WORLD'S DEADLIEST CATCH

Our friend James of Friday harbor is an engineer on an Alaskan King Crab boat as featured in the documentary program "The World's Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel. He shares his catch with us and we share with a fortunate few family and friends. It is a true delicacy and we are truly grateful to those who brave the briney seas to bring this to our table.

WINTER COMES TO FRIDAY HARBOR!

A white blanket of snow covered the island.


Icicles adorn the roof of our home.


The"Maiden Head"
which adorns the Pub Friday Harbor wears a frosty cape and hat. Burrr!

A "Super Pod" of 40 Orcas in a mating ritual.

A "Super Pod" of Orcas returning from feeding at the Fraiser River salmon run. Transient pods mate with local resident pods during this ritual.

Return to Friday Harbor

After a wonderful summer of cruising we returned to Friday Harbor It was great fun to see friends and enjoy the beauty of San Juan Island.

The Autumn colors were blazing as we hiked out to the San Juan Lighthouse at Lime Kiln Park on the south end of the island.

THE DAY WE LOST OUR "WINGS" SEPT. 9TH

We departed from Lund and headed south. The wind and seas began to build as we passed in between Texeda Island and the mainland. I read aloud to Lou for awhile from my new book “Ghost Sea” by Ferenc Mate and then went below to fix him some lunch. I heard the tell tail sign of the engine winding down and I knew there was something wrong. As the boat slowed I went up the companion way when Lou told me that we had lost “Wings” our dinghy. Sure enough there it was behind us about 200 yards unattached bouncing on the 6 ft. swells and blowing away even farther in the 16 knot wind. I took over the wheel and threw her in neutral while Lou put on his life preserver, went forward to retrieve the boat hook and readied it to grab onto a line. I turned the boat around causing us to wildly rock back and forth as the swells broadsided us. The first pass was unsuccessful as I did not have enough forward speed to turn the boat in time to come close enough even though I was “hard to port”. The second pass came closer but many adjustments had to be made. Forward, reverse, hard to starboard, hard to port while we rolled and pitched one way and Wings the other! Lou hanging off the bow reached with the pole and grabbed a stern line on Wings. He carefully walked it back and tied it to the stern railing. He then jumped into the cockpit and back to the swim step to prevent the sharp propeller of Wing’s outboard motor from gouging the stern of Seventh Heaven. The dinghy was like a wild horse bucking and kicking fighting its stern tie. Lou had both feet in the water pushing away the heavy engine while attempting to swing the bow around parallel to the swim step. The prop hit the stern chipping at the fiberglass and bending the blades. At one point he plucked a crab trap and float to make room for his eventual boarding. The wind gusted and the swells violently pushed and shoved making it impossible to harness the wild Wings. He was somehow able to slither onto Wings while holding on to the big boat. I watched in horror as his powerful arms were twisted and turned in the turbulence. I handed him a new line of which he attached to an islet mounted on the inside of the bow seat. He had me tie the new line to the stern. Now he had to get out of Wings onto Seventh Heaven. I tried to hold the bow closer with the boat hook but was overtaken by the power of the churning water and the weight of the dinghy being tossed up and down at an opposing rhythm of the big boat. I had to brace my body against the railing not to be pulled into the water by the force. Lou then instructed me to slowly point the bow of Seventh Heaven into the wind. As the two boats became aligned he was able to hand over hand the line to the swim step and pull himself aboard. The adrenaline pumped through our bodies flushing our faces to a bright red. We pulled the frayed painter line aboard to examine the cause of our dangerous encounter. I pointed the boat south and Wings obediently followed with the new line cutting a scar on her bow. Lou went below to change his soaked clothing. We congratulated each other on our great team work and then decided to pull into Pender Harbor for the night.

You can see the "snail trail" on the chart plotter at the point we lost Wings and how we slipped back and towards the shore while dealing with the emergency.
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The frayed painter line of Wings that was the cause our dangerous encounter.
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The fog plays with our visibility as we exit Port Neville. Thank goodness for Radar.
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Fingers of fog wrap around us as we proceed down Johnstone Strait.
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We can see the multiple layers of islands and inlets as we pass Nodales Channel heading towards Seymour Narrows.
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Louie enjoying the appetizers at Lagoon Cove.
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Complimentary freshly caught Deep Fried Tempura Prawns at the Lagoon Cove "Happy Hour".
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I made these baskets from seaweed and shells I found along the way.
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We caught this octopus in our prawn trap. The culprit ate about 20 prawns before we pulled the trap. We took him back to the dock at Kwatsi Bay for the children to see. The adults enjoyed him as much as the kids.
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The children and even the dog enjoyed the octopus.
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We returned the octopus to the deep dark depths of Kwatsi Bay
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GOING SOUTH AUG. 25TH

We are begining our voyage back to Friday Harbor the long way home. We stopped at Echo Bay and enjoyed a "Rib Night Potluck". We set our prawn traps catching about 70 each time we pulled. We returned to Kwatsi Bay one of our very favoite places. We enjoyed petroglyph hunting in Wings.

The beauty is overwhelming as we cruise through the calm waters of Tribune Channel.
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We love to go pictograph hunting in "Wings".
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Slides Happen!
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This pictograph is near Kwatsi Point. It appears to be a man with a spear aiming at a bulls eye.
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Pictograph near the entrance to Bond Sound which appears to be birds. This area was inhabited by First Nations Tribes until about 125 years ago when plagues of Small Pox and Influenza wiped out entire populations
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In this pull of the trap we caught about 75 prawns. The heads are removed, prawns are washed and ready to steamed, sauteed in butter and garlic, stir fried in spicy Thai sauce or put in Seafood Pasta.
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Evening in Kwatsi Bay.
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This lovely rose made from traditional cedar bark was given to me as a welcome gift by Tess. She is a member of the Heiltsuk Nation and is the Post Mistress at Waglisla (or also known as Bella Bella) I was very honored!!
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DANIEL RETURNS HOME AUG 20TH

After visiting Ocean Falls we explored Rosco Inlet and Daniel navigated the tricky Troupe Narrows. We were awe struck by the beauty of the steep cliffs jutting into the inlet weaving our way through narrow passages between the multitudes of islands and rocks. This section of the coast is only accessable by boat or plane. A thousand Yosemites are here only allowing so few of us to experience their incredable beauty. We continued south stopping at the First Nations village of Bella Bella. I was mailing Dante's Birthday card at the Post Office there when I struck up a conversation with Tess, the post mistress. She gave me a rose that she had made from traditional cedar bark and welcomed me to their village. I felt so touched to meet such a sweet and kind person. We sailed from Shearwater back to Duncanby Landing since we had such favorable weather. In the morning our good weather continued as we cross Queen Charlotte Sound past Cape Scott in the distance, by God's Pockett, Port Hardy and then on to Sointula. We arrived on Aug. 18th which gave Daniel a chance to relax and explore Malcom Island before his long drive down Vancouver Island to Sidney and then to the airport to fly back to Santa Cruz. We had a wonderful trip and we will miss him until he returns again for another adventure.

The fish boats are jammed in the harbor ready for the traditional "Fish Give Away". When salmon season is over the boats return to the harbor and give as much salmon as the residents can carry home for the winter. Wow, is that wonderful or what?
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The fishing fleet returns to Sointula and so do we.
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No! This is not a Corona ad for Mexico, we are back in Sointula where the weather is better than Mexico. Daniel and I sneaked out to the Whale's Rub Pub and had a beer.
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God's Pocket a good hiding place for bad weather.
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Looking at Cape Scott, absolute north point of Vancouver Isalnd crossing Queen Charlotte Strait.
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The Wild Blackberries are begining to ripen. It is so much fun to go for a walk and pick them along the way. Blackberry Cobbler, Blackberry Pancakes, Blackberry Sauce for Sugar Free Ice Cream. We're starvin up hear!!!!!
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NOW THATS A PRAWN! CAUGHT IN COUSINS INLET. OCEAN FALLS.
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BELLA BELLA TO OCEAN FALLS AUG. 11th to 14th

The abandoned town of Ocean Falls came into view as we motored up Cousins Inlet. We looked forward to practicing the "Industrial Archeology" as we did in Namu. Once a flourishing mill town, since 1909, the closure of the mill in 1980 left the town of Ocean Falls virtually abandoned, with only a small community of residents continuing to live in Martin Valley, a mile down the inlet from the old town site.
It was a thriving community of 5,000 people at its peak. The Crown Zellerbach Pulp Mill supplied newsprint for major newspapers in Canada and the U.S. They closed their operations in 1973 but the mill reopened shortly after under the name of Ocean Falls Corp. Approximately 400 employees worked until the final closure in May of 1980. In 1986, three hundred people arrived in Ocean Falls to attend an auction of the towns assets. Over 3 million dollars were collected.
We were fortunate to meet "Betty" a former resident and she was kind enough to walk us through the town telling stories of her life there. She was a school teacher, met her husband, married at St. Margarets Church and had her reception at the Martin Inn. It was delightful seeing through her eyes. It was truely a memorable experience.

Ocean Falls!
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We can see Ocean Falls in the distance as we sail up Cousins Inlet.
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An old photo of Ocean Falls at its peak. The buildings in yellow highlight are still remaining. All of the other were demolished in the 1980's by the corporation.
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A sign along the way. It rains 14 feet per year here.
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We walk up the dock and into town.
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Looks pretty good to me!
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St. Margarets Catholic Church home of "Eva's Holy Grill".:
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This is the holy water container inside the church.
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Love the name for a restaurant in a church. The lady walking along the pathway is "Betty". She was a school teacher and lived in Ocean Falls. She was married in the church and had her wedding reception at the big hotel. She came back with her husband to visit and was kind enough to show us around. It was wonderful seeing through her eyes.
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A little local history outside of Eva's.
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We had a wonderful in dinner at Eva's of "Osso Bucco" and her famous Meat Loaf. It is the only restaurant in Ocean Falls.
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Lou enters enters the only shop in Ocean Falls called "Ocean Bells" with its collection of handmade local crafts.
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The Link River Dam was built in 1916 to supply power to Ocean Falls. It still supplys power to Bella Bella and Shearwater.
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An old truck left along the side of the road.
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The paper mill from the old road leading to the dam.
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Once was a lovely cottage with a water view.
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You could almost hear the laughter of the children that play on the empty swings.
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