing, then in incomming tide helping to push us down the southern passage and it pretty much worked out.  We were a little late getting to the San Juan de Fuca, so had a bit more cross-current than we had planned,but no big deal.

We did have one emergency, though.  I started the engine this morning. A little later the captain noticed that we weren't getting any charge from the alternator.  Plans were made for power conservation to at least get us to the canal tomorrow.  Finally one of us asked the key question. is the key turned to the right position?

Answer: No.  Some numbskull (me!) had turned the key off after starting the diesel engine.  The thing about a diesel engine is that, unlike a car, it doesn't need electricity to run.  It's quite happy "dieseling" along. You have to cut off the fuel supply to get it to stop.  Thus, it was quite happy to keep going even with the key turned to off.  Once we turned the key to the "on" position, everything worked fine and we were charging quite handily.  Problem averted!

I forgot to mention in yesterday's blog that we heard a MayDay call over the radio.  A boat had hit some rocks and they had injuries and were abandoning ship.  The call was close enough that we could have gone to the rescue, but fortunately, there were other closer, faster, power boats that took up the help. There is such a thing as having too many people at the scene, so we chose to continue.  Turns out later that afternoon there was another Mayday call as well.

Tonight's dinner was what I affectionately call "Mud".  It's single-serving foil packets of indian food.  You, optionally, make some rice, boil the bags in water, put rice into a bowl, cut open the foil pouch, and pour the contents over the rice.  It's an easy, no-fuss, easy-clean-up meal and kind of a tradition when I come aboard Quijote.  I introduced them to it.

Our last dinner aboard.  Another ending. We've even brought the dinghy up and stored it on deck.  Tomorrow will be the last time bringing up the anchor.

Preedy harbor to Parks Bay

 Today is the day we crossed back into the United States.  It feels like more than an international border.  It feels like we are crossing into the last stage "The end of the trip", we're just not actually AT the end yet.  It's a bit melancholy, like being in the last days of a vacation and having to go back to your normal life soon.

The passage wasn't really anything important.  It was basically just motoring along other than a few patches of fog which had us turning on the radar and paying close attention to it and the AIS display.

The last few times I was in a fog and made proper sound signals (one long sound at intervals of 2 minutes or less), it seemed to act more like a mating call than a sound to notify people to beware.  I'd be making my sound signals and another boat would just appear out of the fog powering along at high speed, not appearing on AIS nor making any signals, but seeming to home in on my signals and come see what the fuss was about.

We were out of the fog fairly quickly, but were treated with constant sightings of clouds low enough that our mast would cut them, but off the water enough to be able to see ahead without restriction.

We checked into the United States at Friday Harbor.  It's one of the few times that I've been a passenger on a boat doing this, so it was a bit disconcerting to give my Nexus card to someone else and have them walk off with it.

There was a bit of a kerfuffle.  I'm not sure if the captain mis-entered my name or the customs person did, but they misspelled my last name and so couldn't find it.  This may have triggered a further interview and held us up at the docks a bit, but everything worked out.  Then we blipped over to Parks bay for the night.

Dinner was the left over rice from last night - just as good the second night.  maybe even better! 

Boho Bay to Preedy Harbor

 Oh what a trip, and I mean that in a great way!  There were several times that wish I had a camera welded to my hand like I've seen some people have a vacation.  Even then, though, I don't think I could have captured it.

Imagine, powering along and a whale decides to surface 10 meters away.  Our first notice was the sound of him (her?) exhaling.  S./he slipped gently down under the water again, only to come up for another breath a few moments later.

Another point during the trip, we saw more whales broaching maybe 1/2 a mile away.  Again it was over before I could grab a camera, but it's a sight that will likely never leave my memory.

Dodd Narrows is one of the 5 passes from the Georgia Strait into the San Juans, not counting the channels in from the south.  Each of these passes has to be calculated, as when they are in full flow, a sailboat just can't fight it, and going with the current is dangerous too.  Dodd is special in that there's a quite narrow dog leg turn in it.  People often make radio calls to let others know that they're coming through.  However, this time the Canadian Coast Guard got irritated at all the calls and admonished people about it.  I did agree with the CG that people should be using low power on their radios since people 20 miles away really don't need to know, but otherwise I strongly believe that the radio calls are a good thing.  I'd hate to be coming around that dogleg and be face to face with a 30 knot powerboat with no time to change course.

As we were getting about 2-3 miles from Dodd narrows, we realized we were going to be very early, so the captain throttled way back until we were practically drifting, and still we were going to be early.  Once we arrived, we basically did lazy circles until the current had died down and we could make our way through.

Once we had anchored, we made a little prayer that the ferries were almost done for the night.  Each time one passed, we were rocked from side to side.  Seems our prayers were answered as only two more ferries passed through the rest of the night, plus one more in the morning just before we set out.

Diner was a variation of the Basil Thai Rice dish that I made going out (from the Skipper's Recipe), but with shrimp this time in stead of chicken. Yummy, and we have enough for tomorrow night too! 

Campbell River to Boho Bay

 We wanted to be out of Campbell River as soon as it was light as it's a long way to Boho Bay and we want to get there while it's still light - and we still had Discovery Passage currents to deal with (Campbell River Marina is accessed via Discovery Passage).

Oh, did I mention the fisherman's boat slalom that happens at the point where Discovery Passage meets the Georgia Straight?  yeah, they seem to like getting up at the crazy hours of the morning, unless they actually just slept there.

Once clear of them however, it's the relatively open waters of the northern Georgia Strait until we get to the last bit between Texada and Lasquetti islands, and then it's a hop, skip, and a jump to Boho Bay.

Dinner was a reprise of the Beef Stew that Rod had made on the way out, though this time with a unique twist courtesy of yours truly.  That's the polite way of saying I added a few more red pepper flakes than the recipe calls for.  On the other hand, I liked the taste of it.  Fortunately so did the captain, so I haven't had to walk the plank.

The mosquitoes drove us into the cabin with the salon buttoned up tight other than the companionway, which was guarded by a mosquito coil going.

Tomorrow will be a trip through the infamous Dodd Narrows, almost as infamous as Seymour Narrows (which we didn't get to this trip). 

Campbell River Work Day

 When you have a boat, it's a constant set of chores to do.  Rod does most of them preparing for the trip, but sooner or later we have to all pitch in.  Today is a "deep clean" day where we wash down the decks, wash and disinfect the heads, etc.  That took all morning to do and thuogh I make it sound like a big deal, it really isn't all that hard.

We started with the outside decks working together - Rod rinsing, me scrubbing.  It's amazing how dirty the decks can be and not look all that dirty.  Maybe the dirt is the same colour as the wood.

Once done with the topside, we went into the salon where we split up.  Rod working on the galley, I did the head.  Cleaning the head is mostly a case of going over the entire surface with bleach-infused water, making sure to get into nooks and crannies, to kill any germs or things that might be growing.

Cleaning done, we headed of to the SuperStore to do the actual provisioning for the rest of the trip and, coincidentally, acquiring victuals to make lunch for ourselves rather than pay a restaurant for it.  Tonight, though that will be a restaurant meal.

Dinner was next door to the "bad service" restaurant from last night.  The meal was better, though quite a bit more expensive, and the service was acceptable.  We declined dessert as both of us were feeling full and we had pie waiting for us back at Quijote.

One last trip to the SuperStore and we're all set for a "crack of dawn" departure because it's a long day tomorrow (50+ miles) 

Melanie Cove to Campbell River

 I have yet to make it to Campbell River where we weren't fighting an adverse current - and the current can be quite strong here!  During the trip to Alaska, Opus left the anchorage before Quijote and is also the faster boat.  We got into Campbell River after only fighting a 3 or so knot current.  Quijote, having left later than us and making slower progress, ended up coming into Campbell River quite a number of hours after us after slogging against the current for a few hours at something like 1 knot.

This time, though, we managed a low of about 3 knots up Discovery Passage and made it into Campbell River in right good time, whereupon we refueled and proceeded to our dock where we'll be for the next two nights.

Today is going to be laundry day for me.  It will be nice to have fresh clothes, fresh bedding to sleep in.  After that is going to be a restaurant meal and a small provisioning trip to the Canadian Superstore.

Well, the food at the restaurant was quite good, but the service was... It was almost like the waitress was actively avoiding us once we had our food - even when we wanted to pay our bill.  Tomorrow we'll eat somewhere else. 

Cortes to Melanie Cove

 Melanie Cove is another one of those delightful places.  I was here once before during the trip up to Alaska on Opus where we buddy boated with Quijote.  I remember the entrance being a bit tricky with Opus' 9 foot draft.  However, with Quijote's 4 1/2 foot draft, it was a lot easier to negotiate.  It's a bit of a twisty entrance as you slalom through some rocks, but once you pass that, things open up.

This will be our last anchorage before we head to Campbell River for provisioning and a rest day.

There isn't actually much to do here, but the utterly pleasant atmosphere makes for a relaxing time before returning to "civilization".