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Monthly Archives: October 2019

August and September, 2019

Posted on October 25, 2019 by ScottMacDNovember 9, 2019

Our next guest on board would be Tara. She had never joined us for an extended solo cruise so this would be a leisurely ten day visit. We were picking her up in Seattle. We arrived ahead of schedule to see an Australian folk band we really like. The Waifs have been performing for years and rarely get to the states but they were playing one night at The Triple Door in Seattle right up the street from Bell Harbor Marina. It was a fantastic venue and a great show.

  • On the Seattle Great Wheel
  • Pike Place Market
  • Lake Union
  • The Gum Wall

We really enjoyed Seattle. The Museum of Pop Culture was fascinating and good for all ages. I enjoyed the Chihuly glass museum and gallery. Both are located adjacent to the Seattle Space Needle. Pike Place Market is a major destination for visitors and locals. It is crowded but lots of fun with plenty of restaurants along the waterfront.

  • Pop Culture Museum
  • Chihuly Gallery
  • Space Needle above Chihuly
  • Pop Culture Museum
    700 instruments

After a couple of days in Seattle we slowly cruised back north stopping in Port Townsend, Lopez Island, Sucia Island, Roche Harbor, Deer Harbor Marina on Orcas Island and finally back to Sidney. Tara flew out on the 16th and the very next day we flew back to Vermont for two weeks. It was a great ten days with our number one daughter!

  • Lopez Island
  • Spencer Spit
    Lopez Island
  • Sucia Island
  • Echo Bay
    Sucia Island
  • Roche Harbor Sculpture Park

In Vermont we received good news from the orthopedic surgeon. He gave Cath’s knee a clean bill of health. An operation was not required. The torn ACL and crack in the knee had mended thanks to the near daily regimen of physical therapy and exercise. This was not easy to accomplish living on a boat.

Labor Day weekend had us back in Sidney with just enough time to prepare for the arrival of our dear friends, Bob and Tibby. They flew out to visit family in Portland and continued on up to spend three nights with us on board. They had heard all about Big Smile and our adventures and we finally pulled them in. And what a great time we had. We picked them up at our very convenient airport and got them settled. We hustled out of the marina for three fun nights at anchor. A big clockwise loop thru the Gulf Islands started with Tod Inlet and a visit to Butchart Gardens.

From there it was on to Saturna Island. Winter Cove, the anchorage for Saturna was a bit too congested so we dropped anchor 3/4’s of a mile to the NW at Samuel Cove on Samuel Island. The only other boat anchored in Samuel Cove were fellow Selene owners, Bill and Pam Racow, on their beautiful 55, Amavi. Saturna and Samuel Islands were new destinations for Cath and I. The four of us got to explore the shoreline for the first time. The kayaking was breathtaking with views of 10,781 foot tall Mt Baker and a quick kayak ride thru boat passage at the turn of the tide. From Samuel Island it was a delightful 2.5 hour cruise to the anchorage behind Sidney Spit. Three nights went too quickly. It was a wonderful time and we truly miss seeing our old Lake George neighbors.

  • Bob & Tibby
  • Two nice Red Rock Crabs
  • The sandstone formations on Samuel Island
  • Sidney Spit
  • I think they like the lifestyle
  • Overlooking Boat Passage
  • Enjoying the fresh caught crabs
  • Mt Baker in the background
  • Enjoying Tod Inlet
  • A beautiful day to kayak

Three days later cardiologist number two arrived. Marc and Judy, friends we met in Africa a couple of years ago, flew up after visiting their son in San Francisco. We had last seen them on Super Bowl weekend when we stayed at their home in Florida. Like Bob, Marc is a retired cardiologist. The weather had turned a bit cooler for their time with us but it didn’t slow us down. We managed to anchor out for a night and spent two fun nights at our marina. They were our last guests for the season. We hated to see them go.

  • Cath, Marc and Judy
  • Sidney Spit hiking trail
  • Sidney Spit
  • Cath giving Judy a tour of Tod Inlet
  • Only the ladies rode the merry-go-round
  • What is that plant?
  • Our Africa reunion at Marc and Judy’s home Super Bowl weekend

The season was winding down. We made a quick car trip to the Seattle Boat show but didn’t buy anything. We took Big Smile out for a short trip to the San Juan Islands. We cleared into the US at Roche Harbor. The marina and resort had quieted down now that it was September. From Roche Harbor we stopped for a night at Stuart Island before cruising back to Sidney and clearing customs with Canada Border Services. On September 22nd our season was over. Four days later we left Big Smile and started our long cross country trek back to Vermont.

  • Roche Harbor Resort
  • Stuart Island kayaking
  • Our last night at anchor
Posted in Uncategorized

June and July, 2019

Posted on October 25, 2019 by ScottMacDNovember 9, 2019

After the departure of Barry and Rebecca we headed north to Desolation Sound. There we found superb, uncrowded anchorages and enjoyed two weeks of perfect weather.

  • Hiking to Newton Lake on Quadra Island
  • Pender Harbour
  • Prideaux Haven
  • Tenedos Bay
Northbound thru Beazley Passage

Andrew joined us for two weeks in early June. He was feverish and not feeling well prior to flying west but his doctor said it was probably nothing. Two days after his arrival we discovered the reason behind his malaise. A red round blotch appeared on his arm and we quickly diagnosed it as Lyme Disease. He had been camping in Pennsylvania two weeks prior and the telltale sign did not show till he was aboard. We motored down to Campbell River where we knew a clinic existed and they concurred with our Lyme diagnosis and got him started on Doxycycline. Within a couple of days he bounced back and was able to enjoy the surroundings. We managed to visit a few islands and got in some great kayaking and hiking. Our plan was to end Andrew’s visit in Vancouver with a stay at Coal Harbour Marina. We knew that the BC Highland Games and Scottish Festival were happening that weekend so we took the train to Lafarge Lake Park in Coquitlam for a day of Scottish culture, music and fun. After two weeks of fun Andrew returned to DC.

  • Jedediah Island
  • Manson Bay
  • Gorge Harbor Marina
  • Orcas
  • The blotch
  • Hiking the forest
  • Melanie Cove
  • Fully Recovered
  • Tossing the caber
  • Bob Collins
  • Highlands dance

We now had over a month to ourselves before we needed to be back in Sidney to pick up our next guest. We thoroughly enjoyed the weather, met new friends, did lots of hiking, and experienced bears and sea lions up close.

We started the month by relocating to False Creek on the south side of Vancouver. We anchored for three nights right in the middle of all the practicing for the Dragon Boat Festival occurring that weekend. We were told we had to weigh anchor by Thursday afternoon so we did not get to see any of the races and festivities. The practices were done in earnest and we are sure the races were tough.

Dragon Boat practice

Northwest we headed, away from Vancouver. With overnite anchorage stops at Gambier Island, Pender Harbor, Cortes Bay, Teakerne Arm, Bickley Bay, Forward Harbor, Boughy Bay, finally pulling in at Lagoon Cove Marina on Minstrel Island. We spent two delightful nights at the dock and met several fun couples. The crabbing was excellent and we cought our first Dungeness Crab of the year. Delicious.

  • Waning sunlight
  • Sea Lions
  • Sea Lions
  • Black bear with crab Island 58 cove
  • Lagoon Cove Marina
  • Cath prepping Dungeness crab we caught
  • Easter Bluff Cortes Island

We were now out of the Desolation Sound area and in the Broughtons. Several days of anchoring brought us to Sullivan Bay Marina on North Broughton Island. Here we spent the 4th of July and the marina did it up with an outdoor barbecue, music and of course a dock parade.

  • Dock Parade
  • Sullivan Bay Marina
  • Don and I push a 1944 Grumman Goose away from the dock
  • Fourth of July dinner with Don and Gloria

The festivities ended and we departed the next day. Several more beautiful days of anchoring, a long passage down the 68 mile Johnstone Strait and a timed trip thru Seymour Rapids brought us close to our next destination. One last anchorage in Gowlland Harbour across from Campbell River and it was off to Comox, BC a town in Vancouver Island.

In February, I had made reservations for several days at Comox marina so that we could attend the Comox Music Festival . The festival began Friday morning and went all day and late into the night, all three nights. This was the 23rd year of the festival and the crowds were large.

  • Ray Bensen and others in The Barn
  • Grierson Stage
  • Concert Bowl Stage
  • Comox MarinaThe Main Stage
  • Asleep at the Wheel
    Sunday Night

We had to be back in Sidney in a few days but we arranged to stop at Gorge Harbour Resort and have dinner with our friends and fellow Selene owners Doug and Linda. Don and Gloria motored in unexpectedly so the six of us enjoyed a great meal at Gorge Harbour’s, Floathouse Restaurant.

  • Gorge Harbour Resort
  • Walking the shoreline
  • When there is no room at the dock, use a dinghy

We hustled back to Sidney for three days of provisioning and getting Big Smile shipshape for our next guest. Joan, a lifelong friend of Cath’s, flew in from the east coast and spent four days with us. She had never anchored out or slept on a boat and really enjoyed the experience.

  • Cath, Sue (no Ron) and Joan
A fun four days with Joan

    Posted in Uncategorized

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