July 15 Anchored in Garrison Bay, San
Juan Island
July 16 Friday Harbor marina, San Juan
Island
July 17 Anchored in Shoal Bay, Lopez
Island
July 18 – 24 Mooring
ball in Shoal Bay, Lopez Island
July 25 – 27 Roche
Harbor marina, San Juan Island
July 28 Anchored
in Prevost Harbor, Stuart Island
July 29 – 31 Friday
Harbor marina, San Juan Island
August 1 & 2 Lopez Islander
Resort marina, Lopez Island
August 3 Anchored
in Fisherman Bay, Lopez Island
August 4 Anchored
in Judd Bay, East Sound, Orcas Island
August 5 & 6 Cap
Sante Marina, Anacortes
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Corrie Doon on the left
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The last couple of weeks have been busy with family,
friends, and boating/biking/hiking/kayaking adventures.
The photo above does not do justice to the vast views found
in the northern San Juan Islands, looking into Canada, and the brilliance of
bright sunshine reflected in deep water.
On Friday, July 17, Europa entered Shoal Bay on Lopez Island
to anchor overnight in front of the rental house we had reserved for the week.
The owners provide a mooring ball, so we tied to that the next day. Our week on
the island was great, minus a few people including our grandson. We understood
that young family’s decision to stay out of the mix, but we missed them. So, we
were joined by Nick’s sister Kit, and our daughter Sierra and her significant
other, Brian. We did all the usual stuff, the weather was divine, and much fun
was had by all. Thanks to Sierra for menu planning, shopping, and cooking a lot
of delicious food. (Note: It was a bit difficult having Europa on a ball and
relying on the kayaks and dinghy for crabbing and getting everything
(bikes/clothing/etc.) back and forth.)
The following Saturday, we met Coorie Doon and crew at Roche
Harbor. After three nights there we moved on to Prevost Harbor. There was no
room at the dock, so we anchored and Coorie Doon rafted to Europa. We had a
good hike and some kayaking then moved on to Friday Harbor, spending the next
three nights at the marina.
Friday Harbor was busy…more of what we’re finding
everywhere. There are just a lot of boats around! We had to wait for a spot,
and Corrie Doon had to move after the first night.
We left Friday Harbor on Saturday (August 1) for a short
trip back to Lopez and the Lopez Islander Resort. We prefer Islands Marine
Center but they were unable to accommodate us. (We’ve had to make reservations
lately – something we rarely do. And IMC is adhering to less than full capacity
guidelines – others are not.) The current runs quite strongly through the
marina docks, and it was tricky getting into our slip. Just as we were making
the turn into the slip, another boat began backing out, right at us. We yelled
and were able to avoid a collision. As it turns out, that was just one of many
near-misses we witnessed over the two days as we watched boats coming in and
out of the marina in strong current. (To be clear, the current makes it tricky,
but some of this was just bad captaining!) The Zs had a heck of a time docking
the Coorie Doon, as the lone dockhand (he needs support!) yelled instructions
(not supposed to tell a captain what to do!). Later, Steve watched another boat
slam into a piling. Basically, this was a shit show. For future reference, we
won’t stay there again if we can help it. The fees are high (very close to
Roche, where the services and amenities are 100 times better!), the marina is
run down, and the whole place is badly organized. (Remember the time we sat in
the restaurant for 40 minutes with no service?) And…we have avoided it before
because it can get rowdy.
On Sunday, we were delighted to visit Kerrie and Lyn
Sorenson, a couple with an RT-23 (the one that is always on a ball in the
entrance to Fisherman Bay) at their home on the very tip of the spit (the one
we always see and admire). The Zs made a former connection with them, and Lyn
saw them arriving in the Coorie Doon, and invited them to happy hour. We got to
tag along. It was a lot of fun because they have long-time family connections
to Lopez and know a lot about the history and the island characters. Lyn’s
grandfather used to own the old gas station. We learned a lot, and the big
surprise is their pronunciation of wat’ muh. We have been saying wat’ moh
for decades! (Spelled Watmough.)
We said goodbye to the Zs on Monday morning - they headed
back to Anacortes. We plan to meet up with them again in late August/September.
On another note, we talked with the couple on No Worries
(RT-29S) who were cleaning their fresh water filter. Thanks to them, we now
know that we need to do some maintenance on that!
Our hope was to move further north into the Gulf Islands,
and then Desolation Sound in September. It doesn’t look like the border will
open…for a very long while…so our plans continue to morph.
We moved off the dock and onto the hook in Fisherman Bay for
the next night and continued to enjoy Lopez.
After some research, we headed north into East Sound to
visit Eastsound – the body of water, and the town, respectively. There is a
very small, day use (small boats only) public dock, so we anchored in Judd Bay,
just to the west of the town shore area. We kayaked into the beach, which at
low tide was a pain – next time we’ll continue to the dock. We had a very nice
lunch at the Madrona Bar and Grill – excellent curry mussels for Nick and BLT
for me. We walked around town a bit and were impressed with the variety and
quality of town attractions. (Makes us want to consider Orcas for future family
gatherings.)
We spent a quiet evening enjoying the scenery. And
then…rocking and rolling commenced! There was barely a breeze but we were
bounced and battered all night by waves that built momentum up the sound (5 miles
long). It tapered off for a few hours but neither of us got much sleep. At
around 5am Nick got up, raised the dinghy and secured the kayaks, and we were
on our way! Enough is enough. We pulled into the temporary guest dock at Rosario
for a couple of hours to get our act together, then headed to Anacortes.
The wind forecast for Wednesday and Thursday looked bleak so
we decided to pick somewhere to hunker down for a couple of days to ride it
out. This will begin our journey home.
We are enjoying Anacortes…and the wind is kicking up! (Excellent
lunch at Dad’s Diner – best fries ever!)
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Yep, they've made a beer bong out of kelp!
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A very busy Roche Harbor
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Europa at mooring ball in Shoal Bay
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Nick takes a swim in Roche Harbor
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Great sunset view from Europa at Roche
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Toasting Fisherman Bay
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View of Fishing Bay from Madrona Bar & Grill, Eastsound
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Most boats we've ever seen in Watmough Bite!
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