Desolation Sound - Day 3 at Pender Harbour

Today we departed Silva Bay about 7:15am in order to deal with expected rough water and fog. As it turned out, we had no fog and just a little rough water. Overall, it was a nice four hour run to Fisherman’s Resort & Marina in Pender Harbour.  The scenery is absolutely beautiful and we were pleased to be returning to this marina after experiencing it last year on our trip.

After getting settled at the marina, we took a short walk up to LaVerne’s for burgers and old-fashioned milkshakes. We had a great time visiting and relaxing. They have great burgers and shakes and the restaurant has a unique and quirky flavor that makes it a must for anyone coming to Fisherman’s. Along the way, we also saw this unusual tree.

Al & Sue and Bob & I took our dinghies over to the small town of Madeira just around the corner from where we are staying. There are so many inlets and small islands it took us awhile to find it. We took a couple of wrong turns but came across a really cool tugboat that had sunk. Apparently it was a derelict that had broken loose from where it had been anchored and washed ashore. After that we did find Madeira and a full-fledged grocery store with anything we could possibly need. We stocked up on fresh fruit and vegetables and then returned to our boats.  When we got back to the marina we took a quick side trip to see an airplane along the shoreline that Bob had spotted when we arrived. He isn’t sure exactly what kind it is but one thing he knows – he wants it!

This evening we skipped dinner, shared appetizers on the dock and then topped it off with homemade pie and ice cream. We had a great day and decided to make a slight change to our itinerary. We had planned to spend a night at Secret Cove but since it will just be the Smiths and us at that point, we decided to come back here so we can enjoy one more night at this enjoyable place.





Desolation Sound - Day 2 at Silva Bay

We had a relaxing morning at Lopez and Bob took some time to teach Rob Meldrum a few tricks for  flying his new drone. He is taking about 15 EYC club members up to Princess Louisa Inlet for the Commodore's Cruise and is excited to use his drone and GoPro camera to get some great video of their trip and of Chatterbox Falls.

We, along with our cruising partners Jack & Moon Canon and Al & Sue Smith, departed Fisherman's Bay about 9:45 in order to catch a +3 tide coming out of the bay. Many a boater has found themselves stranded until the tide comes in if they are not very careful to stay inside the channel markers and come through when the tide is high enough. We had no problems and began a very long trip up to Silva Bay. Along the way, we stopped at Van Isle to clear customs. That was a breeze - just a phone call, a couple of questions, and we were all on our way.

About 3:00pm we decided more food was in order so we enjoyed a snack of crackers, cheese and meat as we cruised along.

As we were approaching Silva Bay, we heard a May Day distress call to the Coast Guard for a boat taking on water. As we listened to ongoing conversations we learned that a whale watching tour boat with 22 people on board was taking on water and sinking. They were preparing people to go into life rafts. We heard another whale watching boat was enroute to take the people off. As we were pulling into Silva Bay, we saw the Vessel Assist boat depart at a high rate of speed with pumps and other rescue equipment onboard. As of right now, we do not know what the outcome was for the boat but we assume the people were rescued okay.

We finally arrived at Silva Bay around 5:00pm. We made great time and arrived early enough to get settled, have some time to visit, eat dinner and visit some more. Larry and Cheryl Martin arrived this morning from their own separate trip and will continue on with us from here. There are not a lot of amenities at Silva Bay but it is a very friendly and lovely marina. They do have fuel, a restaurant, a liquor store and a nice little gallery for local artists to sell their work.

A nice gentleman, Mark Hall, who also had a Nordic Tug joined us for awhile and was happy to take a picture of our entire group before we settled in for the night.

 

UPDATE ON WHALE WATCHING BOAT:  Jack spoke with the Vessel Assist owner who also manages the Silva Bay marina. He told Jack that all the people were safely transferred onto the other whale watching boat. A jet pump had exploded and blown a basketball-sized hole in the hull. Vessel Assist had two 4” pumps and two 3” pumps and if they kept the boat moving (by towing it) the pumps could just barely keep up. If they stopped towing it, the boat started to sink again. They did manage to get the boat towed in to a port and salvage it and no one was injured.

Desolation Sound - Day 1 at Fisherman's Bay

After leaving 21 of our family and friends at our house last night after the fireworks, we arrived at the boat about midnight. We slept on the boat and headed out this morning about 6:00am. We had a smooth trip to Fisherman's Bay on Lopez Island where we met up with the other members of Edmonds Yacht club. They had been there since Thursday so were just winding down the weekend trip when we arrived. We were still able to enjoy some fun times, fellowship and a great prime rib dinner this evening. We managed to catch a great photo as we approached the Deception Pass Bridge - a beautiful entrance to a two week vacation that we have really been looking forward to.

Casual Cruise to Port Townsend

This was another great weekend boating with Rylie in Port Townsend. She was excited to go out on the boat again and since it was a casual cruise, there weren't a lot of activities to coordinate around. We decided to have a kid-friendly dinner on Friday night of mac 'n cheese and hotdogs instead of joining the group for an appetizer potluck. Everyone is getting to know Rylie from our last cruise and she is getting quite comfortable with everyone.

On Saturday, we walked into town to the Farmer's Market but were disappointed that our favorite bakery was not there! We stopped by a playground for Rylie to play and then headed back to the marina. After her nap, she was very excited to throw rocks in the water so we did that and then walked into town for ice cream.

We left early on Sunday so we could get back for several commitments we had. As we approached Everett, Bob noticed a small boat with a man waving his arms at us. We ran over to him and learned that the engine had quit and he asked if we could tow him to the boat ramp. This is the first time in three years that we have had an opportunity to help another boater. The man's son was in the boat and was very scared. It was their first time out in their boat and had been drifting for 20 minutes when we stopped to help. We towed them back to the boat ramp and they were so appreciative. It was nice to be able to help them out.

 



Memorial Day Weekend in Bremerton

This weekend was the annual EYC cruise to Bremerton. It is always a fun weekend but this year was even better! We were able to take Rylie, our three year old granddaughter, with us and she did great! Our ride over was very rough but Rylie thought it was a lot of fun and laughed through much of it. As she began to get tired she laid down on my lap and was lulled to sleep by the motion.

We spent our day with the usual Memorial Day activities that are held annually in Bremerton. We walked up to the car show in town and checked out the many classic cars that we remember from our younger days and those American Graffiti-type movies. I had a chance to look over the turquoise 1957 Belair that I want every time I see it.  I don't know what I would do with it but I love it! Then we took Rylie to explore the fountains at the marina which she thought were a lot of fun!

One of the nice additions this year was the mooring of the M/V Kirkland. It used to be located on Lake Washington as one of the Argosy boats for tours. We actually were on it to celebrate Tom and Deb's 25th anniversary party years ago. Now, the owner of the boat has it moored for at least two years in Bremerton and hopes to make it available to local yacht clubs for their events. It was wonderful to have a warm and dry place where we could gather for socializing, prepare and enjoy eating our meals, and not have to worry about the weather outside.

Bob started a new activity for the club and it has generated a lot of interest. About a dozen club members have purchased r/c sailboats that they are learning to sail and then Bob is going to hold a competition at the Labor Day cruise at Port Ludlow for them. The members gathered on the ferry for last minute help and instructions from Bob so they could finish assembling their boats. The boats were then carried around to the opposite dock and launched. The "captains" of their boats practiced running them around the marina. It was supposed to be a practice race but the current is so strong in the marina most had difficulty bringing their boat to the finish line. They all had a great time, though, and we are still getting requests from other club members to order them one, also.

Alley joined us on Saturday and Rylie was very excited to see her. 

Each year at the Memorial Day cruise, there is a very poignant time of remembering those who fought for our country and who are no longer with us. All club members who served in the armed forces were asked to come forward so we could acknowledge them. Then, bouquets of carnations were set out so we could take one or more to throw into the water in memory of someone or just to keep in honor of those who served. It is always a very moving experience and this year was no exception.

Ingrid Bruner reinstated a club activity that hasn't been done in a long time. We now have horse racing and it was a great way to involve all ages. Each team was given a stick with a stuffed sock at one end. That was their horse and they were to decorate it using craft items that were supplied or items they could gather together. A grid was taped out on the floor and horses advanced, trading places, or were sent back to start based on a card that was drawn from a bag. It was a lot of fun for those participating as well as for the rest of us who watched and cheered on their favorite horse.

Alley and Rylie left Sunday afternoon and we left Monday morning. Even though the weather was not very nice, we still had a wonderful time and great fellowship with friends from the club. We are so glad for these EYC cruises because they really help us to get out on the boat. Life seems to fill up the weekends and unless the event is on the calendar, we somehow don't find time to go boating. EYC is known as the cruising club of the Grand 14 in Puget Sound. Many of the clubs do not have very many cruises or, if they do, they get very low participation. It is not unusual for us to have 40 boats on these cruises so you always know you are in for a great time.

A Well-Timed Getaway

On March 22, our community experienced a horrific landslide covering one square mile of beautiful countryside between Oso and Darrington. The slide completely covered Highway 530 and took out approximately 40 homes. 43 people were killed in the slide - two of whom have not been found as of this writing (April 30). I was working many hours as a chaplain at the Red Cross shelter with families so when the Brownsville cruise with Edmonds Yacht Club came along, we were very ready to get away for a few days.

We left on Friday and joined our friends at Brownsville for a casual dinner in the marina deli. We pretty much took over the deli but it worked out fine since most of the locals who typically ate there were busy out on the docks with a celebration of their own.

Saturday was a day for relaxing and visiting the popular meat market to get some of their beef jerky. Barkley got lots of loving from everyone and even spent some time with "Elliott". That evening we joined other club members for enchiladas at the Brownsville Yacht Club.

It was nice to get away for a few days of rest. We headed back on Sunday and settled in at home so I would be ready to jump back into the efforts with the Oso families.