Kingston Washington Waterfront
The majestic terrain and contrast of mountains, forests, and water have lured us back to the Pacific Northwest for another summer of cruising. It is simultaneously peaceful and powerful. It is the essence of harmony until a storm arrives and then it is the chaos and fury of wind, rain, and tumultuous seas. All attract us to visit. We are outdoor people and spend as much time as possible outside. However nothing, with the exception of backpacking, has ever brought us continuously closer to nature than boating the PNW.
It's second virtue is it ability to slow and focus your life. The stress of city living melts away as soon as we splash the boat. The many competing electronic connections of our overly intrusive push communication world are put on hold. It is such a relief. Have we perhaps overdone it? Instead the focus is on weather, sea conditions, tides, currents, winds, provisioning, anchorages, whales, birds, bears, eagles, minks, otters, and all the creatures that inhabit our world. The joy of making new friends and exchanging cruising information face to face becomes the ritual. It is content and tasks that provide a much healthier and more satisfying level of engagement than encountered in urban living.
Sleep, we never sleep better than on the boat. From the very first night our head hits the pillow until we return, there is no where else we enjoy a better night's sleep. It is "pure luxury".
As we keep our boat on the Napa River in the San Francisco Bay Area, we first load our boat on it's trailer, insure it is ready for the road and the upcoming adventure, then we drive two days to Kingston, Washington where we launch. The truck and trailer are parked nearby for the summer. We fuel and provision the boat, visit with nearby family and then point the bow north. Launching end of May as we did means the weather is a tapestry of spring and summer. During storms we remain in port, On days with winds under 15 knots we cruise. Fortunately, so far, grey days and sunny days have been about equal. They both have their beauty and you cannot fully experience the PNW without seeing all of its personalities.
Cape Sante Marina in Anacortes
Amy Marie at dock in Anacortes
Wine and Charcuterie Restaurant in Anacortes
A Washington State Ferry plies the waters of Puget Sound
Clouds passing over the Cape Sante Marina
Our first stop was in Anacortes to visit the Skagit Valley College Marine Maintenance Program facility. I picked up a spare sea water pump from their program director who was parting out a dead Yanmar diesel similar to the one in Amy Marie. I'll rebuild the pump and it will become a back up unit. Mike Beemer showed us around their facility and it was quite impressive. They have an excellent facility and also an large number of videos on YouTube on a variety of maintenance topics. Check them out!
Ranger Tug Rendezvous - Poets Cove
The Ranger Tug Owner community is a welcoming group of kindred spirits. Owners and/or the factory and dealers organize "Rendezvous" all over the US and in Canada. They are a chance to build boating community, share information, and enjoy group activities. This year there was a dinghy expedition to Port Browning for lunch, a hike to the east end of Pender Island, and various games with chances to win some useful marine swag. We met many Canadian boaters who shared information on favorite anchorages, marinas, destinations and tactics for getting there. Rick from Sydney shared that he trailers his R27 to Port Hardy which greatly simplifies visiting the Broughton Archipelago. A tactic that we will use in the future.
The Poets Cove Marina and Canadian Customs Dock at Bedwell Harbor on Pender Island
A 100 year old tug which was converted into a private yacht
The St. Eval yacht dwarfs the Customs Dock. Poets Cove Resort in the background.
Seaplanes regularly ferried passengers into and out of the resort at Poets Cove
Dinghy Cruise to Port Browning
There were over 40 Ranger Tugs at the Rendezvous!
Ganges - Salt Spring Island
Ganges is the largest city and hub of all activity on Salt Springs Island. We travelled here from Poets Cove in advance of an approaching storm. Two hours after our arrival, the storm arrived with winds to 20 knots and rain. Ganges offers good shelter from storms and has many nearby attractions and amenities. The visitors center is located just a short walk from the public docks Close to the marina are the Tree House Cafe, a sea food restaurant, a hardware store, a grocery store, a liquor store and a gas station, where you can refill propane cylinders. Ganges has everything a mariner could want! We plan to get a day pass on the local bus, $4.50 Canadian for Seniors, and tour the island. They also have an active play house and we intend to return to catch a performance once they start their summer schedule. We also walked around Mouat Park in which there is a Frisbee Golf Course and gravel nature trails.
Islands on the way to Ganges, Salt Spring Island
Ganges Public Dock is close to all services
Ganges Inner Harbor
The Tree House Cafe
Local Map
Walking in Mouat Park
Trail in Mouat Park
Plenty of Banana Slugs in the Pacific Northwest
This "School Boat" collects students from nearby islands and brings them to school on Salt Springs Island
Resources
Track Log
>> The majestic terrain and contrast of mountains, forests, and water have lured us back to the Pacific Northwest for another summer of cruising. It is simultaneously peaceful and powerful. It is the essence of harmony until a storm arrives and then it is the chaos and fury of wind, rain, and tumultuous seas.<<
ReplyDeleteThat is some GREAT writing. Glad you two are back out on the water so I have a decent boat blog to read.
So very happy to see Amy Marie on the water. Love following your many adventures.
ReplyDelete