Go Aweigh2452
Active Member
- Aug 8, 2007
- 1,163
- Boat Info
- its in my signature
- Engines
- 6.2 Horizon MPI w/guardian system
Well, had a awesome time with weather cooperating this time around. Meet up with a couple of SeaRay friends (Jim and Dave and their families) from Spokane (towed their boats to Annacortes) at Deer Harbor on Orcas Island after Making a short run (30+ miles) in from Pt Townsend across the straits of Juan de Fuca. Got the boat off at low tide (had to push it off using the truck to back it up and stop fast...). Also had to lift and move someones trailer in the parking lot to get room for my rig to fit in the last spot available...
We crabbed and fed well there at Deer Harbor and then headed to Reed Harbor. On the hook once more and enjoyed everyones company rafting up and eating lots of food.
Next day we got out early and headed to Roche Harbor to top off fuel and headed to Sidney on Vancouver Island to check in with Canadian customs... Gotta go back to Sidney, it has really grown the past few years...
Headed to Brentwood Bay on the opposite side of Sidney and lucked out getting a mooring bouy right across from the dinghy dock at Buchart Gardens...
Feet hurt after walking around all day and that evening as well. The Admiral, Lea got photos (3,000+ I think) of every flower there in daylight
and under the night time colored lights.
Headed back around to Victoria
and got there while Jim and Dave stayed the night on Sidney Spit. They had some nice entertainment while on the spit when a brand new 32' Bayliner with twin BIII's got blown onto the spit. His outdrives were cantilevered away from each other after he tried (unsuccessfully) to power off the sandbar. He was high and dry by the time he got pulled off (sideways) so that added to the outdrive damage. He also lost his batteries somehow and could not get into his engine bay (power lifts) to check on nay water intrusion. Heard he was complaining of water coming into the boat as he was towed to Sidney to get his boat pulled out... $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Jim and Dave docked behind us in front of the Empress and we stayed two days. Enjoyed the people, food and drug stores (bought our Canadian tylenol). Hit Capitol Iron and bought a flex crab trap and more butane for the camping stoves we brought...
Lea lost her new West marine sunglasses at Buchart so I hiked 29 blocks to get new ones for three times what she paid...
Headed to Montegue Bay with Dave and Jim after a quick stop for fuel at Van Isle... also a beautiful stop... Rafted once more and heard the weather was going to be awesome the next week so we broke off with the group and headed to Nanaimo (103 degrees) for one day (showers are nice after two days of hot weather)... and then across Georgia Straits (not a bad crossing... a little bumpy and annoying as heck...). Got to Pender Harbor
and then on to Todd's uncles place (Caldwell Island) and grabbed some fresh oysters and clams off the beach and ate salmon, clams, corn and oysters... No moon that night and not a sound was heard. Stars were brilliant and water was flat...
Headed to Princess Lousia and got there at low tide and found a nice tie on the dock with our stern to Chatter Box falls...
spent two days there exploring and taking tons of photos and hitting Bubble falls where rocks were grouped to allow "hot tubbing" of the glacer melt that warmed on the hot rocks as it poured into the pits. Enjoyed laying round that for a while and enjoyed more oysters and salmon that we brought with us...
Headed to Caldwell Island http://www.bclandforsale.ca/caldwell_pix/cald_th_pix/Photo01.jpg again and meet up with the Todd and Mo gang (Nehalenia) and Brady's family (Todds cousin) for one night. Helped get the houses into working order and powered up and left the next morning after stocking up with more clams and oysters.
(No one around as we headed back to Caldwell Island from Princess Lousia)...
Got to Smugglers Cove http://www.vancouvertrails.com/images/articles/smugglers-cove02.jpg after a nice mex style lunch at the dock restaurant and trash stop at Secret Cove. Walked Smugglers Cove that pleasant evening and enjoyed more seafood for dinner... dinked around all the boats and had fun watching a group of 20 somethings get rocking on a small 18 ft boat (at least 12 people drinking and cavorting...).
(The dock at Princess Lousia..)
Got to Telegraph Harbor that morning after a quick crossing of Georgia Straits (another 30mph+). Got through the Whiskey Golf just prior to it being shut down for torpedoe testing. Found lots of pot holes for Lea but it was a half way decent crossing...
Telegraph Harbor marina was a blast after several days w/o power and we did lunch at the other Marina pub by dink a 1/4 mile away.
We were about to head to Ganges on Salt Spring Island when Lea felt a Gall stone attack and so I elected to head to Friday Harbor after a quick stop at Poets Cove for fuel. She took a couple of demerol and slept most the afternoon and evening. I had mex in town and meet a guy at the bar named Robbie Bray who plays guitar and has fun with the likes of Roy Orbison (when he was alive), Eddie Van halen and Van Morrison. The guy is a motivational speaker too. That is where he makes his money (100K + per month). He invited me and Lea (she woke up looking for me via our two way radios) on to his 47 ft Beneteau sail boat. That was some boat. Self furling jib and main, autopilot, full electronics and awesome inside and out... Very spiritual man and his son was a great young man as well. His music is awesome and plays a mean guitar and drums...
Anyway, we headed back to Pt Townsend the next AM, ran fresh water through the engine immediately off the ramp and did my saltaway too. Got Lea back and she is rested and if it were not for the gall bladder, I think we would have forfeited our 5th Ave play tickets this Saturday and stayed out another few days or week...
Weather was almost perfect the entire trip and would not trade it for any other. Waters were warm (76 at Lousia and Nanaimo). Had only one rain squall as we got into Malibu Rapids. That cleaned the salt off the boat and lasted about 15 mins... then back to the regularly scheduled sunshine!
Boat ran fine but we started to accumulate water in the bilge after every hard run (3850-4200 rpm). Left an oily qt or two under the engine and will pull the outdrive to check it out soon (maybe bellows leak though it did not gain any water when just sitting). Fuel was $1.19 at Poets and Victoria, $1.24 at Van Isle and Pender (John Henry Marina) $1.21 at Telegraph and Egmont. (Those were all liters). Friday Harbor was $3.40/gal.
BTW, the portable ice maker, though it took up lots of room, paid for itself in the amount of ice we did not have to buy... Going to have to find a smaller one that can be installed into the boat...
Oh yeah, Cooper, our dalmation enjoyed the trip as well...
We crabbed and fed well there at Deer Harbor and then headed to Reed Harbor. On the hook once more and enjoyed everyones company rafting up and eating lots of food.
Next day we got out early and headed to Roche Harbor to top off fuel and headed to Sidney on Vancouver Island to check in with Canadian customs... Gotta go back to Sidney, it has really grown the past few years...
Headed to Brentwood Bay on the opposite side of Sidney and lucked out getting a mooring bouy right across from the dinghy dock at Buchart Gardens...
Headed back around to Victoria
Jim and Dave docked behind us in front of the Empress and we stayed two days. Enjoyed the people, food and drug stores (bought our Canadian tylenol). Hit Capitol Iron and bought a flex crab trap and more butane for the camping stoves we brought...
Lea lost her new West marine sunglasses at Buchart so I hiked 29 blocks to get new ones for three times what she paid...
Headed to Montegue Bay with Dave and Jim after a quick stop for fuel at Van Isle... also a beautiful stop... Rafted once more and heard the weather was going to be awesome the next week so we broke off with the group and headed to Nanaimo (103 degrees) for one day (showers are nice after two days of hot weather)... and then across Georgia Straits (not a bad crossing... a little bumpy and annoying as heck...). Got to Pender Harbor
Headed to Princess Lousia and got there at low tide and found a nice tie on the dock with our stern to Chatter Box falls...
Headed to Caldwell Island http://www.bclandforsale.ca/caldwell_pix/cald_th_pix/Photo01.jpg again and meet up with the Todd and Mo gang (Nehalenia) and Brady's family (Todds cousin) for one night. Helped get the houses into working order and powered up and left the next morning after stocking up with more clams and oysters.
(No one around as we headed back to Caldwell Island from Princess Lousia)...
Got to Smugglers Cove http://www.vancouvertrails.com/images/articles/smugglers-cove02.jpg after a nice mex style lunch at the dock restaurant and trash stop at Secret Cove. Walked Smugglers Cove that pleasant evening and enjoyed more seafood for dinner... dinked around all the boats and had fun watching a group of 20 somethings get rocking on a small 18 ft boat (at least 12 people drinking and cavorting...).
(The dock at Princess Lousia..)
Got to Telegraph Harbor that morning after a quick crossing of Georgia Straits (another 30mph+). Got through the Whiskey Golf just prior to it being shut down for torpedoe testing. Found lots of pot holes for Lea but it was a half way decent crossing...
Telegraph Harbor marina was a blast after several days w/o power and we did lunch at the other Marina pub by dink a 1/4 mile away.
We were about to head to Ganges on Salt Spring Island when Lea felt a Gall stone attack and so I elected to head to Friday Harbor after a quick stop at Poets Cove for fuel. She took a couple of demerol and slept most the afternoon and evening. I had mex in town and meet a guy at the bar named Robbie Bray who plays guitar and has fun with the likes of Roy Orbison (when he was alive), Eddie Van halen and Van Morrison. The guy is a motivational speaker too. That is where he makes his money (100K + per month). He invited me and Lea (she woke up looking for me via our two way radios) on to his 47 ft Beneteau sail boat. That was some boat. Self furling jib and main, autopilot, full electronics and awesome inside and out... Very spiritual man and his son was a great young man as well. His music is awesome and plays a mean guitar and drums...
Anyway, we headed back to Pt Townsend the next AM, ran fresh water through the engine immediately off the ramp and did my saltaway too. Got Lea back and she is rested and if it were not for the gall bladder, I think we would have forfeited our 5th Ave play tickets this Saturday and stayed out another few days or week...
Weather was almost perfect the entire trip and would not trade it for any other. Waters were warm (76 at Lousia and Nanaimo). Had only one rain squall as we got into Malibu Rapids. That cleaned the salt off the boat and lasted about 15 mins... then back to the regularly scheduled sunshine!
Boat ran fine but we started to accumulate water in the bilge after every hard run (3850-4200 rpm). Left an oily qt or two under the engine and will pull the outdrive to check it out soon (maybe bellows leak though it did not gain any water when just sitting). Fuel was $1.19 at Poets and Victoria, $1.24 at Van Isle and Pender (John Henry Marina) $1.21 at Telegraph and Egmont. (Those were all liters). Friday Harbor was $3.40/gal.
BTW, the portable ice maker, though it took up lots of room, paid for itself in the amount of ice we did not have to buy... Going to have to find a smaller one that can be installed into the boat...
Oh yeah, Cooper, our dalmation enjoyed the trip as well...
