Summer Cruise Aboard "Jubilacion" 2017

It’s another traveling day, but because slack at Yuculta Rapids isn’t until 1343 hrs, we don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn.  Yay! We worried that the wind might be a factor, since the forecast calls for gale force winds in Johnstone Strait.  However, the route we’re taking through the Yuculta, Dent, Green Point and Whirlpool Rapids should offer us a lot of protection from those winds. 

We left an hour early for Yuculta Rapids, twenty miles north of us, just to make sure we didn’t miss slack tide.  Al turned off the engines near the entrance to Hole-in-the-Wall and we drifted for about 30 minutes, waiting for the current in Yuculta Rapids to lessen.  Thirty minutes before slack, several boats started through Yuculta.  The water looked fairly calm, so we decided to go for it too.  Good call.  We got through Yuculta Rapids, Gillard Passage and Dent Rapids easy as pie.  We only had 12.5 miles before reaching Cordero Anchorage, near Green Point Raids, where we anchored for an early dinner, while waiting for the current to lessen at Green Point and Whirlpool Rapids. 

Al whipped up a delicious spaghetti dinner, and we dined while watching the swirling waters of Green Point Rapids from our protected anchorage.

About an hour before slack, the current didn’t look that bad, so we decided to head for Forward Harbour, where we would anchor for the night.  The current wasn’t that bad, but the wind had really picked up.  Just before we got to Whirlpool Rapids, we were seeing 50 knot gusts!  Luckily, at that point,  we only had about 3 miles to go before we reached the sheltered waters of Forward Harbour. 

 

The wind is supposed to blow 10 to 20 knots today, so we got a fairly early start, even though Squirrel Cove is only 40 miles north of here. 

With very little wind, and only a half knot of current against us, we were making good time.   “There’s a porpoise!”, I shouted.  Grabbing my camera, I hustled outside to see if I could get a shot.  As I scanned the horizon, It appeared that I was too late.  Then, I saw a spout.  It was a whale, not a porpoise, and he was headed right for us.  Then, up went his tail and he was gone.

 

 

We made Squirrel Cove by 1215 hrs.  There were 7 or 8 boats anchored in the cove.  The hot weather is still with us, and there isn’t a breath of air.  A little rain would sure be nice.

The sunset was beautiful, eventually turning the whole cove a luscious pink.

 

The wind blew like stink the whole time we were in Nanaimo.  But, since we were tied up to a dock, it was not a problem.  We’re having a killer heatwave, sending temperatures into the 90’s.  I’d complain, but it was 112 at home in Redding, so I guess things could be worse. 

We picked up fresh produce, washed the boat down, filled the water tanks, and enjoyed some delicious pizza at Fresh Slice Pizza.  The pizza was so good we had it two days in a row.  Our spot on the dock was just below where the street musicians perform, so we had free live concerts.  Luckily, most of the performers were excellent.

After constantly checking for weather updates, we finally decided to take a chance on a very narrow weather window.  They predict the wind will drop to 5 to 15 knots out of the Northwest, late Saturday morning, and then rebuild to 10 to 20 in the afternoon.  If we didn’t take this window, we’d probably be stuck here several days waiting for another window.  So, we decided to take a chance.  Al decided to take the “Crossing the Monster” course for crossing Georgia Strait, which hugs the shoreline, threading through the various islands and islets, which offer some protection from the ugly seas. 

The wind was blowing 16 knots, gusting to 25 knots when we left Nanaimo, but by the time we reached Ballenas Island, the wind had dropped to 10 to 15 knots, and continued dropping the whole way across Georgia Strait.  We’d lucked out.

We headed up the east side of Texada Island, averaging about 6 to 7 knots, with smooth seas and light winds.  It was a beautiful sunny day.  Traveling conditions were great, making it tempting to keep on going clear to Squirrel Cove, on Cortes Island.  However, Squirrel Cove was over 50 miles away, and we’ve decided that this year we aren’t going to do any marathon passages.  So, we set our course for Ballet Bay, on the mainland, instead. 

Surprisingly, Ballet Bay has become popular.    We couldn’t believe it.  We hadn’t been to Ballet Bay in about 20 years.  Back then, there was an oyster farm in the bay, where we bought fresh oysters for practically nothing.  The oyster farm is gone, and Ballet Bay has become a very popular anchorage, judging by all the little sailboats anchored everywhere.  Sad.

The heatwave continues.  It was 92^oF today! 

The sun was so bright this morning it hurt your eyes.  I set out early for the north point of Montague Harbour this morning, hoping to get my paddling in before the wind came up.  It’s supposed to blow 15-25 knots this morning.  Right now it’s glassy calm…lovely.

 

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of these two red chairs.  The morning sun seemed to spotlight them.

 

When I reached the point, I noticed an eagle on the beach.  Unfortunately, he took flight as soon as he saw me, .

Mr. Oyster Catcher must have been hungrier, because he just kept on grabbing those oysters.

 

The raccoons were likewise engaged in hustling up breakfast.

I could feel the breeze freshening a bit, so decided I’d better head back to the boat. 

After dinner we went ashore for our farewell ice cream cone.  We’re heading for Nanaimo bright and early tomorrow morning.

The sunset this evening was gorgeous.

I was up early this morning, hoping to get a paddle in.  It was raining, but by the time I got myself together, the rain had stopped and conditions were perfect.

I headed out to the south point of the harbor and started paddling along the shoreline, looking for critters.  The tide was pretty low, offering countless breakfast choices for this raccoon I came across.

 

 

 

When I spotted these lines along the shore, I thought they were man-made, but found them to be rock that has eroded in this perfect pattern.

 

 

 

This beautiful heron was busy catching fish.

 

 

 

 

Looks like someone didn’t read their tide tables.

 

 

Low tides are always the best for finding sea creatures, like this anemone and sea star.

 

 

It really felt good to be back exploring again. 

At 0500 hrs, we were underway for Blind Bay, on Shaw Island.  The wind and seas were calm, but there were patches of fog all the way to Lopez Pass.  There wasn’t much boat traffic, probably because it’s Father’s Day, so our passage was quite relaxing.  It felt good to be back on the water. 

Our friend, Jean Hart, on “Jambo IV” hailed us on the VHF, but the signal was so poor we weren’t able to respond.  We haven’t seen Jean since she bought Ernie Harding’s boat, “DX”, a few years ago and renamed it “Jambo IV”.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to meet up with Jean somewhere along the way.

By 1400 hrs, we were anchored in Blind Bay on Shaw Island.  There’s still shifting fog, which I hope clears out before we leave in the morning.  Al got busy fixing us a delicious dinner of barbecued baby back ribs, fresh corn on the cob, zucchini, yellow squash, brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower rice…..outstanding.  And for dessert, luscious fresh Rainier cherries.

It rained most of the way back to Seattle, which was refreshing after spending the last few weeks dealing with temperatures in the 90’s and above.

Luckily, we didn’t have much to do to get the boat ready for leaving, again.  I bought fresh produce and a few items to replenish our stores.  Al checked all the boat’s systems and found everything to be in good order.  So, once we checked the weather and found a weather window, we fueled up and were ready to get on with our summer cruise.

Once the house inspection was complete on our house in Cottonwood, we started packing up and moving everything we could handle ourselves to the new house in Redding.  At the same time, our painter started painting the fireplace/entertainment center we’d had built, which turned out more beautiful than we had imagined.  I’m already looking forward to winter, when we can enjoy it.

 

 

 

Finally, after three weeks of frustrating negotiations with our buyer, we decided the man wanted to steal our house, not buy it, so we terminated escrow, took the house off the market and called the movers to finish moving all the furniture to the new house in Redding. 

Once the Cottonwood house was empty, and we’d settled into the Redding house, we started  making preparations for returning to the boat. 

After considering what was important to us at this time in our lives, we concluded that we would move to our new home in Redding, no matter whether our Cottonwood house sold or not.  It was time to get on with our lives.   

Somehow we managed to get everything in the car and were on the road by 5 o’clock.  The weather was beautiful, but got warmer and warmer as we got closer to Redding.  We weren’t looking forward to the 104^oF weather that was predicted.  It was a beautiful clear day, however, giving us a spectacular view of Mount Shasta.

 

 

Shasta Lake was full of water.

 

By the time we finally arrived home in Cottonwood it was almost 5 o’clock.  Surprisingly, the house wasn’t as hot as we thought it would be.  Al got our MasterCool going, turned on the propane, lit the water heater, and started unloading the food into the freezers and refrigerators.  Before long, we had the car unpacked and were ready for a glass of wine and a bite to eat.  It had been a long day.

 

 

I don’t know how to act with all this free time on my hands.  Until escrow closes, we’re just cooling our heels.  So, I had fun doing all the things I’ve never had time to do here, such as……

I’ve discovered a wonderful store called Total Wine & More, just a few blocks from the marina, and miracle of miracles, they have lots of parking!  It’s a huge store, with wines, beers, ales, ciders… every kind of spirit imaginable, from all over the world, and helpful employees who are ever so helpful in suggesting the perfect selections for your taste.  They have wine tastings every Wednesday and Saturday.  I’m definitely going to have to attend one of those.  I spent over an hour filling up my cart.

One very stormy, windy afternoon I spotted parasailors, playing the updrafts off Magnolia Bluffs, just to the north of the marina. 

Every day that it wasn’t raining, or blowing like stink, I’d take a walk on the Elliott Bay Trail.  I started out walking as far as an hour would take me.  Then, I started lengthening my walk a little every day, until I was walking as far as the Seattle Aquarium, a three-hour walk, roundtrip .  I decided to take some pictures with my smartphone, so that you could enjoy the sights with me. 

Jubilación, first boat on “B” Dock

The walk along the marina is especially pleasant, with a variety of trees, flowers and shrubs that are meticulously maintained. 

The cruise line terminal is right next door to the marina, so I always like to check to see which ships are in port. 

Once I’m out of the marina, I have to walk up and over the Magnolia Bridge (a real workout in itself), and then up and over the 15th Street bridge, which takes me over the railroad tracks that service the Port, and onto the Elliott Bay Trail that runs along the Elliott Bay waterfront and Port of Seattle. 

The Elliott Bay waterfront is a mixture of port facilities, giant sculptures, a Rose Garden, patches of beautiful landscaping, tiny beaches and blooming shrub roses everywhere.

Centennial Park is a favorite with walkers, runners and bikers.  Situational awareness is very important here, if you don’t want to get run over.

The Pier 86 Grain Terminal is an impressive operation on the waterfront.  There’s a steady stream of trains filled with U.S. grain waiting to fill grain silos, which will be emptied into ships from all over the world.  This operation is so automated that they can fill one of these huge cargo ships in one day!

There are so many species of trees everywhere, like this beautiful pink Horse Chestnut.

There is a beautiful little rose garden, with many varieties and colors of roses.  Unfortunately, those roses were not blooming yet.

Next comes the 9-acre Olympic Sculpture Park, with its huge sculptures, most of which are questionably artistic, in my humble opinion……but then, what do I know.

I did find a couple of sculptures that were pleasing to me.  The first one is called “Echo”, after the mountain nymph of Greek Mythology.  The piece was created by Jaume Plensa, a world renowned sculpture.  The model was a 14-year old Chinese girl who worked in a grocery store in Plensa’s neighborhood in Barcelona.  The piece is huge — 45 feet tall, made of concrete and resin.

It’s a shame they didn’t place her in a better setting.  When she was originally commissioned for Madison Square Gardens, she was placed on a grassy knoll, and she was exquisite.

The other piece was a fountain sculpture by a 94-year old woman, called “Father and Son”.

At the end of the Trail, I spotted the giant Seattle’s Great Wheel, erected several years ago. 

The sidewalk was under construction, so I wasn’t able to get very close.  This zoomed shot will have to do for now.

When I looked at my watch, I couldn’t believe the time.   I’d been so absorbed in taking photos, I didn’t realize I’d been walking for 90 minutes, and I still had to walk back to the boat!   

Later that evening, Al said, “I think we ought to be there for the home inspection. “Makes sense to me”, I said.  So, we packed up everything in our refrigerator and freezer, and prepared to make the 12-hour trip home to Cottonwood.