Our Second Summer - No Need for Air Conditioning

Early Summer Company (Click of pix to enlarge)
    Before I say another word about our summer, David and I would like to thank the people who took the time and effort to come up for a visit. We loved seeing you and missed you all the more when you left. Thank you for being in our lives! (And you make great boat maties!!)

L'Esprit in Bowman Bay.
Carmen and Bob Smith
Chris and Debby Gaal

   Even though summer didn't officially begin until August when the heavy mist, a.k.a. rain, finally let up, we had a wonderful summer boating in our new waters. 

  In June, Bob and Carmen Bowman visited from Newport Beach. Carmen was my Sigma Kappa Big Sister, so we've known each other FOREVER! Even though they were driving down from Vancouver, B.C., en route to Seattle, we packed a lot of fun into a short period of time. After taking them on our usual tour of Fidalgo Island (including the requisite photo shoot atop Mt. Erie), Deception Pass Bridge, Washington Park, and Cap Sante, we dined in. When the sun rose, we hopped on L'Esprit and cruised down to Bowman Bay, which we thought to be extremely fortunate since Mrs. Smith was born Carmen Bowman. It was so great to see them, and we had great conversations about EVERYTHING. Bob's busy with the Newport Beach Art Commission.    

   Debby and Chris Gaal brought the Newport Coast sun when they visited in July, while bringing their son Conner up to UW (UDub!) for soccer tryouts. It was a busy summer for them, as they were heading off to Italy and France in a couple of weeks. Lucky bums! While I still lived in California, Debby and I spent many a Monday morning writing at her kitchen table, with the door flung open so her garden and all its bird life could add to our experience. This I miss horribly. And so it was especially nice to sit and talk about our writing, and our writing process. Plus we had lots of salmon at Flounder Bob's in Skyline Harbor and Randy's Pier 61, down at the wharf with its view of Guemes Island and the conveyor belts loading tar and stuff onto tankers headed for China. Anacortes is a working town!

Clockwise from top left: Bob Lane: Bob's Grand Banks 42, Quadra;
Calm Canadian waters.

Davy Heads North
   Just before Debby and Chris's visit, David took off north with Bob Lane, he who writes for Passagemaker Magazine. Actually, how this all came about was rather a surprise.
   Bob, who usually takes off north with his friend Ellen, who this year did not go because one of her grandsons was having one of those baseball summers that has to be paid attention to because of the potential memories. (AND Ellen's a sports nut in her rown right.)

Double-deck buses in Echo
Bay; Ocean Dawn, Billy
Proctor's boat; Bob and
Billy Proctor.

   With Ellen unavailable, and Bob still intent on heading north, he put out the call for three guys to take one of three legs of his trip. I thought, hmmmmm. Who better to learn these waters and power boating in the PNW than with the notorious and revered Bob Lane?
   It didn't take much to persuade Davy this was a good idea, and so, just days after going to Sucia Island with the Kuhns and Weidemans (see Extemporaneous Travels below), David drove Amana the Minivan onto the ferry headed for Victoria, from where he drove three hours north to Port MacNeil to catch Quadra.  
   From there, they cruised northeast, past Sullivan Bay to the inlets north of North Broughton Island. Someone is going to have to get Davy to write about this trip, because I cannot begin to describe it, other than:
- there were millions of fjords, which made it difficult to land and take hikes.
- there was very large animal leavings, which made it scary to walk around too much. 
- a moose ate a duck, which left her ducklings scrambling.

Waterfall; totems in Qus'tsun'; large, mutant starfish.

- the scenery was beyondanonda beautiful. Waterfalls!
- there were double decker buses somewhere. 
- instead of catching crabs, they caught a HUGE starfish. 
- In Quw'utsun' they saw incredible First Nation totems that had been returned to the Indians by the Canadian government
- Visiting Billy Proctor's Museum in Echo Bay is a must-do. (Also see THIS.)
   So, somebody, get Davy to write about the trip. I just don't do it justice. 
 Extemporaneous Travels 

Tom and Dianne Kuhn
Otava tied to mooring string.
L'Esprit tied to mooring string.

    Late last summer, before we sold Always and purchased L'Esprit, we joined Fidalgo Yacht Club. We didn't really know what to expect, but are delighted with what we found. First, the members are a bunch of adventurers who, when the weather turns warm in April, head north to Alaska. Second, they're very bright and love to share their knowledge of PNW waters and boating in general, which is a wonderful thing, because we didn't know anything. Third, when they're not cruising north, they cruise together in the local waters, and so we had a fabulous summer, even though we never really went more than fifty miles from home.
   Our first extemporaneous trip was to Echo Bay, on Sucia Island with Tom and Rear-Commodore Dianne Kuhn and Liz and Wayne Weideman called us from Sucia Island and said, "Hey, come on up!" And so we did. On that trip, we learned that if we travel with the currents, we can get to Sucia Island in three hours. If we don't? It takes four or more hours. We also learned to tie up to a mooring string, which is a lot easier to do if your boat's deck is near water level, which ours is not. Whoever was going to do the actual tying up, would have to lean far over the side of the boat to catch the rings with the boat hook. Naturally, that person was David. But since David usually did the driving, it meant that I would have wing it and drive the boat myself, with him telling me what to do. Good thing no one was around, or they'd have thought we were in the midst of getting a divorce. 
   Anyway, a very good time was had. The Weideman's invited us over to their new boat Mosey, the 55' Fleming they'd just purchased in Florida for drinks. Talk about luxury! There's even a dumbwaiter to bring food to the flybridge.
   Afterward, we went to the Kuhn's new boat Otava to watch Ken Burns's Lewis and Clark on DVD.
 

Clockwise from top left: Mike and Cheryl's Meant2Be tied
to floating dock in Reid Harbor; 4th of July dinner with
the Weidmans, Dyers, and McKays (Gregg's commodore
of Capital City Yacht Club; Dave, Mike, and Nat Nord;
Ann Nord and Cheryl.  



Liz and Wayne taking Annie Dyer ashore
for an I'm-pooped break; Gregg McKay,
Wayne, Dave and Mike aboard Mosey.

     The Kuhns, by the way, are our mentors in wine making, which is a very big thing because of the difficulty of bringing quantities of wine into Canada for long cruises. More about this in the Wine Making section.  
   Two days after Davy returned from his trip north with Bob Lane, Cheryl and Commodore Mike Dyer, who were in Reid Harbor on Stuart Island, asked what we were doing for the 4th. Who could turn down such an invitation? Without checking our fuel or water level, we headed west of Orcas Island and north to San Juan Island to Reid Harbor.  California sail boaters!
   Mooring in Reid Harbor was a breeze. The Dyers and McKay's had saved us a spot on the floating dock, so we tied to cleats. Both the Dyers and McKays brought their pups, so everything about the weekend carried an extra edge to life, seeing how dogs find the thrill is the most mundane of things.
   We had a great homemade lasagna feast at the Weideman's and a great view of the 4th of July parade the Port Townsend Yacht Club put on. 

Liz in her galley. Dianne waving bye-bye.
Port Townsend Yacht Club's 4th of July parade in
Reid Harbor.

The Salernos Cruise with Us to Victoria Harbor

With Hank and Gail Salerno.
Hummingbird Inn bus,
inside and out.

   Near the end of July, our long-time cruising buddies, Hank and Gail Salerno, flew up for a cruise that would eventually take us to Victoria Harbor for the town symphony's Victoria Splash.  It was five years ago this month that the four of us took our first cruise to the San Juan and Gulf Islands. It seems so long ago.
   Our first stop was to Sucia Island, which we'd missed on our last trip because of weather. We stayed in Echo Bay, and departed early the next morning to go through customs in Montague Harbor on Galliano Island, part of the Gulf Islands. We ended up staying there, instead of going on to Ganges Harbor on Saltspring Island to see my sister-in-law Robin. Alas. But Montague was quite fun. We took the bus to the Hummingbird Inn, the bus ride being the most memorable part. Fats Domino singing Blueberry Hill. People in the back hula hooping. Everyone singing along like they were in a karaoke contest. Bus driver stopping to move a gopher snake off the road. Bus driver then filling us in on the changes that occurred when the missionaries arrived on the island with a better way of doing things. Stuff like that. Who could ask for more?

   Next we went to the glorious little harbor in Genoa Bay on Vancouver Island. This was our second time to come here. We love the brightly painted floating homes. There was a group of women who had canoed over from north of the bay to dine in the local Genoa Bay Cafe, which, was really quite lovely, and, I've been told, good. We had drinks and read the sign that had been nailed to the porch wall warning us that a bear had been spotted on the trail, and that we'd be wise to find a more secure means of transportation if our lives meant anything to us. 

Clockwise: Our sun-deck flower
 basket. Sidney Marina flower
baskets. The Wilshins and
Salernos at Genoa Bay Cafe.
 L'Esprit in Genoa Bay.

    From Genoa Bay, we cruised down to Sidney, which surprised the heck out of me. I was truly expecting something quaint, even rural. Something like Ganges Harbor.
   Nope, Sidney Marina is the ritz. Every end piling of every dock was decked with fresh, crayon-colored flower baskets. Five guys came to help us dock. The washers and dryers seemed brand new. It was wonderful.  
   From Sidney, we slogged our way west in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, against the current to Victoria Harbor. Our struggle was well worth it. We arrived and got our mooring on the docks right in front of the Empress Hotel, with its Mr. Snuffleupagus trees marking its main entrance. By the time we settled in, we found ourselves packed sardine-can tight, three-deep in the slip. Boats were rafted to closely to each other, it was hard seeing the water below. 

Empress Hotel's Mr. Snuffleupagus
trees; the Empress from our fly
bridge.

    Why, you might wonder. Because Saturday night was Victoria Splash, when the local symphony marched down the main drag to the harbor and onto a large barge, from where they would give the town a free night of live music. We were half a football field away from the barge. It was perfect. The 1812 completed the program, along with fireworks and applause.
   You HAVE to take a look at Hank's pictures he took of our trip. Click this LINK. He's a heck of a photographer who uses his Photoshop program in very useful and interesting ways!
   While in Victoria, we ate at the Bon Rouge, combed the Royal British Columbia Museum (the funnest museum I've ever visited), where we saw Born to be Wild, at their Imax theatre.
   The next morning we departed in strong winds for Roche Harbor, San Juan Island. We wanted our cruise through the Strait of Juan De Fuca to be a speedy one, so we had to leave while the current was with us.
   In Roche Harbor, besides having an eventful experience with U.S. Customs, we shopped and had a neat little visit with Dan and Marilyn Wilshin, who were there with their Queen City Yacht Club maties for a summer cruise.
Wine Making

   One of the things we've started doing up here in the PNW is to make our own wine. When friends of our initially mentioned this too us, we thought they were kind of crazy. AND we wondered how it could taste at all good.
   We have been enlightened. There's a local store which sells wine-making systems and kits. Tom and Dianne Kuhn helped us make our first and second batches. After we sipped our first batch of chardonnay, which was not made from a premium kit, we decided it tasted pretty good for costing $2 a bottle. Nothing to go corkers about, but palatable. So we established Hill 404 Cellars, because we live on hill 404 drawn out on the topographical map. We almost named it Quail Hill Cellars, because so many of the critters live under our brambles and trees. Our second batch, now fermenting in the downstairs cellar of the Kuhns' home, is a premium chardonnay to which we'll add oak when its time. Crossing our fingers. 
   When we told one of our neighbors, he told us that he'd teach us how to make scotch. Scotch! 
   Many of our friends have their wines made in Canada, so when they cruise north, they stop in at Nanaimo, or Sidney, or Vancouver to bottle or bag their wine. That way they don't have to pay duty. Canadian customs only allows two bottles of wine per person. And wine costs a good four or five times what it costs in the US. Making wine is form of economic survival!
Nic and Naomi Come for a Visit 

Sunset in Deer Harbor; Nic, Naomi, and Dave in Roche Harbor;
Naomi and Dave in Roche Harbor.

   Nic and Naomi came for a cruise in mid-August. One of the things that made their visit stand out was Nic's knowledge of ships and seas. He's a full-fledged unlimited-licensed sea captain, so he had a world of knowledge to share. Dave and he talked non-stop about ship handling, mooring, maintenance, reading the water, etc. As a result, there are a number of things we've changed on the boat, including how we pick up a mooring can. 


Naomi and I in the Sculpture Park: ships in the park's pond;
Davy with his new dinghy-engine handle; land formations
at Sucia Island.

   We'd fully intended to depart the morning they arrived, but the wind kept increasing to the point we didn't know if we'd be able to get out of the slip. So we took them on the usual tour, including a portrait atop Mt. Erie, and skipped going to Reid Harbor.

Nic and Naomi ping-
ponging in Deer Harbor;
Naomi enjoying cruise
through Speiden Channel;
Nic driving.

   Early the next morning, we split for Roche Harbor. After an easy three-hour trip through the passes, we anchored in the harbor and dinghied to shore. Naomi and I visited the Sculpture Garden, while Dave and Nic tested the beers.  
   We hung around Roche a while in the morning, because our next stop wasn't far away: Deer Harbor, Orcas Island. Because there was no way we'd see the whole island, we hopped on the island shuttle for its entire route. Our itinerary was a little loose, so we decided to visit East Sound or Rosario Resort on Thursday, and go to the Deer Harbor Inn for dinner.
   The shuttle dropped us off at the inn, but we were a half-hour early, so Nic and Naomi played ping-pong next to the ancient Cadillac which would taxi us home after dinner.
   Dinner was great, with the soup and salad served family style.
   We got back to L'Esprit in time to watch the most incredible sunset. The water next to the boat was a deep coral, as was the sky around us. We were in a giant paint ball, it seemed. Usually, sunsets seem far off on the horizon. This one came right down to the water's surface and fired up everything we laid our eyes upon. Wowzer!
   The next day we practiced anchoring maneuvers in the Rosario Resort anchorage, which took up so much time we could only have lunch off East Sound, before heading home so Nic and Naomi could make their next morning flight.
   What a great time David and I had!
Crabbing

Davy bringing home the loot; Davy holding cleaned our crab - No
guts, no gory; Dinner!

   Not long after Nic and Naomi's visit, we went to Hunter Bay with fellow yachties, who were kind enough to teach us how to crab. Through sheer diligence and luck, Davy caught and cleaned nine crabs, which we steamed on the Monteforte-Adams's boat because they had a cooker, and we had no idea what we were doing. Kim Adams told me, "Bring what you want, butter, salt, whatever, but you won't need it. I'm warnin' ya!" And she was right. Steamed dungeness crab, right out of the pot is delish!
   We actually had to sit there and pick all the crabs we caught because they can't be frozen in the shell (it tastes icky).  
Katie's Visit 

Katie and I; Katie and I; Dave and I; the ferry in Blind Bay, with
Mt. Baker in the background.

   Early in September Katie Martinka came up for a visit, while in town to see her cousin in Kirkland. We maximized our short visit by going to Blind Bay, on Shaw Island. It was a perfect day: comfortable, Mt. Baker visible in the background, the ferries running on schedule. So restful and wonderful. We got to talk about all our favorite topics, which I must admit I'd missed an awful lot. 
   The next morning, we headed for Bowman Bay, on Fidalgo Island's southwest corner. We were worried about morning fog for Thursday morning (August is Foggust), so we anchored close to home. Davy dropped Katie and I off at Rosario Beach, from where we hiked along the cliff side back to Bowman Bay.
ARGH!


Dana and Davy in pirate gear; Dana and Davy atop
Mt. Erie; Dana and Davy in Roche Harbor; a
bald eagle on Sucia Island.

   So Katie left on Thursday morning, and Dana Wilshin arrived on Thursday afternoon. In a quick spin-around, L'Esprit got restocked and cleaned up, so we could depart for Sucia Island at 5 p.m., a good hour past when we should have left. Sucia's a good three hours away. Anchoring's not a thrill at night. 

   But we made it to Fossil Bay mere minutes before the sun scooted under the horizon, leaving us to finish our sloppy anchoring in the dark. This would have been okay, except there were maybe fifty boats in the anchorage, and our anchor'd already slipped once in the eel grass. 

   Fate was on our side. We woke to boats anchored frightfully close to us, but none close enough to do damage, or vice versa. Fortunately, our fellow yachties dinghied out to where we were and told us they were saving a mooring can for us. Yippee.  We'd be securely tied to the ground for the remainder of our stay in Fossil Bay, which would be several days. We were, after all . . . . . ON A PIRATES' CRUISE! ARGHHHH!

  The pirate cruise our yacht club put on was tons of fun. Davy brought his bolo knife, which he did not get arrested for carrying. There's a great picture of Davy on this site. 

  When we weren't searching for loot, we had time to relax and play. Dana and Davy toured around with some borrowed kayaks. Dana got in some snorkeling and saw an otter family.

   On Monday we headed for Roche Harbor to visit the Sculpture Garden and relax.

   On Tuesday we drove up Chuckanut Drive to South Bellingham, where we shopped and dined, before dropping Dana off at Bellingham International Airport, which is the size of a supermarket! Such a great visit!!!!



Forty-Five Things

Here are forty-five things we've experienced since last we blogged:
1. We celebrated our sister-in-law Marilyn Wilshin's Big-0 birthday at our friends liin and Lave Gustafson's in Issaquah, at the south-western base of Tiger Mountain.

2.  David finally has an engine room in which he can sit down. Of course this doesn't hold a candle to our friend Jerry Schutzler's ER, which comes equipped with a work bench.
3.  In Salt Spring Island's Ganges Harbor we spotted a couple of those purple starfish the PNW's famous for.

4. Discovered a heron with messy habits had taken residence on our dock.

5. Spent time at my brother Jim's house during his stay in the hospital. He had a disc removed from his spine. Eek! Sending him tons of prayers.

6. Pitched my book Finding Geneva, or whatever it'll be titled to April Eberhardt during the Whidbey Island Writers Conference, for which I also served as chat house coordinator. David was the hall monitor for Garth Stein's break-out sessions.

7. Discovered a deer family on a tasting mission in our yard. Instead of taking all the rhodies all at once, they spread the challenge over a week.
8. Spotted one from a pair of local bald eagles perched in a tree.
9. Offered potato chips to a very discerning goose in Sucia Island's Shallow Bay.

10. What would our mothers say! Kirsten Roth, whom I've known since I was a little kid, and I got together to talk about old and current times. Our parents were best pals!

11. Learned how to pick up a PNW buoy can, which is rather like hoisting six grocery bags out of the water. Still working on the bull rails.

12. A new steer in town! We live in Skagit County, which is a right-to-farm county. Yes! Livestock live in town!!

13. Dropped by Canada. We stopped in Galiano Island's Montague Harbor to refuel (not cost effective) and to check in with customs before we headed to Salt Spring and Vancouver Islands. Amber was our very helpful fuel filly!

14. Here's Devin, our dock master at Salt Spring's Ganges Harbor.

15. I've never seen something like this before. Off Coupeville's pier, I caught sight of a huge, ill-fated lobster, who'd evidently gotten his foot caught in the wires at high tide. Egad!

16. While up being with my brother right after his operation, I got to see my sister-in-law Robin Ferry (now married to Michael Butler).

17. I also got to see her on Salt Spring Island.

18. Here's a picture of Robin and my niece Amy with her brood of three daughters. Lots of giggles in that house!!!!

19. We tempted fate by taking L'Esprit out of the harbor and across Rosario Strait to Lopez Island's Hunter Bay. But we knew our girl was chomping at the bit to get out into open water. She'd spent too long bridled in Lake Union. Adventure is what she wanted.

20. The captain at his table!

                            
21. Went with Tom and Dianne Kuhn on a PCA wine tour to Walla Walla, where, we discovered, we would sharing the hotel facilities with the Ferrari Club. Such a noisy parking lot! Have to admit we were happily surprised by the good, not just decent, tasting wines. Spent more than we shoulda.

22. Took L'Esprit on a six-day shake-down cruise during the last half of May. Our first stop was Sucia Island's Shallow Bay, which was. It was like mooring in a pond, actually.

23. The sunset Shallow Bay offered was breathtaking.

24. Ummmmmm. This Nordhavn evidently tangled with a dock's lower side. 

25. Heading out on our six-day cruise, we noticed Mt. Baker still draped in snow.

26. Once in Ganges Harbor, we tried out TJ Beans. Cupsa yummy!

27. We had fun renaming L'Esprit. We invited: the Schutzlers and Kaufolds, whose boats were in harm's way during our driver-training period; the Bergan/Pages and Barnards, who helped bring L'Esprit up from Lake Union; and the Monteforte/Adams and the Kuhn's, who'd been going through driver training along with us. David read the ritual, Joanne soaked the anchor in champagne, and then we partied until the food and wine ran out. Very fun time!

28. Ganges Harbor is one of our favorite places. The day we visited was a Saturday, which means one thing in these parts: Farmers' Market Day! But, because it was also the weekend of the Queen's birthday, the town went all out. Including a sailboat race around the island.

29.  Actually, the race was supposed to start at 11 a.m., but it didn't because there wasn't any wind. So the sailors hauled up the sails and patiently waited. I took several shots like this over a three-or-four minute period. They all look exactly alike.

30. Another damned PNW sunset. Can't get enough of them!!

31. Had the best time down an Liin and Lave's for Marilyn's birthday bash. We put together a feast for the guests (we went down early because Liin recently had knee surgery, and running around is not part of her repertoire yet).

32. Here's Liin and her cousin Tami Ryan. I've known Tami almost thirty years, and Liin not much less than that. It's so wonderful being in the same state with them, even though they're like two hours away.

33. The next morning, Liin put on one of her crazy wigs for this picture with Lave. That's Foster to her right.

34. We bid Walt and Penny Barnard off on their cruise up to Alaska. We belong to a yacht club where, when the weather warms up, everyone takes off for Alaska, like that's some easy thing to accomplish.

35. Which reminds me of Missoula, since Penny hails from there.

36. Captured this centerpiece idea from the Windham Hotel in Walla Walla. After all, it was a wine-tasting weekend.

37. We went with our yacht club to the Mother's Day Cruise in San Juan Island's Roche Harbor. This was our first long (more than an hour one way) trip on L'Esprit. When we got there, about a dozen club members were out to greet us, which told us that some might alarming rumors had leaked out about our ability to dock a fourteen-ton laviathon.

38. Found Battleship Island, off San Juan Island's northern-west coast, easy to spot.

39. Watched a tree fall in Vancouver Island's Genoa Bay.

40. Speaking of Genoa Bay . . . . When we were in Ganges on Friday afternoon, we found it a terrifically busy harbor, because at the time we did not realize there were a bajillion sailboats arriving for tomorrow's Around-Saltspring race. We we got to Genoa Bay on Sunday, we noticed all these power boats with elephant or buffalo burgies. Spy that I am, I got out the binocs. Indeed, the burgies sported elephants, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but who am I to judge? So David asked. Turns out the elephant is the mascot of Salt Spring Island's sailing club, and there were so many of them in Genoa Bay because they had to forfeit their slips for the racers. 

41. Here we are in San Juan Island's surprisingly shallow Garrison Bay, which was our last stop before returning to Fidalgo Island. We had to do customs. 

42. I love this just-before-sunset picture of Ganges Harbor when the sun peaked under the clouds. 

43. We love to walk Roche Harbor's sculpture garden, which we did with Carl and Linda. The first time we visited the garden was in 2006, when the garden mowed pathways leading to each piece. Now the garden is fully mowed, so everything can be seen at once. (We liked it better the old way.) The last piece we saw was at the bottom of the hill. It was an easel turned away from us. When we turned the bend to see what the easel bore, we saw a mirror, and realized we were part of the art. The bottom-right picture is of Tillie, Wayne and Liz Weideman's dog, who'd been terrorized by the club members popping balloons. 

 44.  When we arrived in Ganges Harbor, David had to get the dock lines all ready because we'd originally planned to anchor. While he was doing this, I was making circles in the harbor, dodging sea planes flying in from all directions, fishing boats, and sailboats coming in under sail so they'd assure themselves right-of-way. We both needed a beer once the lines were tied to the dock!

45. Our whole trek to Canada would never have gone so smoothly if we hadn't made a trip to Blaine, WA, in March to interview for our NEXUS passes. Being a border town, its signs are easily understood by Americans and Canadians.

Peaks and Valleys (warning: chilling images)

February 22, 2011, 10:00 a.m.

   While every month has its peaks and valleys, our February was one huge valley punctuated at the end by a great snowy peak and its attending flurry of activity, which is why our February post has been delayed until mid-March. Alas.
The Valley Floor
   February’s plan entailed getting L’Esprit home to Anacortes from Seattle's Lake Union by the 11th at the latest. After all, March’s first two weekends offered us heavy-duty obligations that required our undivided attention: a wedding in Richfield, North Carolina, and a yacht-club cruise for which we were on the planning committee. Because we had a new boat, we were part of the scheduled entertainment. The pressure was on! 
   We felt confident, however. The boat yard Pacific Coast Yacht Services had dispatched our work list by the end of January, as they’d promised. (The Ocean Alexander people had warned us: “If Paul Sittaur says he’ll get the job done by a certain time, he will.” They were right!) They’d given our girl a new bottom, rudders, windows, and electrical inverter, among other things (boats!). All that needed doing was for the engine guy to change hoses and fill fluids, and generally get things up to speed. It shouldn’t have taken more than a week; Davy planned to live aboard L'Esprit for the duration.
   Alas.
   Those of you who own boats know what probably happened, and you’re right. The engine guy, who shall at this time remain nameless, couldn’t come for a week, and then when he did come, could only come on Monday, and then maybe on Friday, and so on. Therefore what should have been a one-week job sprawled into three-week stint where Davy came home only on the weekends to break up the monotony of subsisting on sardines, saltines and beer for lunch; saloon food at Nickerson Street Saloon (with its bi-weekly rotating menu) and Hale’s Ales (which had really good pizza when they had pizza); and God-knows-what for breakfast. 
   Fortunately, L’Esprit came equipped with built-in heaters (very PNW) and a super-comfy bed. Instead of putting things in the fridge, which would require defrosting every week or so, Davy set his beer and creamer outside on the sundeck. Despite the freezing night temperatures, nothing exploded.
   What was I doing this whole time? Sitting at my desk, editing my new novel, Finding Geneva, or whatever I’m going to end up calling it. Four friends had volunteered to read it, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself too recklessly.
The Foothills 
   By Friday, February 18, the engine guy still hadn’t concluded his work, which, when completed, would require another sea trial to make sure things were done properly. Shoot, we could have just relaxed and said, “Well, lah dee dah, however long it takes. . .” Except: we had to leave in two weeks for the North Carolina wedding, we had to vacate the moorage el pronto because other boats required service, and ugly weather loomed on the horizon.
   I have no idea what Davy said to the engine guy, but he finally figured out that efficiency would be most appreciated! So he got L’Esprit done on Monday, and they took her out on her sea trial in the snow on Tuesday.

The snow of Tuesday, Feb. 22, came strong and fast. Six inches in three hours!

The Peak


Leaving the Ballard Locks. Worse weather ahead!

  Seattle was spared the snowy pile-on that showered Anacortes (the snow pictures were taken in Anacortes at ten on Tuesday morning). Thus our new, big obstacle to bringing L’Esprit home centered around my inability to drive the crew to Seattle without sliding off the road or getting stuck in snow traffic. Locals reminded me of the convenience owning a four-wheel drive provides, but even if we owned one, Davy would have had it down in Seattle.    Maybe, I thought, the snow will melt by Wednesday.
   Alas, it continued snowing on Wednesday, so there was no way I could drive Walt Barnard and Carl Bergan down to Seattle. Thursday through Saturday, however, showed a promising snow-free weather window. Fine, I thought. Thursday the wind will blow its crazy heart out, the snow will melt, and Friday I drive the guys to Seattle. L’Esprit will be home in Anchor Cove Marina on February 26th! Ta dum!

Bottom: Frozen dock line.

   Except the snow didn’t melt because the temperature stood firm at or below twenty-five degrees. In fact, it wouldn’t melt for another week!
   Left choiceless, I rose at 00:Dark:Early Friday morning; shoveled our long, steep driveway; backed Isadora out the garage; got her nose pointed straight down the driveway; pressed my foot on the brake; and slid down the driveway to the street, which had been plowed the previous afternoon. Isadora's tires crunched over fat ice chunks left by the plow. From there Isadora wiggled and wobbled to Carl’s, Walts, and the grocery store in Burlington, and headed south the Seattle, where not a trace of snow existed!
   There’s a reason why not much boating happens during the PNW’s winters: it blows like stink. And that’s exactly what the boys brought L’Esprit home in. Six-foot seas (which is a bigger adventure in a power boat than in a sailboat). Air temperature in the 20s. Wind-chill factor: ooooh, brrrr, cold.
   They made it through the Ballard Locks, past Everett, as far up as Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island, which is a twenty-minute drive from our house. Thank you, Carl and Walt!!
   Penny Barnard picked Linda and me up late that afternoon and drove us all down to Oak Harbor where we met the guys for a deluxe kiss-the-ground and thank-the-crew feast at Fraser’s. It was one of those evenings where great memories and friendships are forged even tighter. 

Top: The sun came out!
Bottom: Our driveway. 

    It was then expected that the boys would cruise into Anchor Cove Marina by Saturday noon, before Sunday’s snow storm hit.
   Unlike our engine guy, Sunday’s snow came through early. While it snowed on Saturday, at least it was not a deluge. Cozy in my house, I awaited Davy’s call.
   Except when he called, he didn’t say, “We’re home!” Nope, he said, “You gotta drive down. We need a car.”
   I looked outside at the lightly falling snow, and realized I had no choice but to drive the fifteen miles to Oak Harbor.
   It turned out a bolt in the alternator had sheered off, and the guys needed to go to NAPA Auto Parts to get a machinist to tool another bolt, which would take a while to accomplish. Good thing I brought my Kindle, because there’s only so long I can tolerate auto-part-store scents and the dearth of really cool products (I love all the inventions found in hardware stores, however!). By the time we finished our Dairy Queen lunch, the machinist had worked his magic, and the snow was coming down harder. After successfully whining and howling about my not wanting to drive home alone through the snowy forest, we all drove back to Anacortes. Hopefully Sunday would be a better day.

Left: Leaving for Seattle to pick up our van. Middle: Anchor Cove Marina.
Right: L'Esprit snug in Skyline Marina.

   Indeed, Sunday was good, even though it started out snowy. Because none of the guys could persuade their wives to drive the crew to Oak Harbor and back home in the snow (smart girls!!), David and I checked the Internet and discovered that I-5 road conditions were just fine for us to drive down to Seattle to pick up our van. By the time we got back to Anacortes, the sun was out, and the island roads seemed clearer. Penny drove the boys to the boat, and by three, they’d brought her into Anchor Cove Marina in strong winds and currents, but didn’t crash into anything. Thank you, Walt Barnard!

L to R: Davy, Carl Bergan, Linda Page,
Penny Barnard, Joanne,
Walt Barnard.

   When I got to the boat, Davy expressed his qualms about Anchor Cove, which, lovely as its covered moorage was, would cause us extreme problems until we learned to maneuver L’Esprit in PNW’s wind and currents (more on these later). Besides, I couldn’t even get on the boat from the dock, since the finger was too short.
   Which is why, two days later on Tuesday, March 1, we acquired a year-long lease at Skyline Marina, which is closer to the islands, but is not covered. We worked like crazy to fill L'Esprit with pots and pans and bedding, because on Friday we’d be gone to North Carolina, and by the following Thursday we’d be off on Fidalgo Yacht Club’s March cruise. Eek!
PNW Waters
   While we really haven’t ventured out into local waters yet, our ears and imaginations have been filled with sea stories, real and current. First, we’ve been told to watch out for nuclear submarine wakes because they create cliffs in the water. Evidently a crew bringing an Ocean Alexander up from Portland discovered this the hard way. Their little forty-foot freefall destroyed the boat they were delivering.

   Then we were strongly warned why we’re supposed to wait for slack tides instead of just plowing through the rapids and whirlpools between the islands. Apparently some whirlpools are so clearly defined that people have been known to see the rocks on the seabed thirty feet below because centrifugal force has driven the water aside. One guy watched the dinghy he trailed behind his boat sink into the hole and then pop out, landing squarely in front of his boat.

   Suspicious as I am, I’m choosing to believe these stories rather than check snopes.com.

Top: Davy, Dana and
Michael. Bottom: Jamie
and Treece Barrington.

The Richfield Jog

   We made it to North Carolina as part of the West Coast Wilshin contingent for cousin Jamie Harris’s wedding to Treece Barrington in Richfield. Davy’s daughter Dana and her husband Michael Springs also came; the wedding served as the first leg of their weeklong Southern tour.

   We had to leave our house on Fidalgo Island at three a.m. to get to the airport in time. By the time we arrived at our motel in Albemarle, it was nine p.m. We ate at the local Applebee’s and got in a short visit with Dana and Michael before she headed off to Jamie’s bachelorette party. 
   The wedding was a delight, including the country singers who were part of the ceremony. The reception was in an old mining town, Gold Hill. As usual, we had a tom-terrific time with the cousins!!

   The next morning, we headed to Charlotte to see if we could book an earlier flight. We failed, but in our failure we were gifted with first-class seats.

Other Things (a final peak)
   I'm going to wait with the yacht club cruise for the real March blog entry, for that was interesting in itself.

   Instead, I want to include some little tidbits that I've absorbed along the way.

   First, I forgot to include the cake you see the bottom of this blog entry and its meaning in the January blog. The cake was made by fellow yachtie Ellen Kaiser, who loves to make desserts, but hates to make meals. (The cake is filled with fruit and nuts!) The event for which she made this cake was rather extemporaneous. She'd been cleaning out her garage and discovered a cache of brown paper lunch bags. Instead of throwing them out, she glued an invitation on the bag and mailed it to a group of her friends who included other yachties, quilters, readers, and rowers. (Hopefully I remembered all her tribes.) The invitation said something like: "Bring your own lunch. I'll provide dessert and drinks." When the invitation arrived, I was immediately jealous I hadn't thought of this first. But I got over it and had one heck of a good time!

   I also make a weekly trip to Coupeville on Whidbey Island. It's amazing how many times I spot a unique, hilarious bumper sticker on those trips. Enjoy. 

   The third picture on the left I took in a grocery store. The bagger had the most beautiful headband, which, she explained, her mother had made by applying peacock feathers to felt, which she then attached to the headband. I figured someone I know will make good use of this idea!

   The last picture was taken sometime during the period when the snow wouldn't melt. On my hike down to the mail box, I noticed half a dozen robins pecking at the gravel on the road, much like a parakeet eating gravel he hopefully finds at the bottom of his cage. I'd never seen this before, but I'm used to it now! 

Katie Harris minding her rose petals.
Ellen Kaiser's bring-your-own-lunch cake.