Summer Cruise: 2012 - Sucia to and at Shaw's Indian Cove

We had been talking about heading south for a day or so, waiting a wind. Instead the weather was hot and still. Then a breeze blew in and we were ready to go!

Our new friends on CURRAWONG were planning on heading down towards Friday Harbor. They were there when we checked things out at 0530, but when we checked things out again around 0900, they were gone. Would we see them on this leg of our journey? They knew we were headed for Fisherman Bay, Lopez. It would be fun to sail in company.

We left Echo Bay, and then quickly ran out of wind. Return? No, but it would mean a day of motoring. The Reverend hates motoring.

Here's our track on the chart (follow the purple yarn):

 Teach and M at the helm.

 About where these pictures and video are taken ... between Waldron and Orcas Islands.

 Trying to take some shots of the tide/current changing.

Meanwhile, down below:

Coming up on Jones Island. As we did so, two sea planes passed flying in formation. You can just make them out through the shrouds.

Meanwhile, on deck:

 See anyone in the Jones Island anchorage we know? Didn't see anyone we recognize as we motored between Jones Island and Orcas.

The pencil shows where the following picture and video were taken. We've just passed through the pass between Jones Island (just above the pencil) and Orcas - avoiding some north setting current.

 Finally! As we pass Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, we get some wind! UP Genoa! Turn off the engine! Hallelujah, we're making 4.3 knots. Cancel that, we just did 6.7! And - we're holding in the upper 5s! (Friday Harbor is on the left side with all the green squares).

 Rev. and M in the cockpit enjoying the sailing!

Not long afterward the wind died back down, and found us ghosting into our anchorage. Yes, it was really hot earlier, but when the breeze piped up it got chilly! We are sailing in the Pacific Northwest after all.

 Got to keep an eye on the sails as we turn down wind.

Ghost in, drop the sails and anchor.

 
Indian Cove, Shaw Island is open to the South, and we wouldn't want to be here if the wind piped up from that direction, but Northerlies were predicted, so we felt safe enough. Friday Harbor, San Juan would be an easy fall back (about 3 miles away or so).

Canoe Island, just to the right of the pencil, is a privately owned island with a French Language camp. The following day, we watched as the camp youth came over to the sandy beach for a couple of hours. This, in turn, brought back memories of working at church camp for the Rev and the Teacher.

The next day had us up, eating French Toast (of course!) and then packing a picnic lunch. To the beach we went. This is apparently one of the best sandy beaches in the San Juans, and seldom visited. A shame, for this is a great park with great camp sites. Maybe we'll meet up with family here sometime?

 "Another Queendom to survey, I see."

 The anchorage is smooth until these big guys go by, throwing up a wake! Glad they are done about 10:30 p.m.! Makes for a very restful night.

 Trying to catch the tern in the camera. Not so successful.

 Yummy! French Toast for breakfast.

See what we mean about the beach?

Shot of MERGANSER at anchor.

 I, M & E - with a melted chocolate I below.

 This sign says it all!

And at the end of the day, everyone returns to the boat for a great rest and a preparation to catch the tide to enter Fisherman Bay tomorrow.

Summer Cruise: 2012 - Semiahmoo to and at Sucia

Here starts the photo essay (with comments) of our cruise.

We left on Tuesday, 7 August 2012 at 1425 to catch the tide and current moving southward towards Sucia. We waved at friends as we made our way out of the marina and down Boundary Bay toward the Straight of Georgia and the northern San Juan islands.

That is White Rock, British Columbia, Canada in the background of both of these pictures. Yup, we really do live at the border.

The ship's cat didn't feel too well during this portion of the voyage.

No more pictures of the trip over/down. We anchored near the mouth of Echo Bay the evening of the 7th. That night as we checked the anchor, we looked into the night sky and saw the most beautiful meteor ever. Bright green with a long tail! Ahhh! To be cruising once more!

 The pencil points to where we anchored this time, and you can see our previous notations on the chart!


The next day (the 8th) the kids went exploring in PIPPI while J. and L. stayed aboard and rested. Didn't realize how hard we were working on projects 'til we stopped.

Once back, the kids decided to follow a recipe for making hard-boiled-egg "chicks" with carrot noses and seed eyes. Fun project, and was a delight to eat!

Dawn comes with a video:

Hope this gives you a good perspective of life afloat in one of our favorite anchorages. The stills below were shot at the same time, right after the video.

One of our Canadian friends gave us some of his blueberries he couldn't take back across the border. As they were on their way out, only one solution: Blueberry Pancakes! Here are the last three in the pan, with just enough pancake batter to hold the blueberries in place.

Ate dinner that night with some friends of ours, but forgot to bring the camera! Arg.

At any rate, the 10th saw us up and at 'em, ready to walk the shore trails and venture across island to Shallow Bay (only cove to the West). I. took some really great pictures with her camera of this trek, which we'll include with a separate blog posting.

 MERGANSER at anchor and M walking.

M showing us where the kids had explored by PIPPI.

 Kids playing on the rocks at China Caves, Shallow Bay (I, E & M)

 Back at Ewing Cove (to the North of our anchorage & where we'd left the dinghies). Someone had built this fun "fort."

One of the joys of cruising is meeting people. Often, this means that we are again reminded of how small the cruising world is. Phil and Kate on CURRAWONG are friends of friends of ours. And we met them because they happened to anchor near us. When rowing in to shore, we stopped by to admire their Kendell cutter (similar to a Westsail) and got to talking. For some reason, no pictures of them or their boat - but very fond memories! So, "Hello" to Phil and Kate whereever you are at the moment!

A few days later, and we were hiking across the island, once more. This time for the annual picture at mushroom rock. Fossil Bay and Fox Cove (where the rock is located) are on the south side of Sucia.

And we couldn't leave without one more campfire!

Anchor Lights

Summer Cruise: 2012 - Overview

School is starting back up, and that means the end of long cruises. Who knows, maybe we'll get a shorter one in here or there. Even a day sail is great fun.

We thought it might be best to organize our 2012 cruise by giving an Overview, then sharing photos from each leg/stop on our journey: Sucia's Echo Bay, Shaw Island's Indian Cove, Lopez Island's Fisherman Bay, and back to Sucia's Echo Bay before returning home.

We started in Drayton Harbor at the Semiahmoo Marina (yellow pencil point) and sailed south to the Island of Sucia and anchored in Echo Bay (point of the red pencil). After time at Sucia, we sailed around the west side of Orcas Island (big one in the middle) to the southern end of Shaw Island. We anchored in Indian Cove (where the shiny green pencil point is pointing). Then we had a short jog over to Fisherman Bay (where the pen is pointing) on Lopez Island. Fisherman Bay as a narrow entrance and we wanted to make sure we caught the correct tide. When we left Fisherman Bay, we sailed North and between Loepez and Shaw, around the south end of Orcas, out through Peavine Pass and up North along the Eastern side of Orcas (to the right in the map) and back to Sucia's Echo Bay (red pencil). We stayed a short time at Sucia's Echo Bay before heading back north to home and the yellow pencil.
On with the voyage!