Time to cast off the lines! We were going to stay at the Port of Sidney but I tried 3 times to secure a slip for this time frame and never heard back. As we were leaving Anacortes, they called and said, we have a slip for you! I thanked her and said we already had made other arrangements, but how about the reservation request for June? She said they don’t book that until April 1st but yes. So, I will cancel the Van Isle reservation once I have the Sidney one in the pocket for June. Mainly because Van Isle is way more expensive and the Port of Sidney is much closer to shops and restaurants.
We had a beautiful cruise from Anacortes to Sidney (Van Isle Marina). The trip was 5 1/2 hours and roughly 36 nautical miles. We took off in a little more wind that we preferred. Our neighbor, Angie, fended us off as we left. The current was COOKING in Guemes Channel as we were leaving. We were going over 11 knots!! Rosario strait was a little lumpy so we sped up through that. I was really happy that we installed our AIS as a ferry captain hailed us as we were approaching Shaw Island wanting to know where we were heading; he asked us to stay on the north side of the channel. Yes sir.
We were very familiar with the route until the Canadian border, then everything is new. We are grateful for electronic charts and gps, as it is really difficult to tell exactly where you are supposed to go. My app on my phone has an arrow coming out from the boat, and if we keep it on the pink track, we’re good. The Canadian channel markers look differently than ours (same colors, just the right one had an exclamation point – do they all? or is this area particularly dangerous?) We found our way though using the trusty saying “red, right returning” – meaning when you are returning to land you keep the red channel marker on your right. Time to consult Canadian Chart 1 (that shows you what all the markings look like and what they mean). I suppose I should have done that before we left 😛
When we were in Haro Strait, the marina called and assigned us our slip as they thought we might not arrive before they closed. Bummer. No help with the lines and the bull rails. Oh, and remember we need a port side tie up since the dinghy is now blocking the swim step exit starboard? Yep, only starboard tie-ups. It was really calm when we got here, so I was ready to step off and secure us. Yay! The marina is still open and someone came running to grab our lines and secure us. It only took about 20 minutes to clear customs. The marina staff person told us he would meet us at our slip and get us tied up. YUSS.
Unlike our exposure in Anacortes, we are buried in this marina, and very snug. It’s hard to tell that we are even in the water. Jim was reading the history of this marina this morning and evidently they very rarely get over 20 knots of wind.
After we got settled in, we went up and explored the amenities for this marina. Very nice! We then took a beautiful walk to a fish and chip shop that was recommended. We had some mushy peas. Delicious! Basically mashed potatoes but made with peas instead. Very thick consistency. We enjoyed our walk home. SO many trees and flowers blooming. Gorgeous.
We had a bit of time to relax before bed, so we hooked up to the wifi here (verrrrrrrryyyyy slow!) Starlink is coming out today! Not only that, Hulu does not work in Canada. Say what?? We JUST started a series that has 2 seasons that we are really enjoying! Also, our Netflix offerings are different. I signed us up for an online VPN service that encrypts your internet traffic and hides your IP with physical location. Voila. Hulu now works. It is 4 dollars a month for a 2 year plan. Since we plan on traveling in the winter as well, I think we will get our value out of it.
Too late to hook up the Starlink, so I pull out the DVD player and put on a disc from “The Office”. I could watch that series a million times and never tire of it. Mistake. We watched the whole disc and went to bed at 11! Usually at 9, I am pointing to my watch and yawning.
So, we slept our morning away and got up at 7 am! Jim is going to finish a few projects today. I am going to get a grocery list together, figure out the bus system and putter around. We’ll probably take a dinghy ride later today and do some exploring.
Until the Starlink is hooked up, I will never get the photos attached – so look for a part 2 later today. If you are an email subscriber you will just get another email later with the photos.
This is getting long, sorry. So much to tell you!
Talk Soon.