SJI Summer Days 26 & 27 - Marina Pros & Cons

Last time we were in Fisherman Bay, rather than anchoring (our favorite!), we docked at the Islander Resort and Marina. This time we were at Islands Marine Center (IMC). These two are right next door to each other and offer different experiences. Everyone has their own needs and preferences but our opinion at this point is that IMC is better for us.

The cost per foot is lower at IMC at $1.40 per foot; it’s $2 at Islander. However, power is $8, while power at the Islander is $6. The only pump-out service for miles around is here at IMC and costs $5 – it’s a portable unit so you don’t have to move your boat. The docks here are quite long, which means that multiple boats may be piled in – not a great situation. But it’s way less crowded so that might not be a problem.

Speaking of docks. The docks at IMC are concrete with metal cleats. The docks at the Islander, at least some of them, are wooden with wooden bull rails. I am no dock expert but I really, really dislike docks with wood! Especially older ones. They are more difficult to tie to, harder to walk on, and get splinters in everything! One item on my lazy-day-at-anchor “to do” list is to go through all of Europa’s dock lines with a pair of pliers to remove nasty wooden splinters.

The Islander is just a really busy place - we've been at anchor here in the past and heard people partying into the wee hours. Right now, there are several boats rafted. No thank you...

We watched this guy on his wind surfer thingamajig. I wish I captured him with video! It’s difficult to see in this photo but it has “wings” on each side that he practically lays on, and when he gets up to speed the whole thing raises up onto some kind of ski. And he goes fast!

[photo later]

Tuesday morning after a walk into the village and a pump-out (plus getting bike batteries and everything else all charge up), we anchored back in the bay for a couple of nights to continue our Lopez visit. Another item on our task list is giving the teak a nice coat of oil. I got the galley finished and it looks great!

Our plan today is to ride to Watmough Bight. Our bikes remain locked to a stand at the Islander.

Reception is very spotty so no photos or videos...

SJI Summer Day 25 - More Gifts!

Nick relaxing in Fisherman Bay

Somehow, I lost my photo of the swim step covered in fish remains. We hadn’t noticed there were additional remains in the dinghy. We think it must have been otters, as seals probably would have rocked the boat enough to wake us up.

The sailboat skipper returned to retrieve his boat, which he anchored a little further away. He arrived in…guess what? The dinghy, with the outboard on which he spent three hours cleaning and changing the oil eight times to get it to run again. We thought for sure that thing was toast! How do we know all of this? Because he returned to Europa bearing a nice bottle of wine for our troubles. 😊

I have a video to post here but I haven't figured it out yet. The clip doesn’t really do the situation justice. My goal was to capture just how disconcerting it is to have an incoming seaplane aiming right at us, and to show how close they get. They really don’t need very much space. It seems they have the entire bay to work with but they must want to land as close to the dock as possible and save taxiing. I'll get it posted at some point.

We rode at least twenty miles yesterday to Agate Beach, hiked out to Iceberg Point, and then ate our picnic lunch on the beach. There was very little beach – not sure we’ve ever been there at high tide. It was also about as crowded as we’ve ever seen it.

Our plan today: kayak, work on the boat, move the boat to a dock for tonight (we need to power up, and it’s supposed to get windy!), and go for another bike ride.

SJI Summer Day 24 - Back to Lopez!

I’ve no doubt mentioned that Lopez Island is a very special place for us…years upon years of memories with family and friends, tons of crab (the year we trapped 73!), all kinds of weather (the year we packed up camp and split early because of rain), and a myriad of fun activities (the year Melissa brought 8 [eight!] ukuleles).

So, Europa returned to Fisherman Bay for a few days so we can visit some of our favorite places. We quickly stopped at the dock before anchoring, unloaded the bikes, set them up, and locked them to a rack at the resort so we will have access over the next couple of days.

[photo]

But first, it’s hard for me to believe I forgot to mention one of the highlights of the Neil Bay week – fresh seafood! Nick’s co-workers gave him a gift card for Taylor Shellfish as a retirement present so we decided to use that last week. We ordered 3 pounds each of clams and mussels, and 40 oysters (Shigoku!). This bounty was Fed Ex’d to our door just in time for dinner. Nicked shucked about half the oysters for immediate consumption, and the rest were grilled in the shell. We sautéed the clams in garlic, butter, olive oil, and white wine, and the mussels in a cream-based brew. A delicious feast!

After we anchored, we dinghied to the dock, retrieved our bikes, and headed to the farmers market. And then to Bucky’s for fish tacos…of course.

Not long after we returned from our foray into town, I saw a small sailboat approaching, with what looked like a guy in a dinghy hanging on to the side. I didn’t pay too much attention, just thought to myself that it looked like a stupid stunt. Just as they passed us, the dinghy started to go down and the guy went in the water. (We think there was an outboard on the dinghy.) The skipper of the sailboat immediately through his anchor over, and they got the overturned and partially submerged dinghy tied to the boat. Nick got in our dinghy and helped get the first guy out of the water and on to the sailboat. Nick came back, until the skipper called over and asked for a ride to the dock. Nick obliged, while the guy who went in the water stayed with the sailboat. The skipper returned with a larger power boat and towed the dinghy to the marina. The sailboat was left at anchor, an unsafe distance to Europa. Fortunately, the winds died down and all is well this morning. Hopefully, the skipper will return today and deal with his sailboat. And, importantly, no one was hurt.

I get it…shit happens, and I don’t want to poke fun at these people. But…don’t do dingy things with your dinghy!

We were enjoying our first cup of coffee this morning when I decided to look behind me onto the swim step. We were left a gift! Some critter found a nice surface to eat, and then leave their fish remains.
[photo]

As I finish up this post, the skipper is returning in some dinghy to retrieve his sailboat.

Connectivity issues, so photos will come later...

SJI Summer Days 16 - 23, Davison Head

A quick mention of getting my bike fixed. We took it to Meat Machine in Friday Harbor. They fixed the flat quickly and just charged me for the tube ($5.47) – really good service!

We rented a nice 3-bedroom house on Davidson Head, located on Neil Bay, just around the corner from Roche Harbor. The bay is small, quiet, and a bright green most times of the day with some kind of algae bloom. We’ve watched and heard eagles, oyster catchers, otters, seals, nuthatches, crows, herons, raccoons, king fishers, and deer that lie around in the yards and barely move away when people are around.

This week was our annual trip to the San Juan Islands with extended family, which began around 25 years ago when we camped with our young children. We started out at Moran State Park that first year, moved on to Spencer Spit on Lopez Island…and didn’t look back. Lopez was our island of choice until we ventured over to San Juan a few years ago to find the right house with a dock. Now we tend to alternate each year between those two.

Europa at Neil Bay House

Europa & Caleb's boat

Here is a photo of the group enjoying lunch at the Cask & Schooner in Friday Harbor. This is our favorite, and according to Yelp, the best to be had in the immediate area.

The younger generation brought the small Starcraft boat for crabbing. I think we got a total of 18 crabs, with two runs and 4 pots (two pots are not performing well and need repair). For the first pick-up, we loaded everyone on Europa and took a slow cruise through Mosquito Pass, anchored, and sent Nick and Sierra in the dinghy to fetch pots, dropped at the entrance to Garrison Bay. It was beautiful and calm. They ran out of gas mere yards from Europa and got a quick tow by a nearby dinghy.

The week was filled with various activities – hikes, bike rides, the Lavender Festival, boat rides, kayaking, eating, drinking margaritas, enjoying the sun, wine tasting, beach visits, shopping, bakery visits…and did I mention eating? One fresh cracked crab meal, one crab roll meal, and the last meal was crab linguine and crab cakes! Plus, there is a little fresh crab going home for Caleb and Leslie, who were only able to join us that very first night. Gratitude to Sierra for taking care of the majority of meal planning, food shopping, and cooking.

Kit & Nick in the Kayak

Janine's walk to Grandma's Beach (American Camp)

Sierra at Lavender Festival

San Juan Island Vineyard

Nick's Famous Crab Rolls!

One evening we took a short walk to the McMillan Mausoleum at Roche. We were surprised to see a little fox, and even more surprised when it walked right up to us, and then jumped up on one of the mausoleum chairs! This photo was taken by Melissa.

Fox at McMillan Mausoleum

We are mostly packed up and ready to go. This is always a special trip for us each summer. We’re glad to see Nick’s sisters and spend time in the islands with our family. There have been quite a few conversations about how different next year will be – we will need a bigger house to accommodate a 10-month old!

We plan to head back to Lopez Island today and will spend the next several days there visiting our favorite spots.

SJI Summer Day 15 - Garrison Bay

Here are photos from our hike to the lighthouse:

Turn Point Lighthouse Station

View to Prevost

While in Prevost Harbor, we wondered why one boat had two dinghies. Well, it’s because one of them is a tiny sailboat. This sailor looked quite relaxed as he tootled around the bay.

We went for a paddle in the kayak and were lucky enough to watch a family of four rambunctious otters playing for a few minutes before they spotted us and hightailed it to hide under a rock on shore. When we returned, we experimented with yet another way to stow our kayak.

kayak on swim step

We arrived in Garrison Bay after a nice cruise through Mosquito Pass, which is also the way into Wescott Bay. Both of these bays are part of the larger body of water that includes Roche Harbor, on the north end of San Juan Island. Lots of boats at anchor here.

The weather was completely psychotic – we covered the cockpit seat and retreated indoors for rain squalls at least 3 times. Then it would clear and look like nothing happened. Our herb pot liked it!

We dropped the crab pot but checked it later to find zero crabs…new bait idea...didn’t work. Nick thought he would try the kibble and liquid concoction (known as shrimp and crab attractant) because it’s always on board, rather than the tried and true clams. We know there are crabs out there – it’s a popular spot in the channel here. [Only small complaint about Garrison Bay – lots of speeding small boats in and out.)

We took the dinghy in to English Camp for a quick walk yesterday evening. (Nice fence, Caleb!)

Our plan is to motor back to Friday Harbor to take my bike in for a flat repair. We may dock overnight or anchor…we’ll see.

SJI Summer Days 13 & 14 - Rainy Day...and Wind

Wednesday morning: We arrived in Prevost Harbor, a first visit for us, around 4pm yesterday. This is part of Stuart Island State Park, and we’ve been to the other side, in Reid Harbor. A narrow isthmus separates the two harbors, with shared services at the park. There was space at the dock but it looked a little crowded so we were quite content to grab a nearby buoy. It was the only one open but we could have easily anchored. Nick took the dinghy in to deposit our “payment.” (We have a marine park moorage permit, so basically, we’re at state parks for free at this point – well worth the cost!)

We cooked our crab on the boat – this is also a first. Crab cooking can be a smelly mess but since we only had two, and they weren’t huge, we decided to carefully proceed. We cooked one at a time and it worked quite well. No boiling over, and no lingering crab smell in the morning!

It began raining overnight and we woke to sprinkles. It looks like it might do this on and off all day. If it clears, we’ll take the dinghy down the bay to Prevost, a small community, which will get us closer to the Turn Point lighthouse out at the north end of the island. We’ve been to Stuart twice before but haven’t made the hike out there yet.

Or…we’ll listen to music, read, nap, watch a movie, crochet…whatever. My only really goal is to get the windows washed.

Thursday morning: Clean windows!

After a mostly lazy morning we decided to make the hike to Turn Point Light Station. It was overcast and breezy so we opted to land the dinghy at the dock, instead of motoring to Prevost. So, our hike was a bit longer. 5 or 6 miles, at least, and very hilly. Definitely worth it but I wouldn’t do it again without motoring closer.

The station has a lot to offer; beautifully restored buildings, detailed whale information, and a small museum. The wind was absolutely whipping over the point.

We returned to the boat, grilled some burgers and felt the wind picking up in the bay. Gusts were quite powerful so we checked everything on board and “battened down the hatches.” I think that’s the most swinging this boat has ever done while on a mooring buoy.

Woke up this morning to blue sky and calm water. After breakfast we plan to head to Garrison Bay.

A couple of my photos won't upload...reception has been spotty at best. Hopefully this blog post will go through. 

SJI Summer Day 12 - No Room at Jones Island!

I am including a photo here of the gorgeous sunset from Saturday, from Cliff Island looking out past Nob Island. (Steve took the photo, so that’s Stay Awhile’s bow in the frame.)

As we were cooking a nice spaghetti dinner on board, the boat next to us came in and offered us some crab. People are very generous with their freshly caught seafood around these parts! We saved that crab for tonight.

We got a late start this morning but managed a quick bike ride up the road to check out the rental house on Davidson Head at Neil Bay. Looks nice…but there is some concern about shallow water at the dock. Unfortunately, my front tire went flat overnight. Pumping got me there and back but we’ll have to find a shop next week, probably in Friday Harbor, for a repair job.

Nick, Janine, & e-bikes

We are trying something new – instead of deflating the kayak and putting it away in it’s bag, we tied it to the roof. So far, it seems to be riding up there just fine.

On the way to Jones Island State Park, we saw this very unfortunate situation – yikes! We saw the Coast Guard helicopter first…

No room at the dock, and no empty mooring buoys…plus a pretty full (and small) bay at Jones Island, so we are continuing on to Prevost Harbor, Stuart Island.

SJI Summer Days 10 & 11 - Cliff Island & Roche Harbor (San Juan Island)

A friend of a friend owns Cliff Island, one of seven small islands that make up the group called the Wasp Islands, tucked in between Orcas, Shaw and San Juan. There is a small dock, with the owner’s boat taking up one side, so we docked Europa on the other side and tied Stay Awhile alongside. This rafting idea was not a good one, as we found that every time a boat went by, our boats rocked unsafely…once so crazily that we thought for sure they were going to hit each other, or at the very least, tear some cleats away.  If it weren't for the owner helping us retie lines in a better way for rafting and waves, we may have had a couple of damaged boats. Fortunately, there is also a mooring ball, so we moved Europa to the buoy for the night. No damage done, but definitely lessons learned.

We cooked up the crab, grilled the second salmon filet, and had a nice dinner at the house.

Nick & Janine at Cliff Island

Almost forgot: Best. Sunset. Ever.

The next morning, I was able to take a long hot shower and wash my hair. (Showers on the boat are just fine, but washing by hair in the boat shower is less than ideal.) After a big breakfast we thanked the owner and headed to Roche Harbor. It was a special treat to be able to take advantage of that little island – a very pretty spot and one we hope to visit again.

After we docked at Roche, took a walk, and looked at ginormous, multi-million dollar boats, we inflated the kayak and took a quick paddle.

Europa & kayak at Roche

 This morning we said goodbye to Tracey and Steve so Steve could get back to work. It has been tons of fun boating with them most of the past ten days and we wish them safe travels home.

We unloaded the bikes and road to Lime Kiln park to get some exercise and do a little whale watching. We weren’t expecting any whales, so were not disappointed when they weren’t there. The sign says there was a Humpback and a Minke yesterday…but no Orcas.

Haro Strait from just above Lime Kiln park

 The ride took about an hour each way and was quite hilly – would have been a long hard haul without e-bikes. Took some photos of interesting things along the way...

Art Sculptures

Alpaca farm

 A good morning for a ride…a bit overcast…but beautiful.

We also took a walk to the McMillan Mausoleum just up the road. 

Afterglow Vista (entrance to mausoleum)

McMillan Mausoleum

mausoleum steps

The grounds here have a very beautiful garden - almost always a wedding happening when we visit.

SJI Summer Days 8 & 9 - Rosario (Orcas Island)

We dropped our crab pot on the way from Friday Harbor to East Sound, in our secret spot – shhhh, don’t tell! – by the Lopez Island ferry terminal, then continued on to Rosario Resort, in Cascade Bay. Stay Awhile was at the dock, and we pulled up to one of the many Rosario mooring buoys. This was our first visit to Orcas by boat…what a pretty spot!

The four of us attended a program at the Moran Mansion that afternoon – the home has a huge organ, played by the gentleman who gave the presentation. The property has an interesting story and I’m glad we took the time to learn a little more.

Moran Mansion

Yesterday morning we hiked up the hill to Cascade Lake and “the lagoon.” Another beautiful spot! The water looked very inviting and we hope to return some day to spend more time hiking and swimming.

Looking down at a busy marina

Europa in Cascade Bay at Rosario

Cascade Lake Lagoon

Cascade Lake Lagoon

figurehead

At some point, Odyssey, the Sea Scout Ship from Tacoma, pulled in to the dock. We see her all the time in the Foss Waterway and Commencement Bay, and it was fun to see her under full sail in the SJI’s! There were a couple of other large sailing vessels there: Beagle, which we think may be from Australia, and the Schooner Zodiac, a 160-foot, 1920’s charter yacht based in Bellingham. We took a day sail on the boat once many years ago.

Beagle

Schooner Zodiac

Things forgotten: Just a quick mention here of the two things (so far) that we’ve discovered we left at home. The first was Nick’s fishing/shellfish license. When we got to Fisherman Bay, he had it reprinted at Island Marine Center. It cost about $30 to do this, but cheaper than buying a new one. The other thing is my collection of art supplies for the boat – sketching materials, pencils, paints, etc. To be honest, I haven’t really had the time or state-of-mind for this activity. I will though…and will retrieve those supplies when I return home in August.

On the way back to Friday Harbor, we pulled our crab pot. 5 large keepers!

Nick set up the crab cooker on the dock but had problems with gas flow. Plan B was a few cooked crabs that someone gave Steve while docked at Rosario…and their last three hot dogs! Speaking of getting fresh seafood from people, guess who visited our boat with another salmon filet? Yep, the young girl and her family had been out fishing again, saw us, and brought us more. So…hopefully the cooker will work this evening so we can feast again on crab and salmon.

We’re headed to Cliff Island later this morning.

SJI Summer Day 7 - Salmon Dinner!

Europa and Stay Awhile made the short trip from Fisherman Bay to Friday Harbor yesterday morning. It was going to be a short stop for groceries on the way to Rosario (Orcas Island), but we decided to stay the night at the marina. (Stay Awhile continued to Rosario after lunch at our favorite pub, The Cask & Schooner.)

Much to our surprise and delight, a man and his daughter pulled in next to us and offered us a fresh salmon fillet, one of two Chinook the young girl caught just a couple of hours earlier. (Dad says he just drives the boat!)

As he cleaned the fish, the dad fed a couple of seals. It was a great show, and about the best close up to seals we’ve had. It got better, as one of them looked for more on the dock.

The most spectacular show was yet to come. Double rainbows! You can just barely see the second one in the first photo. A glorious end to another good day.

As I write this Thursday morning, and after a night of substantial rainfall, we are noticing that the leak that has been plaguing us seems to have been fixed – no water running down the interior galley wall after heavy rain. (Thanks to Don at R.T.)

Our plan is to join Stay Awhile at Rosario later today.