The Cruising Adventures of Wild Blue and crew...

Jim,
If you think it is wet and grey down there you should try getting into Gorge harbor on Cortes with the 30+ Kts of SE wind and rain that the weasels promised 12 theday before. Uganda passage has been renamed Cape Horn. The rain was actually a relief from the green stuff coming over the bow but it makes those little marker thingys hard to see.

Staying put today to dry out boat and underwear.

M
 
Grumpy":2csxhef5 said:
Jim,
If you think it is wet and grey down there you should try getting into Gorge harbor on Cortes with the 30+ Kts of SE wind and rain that the weasels promised 12 theday before. Uganda passage has been renamed Cape Horn. The rain was actually a relief from the green stuff coming over the bow but it makes those little marker thingys hard to see.

Staying put today to dry out boat and underwear.

M
Click to expand...

Hey Merv,

I arrived home (well, back to our boat) with dry underwear, thanks to the foul weather gear I was wearing. Someone once told me, "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing choices."

Yeah, whoever that was is full of crap! :twisted:

Overcast here today, rain the next two days... and after that, the 10 day forecast is showing... "a slight risk of sunshine." :mrgreen:

Travel safe, have fun, stay dry.

Jim
 
JamesTXSD":14a2bu4a said:
A nice ending to the day off that didn't happen...

http://captnjim.blogspot.com/2012/06/th ... s-off.html

We got to have supper with Casey when we got off work, check out Katmai (nice!), and were treated to this view as we walked back to our boat...

CalmWaterE.jpg

Not a bad image from my cell phone.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
Click to expand...

Hey Jim- You may be a master photographer, but your cell phone picture is my new background/screen saver. Just beautiful. Thanks. MartyP
 
Thanks, Marty. Glad you enjoyed the image.

An interesting day out on the water today - lots of whales, including a humpback that I couldn't get close to because... there were Orcas between us and the whale! :D

The folks on our boat got quite a show. Fortunately, they had a good spirit of adventure, as well - coming out from behind the wind shadow of San Juan Island, Haro Strait was kicking up. 20+ mile per hour wind out of the SW will do that. We paced a half dozen Orcas, until Turn Point on Stuart Island made it pretty important to do a 270º turn (maybe that's why they call it that? :wink: ). We had to take 3+ foot waves on the beam for a while, making for some rockin' and rollin'. To give our guests a better ride, I turned into the waves, quartered off just a bit to make some headway, then spun the boat to surf back towards the whales with the wave action. When I could ease the power back so the guests could here me, I shouted down to make sure everyone was doing alright.

We did that for a while, when I got a report of the humpback north and east of us. I could see the spray from his blow, but never saw him above the waves... the spray is a lot bigger than that thrown by the Orcas. I made every effort to get us closer, but the Orcas had other ideas... like the old saying about "couldn't see the forest for the trees," we couldn't see the whale for the whales. :mrgreen:

When the naturalist told me that one guest was feeling a bit green (and understandable with the conditions), I turned us toward some protection near Stuart Island. The clear conditions made for great viewing, and we were treated to a couple bald eagle fly overs. In through the calm water in Johns Pass, watched a seal and some seagulls wrestling for fish, another eagle, and back towards Friday Harbor. The wind vs current in San Juan Channel made it a bit lumpy on the way back, but nothing like we had earlier.

Joan took me out for pizza for Father's Day, and we were home in time to talk with our sweet daughter once more. Sorry I couldn't be with our little girl, but still a very nice Father's Day. :D

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Jim, your description of where the whales are almost sounds like the Navy going into battle. :lol: I must confess I've never understood that if I'm dead in the water, engines off, and a whale or whales swims TO ME, then I'm in violation? :? :roll: Only the federal gov't would use that "logic".
 
localboy":3qm77o5k said:
Jim, your description of where the whales are almost sounds like the Navy going into battle. :lol: I must confess I've never understood that if I'm dead in the water, engines off, and a whale or whales swims TO ME, then I'm in violation? :? :roll: Only the federal gov't would use that "logic".
Click to expand...

Ah, not so, Mark... the state government also uses that same logic. And, yes, if the whale swims TO you, the violation is even worse, because... "you are in the path of the whale." There is no gray area in the way the federal and state laws are written. At a recent meeting of the Pacific Whale Watch Association, I asked if "intent" is taken into consideration for tickets and fines. I was told, "You can try to show lack of intent when defending the ticket, but the law is specific - if you are inside the 200 yard lateral or 400 yard in the path of, you are in violation.

This applies to all water vessels, not just commercial operators.

Similar laws are being debated in Canada.

-----------

We had the day off today and were out and about with Wild Blue. Yep, we saw whales... twice. And we weren't even trying. 8) (And, there are photos.)

http://captnjim.blogspot.com/2012/06/lo ... juans.html

Best wishes,
Jim
 
The crews of Anita Marie (Fred & Robbin) and C-Cakes (Barry and Patti) are in Friday Harbor. Fred took us on a "walking tour of Friday Harbor in the rain" while searching for a Thai restaurant. They were full, but the Mexican restaurant next door served up unique Mexican food. Back to Fred and Robbin's boat with the 6 of us for dessert! A great evening and fun get-together.

couples.jpg

Robbin was telling a story... I think this one involved hunters, a handgun, and hearing (or lack thereof). Or maybe it was Fred telling about panties and Tom Jones? Or maybe...

More rain predicted for today (a back-to-work day for Joan and me), but there was a 30 second sun-break :hot this morning. I think that was it for the day.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Yeah Jim, now you understand why we poor, soggy Pacific Northwesterners live for our "sunbreaks". Sometimes that's the only sun we'll see for weeks. :thup :hot

Speaking of which, I'm getting all the sun, heat and humidity I would ever want up here in 90 degree Boston. I'm really missing Nature's air conditioning the PNW provides right about now. :cocktail
 
Jazzmanic":3dhbgp97 said:
Yeah Jim, now you understand why we poor, soggy Pacific Northwesterners live for our "sunbreaks". Sometimes that's the only sun we'll see for weeks. :thup :hot

Speaking of which, I'm getting all the sun, heat and humidity I would ever want up here in 90 degree Boston. I'm really missing Nature's air conditioning the PNW provides right about now. :cocktail
Click to expand...

Indeed, Peter. I was wearing longjohns again today - no issue with that "Nature's a/c" here!

I had a visit from Merv and Kathy today, and an "bonus ride"...

http://captnjim.blogspot.com/2012/06/in ... g-day.html

A preview...

MervKathyE.jpg

SunCatE_001.jpg

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Bob,

Don't tell Jim but we "locals" are just keeping an eye on him and making sure he does not cause too much trouble with the local "fauna".

Merv
 
Grumpy":jvjh3rz7 said:
Bob,

Don't tell Jim but we "locals" are just keeping an eye on him and making sure he does not cause too much trouble with the local "fauna".

Merv
Click to expand...

I think the local fauna like me, I don't cause them any stress... maybe their cousins from the Tropical Tip let 'em know we were coming? :wink:

If I could decipher their clicks correctly, I think they were saying: "Whirp, click, don't call us 'frickie-dickie', click, click, whirp." 8)
 
I'm waving, Charlie, but the view from that camera doesn't show our small boat liveaboard dock. 8)

Walk down the dock from Customs, turn left at the first dock, look for the kayaks on top of the good-looking blue trim C-Dory... that's us. :D
 
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