Conclusion to The Trip of a Lifetime

We have long ago settled in for winter in Puget Sound, and it wasn't until seeing one of our blog "followers" recently on a trip that I realized I never finished the blog of our journey south.  (Thank you, Pamela!)

Our story left off in the Broughton Archipelago, a large grouping of islands off the mainland of British Columbia.  Of all the places we've visited on this journey, the Broughtons (pronounced "brow-tons") is our second favorite, closely following Tracy Arm.  This beautiful area contains numerous channels and "arms" going into pristine areas, with mountains seemingly growing out of the water and climbing 4,000 feet into the air.  The channels are filled with porpoises that can't wait to come play in the wake of your boat or ride your bow for endless minutes.  It's a magical place, the home to six family-run marinas, all filled with unique individuals.  It's no wonder the Broughtons have become a popular destination for boaters.

We pick up after leaving Shawl Bay Marina.  We headed up the channel to Kwatsi Bay, a place we missed on our way south.  Clouds had settled in and rain was the constant for the day.  As we made the turn into Kwatsi Bay, the low clouds prevented us seeing the grandeur and beauty we had heard so much about.  We dropped anchor in the bay, rather than going to the marina, and waited out the weather. 

Kwatsi Bay

The next morning, fog hung onto the sides of the mountain, but we patiently waited for the sun to burn it all off, and glad we did!  We were anchored in the back cove of Kwatsi Bay, surrounded by granite walls that climbed out of the water straight up in the air.  We threw out the idea of leaving, and settled in for a day of exploring in the dinghy, enjoying the beauty of this bay.

After leaving Kwatsi Bay and heading south, heavy fog was our daily "constant", and we knew we needed to get further south and out of the fog that was now dominating the region.  Many days we traveled solely on instruments, not able to see more than 30 yards in front of our boat.  One day, in particularly dense fog, a fishing boat decided to follow, staying off our starboard quarter as we traveled down a channel.  Hailing him on the radio to see if we needed to get out of his way, he laughed and said, "No thanks, I'll let you lead."  

Tired of driving in the fog one day, we pulled into Thurston Bay Marine Park, and anchored on the east side of Bruce Pt, near Tully Island.  A protected anchorage, it was a nice respite from the fog.  The next day, the fog lifted, and we watched a barge come in off Tully Island and drop its ramp and let about 20 people walk off and around on the Island.  Curious, we dropped our kayaks and paddled over to the group.  Twelve women were traveling on the barge as tourists, two to a cabin, friends for many years, and their itinerary was dependent on the cargo the barge was hauling and where it needed to be delivered.  The rest of the people were either crew or others traveling to isolated areas.  We visited with the women and they told us of the fabulous food they were presented each day, and we shared with them stories of our journey.  

Moon rising over Goose Spit, Comox, B.C.

We continued south towards the warm sun and clear skies, arriving in Comox on a beautifully clear day.  With temperatures in the 70's, and the forecast calling for the same for a few days, we decided a break from the "daily" voyaging was in order.  Each night at 6:00 p.m. a commercial shrimp boat came in with its daily catch, and we bought shrimp each evening for $6/pound.  We enjoyed being in one place for a few days, with access to the grocery store, pubs, and marine store.  It didn't hurt that the sun "baked" us each day.  We soaked it ALL in!





Nanaimo saw us again on our trip south, and then we ventured toward our friends on Saturna Island, in the Gulf Islands.  Brian and Patty, from S/V Elusive, live on Saturna Island and offered use of their dock for as long as we wanted.  Turned out a week was what we wanted, and they were gracious tour guides showing us their island, gracious hosts having us join them for dinner.  We, then, were gracious guests, leaving them to enjoy their time with visiting family.  






We watched this buck walk along the shoreline right off their dock.

S/V Elusive in all her glory!  Beautiful boat!

One beautiful afternoon, with the wind just right, Brian and Patty took out Elusive and we actually got to see her with sails up!  After cruising with them for about 3 weeks on our northward trip, we never saw her sails go up.  Now, amongst the Gulf Islands, they enjoyed an afternoon sail with their kids, and we enjoyed watching from Cloud Nine.




Saying good-bye to our friends, we headed across the border and back to the U.S.A.  A couple of days with friends in the San Juan Islands, and then a few days with friends outside of Bellingham, left us with time to kill before settling in for winter.  We headed to one of our favorite places, La Conner, for a visit, where herons are plentiful.



A night in Coupeville and Everett and then a couple of days anchored out in Port Ludlow, got us closer to our winter destination, but we still needed a few days anchored out, so we pulled into Port Madison and anchored deep in the bay amongst the beautiful homes and their personal boats at docks and hooked to buoys. 

Another heron liked this area and we actually caught him sitting on the railing of our boat, but, alas, we did not have camera in hand.  Here he was, though, at the nearby dock.







How does one sum up this trip?  IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!  Our blog only puts into words our travels and adventures, but does not express the excitement, the beauty, the thrill and the real adventure of the trip.  It's an experience that will last a lifetime in our minds.  We encourage all of those boaters that say "one day we hope to do the same thing," not to wait!  Do it now!  

Back in the U.S.A.!

We have arrived back into the U.S. of A!  We spent a week on Saturna Island in the Gulf Islands at the dock of new friends, Brian & Patti, from S/V Elusive.  We then crossed the border and headed for a couple of days at Sucia Island in the San Juans with friends from Sequim, Cliff & Julie, from M/V Beautiful Day.  It was nice to spend time with both couples again.

We are currently staying with friends in Lynden, WA, while Cloud Nine is moored at Bellingham Marina.  We will leave from here and head to the San Juans again for a few days while we work, slowly, southward towards our spot for winter.

We have had a Trip of a Lifetime!!  Frustrating internet aside, we have enjoyed posting our adventures on this blog.  (Some will notice a lack of postings on the way south, and that was mainly due to Nancy's frustration with slow internet and the inability to get anything done at the places where we did have internet.

Once we are settled in our winter harbor, we will post one more entry with photos of our trip south. 

Thanks to all who followed us and read our entries.  Thanks for the prayers we received for our safe journey.  Thanks to all the friends we made along the way!  Thanks, too, for those that didn't laugh too hard at our antics!  We feel truly blessed for all those people we met along the way.

A final, special thanks, to Chris & Donna from M/V Sound Venture, Don & Dida from M/V Firefly, and Brian & Patti from S/V Elusive.  Thank you all for sharing your time, your knowledge, and for your friendship.

Back In The Broughtons

After 4 hours in dense fog, we break free and say, "Thank you Sun!"

Our voyage south out of Prince Rupert met with fog, fog, and more fog.  Some days we cruised totally on instruments, not being able to see more than 100 feet in front of us.  We were happy when it would open up to 100 yards!  We took the "outside" inside passage in order to see different country (cruisers who have done it have said how beautiful it is).  Well, ... wish we had pictures to share with you, but, alas, fog has a way of dominating the landscape.  When you wake in the morning to this dense fog, you ask yourself, "Do I wait and see if it lifts?  If I wait, will the winds increase and make the trip uncomfortable with the waves?"  I'm not sure about what other boaters would have done.  We could have waited for a few days; however, we knew we needed to get south and out of the fog which dominates the Prince Rupert area this time of year, and we'll always take calm seas over rough waters, so ... onward we went!

We enjoyed quiet anchorages along Principe Sound, but dealt with the heavy, low fog each morning.  After 3 days, we decided moving inland was the best bet, and we would have to wait to actually see the "outside" inside passage on another voyage.  

Moving through Meyers Passage to the inner waters, we were just about through the Narrows when we spied just ahead whales spouting.  We shut down the engine and drifted into the center of the turn in the channel and we realized there were two adult orcas and a youngster feeding.  (We later talked with other boaters who passed this way days earlier and the whales were there at that time, too.)  


We drifted for about 45 minutes watching them circle the channel, feeding.  At one point (Picture above, they headed right for our boat.  One swam under water right beside our boat, and the other adult came up within 20 feet for this picture.  





We continued on to Shearwater to do laundry and get some groceries, but due to the crowded marina, were forced to go anchor elsewhere. 




Namu was our next stop, a repeat from our trip northward, and we once again said hello to Renne and Pete and enjoyed their hospitality.  Renne and Pete are caretakers for Namu, what used to be a cannery which was abandoned back in the 60's.  

Renne & Pete's house will be set up in Lizzie Cove,
eventually on their 3 acres.

When I say abandoned, it's exactly the right word, for an excavator is still there, cases of mayonnaise, shelf after shelf of fan belts and filters, along with a sinking ship.  It seems when the cannery shut down due to lack of fishing, it was too expensive to haul everything away, so the company abandoned.  Owners of the property hire caretakers to watch the property, but as Renne and Pete said, "It's just too sad to continue to watch the place fall down around us."  

Bev, Renne, Theresa and her sister
"The Namu Nookers"

So, they'll be moving all of their personal float docks, including their house, workshop, and the gathering float, to Lizzie Cove this September.  









Namu has been special for so many years due to the presence of Renne and Pete.  There are flowers planted among the falling-down buildings.  Strawberries and potatoes grow along walkways.  Renne's greenhouse is a marvel to see.  Sad to think it will all be ending, this magical place!  It will never be the same!  It's been an honor to meet them both!  We wish them well in their new place, Lizzie Cove!

Nancy catches her first salmon in Namu!

Leaving Namu and heading south, we anchored in Fury Cove with 12 other boats!  We can see the increase in boaters as we move south.  There are a number of boats here, waiting out the fog bank that's been prevalent.  Cape Caution can be tough in normal conditions, but add a fog bank along with rough conditions and there's just no sense trying.  So the boats gather in Fury Cove, along with other coves in the area.

Entering the Broughtons!

We left Fury Cove, in a fog bank, but calm sea conditions and headed around our last hurdle of open ocean water and pulled into Allison Harbour for the night.  Next stop?  The Broughtons.  The sun came out the next morning and what a beautiful site to see the mountains.  





As we entered Wells Passage into the Broughtons, there were seagulls feeding, along with a juvenile eagle. There had to have been more than 100 gulls feeding.

Jennis Bay Marina with M/V Deerleap on the docks.

After a night in Napier Bay, with logging crews that started at 4:00 a.m. (ugh!), we moved over into Drury Inlet and through Stuart Narrows, taking them at slack water.  With current at 7 knots on a flood, these narrows can be dangerous, with the rocks and island on either side.  But, through them we went and down to Jennis Bay Marina, a family-run establishment.  Floating homes, as well as their own home on land, and logging trails for hiking, make this a nice get away for boaters. 

Babies waiting to be fed by momma.

Jennis Bay does not see a lot of boat traffic because of the narrows, and it really is a shame because these are nice folks, with a rustic set-up, but they aim to please.  The M/V Deerleap was there.  This 85-foot classic wooden yacht, built in 1927, home ports in Port Orchard, WA.  It travels to all the classic yacht shows and visits the major boat shows in the Pacific NW, winning awards each year for her true beauty, inside and out.




We are currently in Shawl Bay Marina, another family-run marina in the  Broughtons.  We had plans to leave this morning, however, when we backed out of our slip, Jerry was unable to put the boat back into our forward gear.  So as we drifted towards rocks, he shut down the engine, climbed down into the bilge, manually shifted the transmission into forward, and restarted the engine, turning it off again as we approached the docks.  We drifted in, with help from folks catching our lines, tied up, and are repairing a broken transmission cable.

Big thank you to Harry & Pat from the M/V Reflection from Anacortes, WA.  Harry, an ex-Navy submariner, happened to have a Morris cable on his boat, and Jerry, as of the time of posting this to the blog, has installed this cable and we're able to shift gears once again.  It truly amazes me, time after time, how incredibly generous boaters are with their time, extra parts, advice, and good 'ol support.  We owe Harry & Pat.  Thank you!  It also amazes me how talented and knowledgeable my guy, Jerry, is.  He'll figure out a way to fix anything and everything!  Thank you, sweetie!

Our plans are to continue through the Broughtons over the next week, enjoying hide-e-holes, and a couple of more family-run marinas before continuing south to Discovery Passage, the rapids at Dent and Yucalta, Octopus Islands Marine Park, Comox, Nanaimo, the Gulf Islands, and a visit with our new Canadian friends, Brian and Pattie from S/V Elusive on Saturna Island later in August.  We'll update as we can!

Punchbowl Cove - Misty Fjords, Alaska

Heading South

We have left Juneau and are heading south.  Our first two nights were repeat anchorages from our trip northward:  Taku Harbor and Tracy Arm Cove.  We tied up to the public float in Taku Harbor and we caught a glimpse of our first bear, a small black bear walking in the tall grass along the shore.  

Looks like two, but connected underwater.

Continuing south toward Tracy Arm, we came across some unique icebergs floating in the channel.

Different blue color; almost transparent.

The various shapes and colors of the icebergs were astounding!  Can you imagine what elements caused them to look so different?

Two whales here, going opposite directions

Wanting more bear sightings, we headed across Stephens Passage over to Admiralty Island, the largest concentration of grizzly bears in the world.  Admiralty Island is the home to over 1,600 grizzly bears and we were hoping to see our share.  On our crossing, however, we were treated to a large gathering of humpback whales spanning a distance of about 3 miles.







While our weather was rainy and cool that day, we could have cared less because we shut down our engine and drifted and watched nature's show.

I managed to catch 3 in one photo.

We could not count all the whales.  Were there 12? 15? 20?  Who knows.  








At one point we had two whales working together slapping the water, stunning the fish, and then both would swim around eating (we supposed) and then one would return to slapping the water again.






Continuing south, we headed into Gambier Bay and were greeted, not with bears, but with two orcas, mom and youth.  Not particularly friendly, they immediately headed deeper into the bay and we chose to leave them be and go find our anchorage for the night.  Later that night we listened to the blows of the whales as they fed in the bay.



As we left Gambier Bay the next morning, a local seiner was working in the same area and we stayed to watch them bring in their catch (something Nancy had never seen).

Which is right-side up?

Pybus Bay on Admiralty Island was our next anchorage, and you can see from this photo, the beauty of the area.  Of course, when the sun comes out, all of Alaska is beautiful!!!  Two other boats were anchored nearby and we heard of a bear playing around the point, out of our view.  Getting kayaks down and venturing over around the point got us ..... no bear!!!  So, now we are wondering why the bears are shy around us.  Maybe we should ask our friends, Brian & Patti from S/V Elusive?  [sorry, inside joke]

Lucky shot of the trip!

Leaving Admiralty Island, without a single bear sighting, we were headed back across Frederick Sound and Stephens Passage, one of the main areas for whale sightings, and once again, we were treated to the "Whale Show".  I'm not sure how I lucked out on this one shot, but glad I put my camera to "multiple" shutter captures instead of single shot.

Anchoring in Portage Bay, west of Petersburg, brought us another glorious sunset.  This being the land of the midnight sun, one of the hardest things to get used to is going to sleep before it's dark and trying to stay asleep at 3:00 a.m. when it starts to get light outside.  But, staying awake late sometimes gives you amazing sunsets which, otherwise, you might just sleep through.

Devil's Thumb is on far left side of this mtn range

We returned to Petersburg, one of my favorite places in Alaska, for a couple of nights, getting laundry done while Jerry worked on replacing our anchor light (which stopped working and while trying to fix, got dropped into the drink--ain't it fun!!).

Seals sharing the space atop a channel marker.

Wrangell Narrows is south out of Petersburg.  This 22-mile channel is filled with more than 50 buoys marking this narrow passage.  It's imperative that you stay between the red and green buoys while transiting this passage.  All hands on the boat must be paying close attention to not only the markers, but watching for faster boats coming behind you.

Another inhabitant of channel markers.  Eagles are so
prolific in Alaska, they should be called "eagulls".

We bypassed Wrangell on the southbound journey, and instead headed west to the town of Coffman Cove, "a quaint drinking village with a serious fishing problem".  We had to laugh when the Tsunami Evacuation Route sign was at the bottom of the steps leading up to the local bar.  All were friendly in the fishing town.  "Serious fishing problem" is an understatement as these fisherman go in and out at all hours of the day and night.  

Ketchikan, three days in Misty Fjords, and a calm day crossing Dixon Entrance has us back at Prince Rupert.  We'll be here a day or two fixing a steering problem.  Yes, we have had our share of "things that go wrong", but we have also had our share of "things that go right!"  It's all part of boating, and luckily Jerry is "Mr. Fix It" and has been able to keep us on the go.  We'll post again when we're next at an internet spot (should be Shearwater, B.C.)  Until then, safe travels to everyone! 

We've Arrived in Juneau

We are at the apex of our journey and we're overwhelmed with all that we've seen and experienced on our journey here to Juneau.  We've been in Juneau now for about a week and new computer has been purchased, software loaded, and we're back in business for blogging (but still dependent on the limited wi-fi locations in Alaska).  It's truly impossible to cover everything that we've done, but I will share some highlights.

Sunset in Ketchikan

Our last blog entry was from Prince Rupert and we had Dixon Entrance to cross.  Let's say that Dixon Entrance was not so kind to us and we'll hope the weatherman is more accurate on our trip southward.  It was the worst sea conditions we've experience (ever) and one that we don't want to repeat.  We stayed in Ketchikan for about 5 days, as we needed to replace our radar, which went out while we were crossing Dixon Entrance.  It poured rain in Ketchikan for 3 straight days.  I've never seen it rain so hard for such a long period of time before.  Alaska weather is truly amazing.

Creative use of driftwood--note the foiled fish.

Moving northward, we pulled into Meyers Chuck, a place Jerry had been to before and loved.  I, too, found it utterly charming and took a walk around the area, meeting and talking with some of the locals who live there.  

Another creative mind -- you can just make out the rusting spider

Some of the artists are quite clever with their local art.

S/V Elusive

One of the joys of our travels this summer has been all of the great people we have met and cruised along with.  We spent the last two weeks of our journey north to Juneau with a Canadian couple, Brian and Patti, from the Gulf Island of Saturna.  We hit it off right from the start and both agreed it's rare to find lifelong friends on an adventure like this, but both feel we may have done just that.  With both couples having a love of red wine, it was easy to start off the first night together.




The colors of Alaska have been the most spectacular of any other place I've ever been.  The pink of the sunsets, the greens of the water, the blues of the icebergs floating by.  The closer you get to glacial water, the more opaque the green water becomes.  It's pure magic, this Alaskan experience.

Sunset at Cleveland Passage

While we have experienced lots of whales on this trip, the bear has eluded us (so far).  We have gone to coves where bears are known to frequent.  We have visited streams known for its prolific amount of bears during the running of salmon. The only thing we can figure is that it's just too early ... or, they are waiting for a special visit!  How close this special visit may be is what concerns us.  








One night, in an attempt to encourage the bears to come out for a visit, Jerry launched the kayak and took over to the beach some leftover food.  Even though it was raining and the no-see-ums were eating him alive, he was determined to see a bear!  No luck this time!

Early morning at Tracy Arm Cove

One area we were all excited to see was Tracy Arm, a 20-mile long fjord reaching up to the Sawyer Glaciers.  This fjord is now visited by some of the cruise ships, but we were hoping for a beautiful day.  And did we get it!

Enjoying our cruise of Tracy Arm on S/V Elusive

There was no sense taking both boats on the 40-mile round trip, so S/V Elusive was our host for the day.  (They get better gas mileage anyway!)

The water was littered with icebergs and bergie bites.

What a day!  The sun came out.  No wind!  And best of all ... no cruise ships to share the waterways with.  As a matter of fact, other than two other tour boats from Juneau that rapidly passed us, we had no other cruising vessels in Tracy Arm that day.  

One of the many waterfalls on the way up Tracy Arm

Magical!  Unforgettable!  Just some of the words used to describe this day.  We know we can't go back because we can never repeat this amazing experience!

Brian and Patti out searching for a bergie bite small enough to pick up.

Getting as  close to the glacier as Brian was comfortable with (the amount of bergie bites floating around us were increasing), he lowered his dinghy and he and his bride drove out looking for a small enough hunk of ice to bring aboard the dinghy.  You can see their dinghy in this photo and see just how large the iceberg was that was in our vicinity.  Jerry and I stayed onboard Elusive to keep her out of harm's way.

Enjoying a little whiskey over 1,000 year old glacial ice.

With both back on board, we toasted to a memory we soon would not forget, with Scotch Whiskey over glacial ice.  Not a bad way to end our day up Tracy Arm.

Patti finding out what an Oosik bone is.

Two days later, we pulled into Juneau and shortly thereafter, said good-bye to our new good friends, as they started their journey south.  We will see them again on their island in September!  Thank you, Brian and Patti, for your friendship!

Friends meeting.  Nick & Mary, our Juneau friends,
hosting the cruisers on a warm Juneau night.

Juneau is home to friends, Nick and Mary, and they've been awesome hosts.  A loaner car was at our disposal for trips to grocery stores, laundry days, and trips out to Home Depot for supplies.










We'll be in Juneau for about 5 more days, while we change oil in the engine and wait for Canadian charts to arrive for our new navigation system.  In the meantime, when weather permits, Jerry acts as tour guide and shows me the area he lived in for 3+ years.

Here we are in a rare photo with both of us!  At the Mendenhall Glacier north of Juneau.