Childress - Houston, TX; 4 Oct 21
4 Oct 21 We were up at the crack of dawn to carry on toward home. On the way, we stopped in Fort Worth to have lunch with The Admiral’s younger sister, Eileen. Then, we headed south to Houston, where we finally arrived home just after 18:00. Man, what a drive. We went to dinner with Jake at Coltivar...
Taos - Childress, TX; 3 Oct 21
3 Oct 21 After a leisurely breakfast with Dot and Gary, we got on the road about 10:30. We drove East across northern New Mexico via Cimarron and on into Dalhart and Amarillo to Childress, where we stopped for the night. Log = 407 miles, Sum = 2156
Durango, CO - Taos, NM; 1-2 Oct 21
1 Oct 21 We had a nice breakfast at the College Street Cafe, then got on the road to Taos. We took the scenic route through Arboles, then Chama and up to Antonito via Colo 17 to check out the fall colors, which were fantastic. Made it to Dorothy and Gary’s place in Taos about 16:15. Log = 237 miles,...
Torrey - Durango, CO; 30 Sep 21
30 Sep 21 We woke up early, had breakfast at the B&B and hit the road about 08:30. Through Capitol Reef, down to Natural Bridges National Monument, down the Moki Dugya (2000 ft drop on a dirt road straight down the cliff (on switch-backs) over about 2 miles from the highlands down to the southern Ut...
Boise - Torrey, UT
29 Sep 21 We were on the road by 09:15 and arrived at the SkyRidge B&B in Torrey, UT at 18:00. Log = 515 miles, Sum = 1197
Portland - Multnomah Falls - Boise, ID
28 Sep 21 We crawled out of bed about 07:45, and after a quick breakfast, bid adieu to Roger and Catherine and hit the road east along the Columbia River, including a quick stop to view Multnomah Falls, which is the 2nd highest year-round waterfall in the US; very nice, although it was drizzling at...
Anacortes - Portland, OR; 27 Sep 21
27 Sep 21 I woke up at 06:00, raring to go. We were at the boat by 07:30, where we dried out the bilge as much as possible and flushed some anti freeze through the system. The boat was in the slings at 08:30 and, after a quick power wash, was moved over to North Island Boat for a bit of work. It too...
Cap Sante Marina - Skyline Marina; 26 Sep 21
26 Sep 21 I was awake again at 04:30; the wind was up and a neighbor had a halyard clanging noisily against their mast - morons. Our next door neighbor hauled the honey-wagon over at 07:30, so we took advantage of that and pumped out the forward holding tank for the last time and got it winterized....
Sucia I. - Cap Sante Marina; 23-25 Sep 21
23 Sep 21 We did not wake up until just before 09:00, at which point, we leapt out of bed, got dressed, dropped the mooring lines and got going by 09:15. Breakfast on the road - brilliant. We had very favorable ebb tides with us until we got to Guemes Channel, so we were in Cap Sante Marina just aft...
Boot Cove - Sucia I., WA; 22 Sep 21
22 Sep 21 It rained a bit during the night and was cool in the morning so we were slow getting up. At least the rain had moved on and the sun tried to poke through. I finally finished reading “A Woman of No Importance”, about Virginia Hall, who operated behind Nazi lines in France for more than 3 ye...
Princess Cove - Boot Cove, Saturna I; 21 Sep 21
21 Sep 21 The dawn broke clear but cold, although the solarium warmed up quickly enough after the sun hit it. After a leisurely breakfast, we went for a walk on Wallace Island and decided to walk all the way to the north end of the island to Chivers Point, which was a 4 mile round trip. We got back...
Nanaimo - Princess Cove, Wallace I.; 20 Sep 21
20 Sep 21 We were up early again and away from the dock at 09:30, after i made a quick run to the Harbour Chandler for some small bungy cord to replace those on three of our old hatch covers. We made it through the Dodd Narrows at LW slack at 10:20. Then, we motored against a very light southerly b...
Pender Harbour - Nanaimo, BC
18 Sep 21 We got up early-ish with the intention of heading across the Strait of Georgia to Nanaimo. The forecast looked OK for the crossing, so we got away from the dock just after 09:00. Out of Pender Harbour, we turned left and headed SE straight into the wind; we motored all the way through Welc...
Garden Bay - Madeira Park; 16-17 Sep 21
16 Sep 21 We had a nice lay-in, waiting for the boat to warm up after a cold night. After breakfast, John came over and we discussed the revised weather forecast, which is not good: lots of rain tonight and 40 kn winds tomorrow. We decided to move over to Madeira Park for a couple of days to ride th...
Madeira Park - Garden Bay; 15 Sep 21
15 Sep 21 Happy Birthday to me. We lazed around most of the morning and decided to leave the dock and anchor in Garden Bay on the other side of the harbour. The hook was down and “Massilia” was rafted up with us again, now that we are once again pest-free, just after 14:00. After a late lunch, Lauri...
McDonald I. - Pender Harbour; 14 Sep 21
14 Sep 21 Mouse Chronicles - ultimate chapter. I was awakened at 05:30 by Stewart rooting around in the galley. I leapt out to do battle but he had disappeared by the time I got a light on. We were planning a 06:00 departure to get to Malibu Rapids for LW slack at 06:40, so we both just got up. It w...
PLI park dock - McDonald I. mooring ball; 13 Sep 21
13 Sep 21 Mouse Chronicles, continued. We woke up to find that the mouse, or Stewart (from Stewart Little) had found his way into the food locker overnight and nibbled 2 of the nectarines, a bit of courgette, half of an ear of corn, a small bite or two out of a loaf of bread (in a completely differe...
Pender Harbour - Egmont - Princess Louisa Inlet; 10-12 Sep 21
10 Sep 21 We got up early to be on the road to Princess Louisa Inlet (PLI) and were away from the dock by 7:15. The weather was cool, with a low overcast and very little wind. About half way up Agamemnon Channel, I worked out that, with “c’est le bon’s” greater speed, we had time for a brief detour...
Smuggler's Cove - Pender Harbour, BC; 9 Sep 21
9 Sep 21 We had a long lie-in this morning and did not get moving until 08:30. After breakfast, I spent the morning working on the aft toilet, which has been backing up (in the bowl) and leaking onto the head floor for the last several days. After completely disassembling the plunger unit and de-sca...
Fisherman's Wharf - Smuggler's Cove; 8 Sep 21
8 Sep 21 It was a fine morning in Vancouver. After breakfast, the Admiral walked back over to Granville Market and I did a few boat chores, including installing my new stern line roller on the starboard quarter of the pushpin. We got going just before 11:00, stopping on the way our to top up the fue...
Pt. Roberts - Fishermans Wharf, Vancouver, BC; 6-7 Sep 21
6 Sep 21 We were not up early, but there was no rush as the ebb was still running until 11:40 or so. We finally slipped our lines about 10:40 and motored NW along the west side of Point Roberts, past Tswassen and along the various banks offshore of south Vancouver. We motor-sailed all the way to Fal...
Cap Sante - Pt. Roberts Marina; 5 Sep 2021
5 Sep 21 We struggled to get out of bed at 08:30. I spent some more time on the engine room fan, without success, and the Admiral did another load of laundry. I went back to West Marine to buy a new switch for the engine room fan (I confirmed that the old fan still works fine, even though I bought a...
Langley - Cap Sante Marina; 3-4 Sep 21
3 Sep 21 We got going just before 09:00 and motored all the way through the Swinomish Channel and on to Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes, where we were tied up at 14:40, after pumping out both H/Ts and filling up with diesel. I collected our mail from the marina, picked up the car and stopped by West M...
Edmonds - Langley, WA; 2 Sep 2021
2 Sep 21 We were a bit slow getting up this morning after yesterday afternoon’s libations, although I did rally at 07:00 long enough to snag a couple of Covid-19 test appointments on Saturday afternoon at a Walgreens in Kent, which is south of Sea-Tac; so, we are back on track for the assault on PLI...
Blake Island - Edmonds, WA; 1 Sep 21
1 Sep 21 The dawn was clear and cool with a light northerly breeze. After a leisurely breakfast, we got going about 10:00 and as soon as we were out of the harbor, killed the engine and hoisted all plain sail. We sailed until we were just south of West Point, on the north side of Elliot Bay, at whic...
Bell Harbor Marina - Blake Island S.P.; 31 Aug 2021
It was cold, with broken overcast, but with the hope that the sun would peek out, at least occasionally. We enjoyed the pain au chocolates for breakfast, then got going about 09:30. As soon as we were out of the marina, the SE wind was fair for Blake Island, so we killed the engine and got the jib u...
Everett - Bell Harbor Marina; 29-30 Aug 2021
29 Aug 21 The shriek of the alarm jolted us out of bed at the ungodly hour of 07:00. After a quick breakfast and review of the weather forecast (light northerlies with a touch of early morning fog), we were away at 08:00 and into the Sunday morning rush hour of sport fishermen headed out to catch th...
Cap Sante Marina - Everett, WA; 28 Aug 21
28 Aug 21 Another glorious, clear day greeted us when we rolled out of bed at 07:40. After breakfast, I went back to West Marine to buy some more engine coolant and bilge cleaner. Then, I met the Admiral at Safeway for another big grocery shop. We were back at the boat and ready to go at 10:50. Afte...
Van Isle Marina - Cap Sante Marina; 27 Aug 21
27 Aug 21 The alarm jangled us out of bed at 06:00; short night. We were underway by 07:00 and checked in with CBP by phone and were cleared into the USA by 08:22. The wind was light, mainly southerly, so we motored the whole way to Cap Sante Marina, where we tied up in slip C-26 at 12:24. The Admir...
Vancouver - Van Isle Marina; 26 Aug 21
26 Aug 21 We bounded out of bed at 08:45. After breakfast, we packed up and got away from the house at 10:45, with John at the wheel, headed for Tswassen. The Admiral and I made a quick stop at Safeway to buy enough groceries to get us through breakfast and lunch tomorrow, then we headed for the fer...
Vancouver; 21-25 Aug 21
21 Aug 21 We slept in again, but got up in time to join Michael, Matt and the two J’s at the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, Coal Harbour, for brunch and a reunion. Michael and Matt have joined the YC to get on the waiting list for a slip. At the YC restaurant, we ordered our brunch and then went around...
Annette Inlet - Van Isle - Vancouver; 20 Aug 21
20 Aug 21 We slept in a bit in the morning, but finally got going about noon. Lunch was leftovers from last nights steak and veggies dinner wrapped up in aluminum foil and heated on the engine block. Although the forecast was for NW 10, we had SSE 5-10 all the way to Van Isle Marina, where I was tie...
Pirates Cove S - Annette Inlet; 19 Aug 21
19 Aug 21 I slept like a rock, but was wakened just before 09:00 when another sailboat came in and anchored just a few feet from us, right over the top of my anchor. I glared at him, but he shouted that they were going to be leaving in a few minutes. Sure enough, he left before I had finished breakf...
Nanaimo - Pirates Cove South; 18 Aug 21
18 Aug 21 We were up early to get the Admirals to the ferry terminal for the 08:45 ferry, so Laurie could go back to work for a few days. I walked them up to the road to catch a taxi. Lisa, one of John’s former young engineers who now lives in Nanaimo, and her boyfriend showed up at “Massilia” at 09...
Deep Bay - Nanaimo; 15-17 Aug 21
15 Aug 21 Yet another beautiful day in paradise. After yesterday’s long run, we slept in a bit, but were up by 08:30. It was a fine morning with a light SE breeze and we spent the morning lazing about, although the girls did go to the island for a morning walk and search for cell signal. About 10:00...
Connover Cove - Deep Bay, Jedediah Island; 13-14 Aug 21
13 Aug 21 Another beautiful day in paradise; the dawn was clear and warm and calm, but the smoke was even worse than yesterday. We lazed around most of the morning. Before, lunch, John and I were doing a bit of planning on “Massilia”; when I moved back to our boat for lunch, with my laptop and iPhon...
Annette Inlet - Connover Cove; 11-12 Aug 21
11 Aug 21 We slept in till 08:00 and awoke to a glorious, warm, cloudless morning. It was decided last night that we would stay here for a day, and it is such a lovely, calm, nearly deserted anchorage, that it was easy to stick to that plan today. All morning, we basically just drank coffee and read...
Van Isle - Annette Inlet; 10 Aug 21
10 Aug 21 After last night’s well earned celebration dinner, not to mention the after-dinner whiskey tasting back on the boat, we were a bit slow getting up this morning. And what a glorious morning it was. How good it is to wake up back in Canada. Anyway, after breakfast, the Admiral went up to do...
O - Canada! Prevost Harbor - Van Isle Marina, Sidney BC, CA; 9 Aug 21
9 Aug 21 Wow, what a day! We actually made it into Canada. We were up to the alarm at 06:00 and had the anchor up by 06:30; breakfast en-route. It was clear and calm as we crossed the international border, dodging an outbound freighter on the way, who congratulated us on our arrival in Canada. We we...
Anacortes - Prevost Harbor (Stuart I.); 8 Aug 21
8 Aug 21 It was another cool, overcast day, but not much wind. We had the anchor aweigh by 09:00 and motored out into Guemes Channel, where we picked up 2.5 kn of favorable current. Into the Rosario Channel, the wind was up to S14, so we sailed to the W although the current in this channel was pushi...
Eagle Harbor - Anacortes Roads; 5 - 7 Aug 21
5 Aug 21 As a footnote to yesterday’s efforts to make reservations for Covid-19 tests, I woke up at midnight last night and was able to get reservations for both of us at Walgreens in Renton, WA (near SeaTac airport, “only” 1.5 hours drive away) for a Rapid Diagnostic Test (supposedly accepted by th...
Cap Sante - Eagle Harbor; 4 Aug 2021
4 Aug 21 The dawn broke overcast and cool with a light southerly wind. We cleaned up the boat, tidied up the last of the project stuff and got going about 10:50. Originally, we thought we would stop at either Saddlebag Island or Boat Harbor, both of which are only 3 miles from Anacortes, since we ha...
Cap Sante Marina; 3 Aug 2021
3 Aug 21 We crawled out of bed about 07:30. I headed up to Ace Hardware to re-fill propane tank #3 and buy a right angle drive for my drill (another tool Woody had that I did not know I could not live without). Back at the boat, I had breakfast, then took some surplus dock lines to the U-haul storag...
Hope Island - Cap Sante Marina, Anacortes, WA; 2 Aug 21
2 Aug 21 After a lovely, quiet night, I woke up at 05:00 and could not get back to sleep. I finally got out of bed at 06:00 and put the kettle on. It was overcast, semi-foggy and cool, but I enjoyed a sunrise in the cockpit anyway, with a hot cup of coffee in my hands and a think blanket over me as...
Oak Harbor - Hope Island; 30 Jul - 1 Aug 2021
30 Jul 21 Our Oak Harbor anchorage was snug and calm throughout the night and we awoke to another warm, clear day. The anchor was aweigh and we were under way by 09:30. Out of Oak Harbor we turned east and then north to Hope Island, where we picked up the last empty mooring ball at 11:30. Today, we...
Everett - Oak Harbor, WA
29 Jul 21 We slept like logs last night and were a bit slow getting up. After breakfast, we loafed around for a bit, I filled the forward water tank back up, before we finally decided to head up toward Elger Bay, which is a nominal anchorage on the west side of Camano Island a few miles north of Lan...
Seattle - Everett; 28 Jul 21
28 Jul 21 Another slow day in paradise. We were waked up at 07:30 by a phone call from Jo advising us that her niece Joyce had passed away from complications of Alzheimers; so sad. We finally got going about 10:40, after hearing from Langley that they do not have room for us at the dock until 4 Aug,...
Blake Island - Seattle; 26-27 Jul 21
26 Jul 21 We had a most pleasant night, although it got a bit rolly about 05:00. Willis Allan Ramsay woke us with “Angel Eyes” at 08:00. After a nice al fresco breakfast, we dropped the mooring ball at 10:00 and sailed to Seattle, with only 3 tacks, and arrived at Bell Harbor Marina at about 12:30,...
Liberty Bay - Blake Island; 22-25 Jul 21
22 Jul 21 After a very pleasant night’s sleep, we were up before 08:00 to be ready for an 08:45 departure to catch the last of the ebb current at Rich Passage. We had the anchor up on schedule and motored all the way down Port Orchard, turning into Rich Passage right behind the Bremerton - Seattle f...
Port Orchard - Liberty Bay; 21 Jul 21
21 Jul 21 The dawn was overcast and cool, with a very light northerly breeze. We had another leisurely breakfast and watched the large male seal and an otter drying out on the finger piers adjacent. Also, the “Lady Washington”, a two-masted schooner tall ship (actually, it is a replica of a ship bui...
Liberty Bay - Port Orchard; 19-20 Jul 21
19 Jul 21 It was another beautiful, sunny start to the day and the solarium was nicely warmed up in time for an al fresco breakfast. Today, we actually did manage to pull up our stakes (so to speak) and depart Liberty Bay; I believe that is the longest duration we ever spent at one location on ancho...
Liberty Bay; 16 - 18 Jul 21
16 Jul 21 We decided not to leave yet, so after breakfast, we rowed in to do the laundry. Since we are not staying at the marina, they would not let us use the marina’s laundry, so we had to walk into the mall, basically across the street from Coast Hardware, where I needed to go anyway. While the A...
Liberty Bay (Poulsbo) - 15 Jul 21
15 Jul 21 Another day in paradise - well 3/4 paradise anyway. We are comfortable enough here that we have not moved, again. I spent the morning finishing off the installation of the spotlight; it is all done, working and tidied up now - looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. And it is all control...
Manzanita Bay - Liberty Bay (Poulsbo, WA); 13 - 14 Jul 21
13 Jul 21 After a leisurely breakfast, we got the anchor up about 10:00 and motored over to Poulsbo, where we anchored in Liberty Bay at 11:20. Immediately we were hooked, we rowed into the dinghy dock and walked up to Safeway for a major grocery shop. As we filled 6 bags, we got a taxi back to the...
Edmonds - Manzanita Bay, Bainbridge I, WA; 11 - 12 Jul 21
11 Jul 21 We were up at the crack of 08:30 and enjoyed a nice, warm breakfast. About 11:00, we got going and moved over to the fuel dock to fill up the gerry can, top up the tank and pump out the H/Ts; but, it was a bit of a struggle to get it all done as they are not very well set up for the pump-o...
Coupeville - Edmonds, WA; 10 Jul 21
10 Jul 21 We were up to a cool, low overcast morning, a bit early to make sure we got away from the dock well before LW (so we would not be aground). We were away from the dock by 9:20 and on our way to Edmonds. There were no slips available and the transient slips are first-come, first-served, but...
Hope Island - Coupeville, WA; 9 Jul 21
9 Jul 21 After an excellent sleep, we got up about 08:30 to a cool, crisp morning. About 10:00 or so, we decided to move on over to Coupeville. When I put the wheel back on, I noticed that the rudder was stuck in the mud, although the depth gauge was showing 2.6 m. We shortened up on the mooring lin...
La Conner - Hope Island; 8 Jul 21
8 Jul 21 Drama - so much drama. You don’t have to go looking for it; it comes to you, even remotely, or second-hand. We had a very pleasant morning in La Conner, with very pleasant weather. And then Ashley called to report that the old gentleman (with early-onset Alzheimer’s) that she is looking aft...
Cap Sante Marina - La Conner, WA; 7 Jul 21
7 Jul 21 It dawned chilly and foggy this morning; we both had on polar-techs, long pants and jackets for breakfast. While waiting for our mail to be delivered, we tidied up the boat, getting her ready to go to sea. The UPS man finally showed up at 12:15, so we drove over to the marina office to coll...
Cap Sante Marina; 6 Jun 21
6 Jul 21 We woke up with plans to depart Anacortes, but, as I have often stated, plans are a dangerous thing on a boat. We have been waiting for mail delivery from Houston, but we found out it is not going to be delivered until tomorrow, so we decided to stay put. I went round to four boat storage f...
Cap Sante Marina; 3 - 5 Jul 21
3 Jul 21 After breakfast, I climbed the mast to check everything out; all good. Then, we hoisted the jib. After lunch, I spent the afternoon, working on the support for the new spotlight. All I have to do now is figure out how to wire it up. Along with the ah-oo-gah horn. Sigh. New stereo tuner inst...
Cap Sante Marina; 1 Jul 21
1 Jul 21 I was a bit slow getting up, but finally straggled out of bed about 08:00. After breakfast aboard, I spent virtually the entire day working on finishing off my cap rail covers, although I did find a minute or two to mouse the anchor shackle. I completely finished the starboard side cover an...
Cap Sante Marina; 30 Jun 21
30 Jun 21 We slept like logs last night, then woke up at 08:00, only to be reminded of our semi-annual fiscal review with Joni at 08:30. After we finished that, we cleaned out the hotel room, loaded up the car, and started moving all our stuff onto the boat. I pottered around the cockpit reorganizin...
Skyline - Cap Sante Marina; 29 Jun 21
29 Jun 21 We slept well last night; the hotel’s AC works very well. We were up early to be at the Skyline by 08:30, when they open the gate. Plus, I wanted to have a conversation with North Island Boat regarding the fact that they seem to have got very little bottom paint on and I cannot see any evi...
Portland - Anacortes; 28 Jun 21
28 Jun 21 We slept very well and got up to enjoy a nice, extended breakfast with Roger and Catherine. We finally got on the road just after 10:00. I had a teleconference with my GP at 12:30, so we had to pull off the road for a few minutes, so he could tell me what good shape I’m in. We pulled into...
Crater Lake - Portland, OR; 27 Jun 21
27 Jun 21 We shared a table with our new buddies, Glen and Marie, from Arroyo Grande, at breakfast. We finally got away about 10:00 and had a nice drive in the 100+F heat to Portland, stopping to visit Salt Creek Falls along the way. We got into Portland about 17:00 and had a lovely reunion with Rog...
Winnemucca - Crater Lake; 26 Jun 21
26 Jun 21 After a weird night on pillows that were about 2 ft thick and hard as concrete, we were up and out of the hotel by 07:20. We breakfasted at The Griddle, then hit the road by 08:30. The first 250 miles or so is across trackless, high desert, with maybe 4 inhabitants. The last 100 miles or...
Springdale - Winnemucca, NV; 25 Jun 21
25 Jun 21 We slept like logs and woke up about 07:45. I had 3 voice-mails and a couple of e-mails waiting from Expedia, wondering if we were still planning to check into the hotel in Winnemucca - last night; unfortunately, it appears I had made the reservations for the wrong night. I spent the next...
Grand Canyon - Springdale, UT; 24 Jun 21
24 Jun 21 It was cooler tonight, so we both slept pretty well. After another excellent breakfast in the Jacob Lake Restaurant, we got on the road just after 09:00. Within half an hour, we had dropped from the cool, alpine pine forest at 8000 ft, off of the Kaibab Plateau, down to the high Arizona/Ut...
Jacob Lake - Grand Canyon - Jacob Lake; 23 Jun 21
23 Jun 21 “Grand” is simply, seriously, insufficient an adjective to describe this Canyon. The Admiral woke up in the middle of the night feeling poorly; I finally decided she had a touch of altitude sickness. After a while, and a Tylenol, she settled down and got back to sleep. We breakfasted at th...
Taos - Jacob Lake Inn; 22 Jun 21
22 Jun 21 After a very pleasant night’s sleep in the cool, high wilds of Taos (even heard a couple of coyotes nearby in the night), I was up at 07:25, packed up and out of the casita by 08:00 to join Dot, Gary and Chris for breakfast. I was on the road south just after 09:00 and collected the Admira...
Lubbock - Taos, NM; 21 Jun 21
21 Jun 21 First day of summer; longest day of the year. I woke up in my Microtel room, facing east, at 06:05, just in time to see the sun peak over the distant horizon; it was like watching a sunrise at sea - so flat. I was awake, so i went ahead and got up. After a leisurely breakfast at Starbucks,...
Houston - Lubbock; 20 Jun 21
20 Jun 21 Well, it is finally time to head up to the boat again. There is no indication yet that the Canadian border will open at all this summer, but we remain optimistic for a 21 July opening. Time will tell. Dan, Emily, Hank and baby Joyce, along with nephew Jake, gave me a rousing send off last...