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.