Trip notes are now ready for anybody's reference.
Boat Trip to the Broughton Islands
9/1/11 – 9/18/11
9/1/11 Thursday
Left home around 4:30pm with a quick stop for ice at Albertson’s.
Loaded 3 cart-loads of stuff from our car to the boat, and we are ready to head out.
Got to Poulsbo Marina around 6:30pm for our first night.
Saw about 10 seals once in Liberty Bay. Pretty standard sight for Poulsbo.
Ate dinner at JJ’s Fish House (always good food there).
Aven got to bed around 8:15pm.
Planning to hit the bakery in the morning before we head out.
Remember tonight that our Garmin 740S chart plotter does not have charts for North of the Gulf Islands! Problem.
Only the backup (small) GPS has the charts we need!
9/2/11 Friday
Got up around 7:50am. It was so nice to sleep in!
Walked to Sluy’s Bakery in Poulsbo. It is THE BEST! Got a few extra things for the coming days.
Made a few phone calls and found that West Marine in Anacortes has the chart that we need (for $400+!). So, on to Anacortes we go.
As we were heading out of Poulsbo around 9:30am, so about 5 seals.
Saw a few dolphins near Indianola. Very cool.
More dolphins near Kingston.
As we were heading out Admiralty Inlet (to the Strait of Juan de Fuca), saw a submarine escorted by 2 large boats on either side, 2 smaller boats farther out, 1 military boat, and 1 Coast Guard boat. We snapped some pictures of this.
Around mid-channel, East of Smith Island we saw a dolphin.
At 1:15pm we were pulling in to Anacortes. The office said our stay was free since we would only be there an hour or so.
Walked to West Marine and found the chart on hold for us. Went to purchase & found that it was only $300 – and $50 off for spending $300! Good deal! This put a smile on our faces since we were expecting to pay $400+.
Saw a no-named C-Dory on a trailer (no vehicle) in West Marines parking lot. Possibly it was for sale?
Pulled out of Anacortes at 1:45pm.
Fueled up for $4.19/gal. Heading out at 2:10pm.
At 2:20pm got stopped by the Coast Guard for a vessel safety check (even though we have our sticker on our window). Interesting process to go through. We passed with flying colors.
North of Lopez Island we saw a C-Dory with the name Poco Loco.
North of Shaw Island we saw a C-Dory with the name Widgeon.
At 4:30pm we called in to Can Pass and headed to Ganges Harbor on Salt Spring Island.
By 6:00pm we were all checked in at the Salt Spring Marina and headed to dinner at The Harbor House.
After dinner, walked into town – nice little place. There was some live music that Aven loved.
There is a farmers market in the morning that we might go to if we decide not to leave early.
9/3/11 Saturday
After fueling up (at $5.69/gal), left Ganges Harbor at 8:30am (so no farmers market). Headed for Campbell River today.
Passed through Dodd Narrows on a 4.1kt current with no issues. J Whew! Cindie was concerned.
When we got out to see the effects of the Georgia Straits, we were in 4 foot confused seas. It would take a long time to get to Campbell River at the speed we would need to go in these conditions so we decided to tuck into Nanaimo for the night and do our grocery shopping there (instead of Campbell River).
Got in to Nanaimo around 11:00am.
Pumped out and got a slip at the Port of Nanaimo. Nice place!
It was an easy walk to the grocery store, got Canadian fishing licenses for Aven & Cindie, walked the nice path along the water, and found a GREAT playground just North of the marina. Aven loved it! There was also some sort of festival winding down, but a bounce house was still up & running. Aven went in & bounced her heart out. J
Ate dinner at Penny Palapa, a floating Mexican restaurant right at the marina. It was pretty good, but not much seating – luckily we went pretty early and got seats.
Decided to head to bed early for an early morning start across the Georgia Strait. Then on to Desolation Sound tomorrow.
9/4/11 Sunday
Up at 6am and headed out at 6:30am, headed for Desolation Sound.
Heading out of Nanaimo we saw 2 sea lions, both were catching and eating fish.
There was 2 foot + chop across the Georgia Strait. Not so bad, we didn’t even need to slow down. J
Fueled up at Westview / Powell River for $5.13/gal.
Reached Desolation Sound at 11:15am where we promptly saw a dolphin who was welcoming us.
Anchored in a nice spot in Prideaux Haven and rode around in Ari for a while. This is a very nice area, but fairly small. We were through all of it pretty quickly.
Cindie really wanted to jump in the water, but just couldn’t build up the nerve to do it. Saw others doing it though.
Made pizza in our Cobb grill for dinner.
Saw a no-name 16 C-Dory come in to Prideaux Haven.
Greg & Aven spent some time sitting in Ari (next to Aurelia) fishing for a while.
It was a beautiful evening in Desolation Sound.
9/5/11 Monday
Pulled out of Prideaux Haven at 9:00am after a yummy pancake & bacon breakfast.
Made it through Yaculta and Dent Rapids around noon with no issues.
The wakes on the other side of Dent Rapids sent Ari hopping. We stopped to check it out and the battery had come loose and scratched up the bottom of the floor. We adjusted things and continued on our way.
Fueled up and filled up water at Blind Channel Resort (for $5.59/gal).
Made it through Greene Point Rapids just fine.
Anchored in Douglas Bay in Forward Harbor for the night.
We went to shore and walked along the shore for a bit. Aven loves walking in the water. We informed Aven that she needed to stay close to us as there are bear in the area. We kept our eyes out, but didn’t spot any.
We found that the bouncing of Ari bent a bolt on the motor. Greg had to bang on it for a while to get it usable again.
After a great dinner Aven practiced more fishing from Ari. She is loving it! Greg caught 2 that were both pretty little, so tossed them back in.
9/6/11 Tuesday
Pulled out of Douglas Bay around 8:00am. We want to get through Johnstone Strait early before winds pick up.
Saw about 6 Dall’s Porpoises. Cindie thought they were Orca’s at first (because of the coloring).
Johnstone Strait was pretty good – turned to 1-2 foot chop shortly before our turn into Havannah Channel.
Traveled slow on our way to Kwatsi Bay. Very nice area & the weather is awesome!
Arrived at Kwatsi Bay Marina at 2:00pm. We only saw 2 boats once we turned in from Johnstone Strait. No other boats at Kwatsi Bay. Nice and quiet, just the way we like it. J
Boated over to the trailhead to the waterfall nearby. It was a very nice waterfall and Aven stomped around in the pools below.
Putted around in Ari for a while. Tried some fishing, but no luck.
Came back to the dock and sat in the shade on the dock for a snack. Max (who runs Kwatsi Bay Marina) came out with some crackers & dip and grapes to share with us. It was nice visiting with Max for a while.
Showered then had a nice dinner on the boat.
As Aven was going to bed, Greg was out trying his hand at fishing from the dock. Had a few bites, but nothing worth keeping.
Max turned on the WiFi for us, so we were able to send an email to a few people back home.
9/7/11 Wednesday
Had a great breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausage.
Bought some Blueberry Jam from the Kwatsi Bay Marina store.
Filled up with water before heading out from Kwatsi Bay at 9:30am.
Stopped in Tribune Channel to pump out the potty.
Near Pierre’s Echo Bay, saw a 22 C-Dory named Wolfpack.
Went to the outer edge of the Broughton Islands, into Queen Charlotte Strait to see if we could find any whales. We saw many! Got lots of great pictures of tails and whales jumping totally up & out of the water. Amazing sight to see. One whale was just about 80 feet in front of our boat!
Headed to Pierre’s Echo Bay for the night. Got ice, did laundry, had a wonderful prime rib dinner, and took showers.
9/8/11 Thursday
Woke up to a foggy morning. Took our time getting ready hoping the fog would lift. Headed out at 10:30am under a high fog layer.
Heading to Port McNeil for gas, pumpout, and groceries.
Got out of the islands into Queen Charlotte Strait and found lots of fog. We had to go slow the whole way to Port McNeil.
Got to Port McNeil around 2:00pm.
Fueled up at $5.13/gal.
Decided to spend the night since it’s still foggy.
Had lunch on Aurelia, and then headed to do our grocery shopping.
Saw the couple at the grocery store who were at Pierre’s Echo Bay also last night. Talked with them for a bit and learned that they are from Federal Way. Their boat, Brizo, is a new 47 foot Selene Ocean Trawler. Very pretty boat.
Walked around for a bit, and then had dinner at Bo Banee’s.
9/9/11 Friday
Headed back to Bo Banee’s for breakfast in the morning.
After pumping out, headed out at 9:30am into more fog. Heading for Claydon Bay.
Spent the morning crossing Queen Charlotte Strait, going slow in the fog. Arrived at Claydon Bay around 12:30pm.
Boiled some eggs and made egg salad pita sandwiches for lunch.
Saw only 2 boats the whole way!
On the East side of Queen Charlotte Strait we saw a couple of whales. One was doing a few jumps and putting on a show – only about 150 yards from our boat!
Nice relaxing afternoon. Drove Ari around a bit (dropping a crab pot in the bay), then back on the boat Aven played for a bit, Cindie read, and Greg took a nap.
In the evening, pulled up an empty crab pot. Decided to move it to another spot & let it soak overnight.
Had a late dinner of steak, corn on the cob, and potato salad.
After Aven went to bed, we watched a movie.
9/10/11 Saturday
In the morning Greg got up with Aven & got her set up to watch a movie and we went back to sleep until 9:00am. So nice!
After breakfast, we headed out to pull up our crab pot. We heard something on shore and thought it might be a bear. We hung out in Ari and watched. We could see bushes moving, then after a while, a baby bear popped out on the beach. He walked down a bit, then was up on his back legs pawing at a bush trying to get berries off of it. We watched him for a while from about 70 feet off shore. He swam across the bay to another spot & we quickly went back to our boat to grab a camera. (yep, learned a lesson here!) Got back near him in time to get a couple pictures of him climbing around on a hill. Never did see Momma bear.
Continued on to our crab pot and found 1 keeper Dungeness and 2 keeper rock crab (we only kept one of them though). Will cook these up later for dinner.
Pulled out around 11:30am heading through Dunsany Passage, Sutlej Channel, Sharp Pass, Penphrase Passage, Raleigh Passage, and into Fife Sound to reach our destination of Sunday Harbour on Crib Island.
After getting settled at anchor, we went out in Ari for a while. On the outer side of the islands we could hear and once in a while see whales, although they were pretty far out. Tried some fishing while we were out & Greg caught 2 kelp greenling, but they both got loose. Darn, no fish sticks for dinner!
The fog began rolling in as we headed back to the boat.
Greg cleaned & cooked the crab. We had pork chops and carrots for dinner, then Greg & I climbed in to Ari to eat crab (since it’s so messy and stinky, we decided to eat it in Ari. The crab was very good. I preferred the Dungeness and Greg preferred the rock.
After dinner was done cooking in the Cobb, we added cinnamon rolls to cook.
9/11/11 Sunday
Took our time getting up and ready to go. Headed out around 10:30am.
Headed to the outer edge of the islands to look for whales. Saw a few from a distance. And, a few dolphins.
Saw a kayaker new Crib Island today.
Took our time puttering around. It was pretty foggy for much of the morning.
Went to Pierre’s at Echo Bay to fuel up ($6.07/gal!), fill up water, get ice, and take showers.
Headed back out from Pierre’s in full sunshine at 2:45pm.
Got to Let Her Rip Cove at 4:00pm as the fog was starting to roll back in.
Greg headed out in Ari to try and catch fish for dinner.
Fog broke up around 4:45pm and we had a very lovely evening (calm, sunny, 70 degrees).
Greg came back and picked up Aven & Cindie to head out in Ari too. Greg caught 2 greenlings to make fish chunks for dinner.
When Greg had one of the fish on, Aven said, “I bet that fishy wants to go back in the water with his family.” Greg said, “Do you think we should let it?” Aven said, “No, we should eat it.”
It was a very nice, quiet evening with yummy fish chunks for dinner.
9/12/11 Monday
Took our time getting up and ready in the morning.
Headed out in the sunshine to the outer edge of the islands and saw a couple of whales.
Went to Crease Island Nook in the Southern end of the islands for the night.
Saw a few dolphins close to our anchor spot.
Went out in Ari for a little exploring.
Aven got her blow-up raft as a surprise today. She got in and we pulled her behind Ari. She LOVED it! Kept wanting us to go faster. She hung out in there for about an hour.
Greg dropped us off at Aurelia, and then headed out to do some fishing. He came back with 1 rockfish and 1 greenling. More fish chunks for dinner!
9/13/11 Tuesday
Headed out around 10:00am after a wonderful breakfast of pancakes and bacon.
The water was very calm and there was a hint of fog in the air.
Took our time getting over to Telegraph Cove; made it there around 1:00pm.
Fueled up, filled up water, and took showers.
Went to dinner at Killer Whale Café. Nice setting & good food.
Aven got to ride around in her raft again in the marina/cove. She tried using the paddles, but got a bit frustrated.
Walked around the area quite a bit. Very nice views from up on the hill (where new homes are going in). Telegraph Cove is a cute little place, but very small.
Planning to head out early to push through Johnstone Strait as quickly as we can.
9/14/11 Wednesday
Up at 6:30am (sunrise), and pulling out by 6:50am. Luckily Aven stayed asleep for a while.
Saw a whale passing right by the mouth of the cove as we were pulling out. Very cool.
At 8:20am, mid-channel in Johnstone Strait, a bit South of the Broken Islands/Havannah Channel, we saw about 50 dolphins cruising along – heading South.
Just North of Port Neville, we saw hundreds of dolphin cruising along with us. At first Greg saw a couple off our port, and a second later there were hundreds swimming along, jumping out of the water. They hung with us for about 5 minutes. It was AMAZING!
Outside Sunderland Channel (a bit North of Helmcken Island), it got really rough – 6 foot waves off the stern. We were going to tuck into Kelsey Bay, but saw that it looked smoother ahead so we pushed on into smoother water.
Pulled over in Plumber Bay to have lunch and wait for good current conditions to go through Seymour Narrows. Went through in 2-3 knots and there were no issues.
We passed up Campbell River and decided to head to Comox.
Conditions were good in Georgia Strait and we got into Comox around 3:30pm.
Fueled up ($5.44/gal), and then got a spot for the night.
Walked up to a playground. Aven was thrilled!
We walked around the town of Comox, did a little shopping, and then went to dinner.
9/15/11 Thursday
It rained overnight – the first rain of our trip.
Left Comox at 8:15am.
Georgia Strait was a bit bumpy. We hoped to keep up our speed to reach Princess Cove on Wallace Island (in the Gulf Islands) for the night.
Got into steady 4 foot waves on our stern when heading to Nanaimo.
Made it through Dodd Narrows at a 3.4 knot current pushing us through. No issues.
Checked out Princess Cove, but it was pretty tight and there were already about 6 boats in there. So, we continued on to find another place for the night.
Saw a green or blue 22 C-Dory in Trincomal Channel near Montague, off Parker Island. Couldn’t read the name.
Went to Bedwell Harbor at got a buoy for the night.
Took Ari to shore and hiked up Mt. Norman (3.5 miles total).
On the way back down, Aven and Cindie got stung by ground wasps. It HURT! Aven cried all the way back to Aurelia. We both took some Ibuprofen and watched a movie to get our minds off of it for a while.
Ate hot dogs, beans, veggies, and fruit for dinner.
Took Ari over to Poet’s Cove Resort to look around. It’s a very nice place.
Found a playground for Aven. She loved it!
It was a pretty bumpy/rocky evening on the buoy, but it calmed down for the night.
9/16/11 Friday
Pulled out of Bedwell Harbor around 8:30am. Took our time getting to Friday Harbor.
Checked in with customs at Friday Harbor at 11:00am. Ended up waiting for a while for someone to come and check our paperwork.
Got settled in on H dock and ate lunch on the boat.
Went for a walk around Friday Harbor to see if we could find a different playground. No luck. Ended up at the same-old small one.
Stopped for ice cream on the way back.
Went exploring in Ari for a while.
Hung out at Aurelia and did some cleaning and putting things away.
Went to dinner at The Schooner and had good fish and chips and meat pie.
9/17/11 Saturday
After fueling up with gas ($4.59/gal), headed out around 8:15am.
Planning to make it home tonight.
Got to the edge of the islands, into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and it was pretty bumpy. Since there was a South wind, we decided to turn around and go up around Lopez then through Deception Pass.
Made it through Deception Pass with no issues.
Stopped at EQ Marine (in Cornet Bay) to look at a Sterling Boat. Also talked with Les and saw the 1st production Marinaut being built.
A bit before the cutoff to La Conner, we got into 2-4 foot waves at our bow and had to go pretty slow.
We realized we were not going to make it home tonight, and were concerned about making it home tomorrow (winds are predicted to stay strong through Sunday, coming from the South). Checked into the possibility of leaving the boat in Oak Harbor and renting a car to get home, but the one rental car company was already closed (by noon on Saturday, and closed Sunday). Decided to go to Coupville for the night and head out early to try and get to Everett at least tomorrow.
Fueled up, showered, and walked around Coupville for the afternoon. Went to the park with the playground.
Ate dinner at The Front Street Grill. Food was good as usual.
9/18/11 Sunday
It was rainy and pretty windy overnight. Pretty noisy night on the dock at Coupville.
Set our alarm for 6:30am, but conditions were still pretty bad, so we went back to bed and ended up leaving around 8:00am.
We were in more 2-4 foot waves at our bow. Our goal was to get to Everett – Edmonds if possible.
It was slow going, but we made it to Edmonds and could see across. It was pretty wavy, but we decided to push and make it home.
We were in 4-5 foot waves for most of the way across.
Got to Agate Passage at 1:30pm. It felt good to be so close to home.
Pumped out and fueled up at Port Orchard Marina.
Got home at 3:30pm.
