Beautiful Day in the Northwest

Today turned out to be a beautiful winter day so we took Laurie's sister, Debbie, and her husband, Jim, and boys Connor and Jacob out for their first ride on Stargazer. Jim's sister, Amy, was able to join us and we had a great time. Debbie, Jim, and the boys are here for Christmas from Grand Rapids, MI. so we were glad they had some time to go for a short cruise with us. It was good to be back on the water and the weather could not have been more perfect. It was only about 30 degrees outside but with the nice heaters inside we were all very comfortable. There have been a few sightings of Orcas around Edmonds so we cruised south hoping to see some but the only thing we saw was one seal. It was a great cruise, however, and we had a lot of fun just visiting and looking at the beautiful scenery.

 

Winter Fun With The Family

We finally had a chance to take our son, Mark, his wife,Wendy,  and Isaiah, Mariam and Colin out on Stargazer. They have been living in Amman, Jordan for the past two years and just moved back to Fairfield, CA for Mark's next assignment at Travis Air Force Base. They came up to visit for two weeks so we took advantage of what appeared to be a good day to go out on the Sound for a couple of hours. Alley and Rylie joined us, also. We had a lot of fun and the kids got to see what boating is all about. Unfortunately, it got very rough once we got out to Hat Island and we decided we had better go back. Even though it was a short cruise, we had a wonderful time.

Camp EYC - Port Ludlow



We just returned from a very fun weekend of "camp" at Port Ludlow.  The Labor Day cruise for Edmonds Yacht Club had a "camp" theme and it brought back many memories of our days at camp as children. The organizers included everything from team names, crafts, team flags, cheers, skits and a campfire with singing and s'mores.  We even had a Blind Dinghy Race where one person is blindfolded and the other tells them which way to row! It was very funny to watch! Another game was the Flag Race. They rolled the dice to see how far ahead the team flag could move.

They did a great job of coordinating details and organizing six couples as camp counselors. Bob and I were counselors for the green team which soon became known as Team Algae. Our tag line on our flag was "We Grow On You".  When it came time to write a cheer, we elaborated on the theme and it grew to, "Team Algae, watch us grow. We're not real fast but we're not real slow. We stick to your bottom, don't you know!"  I know, a little pathetic but you should have heard the other teams' cheers! In the photo above, Bob is asking our  boot camp director in our skit, "Sir, I have a question. Did you find your socks on the beach or did you actually buy them?"

Port Ludlow was a very nice harbor for a club cruise. There wasn't a lot to do there but it was perfect for the organized club activities. There is a large covered pavilion area that was used for our activities and all our meals. The local community holds a book sale every Labor Day weekend to raise money for high school scholarships and for a women's domestic abuse charity. We came home with a stack of books for 50 cents or $1.00 each. The marina has a great little grocery and souvenir shop. We found that it was pretty breezy in Port Ludlow so even though we had beautiful weather, it was a little cool in the shade or when the sun went down. The bay is a great place for crabbing and would be great if you are looking for an anchorage.

Poulsbo Getaway

We just returned from two wonderful days with Alley, Mihai and Rylie. Our cruise took us to Poulsbo where we stayed at the marina in Liberty Bay. On the way there, and back, Mihai tried his hand at salmon fishing but was not successful (except for the crab he reeled in!). We really need to get downriggers on the boat so that has been added to our list of winter "projects". We still had a lot of fun just wandering around the shops in Poulsbo, eating ice cream at a wonderful shop called Mora's, and just being together. Because we were there on a Monday and Tuesday, the guest moorage was nearly empty so it was a nice, quiet place to stay.

On The Way Back Home



We began our trip back home on Thursday so that we could stop over in La Conner for the night. People had told us it was a great place to stay and we only got a quick look at the town and marina when we made our short stop on Monday. We did a little geocaching while we were here and then Bob contacted a long-time friend, Terry Low, and his wife, Jeanine, who live in Shelter Bay and we arranged to have dinner with them in town. We stopped at a pub-style restaurant just off the main road called Nell Thorn - a favorite of the locals. The food was great and we had a wonderful visit. The restuarant even serves goat burgers fresh from a local goat farm! Bob and I did not try them but Terry said they were very good.

We waited until this morning to walk through town and check out the local shops. There are a variety of shops, restaurants, high-end galleries, and museums. It is a quaint little town with lots of character.

Barkley was a huge hit with adults and children alike. Everytime we walked him people would stop to pet him and ask questions. He loves the extra attention he gets and has turned out to be a great boat dog.

There was a lot of fog this morning so we departed La Conner about 11:00 to give ourselves plenty of time to get home. After heading out, we soon had two boats fall in line behind us. They must have decided we had a lot of experience with fog and felt it was a good place to be. With our radar, electronics and Bob's experience we had no problems at all. It was a great chance to practice in less than desirable conditions since fog is a common occurence in the Pacific Northwest in the months of August and September.

After we got through the fog, Bob slowed and waited for the boat behind us to catch up. They were on their way to Port Orchard so headed off on their own. A fun little fact was discovering the husband and wife on the boat had seen us when we were in Bremerton for the Nordic Tug Rendezvous earlier this summer and had actually asked us for a tour. It is a very small world in the boating commuity and I expect it will become even smaller as we get to know other boaters at the different marinas we visit from year to year.

Roche Harbor - Day 3

Another beautiful day in Roche Harbor. We are so glad we decided to stay an extra day so that we could enjoy the many things there are to do. We went out on a three hour kayaking tour which was lots of fun. We ended up being the only ones at that time slot so we had lots of time to get to know our guide and were able to go a little further than a group would normally go in the three hours. I now understand why people enjoy kayaking so much. We were able to see animals and sea life up close and from a different viewpoint than ever before.

Along the way we saw a fox that looked like he had seen better days. I'm not sure what was wrong but he was not well. On the rocks under a cliff we saw several seals sunning themselves. An interesting fact we learned from our guide is that the seals turn white as they warm themselves and then when they turn over you can see the black that is not yet warm. She said she has seen distinct lines down their backs dividing the warm from the cold sides of their bodies.  We had a great time on the tour and have decided that we really need to get kayaks for our boat before next summer. Kayaking is the perfect way to really explore the places that we are cruising to. There are endless coves and shorelines to explore in the San Juans and this is a great way to do it.
This afternoon we relaxed on the boat and then did some more hiking to find two more geocaches. Just as we were preparing dinner we noticed a boat at the end of the dock that was decorated for a wedding. As we watched, a bride and her escort walked the length of the dock to the boat and then boarded for the ceremony. Just another fun thing to experience while out on our boat.

Roche Harbor - Day 2

So, we went out for a walk today and ended up calling the marina office to make a reservation for a third night! There is just too much to see, too much fun to be had and too much activity to take in all in two days. We did some geocaching while on a few of the many trails. We learned a lot of the history of this harbor and have tried to include some pictures to pique your curiosity. As I said yesterday, you have got to come here and see it for yourself.

Just above the marina is The Chapel, built in 1892 as a Methodist Church. A "circuit rider" minister performed regular services here and during the week it was used as a schoolhouse for the children of Company Employees. Later a new schoolhouse was built that is now one of the cottages that can be rented by visitors.

These cottages were once homes for the Company Employees. They can now be rented by visitors who come to Roche Harbor.

While we were out walking we came across the a sculpture park where concerts, food and art exhibits are held every Sunday from 5:00-8:00pm.

A really fun activity would be to rent a moped or Super-Coupe and explore the island.

So far the highlight of our day, however, was a visit to the well-known Mausoleum. John S. McMillen built it as a memorial for his family and incorporated tangible things to represent all he believed in - Masonry, the Bible and the Sigma Chi fraternity. He also included his own view of family by creating a stone table with 6 chairs for each family member. Each chair contains the ashes of a family member. The columns were built to be exact replicas of those in King Solomon's temple. The unfinished column represents the idea that man dies before his work is completed. The mausoleum was begun in 1930 and was built to the point it is today by 1936. At that time, the cost was approximately $30,000. The Mausoleum is a fascinating structure to behold and well worth the walk to get there.

This evening we had dinner at the Madrona Bar and Grill that overlooks the marina. The food was great and reasonable. Fine dining is offered upstairs in the McMillen but I was told dinner begins at around $30 - two great options depending on what you are looking for.
We ended the evening with a walk through the woods looking for three more geocaches. The GPS led us to old lime quarries that were interesting to see and we also saw three deer in a clearing. Of course, I didn't have my camera with me!
On a humorous note, I couldn't resist taking a picture of the pump-out boat that works the marina. Very applicable name, I must say!

Off to Roche Harbor

We managed to find five days in a row with no commitments so decided to get away by ourselves and spend some time back in the San Juans. Since we did not have guests with us this time, we brought our trusty crew member, Barkley, with us. He has adapted well to the boat and makes himself at home.

As we were running along Camano Island we saw two replicas of old sailing ships that were very cool.

We had intended to get an early start this morning so that we could hit slack tide at Deception Pass around 11:30. Unfortunately, we were a little behind schedule so rather than go through the pass with a current of 6-1/2 knots, we decided to try a new route that took us up the Swinomish Channel past La Conner. The channel is very shallow - about 6' in places during the day's low tide but it was a beautiful trip and it was fun to see new scenery.

We made a quick stop in La Conner so that Barkley could have a break and take care of business. It was the perfect place - we pulled in alongside the guest dock, walked Barkley, then went on our way - all in a matter of 5-10 minutes.

We were in awe as we pulled in to Roche Harbor which is located on San Juan Island itself. We had heard it was the most popular place in the San Juans but we had no idea what that meant. The harbor was filled with beautiful mega-yachts, thousands of people, hotels, gift shops, and so much character. Roche Harbor was a lime mining town in the late 1800s and you can still see remnants of the industry around the harbor. Hotel DeHaro was surrounded by lush flower gardens and a firebrick path. The popular restaurant at the marina was originally the grand main residence of the mining company. We are planning to stay here two nights so will do our exploring tomorrow. This is definitely a must-see when visiting the San Juans.