To Jones with visiting family

 Such a pleasure to have taken so many friends and family to Jones over the years. It was packed this weekend with boaters and campers, and reminded why we enjoy it in winter so much. But we were able to anchor in the North Cove in about 50 feet of water. 

Conditions were benign this weekend, with mild temperatures and light winds. We had family visiting with their young son, which brought back all sorts of memories of raising our own sons in the islands. We dinghied around, hiked around, played around. Going feral in the islands is one of the greatest pleasures in life for all, but especially for little kids. They don't get that freedom at most homes, or in cities. 

We all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and noted the benefits of being in that semi-wild place while the world seems to crumble around us. I thought often of Wendell Berry, Edward Abbey and Thoreau. Thank you Aeolus. 

Tumbo Gumbo-Memorial Day Funbo

What joy! Both boys and a best friend aboard Aeolus for the three day weekend. To Tumbo we go. 20nm direct from Friday Harbor but a necessary stop at Bedwell Harbor customs adds a few. More importantly, that stop means you must traverse a good long way east to round East Point on Saturna and you had better have the current with you when you do that. We had bluebird skies on Saturday, warm and lovely. Caught the flood. 

Cabbage Island is sadly closed to day use, at least above the high tide line. This is evidently for preservation of cultural resources but I know of no other island paid for with public funds that is closed to public use for preservation of cultural resources. Surely all the others have that same claim. Surely Russel, and Portland and Jones and so on and so forth. While part of the Gulf Islands National Park mandate is obviously respecting and preserving First Nations cultural resources, this should be done by closing specific smaller places on Cabbage and not a blanket closure. Truly a shame. The signage says it is until further notice. Perhaps they are waiting for public outcry. It is outrageous to sea kayakers, and for other boaters. The solution is education and enforcement, not closure of the whole island. 

View into Reef Harbor

Best view in all the lower Salish Sea

The cycle of life-a harbor seal 

Found fun is all around on the south beach

Anyway, we enjoyed Tumbo as always. So special. Saw two river otters, loads of bald eagles, seals, norther flickers, swallows, and deer. It's the most fecund place we know of anywhere in the Salish Sea. 

The trip back was incredibly fast. It was a very strong ebb on the new moon day. Caught that ebb all the way back, with only the usual slowing and difficult as you transition to President's channel from the rush of water trying to go out Boundary Pass. Did 9.6 knots, sustained, in President's channel. Total travel time back to Friday Harbor was only 3.5 hours. 

Lovely Jones escape with puppers

 What a gorgeous weekend to be on Aeolus and escape to Jones. Sunny and calm, verdant and spring. We've acquired a new creature in our lives, a puppy we call Calvi, and he's a real charmer. This was his first trip to Aeolus and he seems to fit right into the boat life. Not alarmed at anything, mellow, eager to have fun. He's not quite potty trained but caught on quick to using the cockpit for his business when not ashore. 

We walk slowly with him as he's a hound and smells everything pretty intensively. Going slowly is just fine, as consciousness moves at the speed of a slow walk. He brings your attention to every leaf and bug. 

I recently changed the thermostat on the engine as it kept running cool down to about 165 or 170 even though it was an 180 thermostat. I brought it home and tested it in hot water and it seemed to work OK, but I didn't trust it. The new one functions properly and brings the motor slowly up to 180 and sits there. 

Another interesting thing is that I changed the engine oil some 11 engine hours ago. Normally, the engine oil turns dark black within an hour or two of operation. But I've gone to only using renewable diesel, which I have to acquire in Portland and drive up in 5 gallon containers to Aeolus. It's clear, and burns cleanly. Well, my oil is still looking clean and amber 11 hours after replacing it. Unheard of. I can only think that is due to the renewable diesel, as nothing else has changed. 

The Space/Time continuum

 On this three day weekend we went up to Aeolus and once again experienced the disconnect between time, space and our perceptions of time and space. We went to Jones for the overnight as we didn't get to the boat until Saturday night. Despite the benign weather and three day weekend, the hundreds of fine boats at Friday Harbor remained in their slip and we were the only boat at Jones or out and about. Astonishing. Boats with names like Intrepid, Adventurous, Why Knot, and who goes out? Aeolus! 

We startled quite a few animals on our circumnavigation of the island, as clearly they do not expect two legged creatures this time of year. We came across a very large river otter on the west side rocky bluffs. 

The forecast was for E winds only 5-10, but there was a steady 10-15 blowing NE down President's channel that made our decision to go to the North Cove seem a bit silly. It was a bumpy night, and the forecasted calm winds overnight did not happen either. For anyone not familiar, the north side of Jones is open to a lot of fetch to the N and NE. You can always hop around to the south cove in such conditions. 

The trip back to our slip was quick with the ebb helping us along down San Juan Channel. We did 6.5 to 7 knots all the way for a quicker than normal return. 

There is absolutely no way to understand how a mere 36 hours in the islands on Aeolus can be part of the same space/time continuum as the one in town back home. It defies any comprehension how it can be so rich, complete, and lengthy. Guess we will just have to keep doing this! 

West side toward San Juan

Only green clothes I own and all on at the same time! 

Perfect Madrone skin

North to Waldron and Orcas

A trip amongst boat maintenance weekend

 I went out alone this weekend and managed to fit in a trip to Stuart Island amongst an enormous amount of boat cleaning and maintenance. Winter is always a magical time to travel in the Salish Sea, and while I am a diurnal fellow and will always prefer summer, the winter has charms that are unique to the season. Chief among these may be the fact that no one else goes out! 

I got to the islands on Friday and left for Stuart on Saturday morning. It was a calm and lovely morning, with no wind and mild conditions. Motoring up to Spieden Channel and through it to Reid Harbor is always a treat. There were no sea lions this time, but the usual bald eagles and non-native goats on Spieden. If I was rich, I would buy that island just to sterilize all the non-native ungulates so the poor flowers and trees have a chance to grow and regenerate. The current owner does not seem to have any ecological interests. There are only old trees growing on Spieden now, especially on the sunny south side. It won't be long before these die and nothing else can grow in their stead. 

Anyway, arrived at Reid and was the only boat in the harbor. I dropped the hook and immediately began some boat cleaning. The top sides were in bad need of scrubbing. This being done, I went to land and cleaned the growth off the dinghy. Yikes, it had mature forests of mussels and barnacles! I walked the eastern side of the State Park isthmus to stretch my legs, and to my delight came across a male Hooded Merganser in Prevost Harbor. So magnificent in his breeding plumage. Then I heard his mating call. Of all the life on Earth, the Hooded Merganser is among the most beautiful things. 

It was a quiet night with only moderate winds in Reid. The Cubic Mini gets so hot and toasty it's a game changer. I finished reading Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, and that's a dark tale of Americana. 

On Sunday morning I did a quick four mile walk on Stuart and then departed for Friday Harbor to resume my boat maintenance in earnest. To my surprise when I exited Reid, the Around the County race was headed noth out of the Roche area and right in front of me. Had to be more than 100 boats. They must have changed the course this year from last to avoid the forecasted 30+ knot winds later on Sunday in Haro Strait. That's such a cool race. I don't race or know any racers, but it would be fun to do it sometime. 

The 2 hours back to the slip went happily by, and I spent the rest of Sunday tackling a very long list of projects. So purposeful and satisfying. Because we went to Europe this summer instead of Desolation Sound, the boat did not get the normal use and maintenance that trip brings about. 

What a 3 day voyage!

 We had dear friends join us on Aeolus for the past 3 days and they were about the most perfect days one can have. We picked them up at SeaTac and went straight to Anacortes, making the ferry after parking and walking on by the skin of our teeth. We so often make ferries by the skin or our teeth that I think our teeth must have lots of extra skin! 

Friday night was quiet and we were away first thing Saturday. These friends are global travelers, Peace Corps veterans, and just delightful humans. He's a physician, and she works on climate change as a big brain for the State of California. On Saturday we went to Prevost to set up the rest of our trip. 

I'll pause here and say that we truly enjoy having guests aboard Aeolus as it is always wonderful seeing things through their eyes. We feel blessed to be able to expose people to the joys and adventures of sailboat travel and the wondrous beauty of the Salish Sea. 

So the voyage to Prevost was a highlight. Takes 3 hours from Friday Harbor in benign conditions, which we had. Once there we dropped anchor not by the State Park as most do, but by the public dock and Ericsen farm, and went to shore and hiked out to the Lighhouse. The lightouse was open for tours and we even got a tour of the big keepers house. A rare treat. From there we hiked up to a high point we love, and all together had about a 5 mile day with lots of elevation change. We are not young anymore, but tough as nails and know something about grit. 

Back at the public dock, the three of them wanted to swim back to Aeolus which was a good 120 meters out to sea. I rowed the dinghy, being less a fan of neck seizing water. Well done by them! 

A night of cards, and gorgeous light and conversation. These friends have been in our lives since college, more or less. There is so much to say, and so much that doesn't need said. Beyond this, they are both so bright and yet don't take themselves or life too seriously. It's a gift to be lighthearted in this life. Especially, if I may say, for men. We laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Just silliness. All of us have advanced degrees but instead of being lodged in a place of stodgy intellectualism we can act like 13 year old misfits one moment and have deep conversations about global affairs the next. No pretense. No need to impress. 

On Sunday we cleared customs at Bedwell Harbor and were off to Portland Island and Princess Bay. This time our anchor caught on the first try, as opposed to previous trips that saw us grab a barrel of kelp. It's been hot and dry for days here and the whole trip was like this. We swam first, paddle boarded, and enjoyed the ease of leisure on the life aquatic. After some food we crossed the island to Arbutus Point and came back on the East side. Portland is so botanically and culturally interesting. Thank you BC Parks and Gulf Islands National Park system for all you provide to mariners in British Columbia. 

We dropped them off in Sidney this morning as they continued their journey on Vancouver Island to see other friends, and we did the 3 hour trip across Haro Strait and back through Spieden Channel to Friday Harbor. It got a bit choppy in the Straits, with maybe 15 knots of wind kicking up some seas as it went against some light current. Aeolus smiles. 

A 3 day tour of the near waters and what a joyous time. I changed the thermostat in Aeolus a while back to my 195 model to run her hotter and burn off anything I could burn off. But running her at 195-200 makes me nervous that any problem will spike the temperatures to unsafe levels. So I swapped back to the 180 thermostat in Princess Bay, using a gasket I made myself from good material I had purchased. Did the trick and back to steady 180. 

I will never cease being grateful for Aeolus. What a day today, 4 hour boat journey through some of the most scenic places in the lower Salish Sea, and then a 3 hour drive home. Yes, we will sleep well tonight. 

A perfect 4th and Gulf Island getaway!

 It's not like us to hang around civilization over the long 4th of July weekend, instead celebrating the freedom of our founding principles by getting into remote places. This year, we've been hosting a Rotary Youth Exchange student, and they naturally wanted to experience an American 4th of July. So we went up to Friday Harbor on the evening of the 3rd and hung out all day in town for the 4th and the fireworks that night. 

What a perfect day it turned out to be. Besides the weather, which was warm with a cool breeze, the town really does a nice job of being festive. The parade began around 10:30am and was thoroughly delightful. The exact sort of small town parade you would hope for, including golden retrievers, horses, the local fire department, and all sorts of quirky random stuff. My personal favorite was seeing a little girl on a miniature horse. The crowd favorite was probably the giant pirate ship that actually belched flames from the mouth of a dragon on the bow and dropped bubbles out of the stern to simulate ship wake. Great turnout, lots of patriotism with none of the nasty associations. The librarians got huge applause! 

We left Friday morning for British Columbia and had to stop first at Bedwell due to our student being with us. Conditions were benign and sunny all day. No wind. Forecast was for strong winds that night from the NW so we left Bedwell and did the beautiful journey around the corner to Winter Cove and Saturna Island. The headwall of Saturna that faces West is among the most grand sites in all the Salish Sea. Winter Cove was only lightly occupied and we had no trouble dropping the hook in our favorite spot off the park dock. We were quickly ashore and out to the Boat Passage point to admire the spectacular scenery of it all. That little park has a lovely trail system that loops about .5 miles and is well worth walking twice. 

At Boat Passage looking back south

We jumped off Aeolus and swam later that afternoon, but Amy puts us to shame by swimming back to the boat from the dock about 100 meters. Winter Cove is shallow and a bit warmer than the open water. 

That night the wind did come up and blow about 20-25knots. We waited for the wind to diminish as was forecasted and for the ebb to slacken before heading through Georgeson Passage. It's a tight and beautiful pass that really does have pumping current. Not far off from Dodd Narrows in beauty and power of water. The tide and current book says it is 50% of Active Pass but that just doesn't make sense when you see it pumping at 6 knots toward the end of the cycle. So we didn't leave Winter Cove to go to Tumbo until 10 or so. 

Oh Tumbo! How we love you so! It's two hours around from Winter Cove to Tumbo, and no, we have not yet been brave enough to go through Boat Passage though I see sailboat do it regularly and it's plenty deep. At Tumbo we beat the crowds and grabbed a ball near Cabbage. Right after we arrive every ball got taken! 

Exploring Tumbo is like walking through a dream. Every step invites pause and reflection. We walked to and along the marsh to the far southern side, and were greeted again by the majesty of that location. The views toward Mt. Baker and Sucia and Orcas and Lummi are just beyond words. The feeling of airiness and grandeur take your breath away. We also went out to the far southern tip of Tumbo, which no trail accesses, as you just walk the shoreline. There was a bald eagle nest there, and the parents were displeased with our arrival. Loads of harbor seals as well at the point. 

Meandering back to the dinghy and to Aeolus for some rest, we later went to Cabbage for a reunion with that lovely place. We circumnavigated, as must be done, and Amy swam back to Aeolus again. There are strong currents in Reef Harbor but she fought hard and did it. So proud of her courage and strength. 

The sunset from Tumbo, if it is clear, is the best in the San Juans/Gulf Islands area. It sets over the ocean, as the land is too distant and the curvature of the Earth hides it. 

Our voyage back today began at 5:45 am and was the fastest ever. Seas were flat. No wind. A strong ebb helped the whole way and we did 7-8 knots for the 2.5 hours it took to do 20 miles. We go down and through President's Channel. Gorgeous. Getting up with the dawn is not at all something I do regularly, but while on Aeolus, it almost always brings great things. 

It was a perfect 4 day weekend in perfect conditions and we had the best time aboard our dear Gulf 32, who continues to be our space ship to paradies.