After we left snowy Blake Island more than a week ago, we headed back to Seattle for a few days, and then over to Poulsbo for the Winter Rendezvous. We also drove up to Anacortes to take a test ride on a new Nordic Tug 40 with Seakeeper stabilization. Impressive! (And will probably cost us all some $$$ at some point. Oh, boats!) Next up was a short stay with friends … Read more
We’re on Blake Island! We cruised over from Seattle yesterday morning, met up with a few other brave winter boaters, had a great evening last night with happy hour and dinner together on Safe Harbour, and woke up this morning to a gorgeous snowy landscape! We hiked around the whole island this morning after breakfast. So pretty!! Read the full post (with many more photos) here on Riveted.
We had such an incredible New Year’s cruise up to Princess Louisa with Safe Harbor this week. This was our first trip to Princess Louisa and we had the snow-covered gem to ourselves for two days. I see no reason to go back in the crowded summer. 🙂 I published two posts with many, many more photos over on Riveted, but wanted to share a few here as well, in case … Read more
Princess Louisa Inlet is iconic. It’s a “holy grail,” and with good reason. It’s not too far from the major population centers (200nm from Seattle, for instance), yet it is among the most scenic spots on the coast. Cliffs rise from the water all the way to peaks thousands of feet above. Waterfalls tumble down. Trees cling for dear life. A classic fjord. About 10 years ago, Princess Louisa was … Read more
Three weeks have elapsed since I wrote from Sucia Island. Since then, I’ve been wandering around the San Juans, trying to stay warm and avoid the worst of the windy weather we’ve been experiencing. Destinations have included Jones Island, Fisherman Bay, Blind Bay, Friday Harbor, Sylvan Cove, Brigantine Bay, Cypress Island, and more. I haven’t been in the San Juans since August, and it’s amazing how different they are this … Read more
We’ve been cruising around the San Juan Islands for a week or so with Sam on Safe Harbour. We’ve all been working hard creating and recording more webcasts for you as part of our “Mastering the Inside Passage” series. You may have already seen our first installment is “Clearing Canadian Customs.” This will soon be followed by “Clearing US Customs,” “Overview of the Inside Passage,” “WiFi in the Wilderness,” and “Flying Drones from … Read more
Half a mile outside of Elliott Bay Marina, I peeked into the engine room and saw hot, strawberry-red coolant spraying out of a now-disconnected hose. Twenty knots of southerly breeze was pushing me towards Magnolia Bluff. Instinctively I dropped the anchor and shut down the engine. This was a maintenance-induced failure. I’d just had the whole cooling system apart to clean or replace several components. Although I’d test run the … Read more
For the last several winters I’ve kept the boat in Anacortes, just an hour from the San Juan Islands. The winter boating was superb, with a dozen or more State Parks within a few hours cruise. More often than not, I was the only visitor. This winter, I’m based at Elliott Bay Marina in Seattle. And while it’s not close to deserted islands, I’m thoroughly enjoying winter cruising on Puget … Read more