Sep 18 – Saw two porpoises on our way to Prevost Harbor. It’s funny, earlier this summer we saw a LOT of them. We have seen very few as of late. This is our first time to Prevost – I loved it! You can watch the big ships out in the shipping lane, but we didn’t suffer any huge wakes from them. We saw a lot of seals in this harbor. We took a dinghy ride around the bay. We also were treated to some Northern Lights! The next day our social media blew up with gorgeous photos from back home, ours were pretty faint.
From left to right: 1) Lighthouse on Stuart Island 2) MT Baker is poppin. 3) Lisa and Ty 4) La Conner Boardwalk 5) Jones Island
Sep 19 – We enjoyed our stay and headed over to Roche Harbor. We decided to anchor. We really set ourselves up for failure for this one. It is our first time doing this overnight. 1) It was stormy 2) We did not have enough rode for the depth of the harbor 3) It was the first time we set our anchor alarm and I did not do it correctly. We took a dinghy ride over to the marina and explored the area. Jim did not have his life jacket on (he was on the dock) he stepped into the dinghy and one foot missed. Just a reminder, Jim cannot swim. I shrieked. (helpful, I know) It was like when you see those cat videos where they spring out of the water so quickly you are sure they didn’t get wet. Only his entire leg was wet, I’m not sure how he didn’t go in, but was grateful that he did not. In the middle of the night, (1 a.m.) the wind shifted and we drifted outside our anchor alarm zone. A claxon sounded and we sprung out of bed. It was SO dark and windy! I knew I didn’t set the alarm correctly. We couldn’t be sure, did we drag? Are we really close to the shore? Are we about to hit a nearby boat? We had a multi-million-dollar yacht next to us (I’m not exaggerating) The wind was howling and the rain was pelting. I suggested that we set up an anchor watch. Jim told me to go back to bed because there was no way he was going to be able to get a wink the rest of the night. I did – and because I felt safe with him up and watching, I slept soundly. When I got up in the morning, he went to bed and took a nap. Lisa and Ty slept through the whole thing! I googled the boat that we were next to and it is actually a charter. You can take a tour 🙂
yachtcharterfleet.com/luxury-charter-yacht-22775/el-rey.htm(opens in a new tab)
Sep 20 – We were going to take Lisa and Ty to Sucia, but the wind is not cooperating, it would be a very lumpy ride, so we decided to go to Reid Harbor and pick up a mooring ball. Lisa and Ty took the infamous store in the woods and Lighthouse Hike. Jim and I took a nap and a dinghy cruise while they were gone. We ran into a fellow Nordic Tugger, he told us about a rendezvous that they were having this weekend at Friday Harbor. Coincidentally, we were going to Friday Harbor during that exact time frame. We told him we would check it out. Wasps are still fierce. Jim shoots them with a stream of water and off they go! And then come right back..
Sep 21 – We went to Friday Harbor. It was our first time there. It was a nice cruise over – it didn’t take that long. It is only 11.5 nm, 1 hour and 38 minutes, and 2.5 gallons of gas. We needed to hail the harbor and request a slip. We got the perfect slip – tied up and did a little exploring. Went to the whale-watching museum. BORING! At least we can say we did it! We rented a tracker for tomorrow. Our black water tank is getting pretty full so we walk up to the bathroom – it’s pretty far. We’re definitely getting our steps in!
Sep 22 – We explored the whole San Juan Island with the tracker. They had a map with suggested activities. We also happened to be doing this during Farm Tour weekend. This is an annual happening in this neck of the woods, we didn’t really have enough time to take one but there were a lot of folks out and about touring farms! We went to a lavender and alpaca farm. They had some babies. Adorable. We had lunch at the lime kiln cafe at Roche Harbor. It was delicious. (at least mine was, I don’t believe everyone else was as happy with theirs 🙂 Stopped by Limekiln State Park. That is a popular whale-watching site. We didn’t see any whales but we did see porpoises! We got back and took a dinghy ride around the harbor; we stopped by the PaNNTOA mini vous. I asked how much to register for the event. If we are members, it is free. Sweet. We are. They invited us to breakfast the next morning. PaNNTOA = Pacific Northwest Nordic Tug Owners Association
From left to right 1) Miss Marlie Stuart Island Hike 2) Alpaca babies! 3) Friday Harbor – crane we named Larry.
Sep 23 – Went up to the vets club for the PaNNTOA breakfast. Gerry made us blueberry pancakes and breakfast meats (I think it was sausage). Delicious! We met SO many nice folks. The commodore and vice commodore put up a list of things folks were interested in knowing about and a lot of great discussion ensued. The information shared was pure gold for us. I was really happy that we went. They needed a membership director. I volunteered for the position. Everyone decided to get together later to tour each other’s boats (if they wanted). Since I had guests, we skipped that portion and went to the San Juan Brewery. There was a potluck dinner later that we went to. Again, such great folks. We had barbecued steaks, they were fantastic. It was a wonderful evening socializing with a great bunch of folks.
Sep 24 – Cruised to Anacortes. Tied up at Cap Sante Marina. Took Lisa and Ty on the obligatory drives around the area. Washington Park Loop, Cap Sante Viewpoint and Bellingham via Chuckanut. Had lunch at Boundary Bay Brewing. Back to the boat for games and our last evening together. We take them to Seattle tomorrow to fly out. That vaca went fast!
It is officially fall.
Talk Soon.