Day 6 Roche Harbor, US

Today we ventured over to Roche Harbor and back to the US. The ride was eventful seeing lots of sea lions in the water and also getting pulled over by the US Customs Border Patrol. We were driving on the fly bridge, as it was a beautiful day and I saw a boat going really fast in the water way. I pulled out the binoculars to see who they were and chances are they were doing the same thing to us and next thing we knew, they were coming our way. We slowed down and I let Jason do the talking. We were asked a few simple questions – what was our nationality, where we were headed, where did we come from and if we had any firearms, etc. They said have a nice day and off we went. We headed right to Roche Harbor, cleared customs again and found our slip for the night. We had joined up with the StFYC crew again. Roche was hustling and bustling with people and I fell in love with the resort. We had spent our Valentine’s Day weekend there this year, but being there in the height of the season on a beautiful day was amazing. We walked around the resort, which consists of a hotel, a pool, spa, little shops, a grocery store, boats, boats, and more boats. I relaxed at the pool for a bit, which is a bit of a hike to get there. J was kind of enough to drive me over in the dinghy J We had cocktails on the fly bridge of his company’s 62 ft Hampton that’s there for the summer, we had a cocktail party on the dock with the StFYC crew and also ended up crashing their dinner, which was a pig roast and the food was impressive. We watched colors with the group and all the past and current Commodores of the club, as well as the Staff Commodore of the Royal Vancouver club were there to receive the flags. We all watched in our matching jackets and were a sight to see. The night went on with more drinking and spending time with friends. All in all, a wonderful evening!

I'm "driving" from the fly bridge

View of Roche from the customes dock

customs office

J on the fly bridge after clearning customs

boats

the resort - view from the fuel dock

Wayfare getting some more juice in her at her fuel dock

view from the pool. This is Jason's version of heaven.

the beautiful grounds

the hotel again

me in the cockpit getting ready for cocktails

Colors

in our matching jackets

such a beautiful place

I want this dogs life. He's just hanging out on the bow of his massive boat on his sun pad.

little Wayfare cozy in her slip

view from the fly bridge

I had to ad this. It's the Phecal Freak pump out boat. lol.

Day 5 - Prevost Island

Our favorite picture from the trip

Sun! We have sun! The trip was starting to turn around. We decided to do our own thing and we went to Prevost Island and anchored out for the night, while the StFYC went elsewhere. We cruised to Annette Inlette on Prevost Island, dropped the anchor and were one of 5 boats. We had all the privacy we could ask for. Around 2pm, the sun came out and so did my smile. I am surprised J hadn't sent me home on a sea plane for being too cranky. We had lunch, got the toys in the water and started to relax. We took a long kayak ride, discovered abalone, and horses on the island. We cruised in the dinghy over to the neighboring inlette, Secret Cove, and immediately regretted not dropping the anchor there. You couldn't go wrong with either place, but the view was breath taking in Secret Cove. As the evening went on, the calmer the water became. It was like glass. We sat on the fly bridge, enjoying the sunset and being in awe of the stillness of the world we were watching. We felt like we were disturbing the universe if we uttered a word. It was a special moment we were having and one that's hard to put into words. This was Jason's favorite day of the trip.



Stillness

Pretty much sums up Jason

Day 4 - Ganges, B.C.

Today we were off to Ganges in Canada. We cruised 20 nautical miles from Poet's Cove and took the long way to get there. We tied up at our out station in the Marina, while the memebers of StFYC tied up across the way. We ended up being next to the Comodore of the SYC and spent some time talking to him and his wife. The weather still hadn't turned on this day, and it was taking a toll on my mood. J and I both agreed that we didn't love the marina, as it was old and rickety and really surgey. People had raved about Ganges, but we couldn't understand why. We took the dinghy over to the main Marina and walked around all the shops, exchanged some money at the Banque of Montreal, got some ice cream and stocked up at the grocery store. I took a nap, feeling the gloom setting in. Later J and I attended the cocktail party at the Hastings House and had a really nice time. We met a sweet, older couple, who had been married for 3 years, but together for 27. Why rush things they said? They got married in Roche Harbor and their witness was their dear friend Warren Miller (yes, that Warren Miller). While everyone went to dine at the restaurant, we opted to eat chicken wings and drink beer at Mobey's Pub down the way. They were literally the BEST wings I have ever had. Amazing. The view wasn't bad either :)

Cocktails at Hastings House

At Mobey's Pub

View of Ganges Harbor

Day 3 - Poet's Cove, Pender Island B.C.

Poet's Cove Resort

Today we headed into Canada with the StFYC crew and docked at Poet’s Cover resort. We left in the morning and made the short treck into Canada. Upon arrival to the resort, we had to clear customs. When clearing customs only the captain of the vessel is allowed to leave the boat. I stayed aboard while Jason went into the customs office. He was honest about the amount of alcohol we had on board (which was still over the limit even with our efforts from the night before), and we cleared without having to pay any duty. The progressive hangover Jason was nursing wasn’t needed after all, but A for effort! J The day was pretty gloomy and a little rainy. We kayaked a little bit in the cove and found some purple starfish, which I have never seen before. I treated myself to a massage and immediately regretted not booking it for a longer time. I did learn that in order to become a masseuse in Canada you have to go through 3 years of training and pretty much are considered a physical therapist. I think it was one of the best massages I have ever had! I might be going back to Canada sooner than later! The Commodore of  StFYC hosted a cocktail party aboard his classic yacht, Far Niente, prior to dinner, which we joined. The yacht is very elegant, was built in 1939 and is 85 ft in length. We joined the group for dinner in the banquet hall and enjoyed the company of our friends. We also received a shout out from the Commodore and won the award for the best ‘hit and run.’ Jason and I popped in and popped out quickly throughout the StFYC Commodore’s Cruise. It was a nice recognition. After dinner, we had a cocktail in the upstairs bar and then relaxed in the hot tub and called it a night. All in all, a good day!  

Customes Office

Purple Starfish



Me heading to get my massage

Ended up to have a beautiful sunset

J once again happy as a clam to be in the engine room

Day 2 - Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

Watching the sunset after a great dinner

I awoke this morning to Jason popping out of bed before 7am.  Keep in mind this has NEVER happened by his own free will.  He was so excited to start our journey!  We were underway by 7:30am for our 60 mile treck and made pretty good time.  We were cruising at 18 knots most of the way, getting a good push from the ebb, through the straits.  You could see the tide changing in front of us, which was crazy to see. The weather was overcast, but by the time we arrived in Friday Harbor, it was becoming a gorgeous day.  We arrived at the SYC outstation, just outside of the main marina in Friday Harbor in less than 4 hours.  We got settled and cleaned up, dropped our crab pot and joined our friends from the St. Francis Yacht Club.  We took our dinghy over to the main marina and had cocktails on our friend chartered 42’ Grand Banks, walked around town, got some ice cream, and popped into some shops.  We headed back to retrieve our crab pot and had some success! We had 2 keepers in a pot full of babies and ladies.  Needless to say they were our dinner.  Later on that evening, we realized we were over our alcohol allotment heading in Canada and we needed to do something about that.  Luckily, we had friends who were there to help!  

Strait of Juan De Fuca

View of the outstation



Ferry coming into Friday Harbor



Our catch!

Me cooking the crab!

A little heavy going into Canada

and this is how the night went down

Day 1 - Port Madison, Bainbridge Island

Jason and I left on our journey to the San Juan and Gulf Islands on Friday, July 20th.  We got a bit of a late start because I wanted to shop the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and Jason was waiting for a package.  In the package was our monogrammed shirts, jackets, welcome mat, and fender covers. Yes, we are becoming those people who wear matching clothing.  We left the slip, gased up at the fuel dock, and $550 later, we were off!  We got through the locks with ease and headed right to Port Madison, an SYC outstation on Bainbridge Island.  We were one of a handful of boats there for the night. We cooked dinner on the stove in the galley for the first time, walked the grounds, and Jason happily put the new fender covers on the fenders.  All in all, a quiet evening gearing up for the long ride the next morning.

San Juan and Gulf Islands

200 nm (nautical miles)
20 hours of running time
9 days
8 stops
$1300 in fuel

Amazing memories we’ll never forget…..

Pictures and updates to come!

Preparation

Changing the impellar

In preparation for our 10 day tour of the San Juan and Gulf Islands, J has been doing a lot of work on the boat. He has changed the oil and the impellers in both engines. I have no idea what an impeller does, but apparently it’s important and needed to be replaced. He has also purchased new chairs for the fly bridge. He has a new Captain’s Chair and I have a new First Mate’s Chair J I can finally sit next to him while he drives instead of sitting behind him or down in the salon. He has also created a safety line for the anchor so incase that the windlass breaks, we won’t lose the anchor. We leave in less than a week! Count down has begun!

the safety line for the anchor

J happy as a clam to hang out in the engine room

the new seats on the flybridge