Monday, September 25, 2006

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.

Friday, September 15, 2006

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.

Saturday, September 09, 2006

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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Wednesday, September 06, 2006


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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Saturday, September 02, 2006

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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Friday, September 01, 2006


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.