Social Distancing on Kismet This Summer –

This summer’s cruise feels unique. Because of the pandemic, we are not forcing schedules to meet up with many people. There are no rendezvous to attend – all canceled this year. The social aspect of cruising has been a little different, leaving us feeling a little out of our element. The upside is we have been so relaxed with the simple day-to-day existence of floating on our little island of a boat, Kismet. We’ve been cooking, eating, playing games, and walking more than ever before. It is a good life without the daily, ongoing pressures of news reports of dire sickness, death, and unreal politics. We weren’t sure when we left home if this was the absolute right thing to do. I can say confidently now, we made the right decision.

Although we are keeping our distance,
we still mingle when at the dock, or visit by dinghy.

We always wear masks inside for grocery shopping or keep our distance outside, with masks when moving around near others. Jim and I have had Happy Hour in our cockpit while next to another couple on their tug’s back deck. We met in a park to sit under the shade of a tree to visit another couple. Everyone brings their own chairs to get the required distance. We hike in the woods with our masks, but only put them on when we encounter other hikers. The trails are narrow, and some people are talking, laughing, or out of breath from hiking, or kids are running past us. We have not gone into a restaurant since March. But do get take out occasionally and bring it back to the boat if we can.

Other friends, Bruce and Vicki, on their 41-ft Ranger Tug, Soundtrack. What a pleasure to be able to visit with friends without those uncomfortable masks, worry, or concern for our health or theirs.

We’ve paid visits to other Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boats and had many visits to our boat, from Tugnuts and Tugettes, this summer. It has been the highlight of these idyllic, warm days in the Pacific Northwest. Jim and I enjoyed the local boaters and “Tuggers” welcoming us to these waters, many bringing gifts like shrimp, crab, homemade jam, a sprig of rosemary, and even puzzles and dockage, we are a caring, productive and creative community.

Jim and I have been impressed with how many Ranger Tugs and Cutwater Boat cruise these waters since our last trip here.  I can safely say, there has hardly been a day gone by without seeing one of these boats out on the big water, at the park docks, in marinas, and at anchor. They are everywhere!

As I said, we have been very careful about the social distancing aspect of our summer trip. So, if we didn’t invite you on Kismet, or we didn’t accept an invitation to board your boat, or we did not offer to raft up at the dock, it was for that reason alone. We care about others, and we look after our own health. We hope everyone understands. To everyone who stopped by to say hi and welcome us to the PNW, left notes or gifts… THANK YOU!

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Before Heading to Seattle and South Sound, We Stopped in Anacortes
for Maintenance Chores and Visit with a Friend –

Our return trip to Anacortes was just a quick stop to meet a friend, do laundry, get a pump-out, fill up tanks and get groceries and mail. We were busy during our two-day stay. When we leave Anacortes, we will point Kismet’s bow south, towards Seattle and South Puget Sound.

Our itinerary this summer is very loose, having us decide every day if we stay one more night somewhere or skip a spot altogether. I like this kind of cruise. No pressure to be anywhere at any certain time. There is usually no argument between the captain and crew, we typically agree on staying longer or skipping stops. For example, we were having so much fun in the San Juan Islands this year; we cut short our South Sound trip a little and decided not to go to Hood Canal. We don’t have a set schedule this year like we commonly do when exploring new areas.

Short Travel Day VS Long Haul Days

When we are in that exploring mode, we usually have a tight schedule that includes many long-haul days, but we try to space those out with some short cruising days. For us, cruising is not just about covering the most territory, it is more about quality time spent in nature, watching wildlife in their remote habitats. We will also intersperse those cruising days with shorter days so we can visit little towns on our route, walking the streets to get a feel for the community by interacting with residents.

This trip has been many short days on the water with short visits to marinas,  only for stocking and maintenance chores, then back out we go. It’s a good thing Jim and I have learned to coexist peacefully on the boat, we learned that on our first Great Loop boating adventure.

On our first day on the dock, boaters in the slip next to us shared their day’s catch of crab with us. What a fantastic treat it was!

Our friend, Judy, met us in Anacortes for lunch. A ritual we treasure during our visits to the Pacific Northwest.

While Jim was out doing errands one day, he took a side trip to Washington Park and took photos of the boat launch there. We’ve used it only once, when we stayed at Skyline Marina for a week, many years ago.

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We’d heard a lot about Hunter Bay from other Tuggers –

Hunter Bay is a big open anchorage, not too far from Anacortes. According to reports from local boaters, it’s an excellent spot for crabbing. On our way back to the mainland for a marina stop in Anacortes, before we head to South Sound, we stopped for two nights in Hunter Bay. We had fun watching the dinghies, and small boats, zip back and forth to their crab pots to set or pull in their catches. A lot of happy crabbers in Hunter Bay!

We had recently met Bruce and Debbie, on Morning Light. They are “tuggers” who love to hunt for just about any seafood, in season, in the Pacific Northwest. We enjoyed bumping into them from time to time during this trip, Jim and I especially liked their enthusiasm for their ability to haul in big catches from the sea. One night, while in Hunter Bay, they treated us to a distanced Happy Hour on their boat. We brought drinks and a snack to share and sat in our dinghy while we chatted off the back deck of their boat. Debbie first served us a tasty shrimp cocktail followed by a crab treat. Cocktails on Morning Light became our dinner that night, as we were so full by the time we left.

You can see more of Bruce and Debbie’s fishing adventures on…
Elkind Productions Ranger Tug trailer 2020

Early morning fog (below) and the eerie sound of foghorns off in the distance, greeted us the following morning. We waited for it to lift before we moved on to Anacortes.

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English Camp – A Fun Shore Visit When Anchoring in Garrison Bay –

While cruising in the San Juan Islands, we always try to make a stop to anchor in Garrison Bay. It’s close to Roche Harbor and is scenic with several hiking trails beyond the historic English Camp. The trail to Westcott Bay and the Westcott Bay Shellfish Company is an easy walk through gnarly treed woods and moss-covered rocks. For those looking for a more challenging hike, there is a trail that meanders up the hill beyond the camp. From there you can take in a stunning overlook of Garrison Bay and beyond.

Jim and I have noticed more boats anchored in the bay this trip. We are thinking a lot of boaters in Washington State have opted to cruise and social distance on their boats in the San Juan’s this pandemic year. Probably because of the closure of the US and Canadian borders.

We usually spend a night or two in Garrison Bay, before taking a slip at Roche Harbor Marina. However, this time, we just anchored in the bay for three nights, enjoying the boat traffic coming and going. Our stay included several trips to shore by dinghy. First, to Westcott Bay for lunch one day and a hike through the woods another day. That hike included a walk around the English Camp to see the beautiful English Garden.

We haven’t been out to many restaurants this trip, but we couldn’t resist trying the oysters at the Westcott Bay Shellfish Company. They offered plenty of outside tables and seating arrangements, which made for a very pleasant, and safe, dining experience.

I took a lot of photos of the English Gardens at the English Camp, my friend Janice is a master gardener. I know she will love seeing all these photos.

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The next two days included stops at Victim & Rebel Islands, Lopez Island, and Parks Bay –

We like to call it a String of One-Night Stands. Usually, this means we are stopping somewhere en route to our destination. Typically, these are not marine parks, so usually no dock or mooring balls to catch, just an option to anchor off private property. There may sometimes be a beach, at low tide,  for walking dogs.

On our way back to Friday Harbor, from Jones Island, we first stopped at Victim and Rebel Islands for a one-night stay on the hook. A lovely spot, providing excellent protection all around. We were timing our stop on Lopez Island for Saturday morning so we could run up to the little Farmer’s Market to buy a few fresh veggies, visit a bakery there and stretch our legs a bit. We’ve been to Lopez island before, several times, visiting friends who used to live there. From there we headed to Parks Bay. Jim had heard it was a lovely spot to anchor, and we were not disappointed.

As chance would have it, we were spectators of one of the most beautiful rainbows we have ever experienced.

We anchored between Victim and Rebel Islands (above), a small well-protected area with only a few boats joining us that night. This put us in close proximity to Lopez Island.

When we got to Lopez Island, we just anchored in Fisherman’s Bay, long enough for us to dinghy ashore. From there, we walked to Lopez Village and the small rural Farmer’s Market. It was a nice walk, we got a real feel for the community by the time we arrived at the bakery.

Jim and I have not been to a Farmer’s Market since the pandemic took its grip on the country. So, it was interesting to see how they handled safety protocols for vendors and customers. Hand sanitizer at the entrance and signs to distance shoppers throughout.

Last night during our String of One-Night Stands, was Parks Bay.

We were fascinated by this beautiful old Lord Nelson Tug. So picturesque against the background of trees.

And then there was this rainbow! This was the perfect spot to capture, not only the rainbow itself but got almost the whole reflection in the water.

We have seen the best little tugs out here in the Pacific Northwest.

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Jones Island is another Washington Marine State Park –

On the recommendation of another boater, we picked Jones Island for a three-day stay, the time limit allotted to boaters at most of these marine parks. We chose the cove on the north side of the island, it’s the one with a boat dock. As luck would have it, there was space for us at the end of the dock. The benefits of having a smaller boat! We grabbed it and spent three days exploring the island and relaxing on the boat. Great trails around the west side of the island provided off-boat activities for our crew. Since cell service was poor at the dock, a quick walk to the west side of the island provided a consistent signal while also supplying a stunning view from wind-swept cliffs and stony beaches off San Juan Channel. Also, Jones Island is one of the parks that provide water to its campers and boaters.

If you think we ever get bored while cruising. We don’t!

There is always wildlife to enjoy, and other boaters provide friendly conversation on the dock or the water. We can always amuse ourselves during cocktail hour by watching or helping people dock or getting settled on a mooring ball or anchor. If we really run out of things to amuse us, we’ll make up contradicting stories out of the activity we are watching around us, and we’ll laugh sometimes at what we come up with.

Entertainment is subjective and we are creating our own. We can simply sit and watch Mother Nature do her thing all around us. Another favorite, when at anchor or on a mooring ball, is to sit quietly as our boat swings to and fro. Easy to be mesmerized by the slow-motion and the stunning views of the surrounding islands,  lit up by the setting sun. We like to call it “Nature’s Screensaver.”

We have not missed the craziness of the outside world one bit, except we do long for our loved ones back home.

Jones island has many cozy campsites along the coast; it was fun to watch families come and go, either for day trips or overnight camping. Some would come with a boatload of people, camping equipment, and water toys.

On our first trek up the ramp, we were excited to see deer grazing at the top. They are fairly tame; we ran into them whenever we were walking on the island.

Jim took these amazing pics during his hike today (two above and 6 below).

One evening’s entertainment included watching these two boats after they were lashed hastily to the non-floating part of the dock. Captains and friends went onshore for a hike. We watched as the tide came in and pushed the boats together while tipping sideways, we could not easily, or safely,  get to the boats to retie them. Happy ending though, the owners got back just in time to save their boats, but not without some difficulty.

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Port of Friday Harbor – Where Friday Begins –

Going into the Port of Friday Harbor for a few days means several things for the crew of Kismet. Our arrival is followed by a list of chores we need to take care of while on land. Since we are usually anchoring or docking at marine parks for several weeks at a time, not only do we need to pump out and fill up the water tank, but two weeks of laundry can be quite a daunting task. Besides emptying and filling tanks, we also need to wash the boat, restock the cupboards, visit a hardware store, West Marine (we found out this trip WM is no longer here), and maybe the Post Office. So, to accomplish all chores in a timely manner, we come up with a plan for each day, so we don’t find ourselves overwhelmed on any one day. We also like to reserve some time to explore on land. Our stay at a marina is usually two to three days.

Pre-COVID-19, we enjoyed researching and hunting down unique restaurants to visit. We do occasionally seek out a restaurant, but being limited to ones with outdoor seating has put a damper on our excitement for dining out on this trip. Bummer!

We ventured out to a restaurant one night. Jim researched the options a bit, and we settled on
San Juan Island Brewing, is up the hill, not too far from downtown. It had plenty of seating outside; it was a nice evening, and I was grateful to get a slight break from cooking.

Exercise is a big consideration when going into port.

While we have gotten lots of activity hiking on the islands, it is nice to walk around a small island town. We’ll even walk back into the neighborhoods to get a better sense of the community that supports the town. We’ll usually schedule a lengthy walk and include a stop at the grocery store on the way back to the boat.

While I spend a few hours doing laundry, Jim will do all the other little errands. He’ll buy parts at the hardware store or various boating supplies while in town. We do the grocery shopping together; it takes both of us to tote that bounty back to the boat. Thank goodness, in the Port of Friday Harbor, the walk back to the marina is downhill.

Tillamook County Creamery Association is a farmer-owned co-op from Tillamook, Oregon. Our daughter-in-law, Sarah loves this brand of cheese. I think of her every time we see a huge display of products in the PNW. Sarah and her family recently moved to Michigan and can’t tell you how excited she was when she was able to find some at a local store in Traverse City.

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Fourth of July Weekend in Prevost Harbor – the San Juan Islands –

We arrived at Stuart Island early in the morning, choosing Prevost Harbor over Reid Harbor for our 3-day stay. The last time we were in the San Juan Islands, we anchored in Reid Harbor. Although at that time, we anchored only one night in Prevost Harbor; it was a means to an end. We were positioning ourselves to cross the border to North Pender Island, Canada, in 2016.
Poets Cove – Ranger Tugs/Cutwater Boats Cruise.

As luck would have it, there was space at the dock when we arrived in the harbor. Having caught a mooring ball in Sucia four days earlier, it was a pleasant change to tie to a dock where we could socialize a little (6 feet apart) with other boaters while hopping on and off the boat at will.

Not long after we tied up at the dock, Lisa Corona, her husband, Karl, and daughters Maya and Kira, on Adventres II, pulled up to the dock. We know Lisa from many Ranger Tug events. Plus, she is a member of Ranger Tugettes, a Facebook group for women Ranger Tug owners. It was July 4th weekend; we were happy to have the company of all the boaters on the dock, even though we kept a suitable distance and wore masks. It felt more like a holiday than with just Jim and me by ourselves.

Another reason we chose Prevost Harbor is that we wanted to hike up to Lover’s Leap again, then walk from there down to the Turn Point Lightstation. Although both docks are right across from each other on land, they are quite a distance apart by water.

From Prevost’s dock, we could shave off a long rocky hike through the woods for our hike west to Turn Point. If accessing the trails from Reid Harbor you have to walk through the woods and it seemed it took us the better part of the day to do that hike up and back.

This year, Jim’s idea was to leave from our dock in Prevost, we could then just dinghy over to the County Dock on the other side of the harbor and walk through an open farm-like setting, straight up the hill to a mossy, fairytale forest leading to the breathtaking views of Lover’s Leap. After relaxing on the cliff above the straits, all the while watching for whales (this time we remembered the binoculars), we hiked down again to the Turn Point Lightstation before we retraced our route back to the dock and our dinghy.

The woods leading to Turn Point are magical indeed. Mossy clumps on rotted, downed trees made me think of fairies and gnomes.

Lover’s Leap is aptly named and a very special place. This beautiful cliff overlooking Haro Strait is a great spot for whale watching. We sat here for a long time, with our binoculars, watching for whales.

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Sucia Island – First Time Catching a Mooring Ball in Fossil Bay –

Sucia Island, a San Juan favorite of ours, has everything I mentioned in the last post about amenities we find attractive when cruising for lengthy periods of time. The island has four anchorages; Fossil Bay, Fox Cove, Echo Bay, and Shallow Bay, where cruisers can overnight. The popular Fossil Bay has two docks and several mooring balls, or you can go, rogue, and anchor, where there is room. Over the years, we have anchored in all but Echo Bay.

There are many trails for hiking on this beautiful island

The diversity in the landscape is outstanding, with rich dense woods towering over moss-covered rocks and log-strewn shorelines. Sucia’s inner forest is dense with mossy rocks and towering cedar trees. Many trails across the island await the willing hiker. The madrona trees add another dimension to the scenery along the cliffs, sometimes offering caves below. In addition, the island’s coastal trails offer spectacular views of the surrounding islands and the Strait of Georgia.

There is an open field, between Fossil Bay and Fox Cove, open for the visual consumption of each anchorage and adjoining campground. We found a water spigot near one of the two docks; it made for easy transport of water to our boat with our new water jugs. The ability to tote water back to the boat enables us a few extra showers on Kismet.

During our three-day stay, we saw boats come and go, some jockeying for a spot at the dock or to secure a mooring ball. We met a few boaters while dinghying to and from the dock, or onshore during one of our hikes. One night we met Vic and Carol Cox, on a Cutwater Boat. After exchanging some boating history, we left with a bag full of fresh-caught shrimp. Dinner was a feast that night, thanks to the Cox’s.

During our hike through the woods, we heard a commotion in the tree branches above. Several blackbirds were screeching an awful sound and right on cue, we came upon a freshly broken egg (below-right) laying on our path. The shattered egg explained all we needed to know about the sorrowful sound we heard above that day.

Next, we came across this doll. I never had daughters, so I am not sure what model this doll is, but I have to say it was eerie to come across it in the woods. Was it dropped by accident or on purpose? Guess we will never know.

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We Picked Cypress Island as Our First Stop in the San Juan Islands –

Jim and I are ready to begin our summer’s cruising adventure in the Pacific Northwest, we left Anacortes after three days of launching, provisioning, and organizing. On our first day out, we pointed Kismet’s bow toward Cypress Island, in the San Juan Islands. We have cruised the San Juan’s many times over the years, in three different boats. We have many favorite anchorages and marinas to revisit. However, as you have probably read many times on our blog; we like to mix the old favorites with new spots, often recommended by boaters we talk to while out cruising. These cruisers know where all the excellent places are.

While in Anacortes, we talked to a couple docked next to us and they shared several of their favorite spots. On their recommendation, we picked Eagle Harbor, on Cypress Island, as our first stop in the San Juan Islands. It was an excellent recommendation.

What is our criteria for a pleasant location to spend a few days?

There are many Washington State Marine Parks in the San Juan Islands. Many have room for several boats, small docks, mooring balls, hiking trails, diverse landscapes, no, or low-cost, moorage, and rustic campsites. Entire families come in small boats along with gear to camp onshore at night. A few islands even have water available to cart back to your boat, if you have suitable containers. On our last trip, we added three 5-gallon freshwater jugs to our onboard equipment. During this trip, we have been loving the new-to-us parks we visited that provide a spigot to refill our freshwater reservoir. While in salt water, it can make the difference between having a shower on the boat that day or not. I would have to say that a combination of those elements is very attractive to us.

Sometimes we are very content to just anchor offshore and watch the surrounding activity. However, when we can have a dock to tie to (especially in rough weather) with the ability to get off and on our boat easily whenever we want to hike and see wildlife, that is awesome.

Cypress Island is located roughly eight miles from Anacortes. Eagle Harbor did not have a dock or fresh water available for boaters. However, it was a beautiful spot, with a view of Mt. Baker. It has a rocky beach to land your dinghy on and hiking trails through dense woods either along the shoreline or up the hill to several small island lakes. We caught a mooring ball there and stayed for three days.

We beached our dinghy on the rocky beach so we could take a hike along the harbor and up the hill to Reed Lake, a small island lake.

So many Foxgloves (Digitalis) brighten our hikes through the woods.

Most of our hikes on these islands are on a well-traveled path through lush, dense foliage, and massive moss-covered gnarly trees.

On our first night out on the boat, we celebrated our 2020 cruise in the Pacific Northwest, with champagne, hors d’oeuvres, and a game of Mah Jongg.

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Jim is driving, and I am writing this blog post, the first one in quite a while. We are in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, taking Route 2 west as we begin our trek to Washington State. We hope the Canadian border will open while we are out there so we can cruise up to British Columbia. Ideally, we’d like to explore more of the Broughton Islands.

We missed going to Florida this year, as we were helping our son, Ross’ family move to Michigan from Portland, OR. Well worth staying home to spend five months with our daughter-in-law, Sarah, and our two grandkids. Our original summer plans were to trailer the boat to Prince Rupert. We would have launched Kismet there and headed to Alaska. Then Covid-19 happened.

In our minds, safety, while traveling away from home, was the first issue to contend with. Then the borders closed which caused another problem. We spent most of March through June in quarantine, due to Covid-19, talking about maybe we’d be safer on the boat. So, where would we go, and when? I think the mere discussion of it helped us through those first few long-isolated months. No more dinners out, no family or friends in our house, and it was cold in Michigan for most of March, April, May, and part of June. Our socializing only resurfaced again when we could distance ourselves outside, with happy hour on our porch with rotating friends and family.

Covid-19 Arrived and Plans Changed

At the beginning (March and April), we were still planning on going to Alaska. So, research and focus remained in that direction until it became painfully clear the border would not open in time to execute our plan. We would have had to leave Mid-May.

So, after stocking up the boat with masks, gloves, and lots of hand sanitizer and cleaning materials, we are on Route 2, our third morning on the road. We left home a little later on the first day so we ended up breaking up our first planned day into two shorter days. It turned out to be an excellent plan; we were so tired from packing and cleaning the boat. Stopping earlier on the first two days gave us time to get some stuff organized on the boat. Now the trip is so much more enjoyable.

Preparing for the Trip

To prepare for the trip and to be as safe as possible, I pre-made dinners for five nights and figured on simple breakfasts and sandwiches for lunch. No cooking on the boat, no eating out, just warming up food, and using paper plates and bowls. I had never thought of doing this before, guess I never had to think about it, but I do like having the pre-made dinners because after a long day on the road it seemed daunting to unhitch the truck from the boat and drive around the nearest town to find a restaurant. Yesterday we had lunch at a scenic pull-over spot right on the beach of Lake Superior, lunch doesn’t get any better than that. Guess we have Covid-19 to thank!

Few people are wearing masks here, however, they probably don’t have many cases up here and we are not entering stores or businesses, so we don’t really know if they require masks or not. Last night, as Jim went up to the camp’s facilities to use the restroom, I was on the boat reading an article on how flushing public toilets can be unsafe considering the existence of the coronavirus. I had not thought of this possibility. Apparently, flushing aerosolizes waste material that you can inhale. No more public toilets for Jim, just using the head on the boat, we are still using public showers. Think we will be more than good with that until we get to Anacortes, WA.

The first night we stayed at a KOA in St. Ignace, Michigan. It was a nice stop, with friendly staff wearing masks… sometimes. Before we landed there, we had stopped at a small RV camp, not soon after we crossed the Mackinac Bridge, it was across the street from the water, however; they did not have shower facilities open; they said they could not get enough cleaning supplies to open it. So, we moved up the road to the KOA. It is an enormous park, and we got some much-needed exercise exploring the mostly empty campground.

Last night we stayed at Alpine Campground & RV Park, near Wakefield (above), on the Black River. While checking in, we met the owner, Inga, and her two cute dogs. She is quite a character and runs a tight ship. It was hot when we arrived, Inga made sure we got a tree to shade our boat. After a walk through the campground and the woods down to the river, we enjoyed a few beers under our shade tree, had our warmed-up dinners, and played a few games of Siamese Mah Jongg. Life is good!

Second Time We’ve Done this Route Across the United States

We’ll soon be in Minnesota, with Fargo, ND as our planned stop for the night. We’ve done this route, back and forth, one other time, it was when we headed west to pick up our new Ranger Tug R29. Many other times, when we drove cross-country, we went south from Traverse City, Michigan, around Chicago, and up north. I have to say I much prefer this route, which hugs Lake Superior’s shoreline. It is such a scenic drive lined with white and yellow spring wildflowers.

As we drive through Ashland, Wisconsin (right now) Lake Superior again popped up. As we seem to inch along, we were in four states today; Michigan, Wisconsin, Minneapolis, and North Dakota.

We finally made it to Fargo, ND and it is hot at 92 degrees with a predicted storm to arrive tonight, hail, and possible tornados. Wish us luck!

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Sucia Island Marina State Park –

As long-distance cruisers, we are routinely motivated by an appetite to explore the unknown. We push ourselves to seek out that which we have not yet seen, filling in with returns to some of our favorite finds. Sucia Island is one of those “return” places for us – this being our third visit to this horseshoe-shaped island refuge. We still remember the first time we set foot on this island paradise with its natural sandstone caves. The park includes 564 acres of parkland with over 77,000 feet of shoreline

Spanish explorers, circa 1781, called the island “Sucia” or “foul.” A nautical term describing navigational obstacles such as the rocks around the island.

Previously we’ve moored in Shallow Bay and another time anchored in Fox Cove, but this time we opted to tie Kismet up at the southern dock in Fossil Bay. Sucia Island is roughly two-and-a-half miles long and one-half mile wide. The island offers scenic hiking trails, primitive campsites, plenty of room for anchoring as well as being able to tie to a dock or catch a mooring ball. The reason we love visiting Sucia Island is probably for the same reason others do… the island’s natural beauty and that laid-back feeling you can get when afforded few creature comforts other than the ones you have on your boat. Which we have to admit is quite cushy on a Ranger Tug.

Sucia Island is ideal for boaters who like to get off their boats and stretch their legs.

After docking, with a full view of Fossil Bay from the cockpit of our boat, we set off for a long hike over to Echo Bay. The next day we took a trail up through the woods. It gave us some stunning views of the surrounding bays and open water that encompasses the island. From the bluffs, located on the western side of Fox Cove, you can look out into the southern reaches of the Strait of Georgia and the Canadian/USA water border. Sucia Island provided a backdrop to relax and enjoy nature, which we did for two glorious days and nights.

Staying on the dock gave us more of a social environment than we experienced when anchored or moored previously off the island. The dock is a popular spot, usually, spots are taken right away as soon as one is vacated. This would be a fun spot to come off-season if you require a more isolated experience. The boating season in the Pacific Northwest can really extend year-round if you want to take advantage of the mild winters and avoid crowds.

Kismet is docked in Fossil Bay (above).

Kismet is not the only Ranger Tugs here on Sucia Island we enjoyed having the crew from Puffin join us on the dock for a chat one afternoon. They were not far from us, on the other dock located in Fossil Bay.

Looking down at Fossil Bay and, in the distance, Fox Cove (above).

Fox Cove (above & below).

Echo Bay (above).

Shallow Bay (above).

Our view of Fossil Bay from the cockpit of Kismet (above).

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Stunning Views from Lover’s Leap on Stuart Island!  –

Just when we think we’ve seen most of the amazing spots in the San Juan Islands, along comes this stop at Stuart Island. Located in the northern sector of the San Juan Islands, Stuart Island sports two harbors, Prevost and Reid. Prevost Harbor has seven offshore buoys and 256 feet of dock space. Reid Harbor offers fifteen offshore buoys and 572 feet of dock space on three different docks, two of which are offshore. Stuart Island has 18 primitive campsites, and potable water is available most of the year, as are composting and pit toilets. For boaters, a handy barge sits in Reid Harbor for manual pump-outs. A big plus in our world of boating. Otherwise, you must pack out what you bring onto the island. There are two communities on the island, but it is a very remote setting without access to stores or facilities of any kind, etc. We anchored in Reid Harbor with plenty of room, the surrounding scenery was a big plus.

The View from Lover’s Leap Was Definitely Worth the hike!

Jim had a plan for the day which led us to dinghy ashore to the dock in Reid harbor. He’d heard about a trail that climbed the island to a bluff called Lover’s Leap. The beginning of the hike was quite strenuous, due to having to negotiate fallen trees and debris while climbing uphill all the way to where the island’s one-room schoolhouse, library, and little local history museum are located. Soon after we left the schoolhouse we found a road that took us to an open field area before it turned northwest and uphill again through woods and eventually broke out into the well-known, mossy cliff on top of the island.

We’d hoped to have a sighting of whales transiting the area, but no luck this time. The magnificent view from Lover’s Leap was so spectacular, we decided not to walk the rest of the way down to the Turn Point Light Station (used to guide shipping in Boundary Pass to the island’s north). We sat on the bluff for the longest time, it was hard to leave such a great spot.

There were several Ranger Tugs docked or anchored in Reid Harbor during our stay. Probably three or four other than ourselves. We were fortunate to meet Lois and Dan, on North Star, during our first Desolation Sound Cruise in 2013. Every time we come out to the Pacific Northwest, we run into them while cruising or at a Ranger Tugs cruise or rendezvous. They are experienced boaters in the area, always willing to share local knowledge with us.

Prevost Harbor (above).

We took a little break from hiking when we came upon the old schoolhouse and museum.

Mt. Baker (above and below).

We took advantage of the manual pump-out station. What a great idea to make this available to cruisers and sailors.

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We Anchored in Fox Cove for a Peaceful Night on the Hook –

Our much-anticipated return to Sucia Island did not disappoint. This time we anchored in Fox Cove cove near the beach to the campground, across a small stretch of land from Fossil Bay and the boat docks. When we arrived, one lone sailboat sat anchored between the mooring balls. Another small sailboat arrived near the end of the day. We decided to spend two nights in this spot.

We found out that this woman’s (photo – below) husband built this boat from scratch. We think he used plans from Devlin Designing Boat Builders. A Black Crown 30. It’s a beauty!

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What’s nice about Spencer Spit is that one can choose which side of the spit to anchor or catch a mooring ball on.

Spencer Spit, situated on the eastern side of Lopez Island in the San Juan Island chain, is a Washington State Marine Park, which means the area has mooring buoys, beach campsites, and hiking. We’ve never anchored or moored here, so we choose this spot as our days’ end destination after we departed our yacht club friends at Garrison Bay. What’s nice about Spencer Spit is that one can choose which side of the spit to anchor or catch a mooring ball on, depending on the expected wind direction. We had no concerns about the wind that day and spent a calm night on the hook, we never got off of the boat. The next morning it was extremely foggy, but I figured with the aid of our radar, and only eight miles to travel that, it would not be a problem. Boy, was I wrong!

The next morning, I got up a little earlier than usual, while Lisa was still sleeping, pulled anchor, and headed towards Thatcher Pass, where I noticed one of the large island ferries off to my port side. I looked away momentarily at the chart plotter and looked back up, the ferry had disappeared into the blanket of fog – scary, as it was not that far away from us. I decided to return to the anchorage and drop the anchor back down. After waiting a couple of hours the fog finally lifted, and we could see our way through Thatcher Pass and Rosario Strait making for an uneventful and smooth cruise over to Anacortes, WA, where we would attend the Ranger Tugs 2013 Summer Rendezvous.

In an almost surreal moment, amidst the lifting fog, we came upon this little sailboat (below) making its way boldly through Thatcher Pass.

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We left Roche Harbor to go whale watching in Haro Strait, the water was glassy smooth. It would be the last chance for a whale sighting this trip to the PNW – unfortunately, it was not meant to be, but we had fun looking.

Our next stop was Garrison Bay and a long-planned rendezvous, by boat, with fellow members of Grand Traverse Yacht Club, our boating club in Michigan. Richard and Diane, Steve and Deb, Jim and Geri, Fred and Lisa, and Mike and Carol had all flown out to the PNW to charter two sailboats to cruise the San Juan Islands. We arrived mid-day at different times to anchor in the well-protected bay just off Mosquito Pass.

Garrison Bay is home to English Camp Historical Park, where British soldiers set up camp during the boundary dispute that was settled in 1872.

Today, one can tour the restored buildings and grounds, visit the cemetery and hike to one of the highest vantage points on the island. We joined friends, Lisa, Diane, and Richard, to walk almost to the top, although it was steeper and farther than we thought it would be, we were rewarded with unencumbered views of the harbor, Haro Straits, and Vancouver Island sitting clearly visible off in the distance. First, we explored English Camp and the original garden site.

After we got back to our boat and had dinner, we were famished, everyone gathered for an after-dinner happy hour in the cockpit of one of the sailboats. Who’d ever thought we could be 2,600 miles from home sharing boating stories and laughing with friends from our hometown? When we’re away from home cruising, especially in new territory, we’re usually actively making new friends, so this time, cruising time in the beautiful San Juan Islands with friends from home was special for us.

The Wandering Eye (above) appears to be a long way from home.

The next morning we all departed the anchorage and went our separate ways, we were headed back to the mainland while the GTYC sailors were going to spend a few more days sailing and exploring the islands.

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Timing our arrival in Roche Harbor Marina to coincide with the Customer Appreciation Party!

In 1845, the quaint waterside marine village of Roche Harbor, on San Juan Island, started out as a trading post for the Hudson Bay Company. By 1857 both the United States and Britain were claiming the San Juan Islands as their territories, based on a dispute over the western border of the islands. The dispute was settled in 1872 when arbitration was rendered in favor of the United States. In 1881 the Scurr brothers bought Roche Harbor and started mining the rich limestone deposits, turning the harbor area into a mining town of 800 people. By 1956 the limestone mining business came to a close and Roche Harbor changed hands again – this is when the area started to transform into a small resort town and boating mecca.

We timed our arrival at the marina on Saturday, to coincide with their annual Labor Day Customer Appreciation party, which we know from past experience is always held on Sunday; this gave us time to give Kismet a much-needed bath; she was fairly dirty after six weeks of cruising in Canada. We toured the town, played bocce ball, and Lisa did a little shopping.

We always notice things in a marina that are a little different, not typical, or just a better idea. The cleats (above) are the best, in design and sturdiness, we’ve ever encountered. Loved tying up to these.

Cocktail time!

Sunday was spent getting ready for the big mid-day party, we wanted to arrive early so we could get a good spot to watch the band – we ate, drank, danced, and met other friendly boaters in attendance. The event took place on a large floating platform with complimentary entertainment food, wine, and beer.

After many months of careful planning to rendezvous with a group, from our yacht club in Traverse City (Grand Traverse Yacht Club), while we were all cruising in the San Juans, we finally met up while we were all in Roche Harbor. Part of the group met up downtown (above) and a few more joined us on the back deck of Kismet later in the evening (below).

We dinghied over to the harbor dock just before sunset and rafted up with a dozen or so other dinghies to watch the marina’s employees put on their nightly sunset celebration… complete with British, Canadian, and American national anthems played over the loudspeaker as they lower the flags. The docks are lined with onlookers and the water is filled with boats and dinghies. To end the celebration the marina staff lines up in groups, fully clothed in their uniforms, to jump off the top of the marina office into the water below. It definitely adds an element of excitement to the sunset celebration. The ceremony is a rather moving experience and a summer tradition we’ve only encountered at Roche Harbor. Needless to say, we had a blast in Roche Harbor.

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First Time Mooring at Sucia Island

Leaving Friday Harbor behind us we cruised to Sucia Island, a Washington State Park sitting in the San Juan Islands at the base of the Strait of Georgia, only 3.5 miles from the Canadian border. Our 16-mile ride, from Friday Harbor, was short and uneventful, however during the last few miles we had no leeward protection from the southeast and the open waters of Rosario Strait, so it was a little lumpy. Taking it slow and steady we made it into the well-protected cove of Shallow Bay, where we happily found a mooring ball available; our plan was to spend a couple of nights in the cove. We left Friday Harbor rather late in the morning and we took our time going the distance, so after settling into the cove we just sat back and enjoyed the late afternoon’s stormy-looking skies as they glided over us as the wind finally started to settle down a little.

Anxious to see what we’d missed in our previous trips to the San Juan’s, we got up early the next morning packed lunch, and dinghied to shore. Hiking first to Echo Bay, we found a wide-open bay where maybe 30 boats were at anchor.

We think these are Lion’s Mane jellyfish.

These beautiful Pacific madrona trees (arbutus menziesli – also known as bearberry or refrigerator tree) stood out amongst the other greenery on the island, the thin red peeling bark reveals a silvery smooth greenish wood below.

We didn’t see much in the way of wildlife during our hike on the island but we did spot this beautifully colored slug (above).

Our walk continued down to Fox Cove and Fossil Bay where we stopped for lunch and found a couple of park docks, more anchorage possibilities, and many campers using picturesque sites scattered around the park.

We wound up our walk by walking on the bluff overlooking Shallow Bay, we walked right above some of the sandstone sculptures Mother Nature has worked on over the years. After getting back into the dinghy, we rode over to the caves further down the shoreline to get a waterside view.

The island’s history is rich with settlers, smugglers (prohibition), and a tourist boat business. The Wiggins family were the first settlers on Sucia Island in the late 1800s, they lived in a cabin near the salt marsh with their large family; they were followed by the Hamden family around 1920.

The name Sucia means “dirty” or “foul” in Spanish, it refers to the many submerged rocks that line the shore creating a hazard for sailing vessels. The island is made of sandstone, which time, along with wind and salt crystal erosion, has transformed into many caves and naturally sculpted formations. Sucia has several bays and coves for anchoring or mooring; a small dock at the marine park in Fossil Bay; on-shore campsites; a few rustic cabins; and seven walking trails. Members of local yacht clubs volunteer to maintain and work on improvement projects. The island (Shallow Bay in particular) is one of the best spots in the San Juans to watch the sunset.

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Friday Harbor, the Hub of the San Juan Islands!

Friday Harbor is a picturesque town and the largest small town in the San Juan Islands; you could say it’s the hub of commerce for the islands. This was our third time staying in the harbor. It has been said that the boating community is a small world, our slip just happened to be right next to Herb and Willy from Willy’s Tug, Tim and June, on Circle T, from California were also docked nearby. Both are Ranger Tug owners we know from our cruising time in the PNW – most recently when we all joined the Ranger Tugs 2013 Desolation Sound Cruise. Because of meeting up with these boaters, we got to experience a couple of things while in Friday Harbor we wouldn’t have, had it not been for Tim’s “Local Knowledge.” Perched on the bluff above the marina sits a Lions Club – with Tim’s membership all six of us were able to take advantage of a scenic, and a very happy, hour from the club’s porch with the added bonus of touring their very informative military museum before we left.

Friday Harbor’s famous mascot, Popeye, the one-eyed seal, has a statue in the park, overlooking the harbor, dedicated to her (above). She hangs out in the water surrounding the little fish market on the dock and will beg for food from people buying fish from the market.

Willy and Herb (below), on our way up to the Lions Club.

That night, after drinks at the Lions Club, before we parted to return to our boats, Tim suggested we meet on the dock the next morning and he would take us on an expedition of sorts to a favorite breakfast spot of his. He knew of a local restaurant we’d never heard of before and said it would include a walk, so we’d be sure to get our day’s exercise in as well. We had no idea where we were going, but at the appointed time we met on the dock and off we went, walking up through town toward the airport. Tim, being a pilot, has flown in and out of the airport in Friday Harbor and has more local knowledge than the rest of us. As it turned out our long walk was rewarded with a fantastic breakfast at the little-known, to outsiders, Ernie’s  Cafe, abreast of the airport runway. We never would have found this restaurant on our own.

It was drizzling all morning, so our walk, up, around the building, and through little out-of-the-way paths, to the restaurant was a little wet, but we got to see some beautiful critters slink their way out of hiding to soak and take advantage of the damp ground (below).

Finally, we arrived, the guys were way ahead of us and as you can tell from their gait, eager for a big breakfast. Looks like I should have had Chili #4 (below).

One thing that was plentiful during our trip this summer was yellow jackets. They were everywhere it seemed, always flying into our boat or hovering outside. Ernie’s had bee catchers hanging over their outside deck.

Apparently, the restaurant is named after aviator and author Ernest K Gann.

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Goodbye Canada… Hello Parks Bay!

We left Vancouver Island in our wake as we bid Canada goodbye, with our bow now pointed toward Haro Straight, we began to feel the pull of our country drawing us back to familiar shores after the close of a long-planned boating adventure.

It was late in the day when we arrived back into home waters, so after checking in with customs at Friday Harbor, we idled back out and across the San Juan Channel to anchor overnight in the protected confines of Parks Bay, off Shaw Island. It’s our cruising philosophy when paying for overnight dockage, to strive to get as full a day at a marina, and or town, as possible, so we returned first thing the next morning to secure dockage for a couple of days at Port of Friday Harbor, one of our favorite San Juan stops.

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Peaceful Night On the Hook in Prevost Harbor

From Anacortes, we headed straight to the northern end of the San Juan Islands to spend one night on the hook in Prevost Harbor before we checked in at customs in Bedwell Harbour, British Columbia. Stuart Island was just south of  Boundary Pass and Bedwell Harbor and just short of a heavy fog bank that just seemed to hang around the western edge of Stuart Island.

As we arrived in the harbor, we immediately spotted this Fathom 40 trawler (below – just like our previous boat, same color too), we cruised by to say hi to the owners, thinking maybe we’d know them, but we didn’t. Fathom yachts are beautiful boats and easy to handle. We loved ours, but find we can do even more cruising with our trailerable Ranger Tug. We can cruise as we did before on a bigger boat, but also a trailer and launch her in many desirable inland lakes, such as Lake Powell and Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

This pair of eagles were perched near our boat all evening. It appeared they were keeping an eye on the activity in the harbor.

When I began to take stock of what items we might have on the boat that would not fly during our check-in to Canadian customs, I got the bright idea to make potato salad with all the potatoes we had on hand. Potatoes were on the NoGo list we checked, but cooked items would be fine. We also had tomatoes to eat, some limes, and cherries. It made for an interesting dinner. We had potato salad for lunch for many days after.

Love nights on the hook when the water is glassy and reflects everything it touches. Prevost Harbor was picture-perfect for our one-night stay.

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After spending this past winter holed up at home in northern Michigan remodeling our kitchen, we feel we’re more than ready for some new cruising adventure. We are preparing, planning, and packing to head west soon to begin another fun boating season. First, we’ll visit the Flaming Gorge  Reservoir on the Green River in Northeast Utah/Southern Wyoming. Then we’ll continue on to Puget Sound in Washington State, there we’ll put in at Anacortes and cruise north into Canada’s Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, and more. Check back often, the fun is soon to start.

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Nothing can be sweeter than a slice of homemade island blackberry pie unless it’s being able to connect with good friends who live on Lopez Island. When we were making plans to revisit the PNW again this year we immediately let our friends Dave and Judy know we were coming.

After several calls to negotiate where and when we’d all be able to meet while we were in the San Juans it all miraculously came together on Monday. We would leave Roche Harbor mid-morning and head right to Fisherman Bay on Lopez Island. We put something into the crockpot in the morning and at 2:oo we picked up Dave and Judy at the dock and took them out to where later we would anchor for the night after our visit. Judy baked a beautiful pie that we ALMOST hated to cut into.

We live for times like these – sharing food and life stories with good friends.

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Success! After two nights on anchor in Garrison Bay we called Roche Harbor Marina early Sunday morning and were put on the waiting list. We only waited a half hour or so before they called us in. The busy harbor was in stark contrast to our previous night’s surroundings. With the holiday weekend in full swing, we were pretty quick to pick up on the electric, party atmosphere.

As were coming down the fairway, we spotted another Ranger Tug just a few slips down from where we soon docked. We had noticed their dinghy tied to the back of their boat (you really couldn’t miss it since it was bright orange. Most are grey, not a usual color for a dinghy but when you think about it very practical for safety reasons since it would be much easier to spot than a grey one). Since we are dinghy-less at the moment we have been looking at all the different models available but had never seen one like this, we were very curious. Barry and Jill, on Laxey, were more than happy to show us their cute little Portland Pudgy dinghy and explain all its features.

Our Lady of Good Voyage Chapel sat on the hill right behind our boat. The church’s bells entertained us several times during the day ringing out some great songs which seemed to resonate throughout the harbor.

In addition to the church bells, we had some very friendly dock neighbors. As we were in the middle of happy hour on the deck of our boat and our dock mates on each side of us were cleaning and cooking Dungeness crab – they both decided we needed to have some. We think they had a little debate going on as to the best way to do it. Our neighbor, on the starboard side, packaged two crabs in aluminum foil, along with onion, garlic, lemon, and a little white wine. The neighbor to the port side used a pressure cooker and claimed he could cook it in less than half the time as all the bigger yachts that had big pots of boiling water on the back decks of their boats. We have to say that both versions were delicious.

It was just one big crabbiest on the docks tonight and we loved it. We would have to say that just about everyone in the harbor tonight were catching and/or eating crab in one form or another. If you didn’t catch it yourself there was a little crab stand at the beginning of the main dock to purchase it fresh without effort. We also learned a little bit about how easy it is to catch these crabs and we’re tempted to buy a trap and get going.

Another gift of nature’s bounty is found almost everywhere you turn on the islands… Blackberries. The berries in this area were just starting to ripen, happening later this year due to the late start to summer in the Pacific Northwest.

I don’t know why I have such a fascination for these pump-out boats, but I think it’s because they all have such creative names to describe their business. Here’s one of my favorites.

Our dock mate, on our port side, had a steady stream of family and friends over to his boat, and lots of activity – games, crab catching, cleaning, and cooking. Apparently, he needed an open/closed sign to inform visitors of the status of the welcome mat.

If you look closely (above) you’ll see Kismet at the dock in Roche Harbor. Monday morning we walked up to the church up on the hill behind us and got some gr

Curfew for small kids AND teenagers (above – right)? I wonder how they enforce this.

This could be us, on our next visit to the PNW (above – left).

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On our way to the Roche Harbor Customer Appreciation festivities. Apparently, if you are in Roche Harbor on this special day you are invited to this amazing party. Your choice of many fine wines, tasty seafood sandwiches, and a live band were the highlights of this party, all put on to thank the community, mostly boaters, for visiting Roche Harbor. We were only minutes tied up at the dock before marina personnel came to our boat to make sure we knew about the party. What a way to get in the party mood and join all the other boaters who had already been in this mode all weekend.

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