The Long Goodbye!

The Long Goodbye! –

Last summer, Jim and I were brainstorming future travel plans, an exercise we engage in once or twice a year as we look forward to new adventures. After ruling out foreign travel, because we had different ideas about where that might be, or the logistics did not feel right, Jim offered up an idea we both immediately liked. As happens occasionally during this process, our picks usually veer back toward where we can “cruise” next.

Jim’s suggestion was for us to tow the boat out to the Pacific Northwest to cruise the Broughton Islands, British Columbia, Canada, again. Not sure why I did not think of this myself; it is one of my favorite cruises. I guess it was because I was thinking another trip out west was not in the cards for us. Towing the boat for at least five days to reach Anacortes (and back to Michigan again months later) is grueling and hard on our bodies. However, I have to say, having Jim offer one of our favorite cruising destinations as a future adventure was intriguing.

What we had to give up…

After hashing out the pros and cons of such an endeavour, we both jumped on the idea and set the plan in motion. One thing we had to give up to do this trip was the three months we usually spend in Florida during the winter, January to April. We would have to stay home during the winter of 2025/26, taking that time to plan and prepare for our trip. Unfortunately, last winter in Traverse City was a bad one weather-wise. It seemed unusually long and harsh, with major snowstorms almost into April. We would also give up our cherished time boating on the Great Lakes during the summer of 2026. The beautiful summer months are the reward for suffering through a northern Michigan winter.

The last time we cruised the Broughton Islands was in the summer of 2016. It is, by far, the most remote cruising we have ever experienced. It challenged us as trailerable boaters! New things to learn about provisioning and existing on the small-scale capacity of our tug, Kismet. There are no garbage services, few spots to provision, and no pump-out locations. Finding reliable fresh water in this area is difficult and takes careful planning and additional storage options.

Our Route…

In addition, as we make our way to the Broughtons, we’ll pass along Vancouver Island, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Strait of Georgia, the Gulf Islands, the Salish Sea, the Discovery Islands, and Desolation Sound. On the way back, we’ll head down the eastern side of BC’s mainland Malaspina Strait, visiting the Sunshine Coast’s Princess Louisa Inlet and Chatterbox Falls.

Many of the marinas in the Broughtons and local points of interest exist in places you can only reach by boat or floatplane. Most marinas were unlike any we had ever experienced before, each one different from the others with a natural, unique charm reflecting the owner’s personality, paired with interesting aspects of remote boating.

So, in the middle of winter, we began getting organized. Jim concentrated on the trip routes out west, both road and water travel. He also started several lists of spare boat parts to purchase and what needed fixing on the boat to get it ready. I started my list of what we would need to purchase and pack to survive in the wilderness. We both also had lists of what we needed to do to our house to get it ready for our absence. We tried to look forward while remembering what the challenges were the last time we cruised the Broughton Islands. That process helped us prepare for a successful trip.

The Long Goodbye…

Spring arrived, and we got the boat out of storage and started loading supplies onto it. Then, the long goodbye started! We arranged extra time with our adult sons, daughter-in-law, our grandchildren, and friends. As I have said before, when you embark on an adventure, there is always someone/thing you leave behind. We had a lot of support from them all, but saying goodbye is never easy for me.