"Sticky Notes"

Rule of thumb – the bigger the boat, the more things there are to remember; and the older you get, the more reminders needed to keep it all straight.  On more than one occassion we have forgotten to turn off the anchor light in the morning so we posted a note at the helm station as a reminder.  Other sticky notes soon followed:  “open crossover valves,” “turn on bow thruster,” “run radar for 30 minutes,” “check main engine thru hulls,” “close portholes,” “furnace exhaust plug in or out?” etc. etc. etc.  Perhaps we should post a note in the galley to remind us to read the notes in the pilothouse to know what it was we were suppose to remember, ha.  We’ve decided it’s best to keep a sense of humor about the maturing process, it makes the transition easier and more palatable – thank goodness for the invention of the “sticky note.”

Family Time



Checking out the Cruise Ship



Mariah Taking Picture of Parents



Mariah Fishing



Arriving home meant getting to see our grandchildren, daughters-in-law, and sons after having been gone for several months.  Labor Day weekend provided an opportunity for a relaxing boat trip with family to nearby Poulsbo and another trip to Blake Island the following weekend.  Grandchildren Mariah and Porter had great fun fishing, kayaking, and playing on the beach.  When the wind came up, we got out the kite and flew it from the boat deck – the birds started to attack the Eagle-shaped kite but soon realized it was only plastic.  Our son Duane had the best luck fishing.  He caught three different sharks – catch and release.  After some research on the Internet, we learned that there are 18 species of sharks in the cool waters of the Pacific Northwest from the 27-inch brown “cat shark” to the 39-foot “basking shark.”  We believe Duane caught the “Spiny Dogfish Shark,” an abundant predator that feeds on smaller fishes like herring.  Dogfish can be good eating and is very tender when marinated and broiled.  It is typically marketed as “rock cod” or “rock salmon” and is often eaten as European fish ‘n chips and used in Japanese soup recipes.



Porter Flying His Kite



Our Menacing Kite



Porter and Duane Kayaking



Dogfish Shark





Sunrise seen from Blake Island



Blake Island



Culture Shock





Seattle Skyline

 



Freighter Traffic



Leonard Swabbing the Deck

 We departed Port Townsend around noon and made our way southeast through Admiralty Inlet between Marrowstone Island and Whidbey Island.  Leonard swabbed the deck while underway - from Captain to Swab and Swap to Captain, ha.  The boat traffic picked up as we rounded “Point No Point” into Puget Sound.  Pleasure boats, cargo ships, tugs, cruise ships, and even the Coast Guard boat came out to greet us, or so it seemed.  A surprising number of porpoises appeared along the way, acting as our escort.  We arrived at Elliot Bay Marina in Seattle at 4:30pm.  Tall buildings loomed before us, marinas were full of sail and power boats, commercial airlines roared overhead, and houses could be seen for miles atop every hill - a strange sight after having been away for five months in the wilderness with only small villages every few hundred miles.  We were back in the big city - our friend Ginny picked us up at the marina and drove us to our house so we could get our car.  After cruising the expansive waterways at 8 knots (about 9 ½  miles per hour), being in a car speeding along at 60 miles an hour within a few feet of other heavy metal objects was quite a traumatic experience but we quickly adjusted.  We appreciated being back where stores are plentiful, filled with a wide selection of items at reasonable prices.  In remote areas up north, we found basic household supplies hard to come by with few choices and much higher prices.  Except for the challenge of finding a parking spot, I never thought shopping at Costco and Target for basic supplies could be so fun.


Negotiating Freeway Traffic



One of Many Crowded Parking Lots



Port Townsend USA



Waiting for a Freighter to Pass



Cruising Juan d Fuca Strait at 12.6 Knots!



We left Sooke, B.C. at 11:30am and headed southeast across the Strait of Juan de Fuca for Port Townsend, WA.  The weather was beautiful for our crossing - warm sun and calm seas.  The trip was uneventful except for a freighter headed down the Strait about to intersect our path - we stopped and waited for him to pass, it’s not a good idea to “play chicken” with a freighter.  We made good time just the same since we were going with the current – cruising along at 12.6 knots!  As we entered U.S. waters, we phoned Nexus to clear customs with our Nexus ID number, definitely a more convenient way to clear customs, no inspection required.  We arrived at Port Townsend just before 5pm and went out to dinner to celebrate our return to the homeland.  Port Townsend is one of our favorite destinations offering boutiques, gift shops, and coffee shops as well as great restaurants not to mention the old military fort and State park.  Port Townsend’s commercial buildings of the 1800’s are a special gem along with the old Victorian homes that sit on a hill overlooking the sea.  Port Townsend was well-known as a seaport in the late 1800’s.  But when the Great Depression hit and the rail lines ended on the east side of Puget Sound, many people left the area.  Most of the abandoned structures were uninhabited until the 1970’s; the buildings were kept in-tact and restored.  Port Townsend is one of only three Victorian seaports on the National Register of Historic Sites.



Point Hudson Marina - Port Townsend



"Got d' Fever" at Pt. Hudson Marina - Port Townsend



Port Townsend



Port Townsend



Bamfield to Sooke



Anchor Hooked on a Crab Trap





Fog with Calm Seas



We pulled up the anchor to depart Bamfield and found an abandoned crab trap dangling from one corner of our anchor - you never know what you’re going to find.  After freeing the debris, we headed out into the fog which had been predicted.  Fog is not necessarily a bad thing since fog usually means calm seas.  Safe shelter is scarce along Vancouver’s coastline from Bamfield to Sooke so we accepted the fog without complaint.  We had good sea conditions most of the way with the exception of some large swells around Cape Beale.  As we neared the town of Sooke, the fog dissipated and we could see the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State across the Strait of Juan de Fuca – our homeland was in sight!  We entered Sooke Inlet around 5:30pm and moored at the public wharf.  We decided to ride our bikes into town the next morning and knew we had reached “civilization” when we saw a McDonald’s, the first we had seen in months.  Sooke, however, has a more noble history.  We visited a park near the public wharf where three stone pillars stood, a reminder of Sooke’s colourful past.  The stone pillars are all that remain of the famous Sooke Harbour Hotel (later known as The Belvedere), which opened in 1913.  W. T. Coleman (of Coleman Dock, Seattle) was one of the investors.  During its heyday the hotel was frequented by influential businessmen and celebrities, including His Royal Highness, Edward, Prince of Wales; and France’s consulate in the city of Vancouver, who came to Sooke for big game hunting.  Dances were popular with the younger set and popular bands played at The Belvedere Hotel.  Unfortunately in 1934, a disastrous fire destroyed the hotel and all that remained were four stone pillars and the concrete foundation.  We headed back to the boat for dinner; and through the darkness, we could see the city lights of Port Angeles, Washington in the distance.



Sooke Park with Stone Pillars



Pillars From Historic Hotel



Sooke City Park




Photo - Sooke Harbour/Belvedere Hotel



Bamfield – A Town Divided



Bamfield Inlet



General Store - West Bamfield



West Bamfield

 We left the Deer Group Islands in the afternoon and headed for the village of Bamfield on the southwest end of Barkley Sound.  The public docks were full so we anchored in Bamfield Inlet.  The unique village of Bamfield is situated on both sides of the Inlet with the west side accessible only by water craft.  Adorable cottages, a general store, and fishing resorts line the west bank connected by a boardwalk.  The east bank is similar but more commercial in nature.  It includes the “Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre” owned by five Universities in British Columbia.  We hiked up the hill and found the original structure that was once the eastern terminus of the Transpacific Cable that connected North America with Australia (4,000 miles of cable to an island in the Pacific).  The first telegraphic message was sent in 1902 and the last message was sent in 1959.  In 1963 a new coaxial telephone cable was laid to Port Alberni.  The newest structure at the “Marine Sciences Centre” is a beautiful lecture and meeting hall with tall glass windows offering great views of the Inlet and an arched ceiling of exquisite wood work.  We enjoyed seeing both of these buildings, open to the general public.  We walked down the hill to our dinghy and explored Bamfield’s back bays that hold additional fishing resorts and summer homes.  Bamfield is indeed a unique place to visit and has a special character all its own.



Houses Along Boardwalk - West Bamfield


 






Historic Cable Bldg./Marine Sciences Centre



New Marine Sciences Hall



Great Views from Marine Sciences Centre



Beautiful Wood Work Ceiling - Marine Sciences Centre



Deer Group – Sea Caves

It was a lazy morning waiting for the fog to lift before heading to the Deer Group Islands located on the east side of Barkley Sound.  After the one hour plus crossing, we anchored in Robbers Passage near the Port Alberni Yacht Club dock, which was filled with sport fishing boats.  After setting the anchor, we headed around Fleming Island with the dinghy to explore its numerous sea caves.  Some of the caves seemed quite large and foreboding, yet enticed us to their mouths lined with starfish.  We turned the motor off before reaching the line of kelp in front of the caves and paddled the rest of the way so as not to tangle the prop.  It was an eerie sensation as the sea swells swept us in and out, in and out, near the rocky shore and to the mouth of each cave.  The next morning we explored the eastern shore of neighboring Tzartus Island and discovered several more sea caves.  Perhaps the most impressive of all was an elongated arched tunnel that passed through a rock cliff near Marble Bay.  Both islands offered small beaches and had interesting rock formations that created a haunting allure.