May 20, 2013 Lund to Stop Over at Campbell River, Seymour Narrows, and Thurston Bay

We departed Lund at 8 AM and arrived at Campbell River
fueled up, purchased provisions and ice and headed for
Seymour Narrows for the 2:40 PM slack Ebbing Tide.

We rode the current from 8 to 10 knot to Nodales Channel.
We anchor at one of our favorite places Thurston Bay.  It is a great place
to hide from Johnstone Strait where the wind and currents can be extreme.

We depart Thurston Bay at 8 AM to take advantage of the ebbing
current.  In the distance a Dragon like cloud winds its way across the strait.

As we approached Havannah Channel we looked forward to spending the night
after our 8 hour passage.  We had intended to anchor but then we noticed  a float house
and some new docks in the very back of the inlet. We called "Port Harvey Resort"
George, the owner and builder welcomed us and even though there were no
services this early in the season, we spent the night tied to the docks.

May 19, 2013 A Great Stay at Lund

While underway I made Chicken Soup in the pressure cooker.
A bowl of hot soup is the perfect meal after sailing.

Docked for the night at Lund.

PALM TREES IN LUND latitude 49 ???
You bettcha!!!

Prawners tie up to off load their catch!

We scored 15 lbs. of  live White Spot Prawns from the local prawners.
 They are the finest prawns in the ocean! Firm like Lobster but a special flavor
all their own.

We decapitate them and prepare them for dinner and then the freezer.

I tell them before I twist their heads off the they will live on
through us.  :0{

Evening falls and all is well. . . .

“An intense copper calm, like a universal yellow lotus, was more and more unfolding its noiseless measureless leaves upon the sea.”― Herman Melville, Moby-Dick

A perfect end to a perfect day!

May 19, 2013 Continue North to Lund

Breakfast Burrito w/ Cheddar, Scallions, Black Forest Ham,
Eggs with Salsa and Sliced Oranges.  Perfect
Breakfast while under way!

British Columbia coastline is covered in lush green forest. 

Our I Pad displays "Navionics". This interactive software
is great.  Our Raymarine has become our backup.

A "Tug in Tow" passes us pulling 3 barges.  Tugs are amazing!

The wind picks up to 25K and is right on our "nose".  Wind Waves
build to 4 feet and crash over our bow.

May 19, 2013 Pender Harbor

The wind picked up on Malaspina to 25 knots.
We reefed the main and sailed along at 8 knots.















Pender Harbor is a welcome site!  It is a protected labyrinth of small bays.





Garden Bay Marina is our favorite and has a great pub.  We had lunch on the deck and listened to great live Jazz in the evening.

May 18, 2013 From Nanaimo Across Georgia Strait to Malaspina Strait Along Texeda Island

We spend the night on the docks at the Port of Nanaimo.

In the morning we cross Georgia Strait.  Texeda Island is in the distance.

Lou is at his finest when behind the wheel!

A floating tree in the middle of Georgia Strait. Don't to hit that!

May 17, 2013 Heading North Through Dodd Narrows to Nanaimo

We head north to enter Dodd Narrows and then on to Nanaimo. We arrive an hour early and decide to enter an 1/2 hour early.

The narrow pass churns with current and forms whirlpools.












The pass is 80 yards wide and we exit toward Nanaimo without incident.

May 15, 2013 A Visit to Genoa Bay

Our dear friend Michael is a member of the Canadian Coast Guard and a master seaman.  He is also very talented in the Ärt of Knot Tying".  When we visited Genoa Bay where he and his wonderful wife Alex live aboard s/v "Zeehound", he presented us a gift of his handmade "Proper Heaving Line with a weighted Monkey's Fist.

Michael instructs Lou on how to throw the heaving line.

May 15, 2013, Our New Adventure Begins! Friday Harbor to Southeast Alaska!

It is wonderful to be aboard  Seventh Heaven again cruising the glorious Pacific Northwest!
Captain Lou has recovered from heart issues and his recent Rotator Cuff surgery.  We are ready for our next adventure up the inside passage!
Lou is showing off his range of movement after months of physical therapy.

Spring 2010 - Spring Has Arrived in Friday Harbor!

Spring Street is the main street in Friday Harbor. At the "Bitter End" is the harbor and ferry landing. In the distance you can see the arriving  "Inter Island Ferry" that connects San Juan, Orcas, Lopez and Shaw Islands. There is also a ferry that departs once a day for Vancouver Island Canada.

Spring is early this year with the unusually warm weather.

Tender new leaves sprout from the Weeping Willows swaying in the gentle breeze.

This Tulip Tree bursted  into bloom in the warm weather.

December 2009 - A Holiday Visit to Santa Cruz California

Point Lobos at sunset is a spectacular sight. It is located just outside of the Golden Gate Bridge.

We are having Alaskan King Crab for Christmas Eve dinner in San Jose, California. We brought the crab from Friday Harbor, WA where our friend James who is an engineer on one of the Alaskan Crab boats from the Bering Sea featured on Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch".

The beaches in the Santa Cruz area are virtually abandoned during the winter months.

 Sandpipers are free to hunt for sand fleas.

The weather is divine at Capitola Beach.  We enjoy a piece of "Pizza My Heart" and enjoy the view.

A drive home along the coast route Hwy 1

Another incredible day by the many faces of the Pacific Ocean.

Individually, we are one drop,  Together, we are an ocean. 

December 2009 - Fraser River Valley, British Columbia, Canada

In November, deep in the heart of Fraser River Valley in perhaps the most biologically diverse and important areas in British Columbia. In November, deep in the heart of Fraser River Valley in perhaps the most biologically diverse and important areas in British Columbia.

The raptors are drawn to the area by the millions of spawning salmon that travel up the Fraser River to tributaries such as the Harrison River. At the peak there will be 1500 to 2000 Bald Eagles returning to feed on the salmon which are at the very end of their cycle of life. 

The estuary is also home to incredible wildlife such as trumpeter swans, ducks, seal, bear, coyote, deer and the great white sturgeon.

The bones are picked clean and the cycle of life is complete.

November 2009 - Bumming Around San Juan Island

From South Beach on San Juan Island you can see Mount Baker looming in the distance.

An Autumn colored fox hunts for food camouflaged by tall grass.

A young black fox is distracted from hunting in the fields of South Beach.

Another beautiful day in Paradise ends with a spectacular sunset over San Juan de Fuca Strait which is the border between Washington State and British Columbia, Canada.

Oct. 5 - Roche Harbor, San Juan Island

It has been another wonderful summer and we have now returned to San Juan Island. Seventh Heaven will be moored here at Roche Harbor for the winter and we will return to our home across the island in Friday Harbor.