Deception Pass and back to the San Juans and then back to Canada

The Swinomish Channel links Annacortes, LaConnor and Deception Pass. We left LaConnor and motored down the shallow channel to Deception Pass. Here we anchored on the East side to wait for slack water. Currents in Deception Pass can reach 8-9 knots. Something we wanted to avoid. On the other side we anchored in Bowman Bay. Almost a perfect anchorage except for noise of the traffic from the nearby highway and the low flying fighter jets from the nearby naval airbase.

Next day it was back to the San Juans and some familiar anchorages and then back across the border and back into Canada at Sidney.

San Juan Channel

Sucia Island

Stuart Island

Brant

Western Grebe

Turn Point Light Station

Haro Strait with the Olympic Mts in the distance

Annacortes, LaConnor, Swinonish Channel

After a couple of days in Friday Harbour we headed towards the mainland. Annacortes has a perfect sheltered port with room for hundreds of boats. It has everything in the way of amenities for boaters as long as they still have money in their wallets.

There is a big oil refinery across the bay and the old railway right away has been converted to a walking biking trail. It is a good place to walk and look for birds and signs of spring.

There is a sheltered channel that leads to the town of LaConnor and out towards Deception Pass. We headed out on a perfectly awful morning of wind and rain. Things improved and it was sunny and calm by the time we got to Laconner. 

Around the Islands

From Montague Harbour we sailed the short distance to Ganges. With all the conveniences within a few hundred yards of the boat , it was difficult to leave.
We decided to head to Bedwell Harbour on Pender Island . The marine park there is a long walk from any road and was deserted as we walked up to Mount Norman.

The next day our intention was to go to Winter Cove or Lyall Harbour. Instead we got stuck on a beam reach and crossed the border into the US and  the San Juan Islands. Despite it being a gorgeous day of sailing I was short handed in the cockpit. Yammy was down below consulting with divorce lawyers.
A single tack took us all the way to Friday Harbour where we tied up and enjoyed the last of the incredibly sunny spring day.

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For no good reason we decided to stay in Friday Harbour another day. Tomorrow we are definitely moving on.

Pics Pirates Cove and Montague Harbour

On The Move Signs of Spring

Our sojourn at Stone's Marina has ended. Yesterday we cast away our lines and travelled two miles up the channel and our anchored in the gap between Protection Island and Newcastle Island. It was a gorgeous day and we circumnavigated both islands in search of " Signs of Spring".

As for the plan. Gulf Islands? San Juans? Anacortes? Deception Pass?  A Lot of ??????
Today we woke up to some rain but things are supposed to get dry for the next five days or so. There will also be northerly winds which suits us well.

chored in the gap between Protection Island and Newcastle Island. It was a gorgeous day and we circumnavigated both islands in search of " Signs of Spring".

As for the plan. Gulf Islands? San Juans? Anacortes? Deception Pass?  A Lot of ??????
Today we woke up to some rain but things are supposed to get dry for the next five days or so. There will also be northerly winds which suits us well.

Back from Thailand and Myanmar

After 19 hours in planes and airports we happily kissed the ground in Vancouver. There was a bit of a line up at immigration then it was on to the skytrain, bus and ferry to Nanaimo. In three hours we made it across the city of Vancouver and across Georgia Strait back to our slightly mildewed boat. It was a beautiful sunny day in Nanaimo with flowers poking out of the ground.
Then the snow came. And I fear there is more on the way.

I put all Yammy's posts on SE Asia in a blog for your reading and viewing pleasure.

byseasiatrip.blogspot.com

Back Across to Vancouver Island

It was a cold lumpy  recrossing of Georgia Strait. We left in the dark and weaved our way out to the open strait where of course we were immediately on a collision course with a big freighter.

 We arrived at Silva Bay which is the closest protected anchorage. We dropped out anchor just before the weather turned nasty with a strong Northerly wind and a deluge of rain.

Silva Bay is a great anchorage with an even bottom with good depths and protection from the wind. Unfortunately it is crammed with mooring buoys and it is very difficult to find a spot where you don't swing into a boat or buoy.

Anyways it all worked out and the next morning we went back through Gabriola Pass back to our favourite anchorage at Pirate's Cove. Much to our amazement we had to share the anchorage with two other boats.

From Pirate's Cove we headed North to Nanaimo. We anchored off Newcastle Island and rushed to the mainland to buy treats and booze for the New Year's Eve celebrations that night. As usual we were fast asleep when the New Year arrived but we did hear the sounds of fog horns and sporadic fireworks going off at midnight. We spent two glorious days at anchor here and took long walks on both Newcastle and Protection Island. Being the New Year I paid special attention to accumulating a new list of birds. We finally got great views of a Pileated Woodpecker. I have have no idea why this common bird had eluded us so far.

A short trip brought us to Stones Marina where we will keep the boat while we fly off to Southeast Asia for six weeks. This marina is very secure and seems to get very little wind. An added bonus is that our friend Angus has a boat here and will be able to periodically check the boat while we are away.

So far the weather had not been too bad. It gets below zero at night but usually warms up around nine or ten. Rain has been sporadic, not the perpetual deluge we were expecting. When the sun pops out it is paradise. I think great things await us when we return on February 18th.