Christmas aboard Aeolus, Orcas, and Jones Island

We are just returned from a special trip aboard the good ship Aeolus. Given some other travel plans and expenses associated with such, we decided not to do a traditional home Christmas this year as we fly out early tomorrow morning on the 26th. Instead, and since we are traveling to the Megalopolis of Los Angeles, we decided to get aboard Aeolus and make a special voyage to Jones Island for a wild bit of festivities.

It was wonderful.

We left Anacortes and our new slip at Cap Sante at 9:30 on the 24th. It was calm, and remarkably sunny. The journey out Guemes Channel is heavily tidal, and strong enough to be a significant help or hindrance. It ebbs going West and floods East. We had some help this morning with the ebb and then rode the eddies up the Cypress shoreline before hopping across toward Obstruction Pass. As we approached Blakely, eagle eyed Amy spotted a dorsal fin and sure enough, we had Orcas off the port side! A large adult, probably female, and a young calf. They were about 200 yards away and were having some fun, including a few leaps out of the water! What a spectacle. We took it as an omen for our first trip from Anacortes to Jones. It seems we always see special wildlife on any new trip.

Gorgeous clouding on Cypress Island

Reconnassaince yields discovery

The boys and I made the now easier trip to Aeolus this weekend for no particular reason other than my internal clock telling me it had been too long and the always present nagging desire in my gut to be on the boat, away, in the wilds. There were things to clean, things to fix, as always, but it was also just a chance to get away with my sons and enjoy the high quality time the boat provides.

When we got to Anacortes it was not yet as windy as had been forecast. As is often the case, the forecast was off by time or magnitude. Tough stuff to get right. I'm OK with that. The predicted 35 knot winds were a meek 10 until late in the day. So we got there during fairly calm conditions. I noticed right away that there was a problem.

Despite how complex our boats are, or houses, for that matter, we develop a very clear mental image of what "normal" looks like. It's uncanny. And unconscious. On Aeolus, I noticed a line laying in a place that it shouldn't. Then, I noticed that it had a frayed end. Then, I looked up and saw that my jib halyard wasn't there, and then gazing higher still, saw the remains of the halyard still hanging a few feet below the top of the mast.

"Well, crap!", the good father says.

Aeolus moved to Anacortes

It has been quite some time since I have posted here on this blog. Mostly this has been the result of being quite busy with work and life, though some of it relates to not having been on the boat as much,  which also relates to being busy with work and life. Too much work! Too much going on in life!

Aeolus has a new slip at Cap Sante in Anacortes, WA

Back in October we decided to move Aeolus from her long term home in Friday Harbor to Anacortes and Cap Sante Marina. We made this decision because we became fatigued by the tyranny of the San Juan ferry. It has such a constraining impact on your whole weekend, that we came to feel we were better off sacrificing proximity to convenience. Time will tell if that trade off is manageable. Instead of waiting for a ferry in Anacortes, we can now be on our boat and traveling. It is four hours from Anacortes to Jones Island. If catching the ferry, you had to be there about 30-60 minutes early, then the ride would take 1-2 hours, and then 30-45 minutes to get to your boat and get going. The time equation should be fairly comparable, and instead of being on the ferry, we get more time on our own boat!

So we did that back in October. This weekend I went up with my boys to change fluids and do some maintenance. Time for oil, transmission too, and changing of the raw water impeller.

This is the old impeller with 600 hours and 3 years old. No real sign of trouble. 

Cap Sante marina is such a vibrant and bustling nautical place. Much larger than Friday Harbor, and far more active. Whereas the boats in Friday Harbor never seem to move, the boats in Cap Sante are constantly in and out. And we notice that overall the boats at Cap Sante are much nicer, better maintained and newer. I speculate this reflects the demographics of the two places. With Friday Harbor and San Juan Island having such a disparity between the young, poor and retired wealthy. Many of the boats there are run down live a boards or seldom used vessels. Don't get me wrong, I loved the Port of Friday Harbor and may be back, but the marina differences are interesting.

Aeolus is in fine shape. Changing the transmission oil remains a breeze thanks to my installation of the oil drain hose.  The raw water impeller is an Oberdorfer and has a retaining clip that can be a bit tricky. It had been 3 years and about 600 engine hours since I last changed it but honestly, the old one looked like new. No cracking or signs of decay. Glad I changed it anyway, but next time I make take it out to 1000 hours. Need to check what Oberdorfer says.

Can't wait to go back and get out on her. This was just a maintenance trip. The boys and I had a great time, as always.

Princess Louisa Inlet and what a journey to and from

Princess Louisa is one of those places every NW boater has on their list. We had managed to go many years without making the visit, because if we had enough time we wanted to go further north, and if we had less time we stayed further south. Louisa is such a journey unto itself that you must be somewhat determined to get there.

And we were this time.

James Bay, Prevost Island

We took a week of vacation and had a hard time getting over our disappointment of not having time to go up to Desolation Sound, or to reprise our journey around Vancouver Island from last summer. We've set the bar pretty high for Aeolus adventures and we have insatiable desires for such trips to begin with. Faced with the prospect of a week in the Gulf Islands would make most people giddy, and yet we were wrestling with feeling disappointed at the idea of being in such familiar waters.

We left on a Saturday and headed up and across the border to James Bay on Prevost. That is an easy day from Friday Harbor. It was there that we decided to head on to Princess Louisa.

July 4th escapade and Sea Star sadness

As is our pattern for the three day holidays, we got away to British Columbia to avoid the crowds in the American islands over the 4th of July. It sounds somehow unpatriotic to go to Canada for the 4th of July, but I suppose it celebrates the freedoms our founding mothers fought for. Having been to Tumbo many times this winter and early spring we decided to go to some less traveled favorite places instead. We got to Friday Harbor on Thursday night and slept well for the Friday departure for points north.

On the way north, passing Spieden Island

Our first stop was Russel Island just off the southern shore of Salt Spring. It is a gem of a little island with an easy anchorage on the north side. It is unique in having a standing home from the pioneer days and even a visitor welcoming program hosted by direct descendants of the original non-native settlers. The matriarch of the family was half Hawaiin and half First Nations, and her husband was evidently half Caucasian and half First Nations. Now, their great grandchildren take turns in July and August staying at the home and telling stories to the visitors. It's the only place in the Salish Sea that has such a program. I really appreciate it, as I believe that pioneer history is fading from the islands and landscape quite quickly.

While on Russel we walked the shoreline looking for sea stars, having heard about the wasting disease that is killing them all up and down the West Coast. Sure enough, we could not find any for some time. And then, when we did find one, it was the most tragic and pathetic looking thing. It was missing several limbs, and shriveled up in death's grip. This disease just dissolves them from inside like they were held in an acid bath. Walking along the shore a little further on and we came across two more in the same dead and decrepit condition.

Had amazing Memorial Day at Tumbo Island, again

Family went up to Tumbo again for Memorial Day. Just can't beat it. We had generally nice weather, though not as nice as it has been recently. The trip is about 3.5 hours from Friday Harbor going straight and through President's Channel. We caught a little flood going, and had a nice ebb returning, as you would like.

Photo not mine. Of South Beach. Lovely spot. 

Highlights of our weekend included lots and lots of beach baseball on Cabbage, hiking cross-country around the entire northern tip of Tumbo to complete our circumnavigation of the entire island in various stages, and seeing a whole group of river otters frolicking and cavorting right on shore near Aeolus. I counted, and there were 13 of them not 20 yards away. Amazing.

The islands also had an incredible density of Rufous Hummingbirds, in addition to all the usual Bald Eagles and usuals. The Rufous were so dense you could literally walk twenty paces and come across a new one. The island had a lot of blooming plants and they must have come from all around.

It was a fantastic weekend. We continue to find such deep happiness and solace in these trips. When on them, we cannot imagine not being there. When away on these island, we feel at home.

This summer we will doing a whole lot less than our trip around Vancouver Island last summer. That pains us greatly. However, the tyranny of work prevents taking a month off every summer. This year we will probably play around the Gulf Islands some more, braving the crowds, and jump up to Jedidiah just because it is paradise and makes one feel a million miles and a hundred years away.

Portland Island is magnificent, and Stuart too!

Sailed all the way from FH to Portland on one tack!

The boys and I are just back from our three day get away and as always I wish I could stay out there. On Saturday morning we slept in and then headed north. In our new era of Nexus cards I had already called ahead and acquired my Canadian clearance number from the nice people in Ontario. They have absolutely no local knowledge and so when you say you are going to Portland Island they don't even have that in their system. You are required to tell them the name of the nearest reporting station, which in this case happens to be Sidney.

The forecast SE winds were indeed what was happening. We had the most magnificent sail from the entrance to Friday Harbor, on one tack, doing 5-6 knots, broad reaching, all the way across the border and to Portland Island! That's about 18 miles through the twists and turns of the islands.

Portland Island here we come! Spring trip across stormy waters.

I've been quite busy with work these days and so finding less time to post here about our various trips, but have one coming up this weekend I am excited about. I'm taking the boys on a three day trip without Amy because she has to work Monday and I have some time off coming. We're planning to go up into BC because if you have 3 days that is enough time to justify leaving Friday Harbor and crossing the border. And now that we have Nexus cards, it is made quite easy.

So this weekend I think we will head back up to Portland Island, where we haven't been in some time. The forecast is for 20-30 knot SE winds on Saturday, and crossing Haro Strait in those strong SE winds can be quite bouncy. Depending on the current, it can be mildly bouncy to downright nasty.

So as my grandmother always said: Off we go, into the wild blue yonder...

Tumbo/Cabbage never disappoint

We did indeed head back to Tumbo for the long weekend and it met all our needs once again. One of the highlights was that we were able to use our Nexus cards for the first time, which makes a tremendous difference when you are going from Friday Harbor to the East as you don't have to go to Sidney in the Winter, or South Pender in the Summer. In the off season, our favorite time, going to Sidney is a deal breaker because it is so far out of the way when going back toward Saturna. Even in the summer, stopping at South Pender takes another hour or two. And coming back is even nicer! We called in once we had reception around Waldron and didn't have to go through the interrogation at the Friday Harbor docks.

Aeolus has Reef Harbor to itself

Remarkably, once we got to Tumbo we found we were the only boat present. I realize it is winter, and that many people are fair weather boaters, but it was a perfectly benign and wonderful weekend and no one was there! All the better for us...

Tumbo Island here we come...

It has been a long dry land spell for us water loving folks, and it feels great to know we are soon to return to our lovely island away from home. Tumbo has become our go to island of preference if we have a three day weekend, and with MLK day coming up, that's where we will be. We will have to check the forecasts to make sure there aren't any strong NW winds expected, but that is fairly unusual for the winter time. More likely is the typical southern winds, which Tumbo is well protected from.

It will be fantastic to smell the sea again, from just feet away. To feel the sway and nudge of the boat beneath my feet. To see the splendor of islands dotted amidst a dreamscape canvas of sky and water. To see the wild life of birds and seals and maybe whales doing all their birdy, sealy and whaly things in a natural, wild place. To run free in an undomesticated place, to risk life and limb just enough to know that you have a life, and limbs. To watch the boys be feral creatures unbound by the conventions of domestic comforts.

We are already excited, and this excitement will build in the days ahead.

And we are already planning our next big sailing trip. We think our next big voyage will be to Haida Gwai. This summer we only have time to make it back to the Desolation Sound area. But maybe the summer after that, or the one after that, we need to head further north and visit the truly wild and historical vastness of Haida Gwai.

For now, we will return to little Tumbo, and be as free as can be with only the salty sea and quiet islands to remind us that we are bound to earth. For in most ways, our trips to these wild little places transcend the merely manifest natural world into other more distant, and less concrete, spaces.