WINTER HAS ARRIVED IN FRIDAY HARBOR!

When we returned from the our shopping spree on the mainland we found a Winter Wonderland in Friday Harbor!

Winter has come to Friday Harbor!
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It is Snowing!
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Looking out the front window
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Our Nautical Xmas Tree
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There is snow on the anchor in our front yard!
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Our Blue Heron has a new hat!
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BACK IN FRIDAY HARBOR ON SAN JUAN ISLAND FOR THE WINTER

It is good to be back in our little cottage in Friday Harbor for the winter. We love to explore this lovely island to observe and photograph the abundance of wildlife that inhabits the area as well as the variety of beautiful landscapes.

It is good to back in our lttle cottage in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island

 
 

Rainbows frequently appear in Friday Harbor

 
 

Roche Harbor at sunset is on the west side of San Juan Island

 
 

Fox Kits come in many colors

 
 

Black Fox Kits come out of their den near South Beach on San Juan Island

 
 

Bald Eagle flys to his perch overlooking Cattle Point
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Bald Eagle of Cattle Point on San Juan Island
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OUR RETURN TRIP TO VAN ISLE MARINA SEPT. 17TH TO SEPT. 22ND

Our voyage home to Van Isle Marina began with our first stop at Gorge Harbor. We anchored for the night and the next morning we motor sailed to Sturt Bay on Texada Island. The weather cooperated with sunshine and a breeze of 12 knots. In the morning we crossed Georgia Strait to Scooner Cove. We enjoyed dinner in the pub and a dip in the hot tub. The next morning we were off to New Castle Island and Nanaimo.
We stayed for two days visiting Petroglyph Park and enjoying the town. Louie was a winner at the Casino.
We timed our departure for slack tide through Dodd Narrows and then on to Genoa Bay.
We had a lovely evening with our friends Alex and Mike. We shared a potluck dinner and some lovely wine. The next day we had a great lunch at the Genoa Bay Cafe and we departed for Van Isle Marina. We arrived about 5 PM and our circle was complete.
Our adventure to the Queen Charlottes ended but we will savor the wonderful memories forever!

Texada Island to Nanaimo
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The "Love Boat" was our neighbor in Sturt Bay on Texada Island where we spent the night.
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Newcastle Island is a great place to tie up or anchor while visiting Nanaimo
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Petroglyph Park is located about 2 miles out of Nanaimo where prehistoric petroglyphs are carved into the rocks overlooking Nanaimo Harbor
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A figure of a man

 
 

Petroglyph of sea creatures

 
 

A DAY TRIP TO QUADRA ISLAND SEPT. 16TH

A short ferry ride across Discovery Passage and we arrived on Quadra Island. Our destination was the Tsa Kwa Luten Lodge. We called a taxi and to our surprise the woman driving offered to give us a guided tour of the Cape Mudge First Nation's Village. She showed us the tribe's canoe which was carved in the village from a single cedar tree. We saw the school and community center. She told us how the early natives of Quadra would charge a toll to explorers and trade ships to guide them through the infamous Seymour Narrows. Having the local knowledge of the tides allowed them to pass safely. One can only imagine what the early explorers endured without this guidance. We arrived at the lodge and on the front door we were greeted with a sign: "BEWARE! BEAR SIGHTING IN AREA". We had a delicious lunch and then hiked to the Cape Mudge Lighthouse. Supposedly, there are over 50 petroglyphs carved on the boulders near the low tide line. We searched but did not find any among the infinite number of boulders on the beach. We returned to the lodge and bummed a ride from one of the employees back to the ferry. It was another wonderful day in paradise.

On the beach along Discovery Passage on Quadra Island we found the "Bones" of old boats. Over the centuries hundreds of boats have sunk in these turbulant waters.
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We hiked to the Cape Mudge Lighthouse. The is one of the sites where Captain Vancouver landed and made contact with the First Nations Tribes in the 1700's.
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Louie reacting to the warning sign on the door of the First Nation's "Tsa Kwa Luten Lodge".
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A Totem Pole in the process of being carved in the First Nation's Village on Quadra Island.
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This is a canoe carved from a single cedar log.Hot Rocks are placed inside the carved out log then steam seals and shapes it. It has been rowed from Quadra Island to the Queen Charlottes.
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BLIND CHANNEL THROUGH THE INFAMOUS SEYMOUR NARROWS SEPT. 14TH

We rode the tide from Port Neville to Blind Channel sometimes reaching over 10 knots.
Blind Channel Marina is one of our favorites. We arrived early enough to enjoy the afternoon on the patio overlooking the channel talking with the owner and staff.
The next day we departed at 10:30 AM carefully calculating our passage through the infamous Seymour Narrows. We mis-calculated 2 years ago and went through at MAX tide which was one of the most terrifying experiences of our lives. We were being pushed through at speeds of over 18 knots and being thrown around by the treacherous whirlpools. Captain George Vancouver described in the late 1700s as "one of the vilest stretches of water in the world." It earned a reputation as the fiercest, and arguably, the most dangerous area for nautical navigation in North America.
Ripple Rock resided in the middle of the narrows and had pierced the hulls and sank over 120 vessels and took at least 114 lives. In 1958 it was decided to explode the obstruction. It was the largest non-nuclear explosion ever. The blast pulverized 370,000 tons of rock and displaced 320,000 tons of water. Rock and debris rocketed 1,000 feet into the air. The explosion also created a 25-foot tidal wave which quickly dissipated and caused no damage.
We made it through safely at slack tide and docked at Discovery marina in Campbell River.

Route Map: Blind Channel to Campbell River
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Blind Channel Marina.
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Entering Johnstone Strait from Mayne Channel after spending the night at Blind Channel Marina. The fog is lifting revealing the mountainous shoreline.
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This is the infamouse Seymour Narrows at slack tide. The extire length of Vancouver Island's portion of the Inside Passage narrows and flows through this point.
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Ripple Rock explosion of 1958
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ROUTE MAP: PORT MCNIELL TO PORT NEVILLE
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PORT NEVILLE SEPTEMBER 11TH AND 12TH

We motored down Johnstone Strait for about 6 hours and welcomed the sight of Port Neville. We tied up at the dock and immediately got into the dinghy to hunt for the petroglyphs and pictographs that we had heard of. We met two very nice men that offered to show us the locations. We first saw the petroglyphs at Robber's Knob about mid way down the inlet. Since it was getting dark we made arrangements to meet our new friends the next day to find other locations. We returned to the boat and had Seafood Fettucine with our crab, prawns and clams. The next day we met and followed Rusty and Marv to the sites. We enjoyed their company so much we invited them to dinner on the boat. On the way back to Port Neville dock we picked up some kelp that clogged the cooling water intake on our outboard motor. The motor overheated, stalled several times and eventually died. Hopefully, we will have it repaired in Campbell River.

This is Port Neville and the Hansen family and descendants have lived here for over 100 years. The building in front of the government dock was built in 1895. It is in the process of being restored to its original state using the family's heirlooms. Lorna Hansen Chesluk, the daughter, is now the postmaster as her father was in the past. There are no roads so mail is delivered once weekly by floatplane. She lives alone since her daughter has recently gone to Campbell River to attend High School. It is truly an isolated life with the exception of the boats that pull in to avoid heavy weather conditions on Johnstone strait.
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The interior of the Port Neville Store built in 1895.
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Seventh Heaven is tied up at Port Neville dock while we go hunting for Petroglyphs and Pictographs at the head of the inlet.
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We locate petroglyphs of faces that seem to float in the stone at Robber's Knob midway down the inlet.
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This appears to be a whale with two human figures.
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This is one of the more defined carvings of a deer. It is located on the rocks at Robber's Knob.
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We followed our new friends Rusty and Marv to Collingwood Point to locate petroglyphs and pictographs.
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We landed the dinghys on the shore and climbed the rocks to the location of several petroglyphs hidden under branches of trees. This was very faint however, it appears to represents a man who is holding his hands up.
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This petroglyph appears to be an animal of some kind.
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We are unsure what this represents however it is said it might be a "spirit".
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With the help of our new friends we found the pictographs just beyond the narrows near Collingwood Point
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WE BEGIN OUR VOYAGE SOUTH TOWARDS FRIDAY HARBOR, WA ON SEPTEMBER 10TH

After our family left we completed our maintenace and provisioning. We had our 25 hp outboard motor mounted back on the dinghy and completed our final preparations for the our voyage south to Friday Harbor and Sidney. A day before we were to leave the weather changed and it blew 25 to 40 knots all day and all night for 3 days. Finally on September 10th our weather window opened up to a spectacular cloudless, sunny, warm day. We departed Port McNeill at 11 AM to ride the tide to our destination of Port Neville. Along Johnstone Strait near Robson Bight we saw a pod of Orcas near the shoreline. I hurried to the bow with camera in hand and photographed a beautiful female breaking away from her pod and swimming towards us and then under our boat. I was so excited I knocked my sunglasses off my head and they fell into the water. We watched her until she rejoined her pod and they swam out of sight. We continued toward our destination breathing in the wonderful weather and scenery. We arrived at Port Neville at about 5 PM.

It was an absolutely beautiful day as we left Port Mc Neill and headed south down Johnstone Strait.
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We spotted a pod of Orcas rubbing their bodies on the smooth stones of Robson Bight as we were sailing south on Johnstone Strait.
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