MV Independence

Favorite Eats: Green Curry And A Few Shrimping Tips

2012-04-14T10:03:00.001-07:00

I like exotic flavors in food, and one of my favorites is Thai green curry. There seems to be a magical mix of flavors with green curry that just makes the taste buds in your mouth just sing - salty, tangy, sweet, and spicy. What's more is that you can make it with whatever you like, there's no rule that says you have to have this or that in YOUR green curry. I've put all sorts of galley "stuff" in my green curry - broccoli, canned peas and carrots, celery, carrots, bell peppers, tomato slices, potatoes, green beans, pea pods, zucchini, cauliflower, well you get the idea. As for the "meat" or protein for your green curry, you can use pork, or chicken, or my favorite shrimp.

Remember we're on a boat, so the rules of least mess and work apply. That means one pot. So what victuals do you need in your larder for green curry? In British Columbia you can buy powdered coconut milk which works good in a pinch, but I prefer a can of real coconut milk. Don't mess with trying to make your own green curry spices, just by a jar of pre-made green curry. Again, believe it or not, many of the little coastal marina grocery stores carry pre-made jars of green curry spices. Popular brands are Mae Ploy, Taste of Thai, Thai Taste, Maesri and many more. It will help to have fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, and some dried basil (If you have fresh basil - great). Finally, some canned jalapeno's (or fresh) to add some heat. How do you want to serve your green curry? You can use Ramen noodles, Minute Rice, or any kind of noodles. Hey! It's your curry.

Ready, let's start to make your boat version of green curry...

You will need the following ingredients handy:

1 can coconut milk. Do not shake can. You want the cream on top.
Jar of green curry paste
Can of chicken, or 1 lb. of fresh pork, or a dozen prawns.
Vegetables: 1 stalk celery chopped, 1 carrot chopped, or can green beans (drained), or chopped zucchini, or whatever veggies you have available
1 T fish sauce
1 T lime juice
1 t brown sugar
1 T dried basil
chopped jalapenos, optional (fresh or canned) to your taste

Since green curry is not something everybody makes I'm going to do a step-by-step instruction.

Grab a deep pot, and heat 1 t of oil over medium high heat.
Open your can of coconut milk and spoon the heavy cream into the pot. Do not add the whole can, just the creamy stuff on the top leaving the coconut water to be added later. Cook this for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Don't burn it.
Add at least 1 T (or more) of the green curry paste to the thickening coconut cream and mix well continue to cook over medium high heat for about 2-3 minutes. By cooking it like this you'll really bring out the spices and flavors of the coconut and curry. By now, the aroma of exotic spices are filling the boat. Again, don't burn your paste.
If you are using chicken or pork add this now. If you are using fresh pork, pound the meat a bit with a hammer to make it tender and cut it into 1/2"-1" chunks. If you are going to use shrimp go to the next step. Mix your chicken or pork well into the green curry and coconut cream. You may also add your vegetables at this time.
Reduce the heat to low, and add the remaining coconut milk or water to the pot and stir. Add 1 T of lime juice and 1 T fish sauce, and 1 t of brown sugar. You want to get those tangy, sweet, and salty flavors. You may also add some chopped jalapenos to your curry depending on how hot you want it. Finally add 1 T of dried basil or 1/4 C of fresh basil. Finally, add 1 C of water to the pot. Let all this simmer, covered, for about 10-15 minutes until the meat is fully cooked through. If you are using fresh shrimp, add them in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Next add your package of Ramen noodles or 1 C Minute Rice to the pot, stir well, remove from heat and let the pot sit covered for about 5 minutes.
Ladle curry into bowls and serve with extra fish sauce, or lime wedges. If you want to be extra fancy, top with more fresh basil, some shredded carrots, and a few crushed peanuts.

While I enjoy shrimping or prawning a lot, many times it is easier just to buy shrimp or prawns rather than get them yourself. My reasons for buying prawns is many fold. The regulations are complex if you are shrimping in the US, but much easier in Canada. Don't always count on getting a pot full of shrimp, sometimes you come up empty handed. It takes a lot of work to set and haul a shrimp pot. There's the fuel and gear cost. And finally, sometimes you lose gear. Still want to go shrimping? Well here's my tips:

Always check the regulations first. For Washington waters, you will want to visit the Department of Fish & Wildlife site: http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/gear_rules.html. Make sure you have the right pot mesh size, buoy, labeling on your buoy, and know your area. For BC waters visit: http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/rec/species-especes/shrimps-crevettes-eng.htm
For gear, make sure you have a good shrimp pot, at least 300' of sturdy nylon line - I prefer 3/8" inch (doesn't cut into your hands so bad). And a way to spool your line. Have at least one clip on lead weight. Clip the lead weight about 20' down from where you tie up your buoy so other boaters will not entangle your pot line. The proper buoy. In BC waters I use a large cherry buoy, but in Washington waters you must have a yellow buoy. Make sure your name, boat name, and address are on the buoy. I use paint versus a marker - seems to last longer.
Avoid high current areas and popular navigation channels - if you don't you are bound to lose gear and/or not get many prawns.
Use a GPS to mark your spot where you set your pot. Drop your pot down and make sure you watch the line go straight down, not at an angle. If you set your prawn trap and the line is going down at an angle of more than 20 degrees, you are not setting your pot where you think you are. I generally drop the trap and keep the motor in and out of gear to stay right on top of where I set it. Just don't get the line caught in the prop - bad.
Watch the tides and currents. Again, high current areas will net you only a few prawns. Look for areas where there is minimal current. If possible set your prawn trap during a neap tide when there is minimal water exchange.
Best prawning spots are where streams flow into a deep inlet and just below the drop off, especially on an underwater shelf. Setting your prawn tap on the side of an underwater cliff will net you few prawns; but at the base of that underwater cliff is generally productive. Use your depth sounder to get a good picture of what the bottom might look like where you are setting your pot.
Do not use fish heads in your prawn bait. Large rockfish or ling cod are predators of prawns. Prawns will see the eyes and avoid your bait. I did a test of two prawn traps - one with heads, one with carcasses with no heads. Carcasses always had more prawns than heads. I find that fresh bait works better than old, stinky bait.
If not illegal (like in Washington) sew a dark canvas tarp tightly around your prawn trap. Prawns like dark areas. This will make it harder to retrieve but you'll have more prawns.

About a year ago I wrote a detailed blog post on catching shrimp. You might want to visit it to learn more. Go to: http://mvindependence.blogspot.com/2011/03/summer-trip-planning-catching-shrimp.html

Big bowl of spot prawns from Kingcome Inlet

No-Fish Boat Casserole & A Few Fishing Tips

2012-04-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

Despite your best efforts there are times when you come up empty-handed with 'no fish.' I hate these times when Neptune refuses to yield any bounty of the sea. The hardest part is when you return to the boat empty handed, the crew looks at you disappointed and in disgust. Next, the grumbling starts. Such as, "Oh, so what are we going to have for supper, huh Mr. Big Fisherman?!" Although you too are suffering from your lack of piscatorial prowess, it calls for quick thinking and action. You're the skipper. Give them comfort food! Like noodles in creamy, cheesy goodness, and SPAM. Huh? What? SPAM? Yes, that magical, mystery porcine meat that really signifies that you can't catch fish. It is the only way you can redeem yourself with King Neptune is by punishing yourself with SPAM. Because of this, tomorrow when you go out to fish, you and anyone who eats it will reap the bounty of fresh fish. I know it, because it repeatedly works with me. The SPAM humbles me and helps me to think what, where, and how I can be a better and more productive angler. As a result I always keep a can or two of SPAM in the boat's larder. (Can also be used as shrimp or crab bait in a pinch.)

"No-Fish Boat Casserole" was invented as a result of a wet, miserable day of fishing and not catching anything worth keeping. Once again the best and most memorable recipes are born from necessity and rummaging through the larder looking for ingredients that would satisfy the crew. It had to be easy, tasty, comforting, and nutritious, because tomorrow I will need the strength to haul in all the fish I was going to catch. There are a few victuals in this recipe that may be problematic in your larder - cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and fresh veggies. I try to always bring a big block of cheddar cheese on a cruise since you can do so much with it. Cream cheese keeps well and can easily be found at various small groceries up and down the coast. (These two items are important comfort food items so you should always have them in your larder.) And, carrots and celery seem to keep well in the dark, cool places on your boat. Again, carrots and celery are also common at coastal groceries.

Another note for this meal, you'll need a pot or pan that you can place on the grill. I don't regularly fire up my oven because it makes the boat too hot especially in summer, but I do regularly use my grill. Besides that, by placing it on the grill to cook you'll add a bit of smoky flavor to it which everyone seems to like. I also use the time that the pot is on the grill to contemplate in solitude (with a drink of course) where, what, and how I am going to catch fish tomorrow. Study the tides - when is slack? Study the charts - where are those "fishy" looking spots? Get a weather forecast. Look at your tackle and gear. Make a plan. Or, you can waste your time by making excuses why you didn't catch fish and tell the lies about the big ones that got away. Please note that the more spirits you consume the bigger the fish that got away and as a result your credibility may suffer. Be forewarned though, these sorts of fish exaggerations may negate your SPAM eating appeasement with Neptune.

Let's get started making "No-Fish Boat Casserole" so you can get back to "catching" versus "fishing."
Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
2 quarts boiling water
1 can vegetables such as green beans, peas and carrots
1 carrot or celery or both, chopped (optional)
1 C milk (powdered: 2-3 T powdered milk, 1 C water)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 C (8 oz) cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 of package (6 oz) cream cheese
1/2 t garlic powder (can use fresh too)
1 T onion powder (can use fresh too, about 1/4 onion, chopped)
1 can SPAM, chopped into cubes
1/2 cup crackers, crushed (can be Ritz, Cheese-Its, Wheat Thins, or even Saltines)

Directions:
Cook noodles in 2 quarts boiling water for 2 minutes. Add canned vegetables and any fresh veggies you might have to the noodles and cook 3 minutes more. Drain immediately. You do not want to over cook your noodles and veggies, otherwise you will end up with a soggy, sloppy mess. Next, add milk, canned soup, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, SPAM, and garlic & onion powders to noodle mixture and mix well.
Put pot or pan in oven or on grill over medium heat and not over direct flame. Cover with foil or a lid and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Resist the temptation to uncover and check. After 30 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Top with your favorite crackers for some crunch. Serve to the crew along with your fishing plans for tomorrow.

Here's a few fishing tips to ensure you'll not have make or eat No-Fish Boat Casserole. Although we do enjoy No-Fish Boat Casserole on it's own occasionally. It is pretty good comfort food when other things besides no fish ail you.

Click on image to enlarge

Look for underwater hills or humps or shelves on your chart for your area. Note when slack tide is and try to fish the location then. Just after the tide turns, fish the downward side of the underwater hill, hump, or shelf.
Avoid fishing during the middle of a big tide, or if the current is too strong.
Use your depth sounder not to look for big fish, but to look for bait fish. If you spot bait fish on your sounder you can bet there will be big fish about. If you don't see any bait fish, then your chances are greatly reduced that you will catch anything.
If you see gulls working on bait, fish the edges of the area where the gulls are feeding. Again, there's probably big fish about.
If you catch a fish, cut it's gut open and see what it is eating. Then check if you have lures that match it. Once, we caught a nice yelloweye rockfish, checked it's gut and found that it was feeding on prawns. We switched to a red or pink jig and bounced it lightly off the bottom and caught more.
Look for small or slight current ripples on the water and fish the edges of these. The bait fish will get caught in the current making them easy prey for big fish.
Fish with the current, not against it. Once you get to the end of your area, pull up your gear and return to the start. Don't waste time turning and going against the current. I've always caught more fish by going with the current than fishing against the current. Fishing against the current causes you to stay in one place and waste a bunch of gas.
If you don't get a bite within 10-15 minutes in one spot, move on.
Unless you are trolling, don't let too much line out. If jigging try to keep your line straight up and down and your jig just above (2-3") above the bottom. If your line gets too much at an angle, reel up and re-drop down.
Always check the regulations for the area you plan to fish BEFORE fishing. If not, this can really ruin your day and eating SPAM will not help.

Good luck and hope you catch the big one!

Day after eating No-Fish Boat Casserole

Favorite Eats: One Pot Boat Spaghetti

2012-02-26T11:11:00.001-08:00

No, I am not a "Ragu man" when it comes to eating spaghetti on the boat. I know that might be easiest, that is, just open a jar and heat it, cook some noodles, and then mix the two together. It still messes up two pots and "Blech!" I just don't like it. I live by my saying, "If you don't treat yourself right, no one else will." So why would I treat myself so poorly with manufactured spaghetti when I could have boat gourmet?

Rainy & cold at anchor in Mereworth Sound

This spaghetti recipe, like so many oh so great boat meals, was borne of desperation, lack of ingredients, and laziness. The crew and I had just spent all day cruising, we were all wet, tired, and cold. The crew demanded to have something hearty, flavorful, and comforting. Yes, comforting! Spaghetti is one of those all-time favorite comfort foods that will tame a scurrilous crew. It also uses bacon. You know everything tastes better with bacon. The boat smells better with bacon, everyone starts smiling because of the aroma of cooking bacon. Luckily by making this dish I averted disaster and ended up having a full, happy, and satisfied crew. So, before you leave port make sure you have the following victuals in your larder. Bacon - thick cut the better, cream cheese, chicken broth or chicken bullion cubes, canned tomatoes, red wine (duh!), Italian seasoning (or dried basil and oregano), onion powder, garlic powder, dry spaghetti noodles. Optionally you might want to have some dried red pepper flakes, grated Parmesan cheese, and dried parsley. As far as cooking utensils, you will need only a pot, plates or bowls for the captain and crew, and of course forks to eat. (The less clean up the better.)

Ready? Let's get started... Chop the bacon into quarter inch or so pieces. Heat your pot over medium-high heat and fry the bacon until just barely crisp, or to how you like it. Remove the bacon from the pot, along with most of the grease leaving about one tablespoon of grease in the pot. Turn down the heat to medium.

Next add one tablespoon each of the onion, garlic powders to the pot and stir them about for about one minute. If you have a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes add this now. If you are using fresh onion and garlic, cook until the onion is soft then add the garlic. Do not burn your onion and garlic whether fresh or dried! Ooh the boat is smelling even better now. Anticipation for supper is rising.

Next add the chicken broth (either canned or using bullion cubes already mixed with water), canned tomatoes, quarter cup red wine, Italian seasoning (1 1/2 t or 1 t of oregano and 1/2 t of basil), half of the bacon, and three cups of water to the pot (I simply use the empty chicken broth can, fill it with water, and put two cans of water in). Increase the heat and get the mix to a boil. When boiling add a good two inch grab of dried spaghetti noodles to the pot. Mix the noodles well into the pot. Now, turn down the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the noodles cook for about 12 minutes. Enjoy a glass of wine while you wait. Stir the noodles occasionally while cooking to ensure there are no clumps and that they are cooking evenly. When the noodles are cooked but still slightly chewy (al dente) remove the pot from the heat.

Next, add half of a block (about four ounces) of cream cheese and a good measure, if you have it, of Parmesan cheese. Mix the cheeses well with the noodles, cover, and let the pot sit for five minutes. This will thicken up the sauce. Finally add the other half of the bacon to the pot along with some dried parsley and serve. Viola! You have a good creamy, comforting, tomato and bacon spaghetti that only used one pot. Kids and adults love the taste and the easy clean up too.

We've enjoyed this recipe so much that we have experimented by adding prawns, left over grilled salmon, or even smoked salmon to this dish too. All of these "experiments" were hits with this recipe. When using cooked prawns, salmon, or smoked salmon make sure you add them when you add the cream cheese to the noodles. Hmm? I bet it would taste good with clams or mussels too. Again, I would add them when adding the cream cheese to the noodles. If you add the seafood too soon it would end up over-cooked. Another time, to "dress it up" I topped the spaghetti off with some chopped sun dried tomatoes which added an extra special taste. Enjoy!

Here's the full recipe in recipe form:

One-pot Boat Creamy Bacon Spaghetti
Ingredients:

5 strips (or more) bacon

1 T onion powder -or- 1 onion, diced

1 T garlic powder -or- 5 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1/4 cup red wine

1 can Italian style diced tomatoes, or diced tomatoes

1 1/2 t Italian seasoning -or- 1 t dried oregano & 1/2 t dried basil

1 can chicken broth -or- 2 chicken bullion cubes in 1 1/2 C water

3 cups water

2" diameter "grab" of dry linguine or spaghetti

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 ounces (half of an 8 ounce brick) cream cheese cut into chunks

1 t dried fresh parsley

Instructions:
Cut the bacon into 1/4-inch pieces and cook in a pot over medium heat, stirring to separate the bacon into pieces. Cook until bacon to your desired doness, then remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pot and reduce the heat to low. Add the dried onion, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute. Don't burn it! If you are using fresh onions, cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and soft.

Pour in the chicken broth, water, canned tomatoes, Italian seasoning and half of the reserved bacon to the pot. Increase heat to medium high, and bring the mixture to a boil. When it is fully boiling, add in the noodles, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the noodles are soft but chewy (al dente). Remove the pot from the heat.

Next stir in the grated Parmesan cheese and the cubed cream cheese, cover again and let stand for 5 minutes. When the 5 minutes are up, stir well to mix the noodles in the sauce. The melted cream cheese will thicken the sauce.

Serve with the remaining bacon and parsley on top.

Summer Trip Planning - Fuel Cost

2012-02-25T12:05:00.001-08:00

World events and conditions are causing fuel prices to go up, up, up. There's speculation that gasoline prices will hit $5.00 a gallon by the Memorial Day Holiday. And, generally diesel prices are higher than gasoline prices. Recently I was in Canada, and considering the dollar exchange and the cost per liter fuel prices were shocking, at $4.62 per gallon (US) of gasoline and diesel at the pump was $4.69 (US). As a result, I've heard from plenty of boating pals that they are planning to do the "Staycation" and cruise locally versus going any far distance such as Desolation Sound or the Broughtons. Several said instead of going north, they'd go south and spend time in the South Sound.

The MV Independence has a six cylinder, naturally aspirated Ford Lehman diesel. Over the past 20 years of cruising I've found this motor to be not only reliable but economical too. I monitor every trip by noting the RPMs, nautical miles, the average speed, and distance traveled and enter these numbers into my log book. Then when I get fuel I can make a good estimation of miles per gallon per RPM. Last year I made a conscious effort to reduce my cruising RPM by 100 from 1750 to 1650 RPMs. Sure this slowed me down, but I made sure to plan my trip to take advantage of the current. As a result I was able to cruise almost 600 nautical miles with an average speed of 5.92 knots and a 1.38 GPH. If I would have stayed at 1750 RPM like I have in previous years a similar cruise had an average speed of 5.98 knots at 1.63 GPH. Hmm? 100 RPMs lower, saving me 0.25 gallons per hour, but only an average speed difference 0.06 knots? I'd say that cruising at a higher RPM is not worth the cost in fuel. I went back through years and years of trips up the coast comparing the miles traveled, average speed, fuel consumed, and the results were the same year after year - lower RPMs = cost savings, without sacrificing much speed.

However "dock talk" spurred a curious assumption, "Sure you're traveling slower and saving fuel, but in the end you'll burn more fuel because it takes you longer to get there." Could that be true? Was I just fooling myself? So once again I delved into the MV Independence log book, looked over 20+ years of nautical miles, speed, RPMs, and fuel fill ups and came up with the following table which proved to me that there was a "sweet spot" where RPMs, and fuel cost are optimized. I thoroughly explained the table to my "dock talk doubters" and one-by-one they all agreed, you can save cost by traveling slower. You just need to determine what is best for your boat.

Click on chart to get a better view

I then looked at the miles a typical trip to Desolation Sound (like last year's) would cost based on the calculations in my table. Again, I said "Hmm?" The cost varied from less than $600 to over a $1,000 based on an estimated fuel cost of $4.76 per gallon, and depending on RPM and currents. So, will we stay close to home, or will we travel up the coast for our 23rd year? We will keep an eye on fuel costs, and plan the tides and currents to and from our destination. If the current is not right, we'll make plans to stay until it is, or plan a shorter cruising day. I'd recommend that you too evaluate your RPM, speed, and fuel rate so you too can find your "sweet spot" and then plan the tides each day for each cruising leg so you can have a great economical summer cruise. We will also mentally adjust to recognize that it is about the journey not the destination. For me, the worst day cruising still beats the best day at work.

Oh, and one more thing... make sure your boat's bottom is clean and free of any growth. Any growth such as mussels or barnacles growing off a transducer, propeller, or on your rudder will affect your speed. Now I always check my boat bottom prior to any summer cruise to ensure it is growth free. Here's an excerpt from my log book describing what growth can do to speed.

July 24, 2000 4322.6
Saturday. Day 1 of our trip north. The whole thing started out a little stressed. Skies were gray and the clouds low. We got a wee bit of a late start, but it was okay. As we headed up Budd Inlet we weren’t making the speed as I thought we should. We were only doing 6 kts and the engine temp was a bit high. So we pulled into Boston Harbor where I proceeded to scuba dive the boat. My wife drove up from town to help and brought me a nice hot cup of coffee. The prop was covered with barnacles, it took me 20 min. and 1,000lbs of air to scrape those bastards off. Also the engine intake had a “beach ball” sized clump of mussels growing off of it. That’s why the engine was running a bit hot. We left Boston Hbr. about 0910 and immediately noticed an increase in speed of over 1kt. and the engine temp. was much cooler. Besides it was better to see Mom again; the kids were much happier than leaving her at the dock this morning. The morning clouds are burning off and it looks to be a nice day. No wind. So onward north again.

For more information on Tides and Current planning see my previous blog posts at:

Happy Cruising!

Summer Trip Planning - Be Prepared!

2012-01-29T17:35:00.000-08:00

While the MV Independence has cruised many uneventful miles, there are on occasion when things do happen. Here's a recent log entry that describes a troublesome day.

August 8, 2006

It rained during the night and early morning. Skies are completely overcast and gray with a threat of rain. Weather radio reports a small front passing through the lower mainlaind. Ugh, that's us.

We pulled up anchor and left Squirrel Cove at 0604. Cruising through Desolation was fine, there was a 10 knot east wind blowing. We're making good time to Thulin Passage and past the Copelands, making over 6.5 knots. After passing Hurtaldo Point and really getting in to Malaspina Strait the wind picked up making for a very bumpy ride. The view down Malaspina Strait is filled with white caps from this east wind. So we decided to go down the west side of Texada Island thinking the east wind will not bother us as bad. Algerine Pass had some of the roughest water, three foot seas or more and a fresh east breeze of over 15 knots. Sure enough we got in the lee of Texada and the wind lessened until we came around Favada Point when we got slammed with the wind again. At 0900 I noticed the bilge light come on. I lifted up the engine lid and sure enough there was water in the bilge but it was going down. Soon it came on again at 1140. This I knew was not good. We were opposite of the Texada mines wharf going headlong right into a 2-3' chop. This time I went down into the engine room to investigate. To my horror I saw the main exhaust hose filling up the bilge with water - a lot of water. I shut down the engine to investigate and immediately we were beam to in the rough waters. I checked the exhaust hose and there was about a one inch hole! I came out of the engine room, sweaty, bloody (I cut my thumb badly), and scared. When I demanded a can of beer all I got was shocked looks, a beer at this time?! I drained the beer into a container and proceeded to cut the can to act as a brace and patch. I then wrapped the can with all the duct tape I had to seal the hole. The kids downed some sodas so I had those cans too. I had to be careful because the whole exhaust hose was brittle, but I got it patched. But that's not all. While we were beam to in the seas, our tow line to our 19' Zodiac had come undone. Only a thin line was keeping the Zodiac tied to the MV Independence. So, I quickly found a new tow hitch snap and got it re-tied. Dealing with a bouncing Zodiac and boat in rough seas was enough for me.

I made for Davie Bay along the west shore of Texada Island under slow bell and dropped the hook in 60' of water in the lee of the island. I was mentally and physically exhausted. I drank the beer from earlier, took a quick nap, and thought about our predicament. After about 90 minutes, we continued on our way down Sabine Channel to our planned anchorage at Boho Bay off of Lasqueti Island. The wind and seas had abated quite a bit. We anchored at 1725 in 48' of water at high tide.

Every 30 minutes I checked my patch and found that it was indeed holding; only 3 drips every 10 seconds. I could live with that. It's a nasty day filled with wind, rain, and worry. Average speed 5.3 knots, 10:30 cruising, ending engine hours 5549.6.

We made it back to our home port in Olympia without any further incident. The patch held the entire distance and never dripped more than 2-3 drips every 10 seconds. When I grabbed the patch while safely tied up to the dock, the whole section of exhaust hose crumbled around me, except the patched area. I looked in horror what remained in my hands wondering how we made it home. You could not tell there was an exhaust hose. The consequences could have been deadly. We could have sunk, or the exhaust fumes could have over come us.

In hindsight I and the MV Independence were lucky. Investigation taught me that exhaust hose lasts about 10 years, and metal exhaust elbows about 4-6 years. The exhaust system is a highly corrosive system that contains hot seawater and exhaust and it deserves annual inspection. Now as part of my spring routine I take a ball-peen hammer and pound hard on the exhaust system every 2-3" from the engine manifold all the way to the stern. The hammer should "bounce" off the hose and make a high pitched sound on any fiberglass items (exhaust elbow, water muffler, etc.) and metal items. Any "thud" or reduced bounce gets extra attention. Besides hammering the hose and fittings, I look for any sort of "salt weep," rust, or discoloration. I make sure I have some stiff aluminum sleeves available, plenty of duct tape, Marine Tex epoxy, a big mat of fiberglass, and epoxy resin so I can make emergency repairs. Oh, and I always make sure I have a few cans of beer.

Summer Trip Planning - Part 1, Planning Tides & Currents

2012-01-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Now that it is 2012 it's time to start planning your cruising adventures. What do you need to have to start planning a successful cruise? Here's my list of essentials:

Tide and Currents book for 2012. For me the absolute best is "Ports And Passes." I will use a highlighter to mark those tides/currents that are important for me. Every year I attend the boat show to pick up the latest copy.
Paper charts - at least I start to make notations on them, pencil in compass headings, mark caution areas, mark anchorages, and fishing spots - prawning, crabbing, bottom fishing, or salmon. A paper chart will rarely fail you.
Electronic charting software - I really like "Navionics." I can use this to get distance and compass heading data on my Android tablet.
Electronic current software - I like "Currents" by Yoyana for my Android tablet. It has current data from Olympia, WA to Hope Island, BC. The BC current data is not as rich as the US current data. I refer to this to get "up-to-the-minute" information on what the currents will be where I am cruising. Such as, am I fighting a current and how much, or am I going "downhill" and how much am I getting pushed?
An electronic spreadsheet. I make a list of cruising routes and alternatives, waypoints, events (slack tide), miles, departure and arrival times, estimated speed, and time for each day cruising. My whole itinerary is in the spreadsheet. Then I can do "what if" planning by changing the time or speed for a location I can see how it will affect the rest of my trip. I can also refer to past years.

Optionally, I will also use some cruising guides and Internet tools to understand what the current status is of marinas and locations (restaurants/bars, repair facilities, stores, etc.). Here are some of my favorites:

Active Captain, www.activecaptain.com. You can also use NutiCharts Lite on your Android or iPhone to get ActiveCaptain data.
Tides & current for BC http://tides.mobilegeographics.com/zones/:America/Vancouver
Waggoner Cruising Guide
IBoatNW
ThreeSheetsNW., www.threesheetsnw.com - A great source for other cruising logs, interesting articles, and up-to-date boating news and events.

Based on all of the above information, the next and foremost thing I start looking for is favorable tides and currents. I plan my trip around this information and then request the days off for my trip. The tides and currents can also dictate where I will go and for how long. The last two years we have cruised to Desolation Sound and not gone further north because of balancing our time with tides and currents. Considering the cost of diesel fuel these days, I believe you very much need to consider how you can take advantage of the the tides and currents to push you along. Last year taking advantage of tides and currents I was able to reduce my RPMs, travel at nearly the same speed, and save lots of money. I cruised at an incredible 1.38 GPH! I saved over 0.4 gallons per hour using the tides and currents - that's $1.56 of diesel fuel every hour.

For me, I have six major tide and current areas that I have to watch - not only for the cruise up but for the return cruise too. Depending on the tides and currents they may dictate which route I cruise. These current areas are:

South Puget Sound - from Olympia to Seattle (Dana Passage, Balch Passage, Tacoma Narrows)
North Puget Sound - from Seattle to the Canadian Gulf Islands (Central Puget Sound, Admiralty Inlet, Deception Pass, Rosario Strait, San Juan Channel, Haro Strait)
North Gulf Islands - from Montague Harbor to Nanaimo (Dodd Narrows, Porlier Pass)
Georgia Strait - from Nanaimo to Desolation Sound. Although the currents are not that strong, any little bit helps and the currents combined with the weather can make for uncomfortable cruising.
Desolation Sound - from the Yucultas to Johnstone Strait (Yucultas - Yuculta, Gillard, & Dent rapids, Greene Point, Whirlpool, Discovery & Seymore Narrows, Upper & Lower Rapids)
Johnstone Strait & Blackfish Sound (Johnstone Strait, Weynton Passage, Chatham Narrows)

Finally as I have mentioned in previous posts, the tides and currents will dictate where and when I want to fish for what. For example, no use halibut fishing on Taylor Bank in Queen Charlotte Strait when there is a good flood or ebb, you won't be able to hit bottom or stay on location. Also there's a good chance you'll lose a lot of bait and gear. I look for a neap tide to fish here. If there are none, I'll aim for a slack tide. I like to go "catching" versus fishing.

So when do I believe are favorable days based on tides and currents to head north?
For Puget Sound (South & North): June 4-5, 18-19; July 2-3, 19-20; Aug. 4-5 (Ride the ebb currents all the way to Friday Harbor.)
Desolation Sound: June 23-24; July 23-24; Aug. 21-23 (Early morning slack at the Yuculta's then ride the ebb all the way through Greene Pt Rapids, Whirlpool Rapids and Johnstone Strait.)

Fishing for halibut? July 11 (PM), 27 (PM); Aug. 10 (PM). (Unfortunately the prevailing northwest winds tend to kick up in the afternoons, so halibut fishing might not be so lucky this year.)

Hope this helps your 2012 summer cruise planning. If you got questions or comments, leave a comment or email me. In Part 2 of Summer Trip Planning I will discuss routes, anchorages, customs. In Part 3, I will write about getting your boat ready for a trip. In Part 4, provisioning. Again, if you have helpful tips or comments, let me know. Happy Planning!

Favorite Anchorages: Crease Island Cove

2011-12-31T11:10:00.000-08:00

Recently on a late afternoon I was walking my dogs in the woods above my house, I heard a great horned owl hooting in the distance. Immediately my mind flashed to a memory when I was anchored at Crease Island Cove up in BC's Queen Charlotte Strait area. The owl's hoots made me shiver with the haunting memory of that night.

Quiet before the storm. Looking SW.

We very much enjoy the Crease Island Cove anchorage. It was late August and thunderstorms were predicted for the Queen Charlotte Strait area. There was an eerie stillness in the air, and conditions were very warm and humid which is unusual. The normal late afternoon winds were absent. You could tell a thunderstorm was brewing as the weather radio had warned. Gale to Storm force gusty winds were expected as well as lightning and heavy rain. As a result the anchorage was unusually crowded with boats. The depths of this anchorage are shallow, only about 15-20' over a mud and kelp bottom. The anchorage will comfortably hold about 10 boats, but there were more than that this evening. The thunderstorms were forecast to come from the west, and the cove provides good shelter from the southwest all the way through to the northeast. Only from the south is the anchorage open. The island's trees and low hills provide protection. So I felt safe.

Click on image to enlarge

Crease Island is only one island in a huge archipelago of islands that block the west entrance to Knight Inlet. The collection of islands are known as the "Indian Group." You've got Swanson Island to the far west on Blackfish Sound to Village Island at the eastern end. To the north is Knight Inlet and to the south is Johnstone Strait. There are over 50 islands of varying size in the area, which makes the Indian Group very scenic. The abandoned Kwakiutl Indian village of Mamalilaculla, on Village Island is a great stop to learn more about the rich native history of these islands. Often there is a watchman at Mamalilaculla who will tell you about the village and it's history.

I double checked my anchor setting and made careful mental note of objects on shore that would tell me if I had dragged anchor. I also made note of the boats around me and how they were anchored. There were two fish boats (trollers) anchored west of me, a 40' Chris Craft southwest of me, and a couple of small sailboats anchored north of me. To the east of of me there were many other cruising boats but they didn't worry me. The Chris Craft worried me, because I noticed he just dropped his anchor without setting it; he used a Danforth anchor; and he had no chain rode, just rope.

Initially this evening the mosquitoes were numerous and nasty and all of a sudden they just disappeared. I knew I hadn't killed them all, but it was strange that they all disappeared. Did they know something I didn't? As we went to bed around 2130, the waters were glassy calm and the air was very still. At about 2330 I noticed the boat quickly swing about at anchor and a light rain hitting the cabin roof. Suddenly a gust hit the boat, I heard the anchor line strain, and now a torrent of rain hit the boat. What was calm was now very noisy. This had all come so suddenly, the forecast thunder storm was now upon us. The wind roared through the trees, the rain pounded the water and the boat, and lightning lit up the anchorage. Incredibly there were one foot waves in this sheltered anchorage. I looked out the windows to see the Chris Craft moving east as if he was under power but he wasn't, he was dragging anchor. Fortunately he dragged just behind me. Folks in the small sailboats had their motors going and were checking their anchors. I was still holding fine. Lightning lit up the anchorage repeatedly to give you a quick look at the chaos about. The Chris Craft now had his motor going and you could hear yelling in the distance over the roar of the wind and thunder between him and a couple of boats. I was safe. The wind and rain continued for about 45 minutes and then started to calm down and I returned to my bunk.

Morning after the storm at Crease Is. Cove. Looking NE.

About 0200 I got up because once again, not because of any storm or noise, rather it was just too quiet. So quiet you could hear the water dripping off of the trees on shore. I checked my anchor - all good. I shone my spotlight about and I was still where I was supposed to be and there were no boats near me. Except for the anchor lights of neighboring boats it was pitch black. You could hear the the thunderstorm far off to the east and see purple, white, and magenta colors when the lightning lit up the clouds in the distance. All was perfectly calm. That's when I heard the hoot of a great horned owl on shore. It was a melancholy huffing type of hoot. The hairs on my neck immediately stood on end. My imagination ran wild with native spirits running about in the woods. I thought of the Thunder Bird, the suni qua (sp?), and more. I quickly returned to the safety of my bunk and fell asleep listening to the dripping water and the hooting owl, only to wake later in the morning to again all quiet. When I asked my family about the storm last night and they commented, "What storm? What owl?" I asked myself, "Was I dreaming?" I looked for the Chris Craft and he was gone, in fact over half the boats anchored last night were gone. Oh well, maybe I was dreaming. If so what a dream.

We've returned to Crease Island Cove many times since that night. It remains one of our most favorite anchorages on the BC Coast. We very much enjoy cruising about and exploring the many small islands in our dinghy. They're great for a nap, reading a book, or a picnic. But, be careful there's black bears about. I've got a great picture of my brother sitting on shore reading a book not knowing there was a black bear not more than 30' away from him. He never knew until I told him later and showed him the picture. Often times we have seen bears swimming from island to island, along with other animals - otters and raccoons. We've seen orca and white-sided dolphins in Blackfish Sound and Knight Inlet. There's great scuba diving too along these islands. (To learn more visit www.sunfundivers.com or Sunfun Divers on Facebook) There's great salmon fishing nearby in Blackfish Sound. Excellent prawning and crabbing nearby too. Port McNeill is about 19 nautical miles away where you can stock up on provisions. Or, you can easily wind your way through the islands to Echo Bay (~8 nm), just be careful of the currents and many shoals. Being right at the southern tip of Queen Charlotte Strait and just by Johnstone Strait, Crease Island Cove is a great "jumping off" point for the trip home or for points further north.

Happy New Year! May 2012 be a year filled with many safe and happy adventures.

Favorite Anchorages: Jedediah Island Area

2011-12-17T11:42:00.000-08:00

In previous posts, I have provided information on crossing Georgia Strait. In this post I'm going to describe a few anchorages that I have come to depend on when we cruise up or down Georgia Strait. If the weather permits we try to break up the long "slog" of crossing Georgia Strait into two days, otherwise it makes for a very long day. One of our favorite stops is the "Bull Passage" area. Bull Passage is formed by Lasqueti (pronounced "Laz-kee-tee") Island to the west, and Bull and Jedediah Islands to the east. This little archipelago is not only a convenient stop-over but beautiful and unique too.

Click on image to enlarge

Lasqueti Island has quite a few homes on it - some vacation homes, some permanent residents. Jedediah and Bull Islands are a BC Provincial Marine Park. These islands are great for gunkholing about in a dinghy or runabout. If you are a photographer or artist you will have hours and hours of items to photograph, sketch, or paint. The rock walls combined with the reddish arbutus trees and lighting are so beautiful. On Jedediah Island you can even find small cactus growing in small nooks and cracks within the rocks. I found these cacti by painful accident while sitting one day. You can even find some hiking trails about. There's plenty of wildlife too. There are feral sheep on Jedediah Island left over from long ago homesteaders. We have seen otters, seals, and whales in the area. Sheer and Rabbit Islands have nesting colonies of sea birds. There's good salmon fishing nearby too. Oh, one downside about this archipelago - it's mosquito heaven. On all the anchorages we have been bothered by these little voracious biting beasts.

There are several anchorages in this archipelago each one with it's own advantages and disadvantages and qualities. On the chart you will see Long Harbour but I avoid it because it is shoal. Occasionally on some neap tides I have seen boats anchored in Long Hbr, but I never have. Many of the small bays and nooks in the area are too deep, shoal too quickly by shore, or are too shallow. As a result, I have experience with six (6) different anchorages in the Bull Passage/Jedediah Island area. They are in order of my preference when anchoring in this area.

MV Independence at anchor in Boho Bay.

Boho Bay. This is a scenic and popular anchorage. Anchoring depths vary from 40' to 60' feet on a hard mud bottom. Holding is good. I've seen as many as 6-8 boats anchored here. There are some stern tie rings on the Lasqueti Island side. Many boats anchor near Boho Island. I use this anchorage in any kind of weather - NW or SE winds on the Strait. The downside to this anchorage is that it can be popular and there is a research facility at the head of Boho Bay that has pump noises, lights, and small boat traffic.
"Sheep Anchorage." This anchorage has the name "sheep anchorage" because late in the evening the feral sheep on Jedediah Island will come down to the shore to graze. It's interesting to be in your boat and hear the bleating of sheep nearby. Commonly we have enjoyed incredibly beautiful sunsets from this anchorage. Anchorage depths vary from 20' to 40' over a mud and gravel bottom. Holding is good. Few boats use this anchorage. Once we had two other boats with us anchored here. I only use this anchorage in calm weather or if a SE wind is blowing. NW winds will make this anchorage a bumpy one. Remember the winds in Georgia Strait often start to blow after midnight. So in the evening you settle down to a calm anchorage only to wake a few hours later thinking you are in a washing machine. Another downside to this anchorage are wakes from passing boats as they cruise Bull Passage.
"Paul Island Cut." This is a small and often crowded anchorage. A stern tie to shore is required. There are stern tie rings available. Depths are 20' - 40' feet. Holding good to fair. This anchorage can get crowded and I generally avoid it. I compare it to staying in a "trailer park." It is scenic though. Good protection in any kind of weather, though I get nervous in winds because of the closeness of neighboring boats even when stern tied.
"Little Boho Bay." This anchorage is seldom used and I only use it if the other anchorages are full. Anchoring depths are around 40' on a gravel and rock bottom. Holding is fair. I only use this anchorage in calm weather. The downside is the holding and the small research facility nearby. A salt water pump to feed the fish tanks is located here and you will hear its motor running for most of the time - although it does shut down late at night.
"Rabbit Island." This anchorage located at the eastern end of the channel between Bull and Jedediah Islands and west of "Rabbit Island" is rarely used because of where it is located. You have to be careful navigating the channel between Bull and Jedediah Island or coming from the Strait. So, chances are you may be the only boat anchored here. It is very beautiful with the steep rock walls and arbutus trees surrounding you on two sides. Anchoring depths are around 20-30' over a mud and gravel bottom. Holding is good to fair. I only use this anchorage if a NW wind is blowing or in calm weather.
"Always Taken Anchorage." This anchorage is a one-boat anchorage in a small nook just off of Lasqueti Island. It is quite protected in any kind of weather. Good holding on a hard mud bottom in depths 20-30'. The downside to this anchorage is that it seems to be always taken with another boat, hence the name. Caution needs to be taken because there is a rock right in the middle of the anchorage entrance. Once, another boater had to anchor here too giving me a restless night of "are we going to bump." As a result I rarely use this anchorage.

Bull Passage is about 20 nautical miles from Departure Bay, Nanaimo and about 45 nautical miles to Lund via Malaspina Strait. Or, about 34 nm via Sabine Channel (west side of Texada Island) to Lund. It's about 55 nautical miles to Campbell River. Commonly when cruising down Georgia Strait we will leave our anchorage in this area to get to Nanaimo before Area WG (Whiskey Golf) becomes active (listen to VHF Weather Radio 3). Or, many times you will notice that Georgia Strait winds die down in the late afternoon and evening, so you can do the short cruise from Nanaimo to these anchorages and then get a good start towards Desolation Sound the next day. Whichever way you go, I hope you try this great area out.

Sunset from "Sheep Anchorage"

To read previous posts about Georgia Strait and this area see:

Favorite Eats: Navy Bean Stew - Boat Version

2011-12-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

Cold days on the water call for something hot and hearty. I really enjoy this boat version of Navy Bean Stew. The whole idea of navy bean stew for me conjures up old sailing images of cruising New England's rocky shores, "Down East" boats, and places like Monhegan Island and Kittery. It's simple and hearty fare of winter ingredients of mushrooms, beans, and greens. Oh, and did I say bacon? Everything tastes better with bacon. The original version probably used salt pork, but I'll stick with bacon. Let this stew slowly cook on your stove as you motor, under slow bell, to your anchorage and enjoy a winter's day cruising. Nothing better than coming in to a warm cozy cabin, hot stew waiting, a good book, and family. Or, you can do like me, just make the stew while sitting at the dock and puttering about your boat on a cold winter's day.

Now I call it a boat version, because although you make it from scratch you are using "victuals" found in your ship's larder. The home version has fresh mushrooms, navy beans pre-soaked, and fresh greens like kale or spinach. Sure you can pack some of these things down to your boat, but if you're like me, your larder is limited in size and you've got more canned food than fresh. Sometimes the mood just strikes you for a meal that you have a hankerin' for, and you didn't leave the dock planning to make this meal; and you are too many miles away from any marina or store. Finally, you probably don't keep fresh ingredients on your boat in the winter months.

So let's get started... First, check your larder for the following ingredients:

Canned mushrooms, one large can or two small cans (If you have dried mushrooms like Shttakes, this is even better. You'll want to soak enough to have about a good cup or more.)
Canned navy beans, one 15 oz. can
Canned spinach, one 15 oz. can (you can also use kale, fresh spinach, or bok choy about 2 cups)
Chicken broth, one can or 2 bullion cubes
Dried onions, 3 tablespoons (or 1 cup yellow onion diced)
Dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon
3 strips thick cut bacon, or some kielbasa sausage (you could use SPAM if needed, I have)
1 tablespoon of ketchup (or if you are truly gourmet, a squeeze of tomato paste from a tube)
Canned potatoes, one 15 oz. can (or 3 small Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn's chopped)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar (optional)
Fresh water, about 1-2 cups

Chop your bacon into small 1/4" pieces, or thinly slice your sausage. Next, heat a large pot over medium-high heat with the vegetable oil. Add your bacon or sausage and fry until the edges just start to get crisp but not burnt. Add your dried onions or fresh if you have it and saute' for about a minute. You just want the dried onions to "wake up" and start to get soft. Add your canned mushrooms along with the water in the cans. Add the ketchup and dried thyme seasoning too. Mix well. Drain the can of potatoes and chop them if you want. Reduce the heat to low and next add the chicken broth, potatoes and water. If you are using bullion cubes you'll want to add more water, if not about a cup of water will do. Season this mix with salt and black pepper to your liking. Let the mix cook over low heat, covered, for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes just start to get soft when poked with a fork.

Drain the can of spinach, give the spinach a quick chop, and add to the pot - you can choose to add the entire can of spinach to the pot or just a portion. Next you will want to thoroughly rinse the can of navy beans. You don't want to add the bean liquid in the can to the stew. If you do, it will make your delicious stew taste pretty "funky." Once the beans are rinsed and drained, add them to the pot along with the vinegar, and let the stew slowly cook over low heat for about another 10 minutes. Stir your stew occasionally during this time. The potatoes will start to break down and thicken your stew. If it gets too thick for your taste, add more water. Just don't over cook your stew to the point where your beans start to break down. The beans should always stay whole.

Finally ladle the hot stew into bowls top and serve with some crusty french bread. If you're like me you'll add a bit of Louisiana style hot sauce to your stew to kick it up a notch. A hot rum toddy goes good with it too. Enjoy.

Variations: As a stew, you can always "fix 'er up" the way you want to. I've added 1/2 cup of red or white wine right after adding the onions. This will give it an even richer taste. If you are a garlic lover, add fresh, dried, powder when you add the onions. Do not use garlic salt, it will be too salty. Do not use Bac-O's to get that bacon flavor - Ugh! That will ruin it.

If you want the home version of the stew, drop me a note and I will either post it or e-mail it to you.

Anchoring Hand Signals

2011-12-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

Recently while on a trip down to check the MV Independence, a boat neighbor at the dock stopped me and asked about anchoring. He said that many times he and his wife get into this shouting match because she's up at the bow dropping the anchor and he's running the boat. She's screaming at him to do something, but with her back turned, and the sounds of the engines, he only hears "Bob, mumph, blah, blah, @&#%!" He said he watched us come in to a local anchorage once, and how without a word, you calmly walked to the bow, your wife took the helm, and viola' you were anchored. Never a word was heard between you two. Of course my wife gave me a dirty look and said, "why can't we do that!" He went on to comment that even when you dock your boat, even in trying conditions, you seem to have everything arranged and nary a word is said, and when a word is said, it's calm not shouting.

I offered him to come aboard, and share with me a finger of my favorite Canadian Rye. I explained that after 22 years of successful boating and 32 years of successful marriage, we have come to develop some routines. Otherwise, we would not be so successful in either boating or marriage. There was a time when we too did the shouting routine, but found it just didn't work. We anchor out 90% of the time when we go boating, so we had to come up with something. It had to be simple, clear, and effective. The idea of anchoring hand signals was born. We've been using them for over 15 years now and they work great. Letting my wife work the helm also gives her some experience working the boat. And by me doing the anchoring I sleep better at night. I then demonstrated and discussed with him each of the anchoring hand signals that we had developed.

The first three hand signals - forward, neutral and reverse - are pretty basic. When you want to have the boat move forward, the arm from elbow up is raised and pointed up. The boat will stay in gear going forward - at dead slow - until the another hand signal is given. When the arm is pointed straight out away from you and not moving, the boat should be taken out of gear into neutral. Again, the boat is kept out of gear until another hand signal is given. When the arm from the elbow is pointed down, the boat is put in reverse - at dead slow. Although not pictured, if I want the speed increased, I simply spin my wrist in whatever position my arm is in. If I want the speed decreased, I wave my fingers together in unison - making a flapping motion, like doing a child's wave. To signal okay that the right speed is set, I simply flatten my hand.

If the boat needs to be turned, my wife and I worked out that the hand is spun in the direction you want the wheel to be turned. My wife found that to be easiest and less confusing than pointing the direction, or saying "turn to port or starboard." So, the arm from the elbow is spun to the right to turn right or starboard, and the arm from the elbow on down is spun to the left to turn left or to port. Again, the helmsman performs the action until another hand signal is given. One spin of the arm means just turn a little, whereas continuously spinning the arm means hard to the direction indicated. To indicate that the correct direction has been obtained, the arm is swung forward and back from its current position.

As said above, all actions by the helmsman are continued until another hand signal is given. So we came up with these last two hand signals to indicate the action is over. Waving an extended arm slightly up and down signifies that the anchor is set and no further action is necessary. Waving the arm back and forth to above your head and back to level indicates that there is a problem. When there is a problem the helmsman takes the boat out of gear immediately, comes forward to the bow to talk, discusses the issue, and what the next actions are.

Again, the above system of hand signals works great for the captain and crew of the MV Independence. Rarely, do we ever get into a shouting match and the boat is always successfully anchored. We even use these hand signals when navigating through shoal areas or times when you need someone at the bow. At the start of each boating season we rehearse the hand signals to ensure they are still understood. We've found that having a crew that is coordinating with the skipper makes for easier and happier boating. In the end trust and respect are maintained. You might even want to discuss with your crew the above hand signals or develop your own.

At the end of the evening my boat neighbor and I had consumed more than one finger of whiskey and had invented a few other hand signals that might not be appropriate, but they sure did generate some laughs.

At anchor in Cutter Cove on a windy day.

Farewell to a Favorite - Greenway Sound Marina

2011-11-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite stops on the coast was Greenway Sound Marina. A great place to meet friends, have a great meal, charge up your batteries, get water, get some supplies, do laundry, go on a hike, take a shower, and maybe even get a haircut. Yes, a haircut. The red carpeted docks were there to greet you as well always a hearty "hello" from the owners Tom and Ann Taylor. It "was" one of the best places on the coast. That's right "was." Greenway Sound Marina is no more.

I remember first stopping in at "Greenway" back in the early 90's. We had just caught a large halibut and we needed a place to clean and package it that had plenty of electricity and water. So we stopped in and we've never really left since - always stopping in year after year. Back in the heyday of Greenway you had to call Tom on the VHF and make a reservation not only for supper but for moorage too. You'd come around the point and you would see the place packed with all sorts of yachts - big luxury yachts, world cruising sailboats, trawlers, sailboats, and weekend cruisers. You'd give Tom a 'shout' on the VHF and he'd always snuggle you in to the perfect spot with a hand. When you got up to the store/restaurant to register you'd be greeted with a hug and a handshake by Ann and Tom. Tom would then make your dinner reservation. There wasn't too much time to chat as Tom was always attending to another boater, and Ann was prepping for dinner. Both Tom and Ann worked hard to deliver that renowned red carpet Greenway service.

Thursday, 7/20/2006, Day 8
Woke to high clouds, a forecast for better or clearing weather and a return of afternoon northwesterly winds. We pulled up anchor at 0955 and headed out. Waters are perfectly calm under a high overcast sky. We’re on our way to Greenway Sound Marine Resort for the night. We went down Indian Passage, in to Fife Sound, round Notice Point in to Raleigh Passage, then in to Penphrase Passage, then Sharp Passage in to Sutlej Channel and finally in to Greenway Sound. We pulled in to Greenway Sound Marine Resort about 1420.
I hosed down the “Zipper” and the boat. Then we went to set prawn traps over in Greenway Sound. It is terribly hot out with very little wind to cool you down. So motoring out to set prawn traps was some relief from the heat. We had to re-set one trap because it was too deep and had drifted. After setting the prawn traps we motored over to the Forest Service trailhead and took a hike to the lake. The trail is deep in the woods and this too will serve as some relief from the heat. We hiked to the ‘view point’ but it was overgrown with small alder trees. Josef and I then took a quick dip in to the lake to cool off and refresh us. It was deliciously cooling and refreshing. After the hike, we returned to the marina, took showers and then had a wonderful dinner at the Greenway Sound restaurant. You just can’t go wrong. Josef and I really enjoy the New York steak with the Béarnaise dipping sauce. A fresh breeze from the S cooled the boat off later in the evening.

Sunset at Greenway Sound Marina

Come dinner time, the restaurant would be packed with all sorts of folks. Conversation was easy and friendly. Always a "Hi, we're from..." or "Oh, where are you off to now..." Tom was an excellent host mixing wonderful drinks and always attending to any need you had. Tom always had a great wine or drink recommendation. Waiting for dinner you could sit and look at the hundreds of yacht pennants that adorned the walls or gaze at the beautiful scenery from the restaurant. When the meal came, it was not only delicious but a feast for your eyes too. The food always looked delicious. Ann was very particular that everything was perfect - and it was! Always the freshest and best ingredients. Once I had some visitors from Europe with me and they were amazed at the quality of the meal they had in the "wilderness." I always ordered the Alberta beef New York steak because after a couple of weeks out on the boat all we ate was fish. Tom seemed to have a connection with the heavens too, because glorious sunsets always seemed to accompany dinner.

Fishing right off the dock at Greenway

Our children enjoyed Greenway too. They could fish right from the dock and catch big fish. Once they caught a nice 20lb + ling cod right off the dock. Or they would catch shiner perch and sell them to the other boaters as rockfish bait. There was always something to do. When suppertime came, we adults would enjoy a gourmet dinner, while Ann would make a delicious pizza for the boys to enjoy. The kitchen staff even delivered to your boat! The boys didn't mind that mom and dad were gone, they had power to watch a video and enjoy a pizza. And, after they devoured the pizza they'd come for dessert. Greenway had ice cream and all sorts of delicious desserts.

Sadly the demise of Greenway came slowly and from different directions. One, the cost of fuel limited the number of boaters that wanted to travel that far. Diesel fuel cost went from $0.50 per gallon to over two or even three dollars per gallon. Greenway was over 200 nautical miles from Seattle. Two, the economy made it tough to take the time off. Folks had to work versus taking time to travel. To ease that, Tom kept Greenway technologically up to date adding WiFi and always working to ensure there was cell service. He made connections with airlines to always offer daily service. It was also hard getting good help. Tom recruited the best help, but it was hard for the help to be so isolated. Finally the bank didn't agree with Tom about a marina in the Canadian wilderness as an investment. Three, the fishing and fishing regulations had changed. Once it was easy to catch salmon and bottom fish, but then the stocks declined and the resulting regulations decreased the fishing opportunities. And four, age. Tom and Ann were getting older. The demands of long days cooking and running a high-class restaurant took it's toll on Ann. The Taylor's tried hard to find an owner that would continue to run Greenway with the quality they created. That kind of quality is hard to find, and it just didn't work. So last year Greenway closed.

Ann & Tom Taylor

I have closely worked with Tom and Ann for many years. The Taylor's have seen my boys grow from youngsters to young men. They have seen us grow old too. I stay in touch with Tom, he's still energetic with new ideas as a twenty year old. I wish I could match his youthful thinking, quick wit, and energy. He just got a pacemaker installed and now he's back to prime form with a list of new ideas. The Taylor's have many lifelong friends from all the years they welcomed boaters. I would dare to say the Taylor's have a huge and extended family. I am proud to count myself as part of their extended family. I will miss Greenway Sound Marina. I personally don't think another coastal marina will ever match what they had. They were pioneers in the coastal marina business.

Sadly, the remote marina business is declining. The past years have seen other quality remote marinas decline and close. Again, costs to run a marina are not cheap, the season is short, and folks just don't want to take the time and cost to travel so far. When you travel north, make plans to visit these remote marinas and enjoy a night or two and thank them for their commitment. We try to stop every year at an "up coast" marina. In some coming blog posts I'll write about some other marinas that we have enjoyed. If you have some favorites, drop me a comment or an email at: capnnak@gmail.com

Favorite Eats: Cincinnati Chili

2011-11-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

As the weather forecast was predicting the first November storm with winds I thought it best to go down to the MV Independence and check things out - make sure the lines are tight, things are stowed away, and whatever else I notice. The winds blew strong through the marina. You could hear the tell tale sounds of the wind with halyards slapping the masts, and squeaks of fenders as they were pressed against the dock. Each gust would gently move the MV Independence slightly about in its slip, but I had no worries. I decided to start the engine and let it run for awhile. As usual it started right up and that brought a smile to my face. I slowed the rpms to an idle and put the boat in gear. The boat surged slightly forward but stopped as the mooring lines held tight. I commented out loud and to myself, "I'll let you run for a while." Now I no longer did I hear the sounds of the marina and wind, but the gentle purring of the motor.

While waiting for the engine to warm up, I poured my self a tot of whiskey, sat down, relaxed, and opened the MV Independence log book randomly to a page and began to read. Like a bible I enjoy reading a past log entry and thinking about past travels and adventures, particularly on a stormy day. Here's what I read...

5019.9 Monday, 8/25/2003, Day 35

Click on image to enlarge

Left Shoal Bay Marina at 0735. Skies are heavy and gray as it rained most of the night. At times heavily. Now there only some light showers. Seas are calm. We made it through the Dent, Gillard, and Yuculta rapids fine, perhaps a bit early but there were no issues. As usual there was a bunch of other boats going through too. After the rapids we enjoyed a nice breakfast while continuing our cruise south. We went through Desolation, passing our planned anchorage – Squirrel Cove at around noon. The boys and I were not in the mood to stop so soon. The weather was still cold and gray. Weather Canada was still predicting a SE storm. As we went S the weather seemed to get better. Light winds were the name of the day. We went down Thulin Passage, past Lund, and then we were considering staying at Westview/Powell River. I called to see if the ice rink was open but it wasn’t. So, we thought about it and then pressed on. We considered staying in Blind Bay but it didn’t “jive” with the next day's plans of getting through Dodd Narrows at slack. So we decided to press on to Pender Harbor. I wasn’t too keen on paying for moorage at a marina so we are trying Bargain Bay which is south of Pender Harbor. We’re anchored in 35’ at high tide. Including us, there are 6 boats anchored in the bay. When entering or exiting Bargain Bay you need to stay close to the East side to avoid a rock. It’s very peaceful here it's like anchoring in a lake. We had a nice dinner – Cincinnati Chili out on the aft deck. Then we sat out and talked long into the evening.

Cincinnati Chili? I almost forgot how good that is. We learned about Cincinnati Chili from our good friends Tom & Ann Taylor at Greenway Sound Marina in the Broughtons where it was always on the menu. (Tom was originally from Cincinnati) His wife Ann made an incredibly delicious Cincinnati Chili. Cincinnati Chili is different from most chili recipes in that it some different spices in it and its served atop a pile of spaghetti with a big mound of cheese and onions if you so desire. Unfortunately Greenway Sound Marina is closed but I'll provide you with a recipe so you can enjoy Cincinnati Chili.

I make two versions of Cincinnati Chili, a boat version - quick and easy, and a home slow cooked version. Both are good and very hearty and comforting on cold days. I mean what's not to like you got chili, cheese and pasta. Here's the quick and easy boat version that we enjoyed that day in Bargain Bay.

1 T vegetable oil
1 yellow onion diced
1 t garlic powder (or two cloves of garlic minced)
1 can chili con carne with beans
1 can diced tomatoes (I like Rotel - tomatoes with green chilis - if I have it)
1 T dried oregano
1 T cocoa powder
2 t ground cinnamon
2 t ground allspice
1 t ground cumin
1 t Worcestershire sauce
2 t Tabasco or red pepper sauce
1 T red wine vinegar
2-3 cups cooked spaghetti
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Oyster crackers

In a large pot over medium high heat add vegetable oil and get it hot. Add about a quarter of the chopped onions (about 1/4 cup) and cook until onion is soft about 2-3 minutes. Next add all the spices of cumin, cinnamon, allspice, oregano, and cocoa powder and saute them for about 1 minute with the onions. Next reduce the heat to low, add the canned chili, canned diced tomatoes, vinegar, Tabasco sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes to ensure that all the flavors develop. During this time you can also cook your spaghetti in boiling water with a touch of salt.

Place a good helping of cooked spaghetti in a bowl, ladle the chili over the top and ask, "You want a one top or a two top?" If the reply is a "one top" put a big mound of grated cheddar cheese on top. If the reply is a "two top" place diced onions on top of the mound of cheddar cheese. The final "coup de grace" is a handful of oyster crackers on top.

Tip! What we do now, to avoid always having to take so many spices on board, we mix the dried spices - oregano, garlic powder, allspice, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and cumin - into a small Ziplock bag, label it, and put it aboard in the larder just in case we want Cincinnati Chili when out cruising.

Hmmm? As soon as I'm done here at the boat I think I'll go home and enjoy a big pot of Cincinnati Chili. Just as I finished my tot of whiskey, I checked the engine and it was fully warmed up. So I shut the engine down, gave the boat a last check, and quickly hurried down the dock through the wind and rain to get some Cincinnati Chili. I know I'm going to have a "two top." Enjoy.

Which Route Crossing Georgia Strait Is Best For You?

2011-11-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

Last summer we took advantage of some very calm weather ahead of predicted stormy weather to come down Georgia Strait. Fuel cost, time, weather, scenery, and available anchorages all weighed in my decision on which "route" to travel down the Strait to Nanaimo. In the 21+ years I've been crossing Georgia Strait I've come to define three major routes that not only I but other boaters use. These are, west side, west Texada, and Malaspina. Each route has its benefits and its demerits. And along with each route there are some minor route changes that you can do. However, which main Georgia Strait route to use depends on where you are going, how much time you have, and the weather.

In my discussion on each cruising route, I will review each route based on the below criteria. Please note that the criteria below are based on my experiences and knowledge and may differ from others with similar knowledge and experience. Remember, you're the captain of your vessel and the below is only offered as advice that you may choose to use or not.

Distance from Nanaimo (Departure Bay) to a point where you technically out of any weather seas, e.g., Campbell River, or the southern end of Desolation Sound. Although your numbers of nautical miles may vary, I will report the number of nautical miles from my log book from past trips.
Weather seas. The potential for rough seas either northwest or southeast winds where you would experience "moderate" seas of 3'-4' or more. I will rate this from a "1" low risk to "5" high risk. I will further break it down into two sub-areas - Nanaimo to approximately Comox and that latitude across, and from Comox north.
Anchorages/Moorage. How many safe anchorages or marinas that are along the route and available if you were to experience heavy weather. Safe anchorages for me are where you can reliably be out of the winds and no worry of dragging anchor. I will list the number of anchorages and moorages that I would consider as safe. You may have your own favorite anchorages or marinas.
Popularity. The number of other boats that travel the same route. This can be both good and bad. I will list this as a "1" low (few boats travel this route) to "5" high (many boaters travel this route).
Hazards. Shoals, Area WG, ferries, shipping traffic, etc. I will rate this as a "1" low (few hazards) to "5" high (many hazards may be experienced).
Scenery. Views of shore, mountains, rock formations, and more while traveling. Again a scale will be used from "1" low (no scenic value) to "5" high (lots of scenery). This rating and criteria is pretty subjective and may vary from person to person.
Amenities. Places where you can stop for repairs or fuel, or provisions. A rating will be used from "1" low (few amenities) to "5" (lots of amenities).

Cruising routes for Georgia Strait. Click on image to enlarge.

West Side Georgia Strait Route.

Description:

Follows the eastern shore of Vancouver Island. Nanaimo to Denman Island (Lambert Channel) to Campbell River (Cape Mudge)

Distance:

73 nm

Weather seas:

southern end: 5 northern end: 5 average: 5

Anchorages:

4 (Schooner Cove, French Creek, Ford Cove, Baynes Sound/Comox)

Popularity:

Hazards:

1 (Ferry to Powell River, Shipping Traffic, unless you go into Comox then hazards would be a 4 because of shoals)

Scenery:

1 (May see orca in northern waters)

Amenities:

2 (French Creek, Comox)

Comments:

You’re pretty unprotected on this route and are mercy to the weather seas. For me, it is a long and boring slog up the island. However, if Campbell River is your goal then this is the route. You can skip going up Lambert Channel and save about 5 nm.

West Texada (Sabine Channel) Georgia Strait Route.
Description:	Nanaimo to Bull Passage, then up Sabine Channel along west side of Texada Island and then to Lund
Distance:	57 nm
Weather seas:	southern end: 3 northern end: 4 average: 3.5
Anchorages:	1 (Lasqueti/Jedediah Is.)
Popularity:	1
Hazards:	3 (Area WG, Mystery Reef, Shipping Traffic, Ferry to Powell River)
Scenery:	2 (Jedediah Is.)
Amenities:	1 (Lund)
Comments:	I do travel this route but only in good weather, it saves me a bit of time and we really enjoy Jedediah Marine Park. Going up the west side of Texada is boring.

Malaspina Strait Georgia Strait Route.
Description:	Nanaimo to Texada, then up Malaspina Strait to Powell River, then to Lund
Distance:	61 nm
Weather seas:	southern end: 3 northern end: 3 average: 3
Anchorages:	5 (Ballet Bay, Blind Bay, Garden Bay, Grief Point, Powell River)
Popularity:	5
Hazards:	3 (Area WG, Boating Traffic, Shipping Traffic, Ferry to Powell River)
Scenery:	3 (Forested shores of Texada, views of mountains)
Amenities:	5 (Garden Bay, Grief Point, Powell River, Lund )
Comments:	We travel this route the most, although I don’t often like the passing wakes from large powerboats. We have seen bears along the shores of Texada Island. You don’t feel alone on this route with all the other boats. And, I’ve ducked into several different spots when I got tired of beating through the waves and swell.

Just SE of Lund

When crossing Georgia Strait I always listen to Comox Coast Guard Radio on WX 3 particularly for the weather “Georgia Strait – North of Nanaimo.” They will tell me if Area WG (Whiskey Golf) is active and provide weather reports at the below locations to help me choose the best route. The weather radio forecasts are updated at 4 AM, 10:30 AM, 4 PM, and 9:30 PM. Automated weather stations are updated each hour.

Entrance Island – Lighthouse report
Merry Island – Lighthouse report
Chrome Island – Lighthouse report
Cape Lazo – Lighthouse report
Cape Mudge – Lighthouse report
Ballenas Island – Automated report
Sisters Island – Automated report
Grief Point – Automated report
Sentry Shoal – Automated report

So there you have it my analysis of three cruising routes for Georgia Strait. I hope this information helps you on deciding which route is best for you. Again, it is based on 21+ years of experience crossing this inland sea which I call the “Monster.” If you have any comments or suggestions I welcome them. Happy cruise planning.

Favorite Anchorages - Cullen Harbor, Queen Charlotte Strait

2011-10-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

It's rainy, windy, fall mornings like this that have me dreaming of summer cruising both past and future. As I sip my morning coffee I can imagine myself sitting in the MV Independence at some remote anchorage and watching the rain come down. The image that many times comes to my mind is the anchorage at Cullen Harbor just at the entrance to Fife Sound at the far northeastern corner of Queen Charlotte Strait. For all the anchorages between Puget Sound to Alaska this has got to be one of, if not my most favorite anchorage. Oh so many memories of fishing nearby, playing in the tidal rapids in Booker Passage, exploring the many islands and bays, scuba diving, seeing wildlife - dolphins, whales, seal lions and bears, and meeting friends here. How many times we said, "Let's just stay another day here."

Click on above to enlarge

Cullen Harbor is a great all weather anchorage. Depths average around the harbor at 30'. The bottom holding is good with a hard but pliable clay bottom with kelp that will really allow the flukes of your anchor to dig in. I've never dragged anchor here. The harbor has room for about 20 or more boats but I've never seen that many here. It's especially well protected from any stormy SE winds. We've hunkered down several times here to escape some pretty nasty blows. If you want privacy there's a few little nooks you can anchor in. If you really want privacy or protection you can anchor in nearby Booker Lagoon too. No wind or swell will enter the lagoon. And, not too many folks are willing to navigate Booker Passage to get into Booker Lagoon. Traveling Booker Passage is easy during slack tide and you don't have to worry about any shoal water. I've scuba dove the entire cut and the shallowest it gets is 40'. There's four good anchoring areas within the lagoon, the prettiest being the far western bay.

inukshuk

Booker Lagoon offers great gunkholing for those days when the weather "outside" in Queen Charlotte Strait is nasty. The lagoon gets filled with moon jellys during the summer. We fully explored the many islands in and around the lagoon erecting inukshuks on them and searching for trinkets and treasures. Some of the islands made for a great picnic spot or sunny spot to read a book. We've done crabbing and shrimping in the lagoon too. For many summers a pair of white-sided dolphins lived in the lagoon entertaining any visiting boater with jumps and tail dances. We even snorkeled with the dolphins and that was an adventure that will live forever in our minds. The dolphins would come at you out of nowhere and quickly turn just inches from you. They would jump over you. And sometimes would stop and hover close to your mask to get a good look at you. It was fantastic.

Snorkeling in Booker Passage

If you're a scuba diver or a snorkeler, diving Cullen Harbor and Booker Passage is world class. There's plenty of exotic underwater wildlife and things to see... Puget Sound King Crab, octopus, rock fish, basket stars, anemones, tube worms, kelp forests, and so much more. Diving here is not to be forgotten, as it is one of the best dive sites on the west coast. Many times you will see dive charters from nearby Port McNeill diving Booker Passage during slack tide. (Contact Sun Fun Divers in Port McNeill to book a charter) When boating make sure to give them wide passage.

There's plenty of good fishing opportunities just outside of Cullen Harbor in Fife Sound. Note that all of Cullen Harbor, Booker Lagoon, and the islands around Booker Passage are all protected as a Rockfish Conservation Area. However the steep north and south shores along Fife Sound offer good fishing for ling cod and salmon. Try trolling the tide rips that form at the entrance to Fife Sound and chances are you'll get coho or pink salmon when in season. Early mornings trolling very slowly along the rocky steep walls might even get you a nice sized Chinook salmon. We've even caught halibut just outside of Cullen Harbor. Large balls of herring or eulachon or pilchards will enter Cullen Harbor too. Fish around these and you might get lucky with a big fish - we have. If you want shrimp and prawns you'll need to travel farther down Fife Sound as the currents just outside of Cullen Harbor are too strong for good shrimping. Although there's a few shrimp in Booker Lagoon.

Steller's sea lions just off of Screen Island in Fife Sound

For wildlife, many times you can find humpback whales just outside of Cullen Harbor. Blackfish (small pilot whales) will enter Cullen Harbor to feed. Just south of Cullen Harbor, across Fife Sound you will see a large rocky island (Screen Is.) that is popular with very large Steller's sea lions. You can hear them barking and growling on quiet mornings while anchored in Cullen Harbor. If you motor or kayak by this island you will see them swimming about, or sitting on the rock, or if lucky jumping off the rock and into the water. The bulls weigh as much as 1,000 pounds and they'll make a huge splash when jumping in. You can see killer whales in the area too. One year, late in the season, we were entertained with hundreds of white-sided dolphins. They were jumping, tail dancing, and splashing about just off of Eden Island. It was quite the spectacle. Of course you can always get a chance to see black bears. If you are lucky you'll see them swimming from island to island looking for food.

Boys going exploring in Cullen Harbor

Finally one of the best features for my adventurous boys were to play in the tidal rapids in Booker Passage. During large flood spring tides the current will create a large overfall and standing wave of about four feet and a subsequent whirlpool of about 10-15' in diameter. If you have a dinghy with an 8 HP motor or larger you can safely navigate these tidal rapids. I wouldn't try the rapids in the MV Independence though. One year we had all of us in our dinghy and we couldn't make it out through the tidal rapids - the current was just too strong and it was not safe with the waves. So we retreated to a small rocky island, had a snack, went beach combing, and waited three hours when the current was much less and then we easily made it back to the MV Independence anchored in Cullen Harbor. But oh how the boys loved the adventure and the thrill, and it made for many long discussions of "how we were stranded and may never make it back."

If you need provisions Echo Bay is an easy 13 nautical miles away. Port McNeill is about 25 nautical miles away. You can use Cullen Harbor as a base to explore the many islands and bays around Eden, Mars, and Bonwick Islands just to the south of Cullen Harbor.

For me, Cullen Harbor and Booker Lagoon are small pieces of heaven on earth. So many wonderful memories occurred in these places. I think I'll take another sip of coffee, close my eyes, and enjoy the memories a little bit more. Did I say it's raining, windy, and gray outside?

Want to read more about shrimping or crabbing or fishing? Or cruising to the Broughtons? Try visiting these previous blog posts:

Summer Trip Planning - Going Beyond Cape Caution

2011-10-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

I know it's fall and the summer cruising season is just over, but this is the time I start planning for next summer's cruising adventures. There's a whole new experience of wilderness cruising called the "BC Central Coast." This area stretches from Queen Charlotte Strait in the south to approximately Klemtu in the north. It is an area that will provide cruising adventures for a lifetime. There are several spectacular cruising areas within the Central Coast such as Rivers Inlet, Hakai Pass, Ocean Falls, Fjordland and more. However to get to these dream cruising places you've got to cross Queen Charlotte Sound and go beyond Cape Caution. This can be a significant cruising challenge for any boater - experienced or not. You will have to deal with open ocean waves and swell, strong currents, and shoal areas. Several times I have made this trip without any problem, but a few times the crew was seasick and about ready to mutiny.

Click on chart for larger image

There are two major routes to go beyond Cape Caution, one is to take the more direct route from Port Hardy, and the other is to follow the lee shore and go along the mainland coast. The route from Port Hardy is shorter, more direct, and has less challenges of current and shoal areas, but is also more open to weather and provides few opportunities for shelter. Once you leave the Goletas Channel area you are committed to go all the way. I have done this and have spent several hours in very uncomfortable beam seas as the waves and swell came from the west and I'm traveling north. I often jokingly say, "The only thing stopping the waves and swell here is Japan." Currently the crew does not like this route at all and will immediately object if I suggest it. The other route by going along the mainland shore offers you more opportunities for shelter and less beam seas, but you have to deal with currents and shoals. This is the preferred route that we normally take when going beyond Cape Caution.

Click on above chart for larger image

The planning for the mainland route crossing starts at Blunden Harbor which is a great all weather anchorage with excellent holding. We've waited out several blows in this harbor. There's plenty of exploring to do and there's good crabbing too. To start planning for this crossing, listen to the weather forecast for the Central Coast from MacInnes Island to Pine Island. You'll want to listen to lightstation weather reports at Pine Island and Egg Island along with the continuous reports from Herbert Island and West Sea Otter. The lightstation reports and the weather buoy at West Sea Otter will give you an idea of the sea conditions of wave height and swell. My suggestion is if the wind is anything greater than 15 knots and seas of three foot moderate or more, you're in for a rough and uncomfortable ride. You will also want to consult the tide and current tables for Nakwakto Rapids. Do not travel the "mainland route" during any kind of large ebb with winds over 15 knots. If you do you will experience rough and steep seas particularly by the Jennette Islands, Slingsby Channel, and Egg Island. I try to time my route during an early morning flood before the typical afternoon westerly and northwesterly winds pick up. I recognize that I'll have to fight the current for a good long distance, but it will make for better seas and a happier crew.

Alternate route to anchorages

Once you go around the Jennette Islands you will immediately feel the waves and swell from Queen Charlotte Sound if the winds are from the west or northwest. One year we were happily cruising along fighting a two foot chop and "wham" we went to steep four foot seas or more almost as soon as we passed the light on Jennette Island. The crew was not happy and we immediately made for one of two good anchoring refuges - Skull Cove or Miles Inlet. Both of these anchorages offer good protection from weather and offer good holding. Miles Inlet will provide anchorage for about four boats, whereas Skull Cove will offer anchoring for dozens of boats. If the seas are particularly rough you can take a alternate route to Skull Cove which will take you out of the rough water sooner. One year the westerly winds never let up and we never went around Cape Caution instead staying at Skull Cove and exploring the islands of the Murray Labyrinth and going into Seymour and Belize Inlets. We had good crabbing, good fishing, and lots of exploring. It turned out to be one of our best trips ever.

Once you get past Cape Caution stay well to port of Egg Island and Dugout Rocks. At this point in your crossing if there are any kind of westerly winds you will probably be beam to the waves and swell. Once you pass Dugout Rocks you can put the prevailing westerlies to your port stern quarter and start to ride the waves and swells into Rivers Inlet and stay at Duncanby Landing or farther in to Dawsons Landing, or go on to our favorite anchorage Fury Cove. If you experience rough beam seas by Egg Island and had enough that, you can always turn into Smith Sound and go exploring there too. There's plenty of excellent anchorages and things to do there too.

Be prepared. As far as cruising essentials you will want to make sure you have any spare parts that you might need and make sure your boat is in perfect operating condition. Make sure to top off your fuel and water tanks. The marinas are far and few between beyond Cape Caution. Make sure you have the paper charts you need; don't just rely on electronic charts. Take the time to study the charts before you go so you'll have a plan if the weather turns sour. Check with your marine insurance provider - many insurance policies only go as far as Hope Island at the end of Goletas Channel. You may need to pay for extra insurance or get a waiver. Finally make sure your radar is working - chances are you will need it. June is typically wet with low clouds. July is typically windy particularly in the afternoons and evenings. And August is known locally as "Fogust" with strong afternoon winds after the fog lifts.

Cruising beyond Cape Caution provides you some of the world's best cruising opportunities as well as incredible fishing for salmon, halibut, and bottom fish. The wildlife viewing opportunities are rich too - wolves, bears, whales, dolphins, and more. And finally if you want that remote scenic anchorage all to yourself there's plenty of them to be found. Hope this helps.

MV Independence at anchor in Fury Cove

Interested in other "summer trip planning" posts? You might want to search the MV Independence blog for:

Favorite Anchorages - Turnbull Cove, Grappler Sound

2011-10-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite anchorages when visiting the Broughton Archipelago is Turnbull Cove at the far northern end of Grappler Sound. For me it is one of those anchorages where you can truly sit back and relax. It's a quiet anchorage where you can hear the rain dripping off of the trees after a rain, the sounds of birds in the woods, quite simply it is a place where you can do some meditation. However, there's lots to see and do if you are adventurous.

Click on image to enlarge

Calm before the storm in Turnbull Cove

Getting to Turnbull Cove is easy and there are no navigational hazards. You travel up Grappler Sound, around Watson Point, through the narrows between Watson Island and the mainland, and turn to port into beautiful Turnbull Cove. Currents will reach up to 5 knots by Watson Point and through the narrows, but there are no rapids. Turnbull Cove is very protected from any kind of weather. It can be stormy out in Queen Charlotte Strait and you'll barely notice the winds in Turnbull Cove. Once we waited out quite a blow here and barely experienced a ripple. The hard mud bottom has good holding all around. I like to anchor in the western side of the bay in about 30-40' of water.

At the far northern end of Turnbull Cove you can hike to Huaskin Lake - look for the collection of pilings and the BC Provincial Parks trail head sign. It's not much of a trail, a simple straight up trail up the old logging shoot. You can see the old cables left over from logging. It's just shy of about a half mile hike - no switchbacks just straight up the hill. Once you get to the top you will drop down a staircase to Huaskin Lake where there's a rustic dock and picnic table. A few adventurous types I know have lugged a kayak up to the lake and did some fishing for trout. You can also go hiking on the many logging roads nearby.

Roaringhole Rapids

A very fun side trip is to go to Roaringhole Rapids which is the entrance to Nepah Lagoon. Foam from the rapids when ebbing can often be seen as far away as Watson Point. Once we entered Nepah Lagoon at the end of flood and traveled a mile or so in but I got worried about getting stuck inside of Nepah Lagoon and so we left quickly. Inside of Nepah Lagoon it seemed like a very wild and pristine place.

Another fun trip is to circumnavigate Watson Island. It's an easy and scenic trip even by dinghy. You start by going through beautiful Kenneth Passage with its many small islands, going around Claypole Point which to me seems to jut out like the giant bow of a ship, and then down through Hopetown Passage and Hoy Bay. Hopetown Passage gets very shallow so you'll have to watch it. One year we saw a large yacht grounded in Hopetown Passage - not sure what they were thinking by going through it. After going through Hopetown Passage you make your way back into Grappler Sound. If you travel on a flood with the exception of Hopetown Passage you'll get pushed all the way. If the current is ebbing you can also see the rapids by Overflow Basin as you make your way back to Turnbull Cove.

If you're into fishing, shrimping and crabbing, there's plenty around. We've caught halibut in Grappler Sound, caught lingcod and yelloweye rockfish nearby, got crab in nearby Burly Bay, and shrimping in plenty of different spots around Turnbull Cove and Mackenzie Sound. We didn't get too many Spot prawns but always got lots of the smaller Coon Stripes. Note that Kenneth Passage and the entrance to Nepah Lagoon is a rockfish conservation area. If you're into wildlife watching keep an eye out on shore during low tide there's a good chance you'll see black bears on the beach. Once I counted over 7 black bears at the same time on the beach in Turnbull Cove. If you travel to the head of Mackenzie Sound or into Nimmo Bay you may be able to see a grizzly. In Kenneth Passage and down Mackenzie Sound there's lots of waterfowl to see.

If you need to re-supply on groceries or fuel, or want to eat out you can visit nearby Sullivan Bay about 7 nautical miles away. Port McNeill is about 27 nautical miles away.

I hope you visit Turnbull Cove and enjoy it as much as I do. It is one of my most favorite places on the entire BC coast.

A Few Photo Memories

2011-10-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

One of the things about cruising our beautiful coast are the many memories you gain. Those perfect sunrises and sunsets, the times before and after a storm, peaceful anchorages, wildlife, and more. If you are lucky, you'll have a camera handy and take a picture that will last a lifetime. However, other times you won't have a camera handy and the images and the moment will live in your mind forever. Unfortunately, only you can remember these sights, sounds, smells, and the moment, but still how rich you are to have these memories!

This year was the 21st year of cruising the beautiful BC coast in the MV Independence. Twenty one years ago there were no digital cameras and those pictures I took then are fading in a box somewhere or becoming lost in my mind. I never been much of a photo album kind of guy. Luckily I invested in digital photography many years ago and I can easily retrieve the hundreds of photos I've taken by putting them on a screen saver, making a slide show, or by putting them on my computer desktop. These photos then bring back to life those moments in my mind. Oh, what a beautiful coast we have.

I thought I would share a select few of my favorite and best photos.

Indian Passage, Fife Sound

One of my favorite anchorages was a small bight on west side of Baker Island, in the narrow passage between Insect and Baker Islands. The archipelago is called the Benjamin Group which are located in the Fife Sound area of Queen Charlotte Strait. We would anchor here and get up early to fish for coho near Penphrase Peninsula in Fife Sound. One of the short cuts to get to our fishing area was to go down Indian Passage between Davies and Baker Island. On this morning the sun was just rising over Gilford Island and it was oh so still out. I can remember we got our limits of coho salmon that day.

Foggy morning in Cullen Harbor

One of our most favorite anchorages in the Fife Sound area of Queen Charlotte Strait is Cullen Harbor. The whole harbor area is a good safe anchorage with excellent holding. There is so much to do here. There's excellent fishing for both salmon and bottom fish nearby. Lots of wildlife - sea lions, whales, dolphins, bears. You can play in the tidal rapids by Booker Lagoon. Or explore the many islands and bays. There is world class scuba diving here. And the scenery is always changing. On this morning after a night of rain a low fog was dissipating to reveal this tug anchored nearby. My boys commented, "It looks like a ghost ship."

Before the storm in Turnbull Cove

Environment Canada had been forecasting a serious low approaching the coast and warned all mariners to find shelter. Turnbull Cove in Grappler Sound, just off of Wells Passage in the Queen Charlotte Strait area is the perfect "bomb proof" anchorage to wait out a storm. As the storm approached the proverbial "calm before the storm" was very evident. As it turned out, all we had was some rain and light winds, but other locales in Queen Charlotte Strait were being pounded by the storm. We spent our "stormy days" fishing, shrimping, hiking, and just enjoying the scenery.

Sunrise cruising down Spring Passage

Our time in the Broughton archipelago was coming to an end. We weighed anchor early, just before sunrise - it was still dark out - and started our trek home. I was the only one up as the crew slept. As I cruised south past the Fox Group of islands I noticed a pink and magenta glow on the waters before me. I peered out the side cabin door and behind me to see this beautiful sunrise. I put my coffee down, set the autopilot, grabbed my camera and enjoyed the sunrise out on the deck. It had been a successful trip - plenty of fish, crab, and shrimp. Lots of adventures and good times. And no problems. I remember thinking how lucky I am to enjoy and experience all this.

After the storm in Crease Island Cove

Just off of the end of Knight Inlet are the Indian Group of Islands. Two of the prominent islands are Crease Island to the west and Village Island to the east with at least a dozen small islands in between. Just off the east end of Crease Island is a popular cove and it is a great anchorage. We often used this anchorage as a "jumping off" spot when heading back to Port McNeill or when starting our trip back home. On this occasion, almost all night long a storm raged with wind, rain, thunder and lightning. When morning came the storm was heading inland and there was the calm that comes afterwards. You could still hear thunder far off in the distance. Otherwise it was eerily quiet; so quiet you could hear the water dripping off of the trees on shore.

View from Althorp Point.

A little known anchorage is the small one-boat nook just by Althorp Point at the confluence of Wellbore and Sunderland Channels. Most boaters head into popular Forward Harbor but I prefer this scenic spot. It's well protected from the westerlies that blow down Johnstone Strait and you can go fishing right by your boat. On this morning after days of stormy weather up north we woke to see better weather to the south. When you looked north it still looked like rain and bad weather. Shortly after this picture was taken we hit the slack at Whirlpool Rapids and traveled through the Yuculta's to anchor in Squirrel Cove.

Sunset from Jedediah Island

One of our common stops as we cross Georgia Strait is to anchor in the many bays around Lasqueti, Boho, Bull, and Jedediah Islands. Its a great way to break up the trip from Nanaimo to Desolation Sound. There's some great gunkholing here. On this evening we were anchored just off of Jedediah Island in "Little Bull Passage." If there's any kind of northwest winds you can't anchor here, but you can if a southeast wind is blowing. So many times we have experienced unforgettable sunsets here. One of the funny things about this anchorage is that in the evening the feral goats living on Jedediah come down out of the woods and graze. You can hear them bleating.

These are just a few of the many years of memories gained from cruising the beautiful Salish sea. We are so lucky to be able to have some of the best cruising grounds on the planet.

If you want to learn more about these photos and others you can visit my Panoramio photo site by going to: http://www.panoramio.com/user/nakwakto00. Here you will find not only the above photos but the Google Earth location of each too. Enjoy.

Favorite Eats - Bangers, Bubbles and Squeak

2011-09-23T14:32:00.000-07:00

The former Front St. Ale House in Friday Harbor

For many years our cruising tradition when coming home from the BC central coast was after checking through customs was a trip to the Front Street Ale House in Friday Harbor for supper. This was always a favorite of mine and the crew. It had some of the best English style pub fare south of the border - the Canadian border. Add to that their small on-site micro brewery brewed up some of the best beers. The Hefeweizen beer tasted exactly like what I would drink in Bavaria, Germany. Unfortunately the Front Street Ale House has closed and a new restaurant has taken its place.

My traditional meal that I enjoyed repeatedly was the "Bangers, Bubbles and Squeak". This was English pub fare at its finest. Bangers are simply English sausages which are akin to German Bratwurst, but the pork is ground finer and the pork is mixed with breadcrumbs and water. The term "banger" comes from when heated, the water in them turns to steam, expands and explodes. They also differ from bratwurst in the seasonings used, having more mace, ginger, and sage. "Bubbles and Squeak" is the mix of cabbage, onions, and mashed potatoes. It gets the name "bubbles and squeak" because of the sounds as you cook it in the pan. Of course to serve "bangers, bubbles and squeak" you have to smother it all with a rich brown, onion gravy.

Not to be outdone or disappointed at the loss of the Front Street Ale House, I proceeded to work hard to produce a "boat version" of "bangers, bubbles and squeak" that would not require a lot of preparation or a lot of ingredients. To satisfy as a boat version, it's got to be easy to prepare - not more than 5 or 6 ingredients; take less than 15-20 minutes to prepare; not use an oven or any special tools or techniques; and not use more than two pans. Finally, and most importantly it's got to taste good and meet or exceed what you can get in a restaurant. I set about to make the perfect "boat version" of "bangers, bubbles and squeak." Here's the recipe:

Bangers, Bubbles and Squeak

Ingredients:

1 T vegetable oil
4 banger sausages
2 T dried or dehydrated onions
1 C dark beer or ale
2 T butter
1 C coleslaw mix - just cabbage mix not mayonnaise or other ingredients that are with coleslaw.
2 C instant mashed potatoes
1 pkg brown gravy mix

Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a frying pan that has at least 2" sides. Fry bangers for 3-4 minutes each side or until the each side of the banger is browned - about 6-8 minutes total. Sprinkle dried onions in the pan and add the beer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about another 5-6 minutes. This will ensure the bangers are fully cooked and add a great flavor to them. When cooked, remove sausages from pan and keep warm, but do not discard liquid. Pour liquid into a small bowl, you should have about 1/4 C of rich brown onion-beer liquid.

Prepare the instant mashed potatoes per the directions and set aside.

In the pan that the bangers were cooked over medium-heat add the butter and add the cole slaw mix and saute cabbage for 3-5 minutes. Add prepared mashed potatoes to pan and mix well. Cook cabbage and potato mix for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If mix gets too thick add milk to thin.

Boil 3/4 C water, pour into a bowl and add instant brown gravy mix as well as reserved liquid from cooking bangers and prepare instant gravy per package instructions.

Place bubbles and squeak on the plate, along with bangers, and top with gravy. Season with salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Enjoy.

I apologize for the heavy use of packaged mash potatoes and packaged brown gravy mix, but if you want to put the extra effort into making real mashed potatoes and real brown gravy on your boat - more power to you. When I'm on shore I do go the extra effort to making real mashed potatoes and real brown gravy.

Labor Day Weekend Cruise

2011-09-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

Friday, September 2, 2011.
I left work early and quickly headed down to the boat. Again I wanted to get out of town. The past few cruises were so enjoyable that I could not get enough of being out on the boat. Once again, I would cruise out on the Independence by myself and have Kim and the dogs meet up with me later. This gives me a chance to get some nice and quiet alone time on the boat, and Kim some time to adventure on the Zipper. It is a win/win for all.

I left my slip at 1345 to cruise to Jarrell's Cove. Labor Day weekend in Olympia means Harbor Days. Harbor Days means tugboat races and lots of visiting boaters. The weather forecast was for sunny, warm weather so I suspected the waters would be busy. Sure enough cruising out of Olympia I was greeted by many pleasure boaters and tugboats coming into the Olympia Harbor. The tide was rising high and I could take the "shortcut" out of Olympia which meant making a straight line from the Olympia #5 daymark to Hunter Point passing well to port of the Olympia Shoal. The rising tide also meant that I would cruise through the channel between Hope and Squaxin Islands versus staying west of Hope Island. This provided me with a bit of a navigational challenge to avoid the shoals the extend west of Squaxin Island towards Hope Island. The winds were light from the north presenting me with only rippled seas and just enough to keep me cool. Once past Hope Island I cruised up Pickering Passage, beneath the Hartstene Island bridge, past Walkers Landing and into Jarrell's Cove. It is a cruising route that I am well familiar with. I got into Jarrell's Cove at about 1600 and once again found an open state park mooring buoy far into the cove. I tied up to the buoy at 1617. Once again the mooring buoys are popular but the docks are not - both the outer and inner docks were almost empty.

Jarrell's Cove State Park "inner" dock

I am not only waiting for Kim and the dogs to show up but also some good friends - in the "Explorer" to show up too. As I cruised up to Jarrell's Cove I texted them and Kim my status, and they too replied with texts letting me know their status too. The "Explorer" arrived about 90 minutes later and found the last available mooring buoy. Kim and the dogs in the Zipper arrived just about 1800 and brought supper from town along with some other groceries. The Labor Day weekend was on.

Saturday, September 3, 2011.

Nice Red Rock crabs!

Woke to a glorious morning clear and cool. The temperature must have dipped down into the high 40's because it was definitely a bit cool when I took the dogs to the beach in the morning. I was glad for the sun to come up and warm the boat up. The "Explorer" invited all of us over for breakfast. They've got a great boat and the dogs enjoyed it too. We chatted for a long while reminiscing about times past and about life now. The idea was floated to go crabbing. So we loaded up the Zipper and set some crab pots just off of the south tip of Stretch Island. We returned later to pull up six very nice sized red rock crab! We decided to re-set the crab pots for the night and will return in the morning to get more.

We were all tired and retreated to our respective boats for supper and the evening and bid the "Explorer" good night. Although I did return to deliver an appetizer of smoked salmon cream cheese crackers to the "Explorer" as a token of appreciation for the crabbing idea. I grilled some curry chicken thighs for supper, but once again we decided to have a light supper of appetizers instead. Kim and I talked late into the evening and I watched the moon dip below the trees. Once that happened I said, "the moon has went to bed and so am I."

Sunday, September 4, 2011.
If I thought it was cold yesterday morning, this morning was even colder. I was supposed to pick up the skipper of the "Explorer" at 0730 to pull the crab pots, but I waited until at least the sun came up. Even then it was cold. We coldly cruised over to the crab pots noticing that the water was warmer than the air as we pulled the pots up. Unfortunately we came up empty with both pots. We moved to a new location and reset them vowing to pick them up later that afternoon when it was warmer. When we returned we treated the "Explorer" to our famous breakfast of corned beef hash aboard the Independence. Again, we took our time enjoying breakfast and talking late into the morning. We then took a long walk with the dogs through the park enjoying the tall trees and cool shade. It was going to be another hot day.

MV Explorer at Jarrell's Cove

The "Explorer" had guests come by car from out of town. However one of the crew from the "Explorer" wanted an escape from their guests and we obliged by taking the Zipper over to Fair Harbor. The dogs and I waited in the Zipper while the gals did some shopping at the store. Fair Harbor was a busy place with boats coming and going. The small harbor was packed with boats. When the ladies finally emerged from the store they were all smiles - they got some nice clothes and other items. On the way back to Jarrell's Cove we took our time and stopped to pull up the crab pots. This time we got six more nice red rock crab. However, we did not re-set the pots instead we pulled them aboard the Zipper and returned to our anchorage. Again we thanked the "Explorer" for the crabbing and bid them "good night." Tonight I grilled some pork chops with a red pepper marinade and they were excellent. Once again we stayed up with Kim picking crab and me watching the moon set below the horizon.

Monday, September 5, 2011.
Happy Labor Day! Once again the morning was very cold and I could not wait for the sun to rise over the trees to warm the boat up. After a morning walk with the dogs through the park we came back to the boat and made crab cakes from yesterday's crab. They were absolutely delicious. We decided to share some of our crab cakes with the "Explorer." Again a fun morning of light conversation that was filled with laughter and enjoyment. The folks from the "Explorer" are absolutely great people. We hope to do more cruising with them. Finally we bid them adieu and prepared to leave. We untied from the buoy at 1135 and made for home. We cruised once again down Pickering Passage, down Peale Passage and into Budd Inlet. We sat up on the flying bridge for most of the cruise home until I just got too hot. Again the boating crowds that came to Olympia for Harbor Days are now leaving and return to their home ports so the waterways were full of boats. Also leaving Olympia Harbor were two tall ships the Lady Washington and another. We got into our slip at 1430. What a great, fun, and relaxing weekend.
Stats: 31.1 nm, average speed 5.7 knots, 5:30 hrs. cruising, ending engine hours 6208.7.

Independence Corned Beef Hash

2 T vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3-4 medium sized Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes, cut into cubes
1 t dried parsley
1 t Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 can corned beef
1 T Bick's Red Pepper Relish
2-3 eggs, beaten

Heat a frying pan with vegetable oil over medium high heat and fry onions until soft about 3-4 minutes, next add potatoes, dried parsley, and Montreal Steak Seasoning, mix well and cover and cook until potatoes are barely done about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next add canned corned beef and Bick's Red Pepper relish and mix well and cook for about 5 minutes until corned beef just starts to crisp. Finally make a well in the bottom of the pan and add the beaten eggs. Cook eggs until just starting to set and then mix eggs into hash. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and hot sauce if desired.

Get Out Of Town Weekend

2011-08-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 18, 2011.
Left West Bay Marina under clear sunny skies and light breezes for a trip to get out of town. I'm in the Independence and Kim with the dogs will meet up with me later in the Zipper. I pulled out of the slip at 1747, motored under slow bell to out front of the marina where I pulled in all the fenders and raised the mast. I noticed that I wasn't the only one with the same idea to get out of town as there were several other boats cruising past me. Instead of traveling the route that I normally do, that is following the channel around the Olympia Shoal and I made straight course for Hunter Point after passing the Olympia #5 daymark. The tide was rising high and my course would keep me well east of the Olympia Shoal shallows.

I eased the throttle up to my now comfortable, fuel sipping 1,700 rpm and enjoyed the cruise. Light breezes coming off of the water cooled me off as I sipped a nice cold beer. I commented to myself that it was sure nice to be out on the water and getting out of town. Coming back to work from the recent three week Canada cruise was hard. I felt like the time away just wasn't long enough. So this little respite would help me further adjust to the coming months of cold and wet weather. As I came up on Hunter Point the flood current increased and really moved me along to my anchorage just along the east side of Hope Island. I stayed well away from the nun buoy marking the shoal that extended from Squaxin Island. I motored as if I was going to run into Hope turning to starboard at the southeast corner of the island and then following the east shore of Hope Island. I eased the throttle back to an idle but I was still moving along at over 5 knots because of the current. I turned into the current edged along until I was in about 20' of water and dropped the hook. I quickly took the boat out of gear and let out more rode. As the anchor hit the bottom I let more chain out and the hook snagged the bottom and we came to a sudden stop. I was firmly anchored at 1915. I shut the engine off and sat out on deck enjoying the quiet. The sun had already set behind the island making it nice and cool. I cleaned up the galley and waited with cool drink for the crew to show up.

Kim and the dogs showed up at 2000. The sun was just starting to set and the Squaxin Island shore was ablaze in orange. The dogs quickly jumped aboard and I could tell that they too were happy to get out of town. Kim brought supper from town and we quietly sat enjoying the quiet and cool of Hope Island. After a short beach trip we started to settle down for the night. By 2130 it was dark and we went to bed. We both agreed it was good to get out of town.

Saturday, August 19, 2011.
It was a completely quiet night not a sound was heard all night long which developed into a beautiful morning. The sun rose over Squaxin Island to present a completely clear and sunny day. We enjoyed a nice breakfast of Bread Peddler Morning Rolls and coffee, and discussed "where to today?" We decided to go on to Jarrell's Cove. So at 0935 we weighed anchor and moved on north to Jarrell's Cove.

We slowly made our way out into Pickering Passage riding the morning flood. Waters were calm with nary a breath of wind. Only our wake disturbed the waters. Again we cruised at an even slower rpm today only doing about 1,600 rpm which with the current moved us at a comfortable 6 knots. We passed below the Hartstene Island bridge, and by Walkers Landing and into Jarrell's Cove on Hartstene Island. There were a couple of mooring buoys open and we took one that was farthest south into the cove. The small dock was packed, but the large inner cove dock was almost empty. There was an international flair of boats as there were a couple of Canadian boats tied up to buoys too. They were touring Puget Sound since the weather was too cool up north. We chatted briefly and I told them how much I enjoy cruising in Canada. Before it got too hot we took the dogs for a walk through the park and out along the county road that lead into the park. You could tell the day was going to get hot. There were not any breezes it was just still. Later in the afternoon to beat the heat we took a Zipper trip to Fair Harbor. We stopped along the way at the small state park on the tip of Stretch Island to let the dogs play water fetch with a stick. We then enjoyed an ice cream at Fair Harbor and slowly cruised back to Jarrell's Cove via going beneath the bridge to Stretch Island. Mission accomplished everyone was cooled off.

When we returned we spied some friends moored on the dock with their boat. We stopped and chatted before returning to our boat for a light supper of anti-pasti - smoked salmon with cream cheese on crackers, proscuitto and brie on french bread. It was too hot for a cooked supper. We finished off the day with a couple of cool drinks.

Sunday, August 20, 2011.

Jarrell's Cove morning

The barometer has been dropping and the morning showed some high cirrus "mares tails" in the sky. During the night it didn't cool off as much as we hoped and as soon as the sun rose over the trees it started getting hot. Too cool off we left early at 0925 for home under a slow bell of 1,700 rpm. We cruised down Pickering Passage and then turned to go down Peale Passage between Squaxin and Hartstene Islands. There's lots of boats out. When we got to the marina there was even a bit of a traffic jam as several boats were trying to get out of West Bay Marina all at the same time. We waited and pulled into our slip at 1230. It was a good little weekend trip from reality.
Stats: 31.1 nm, average speed 5.4 knots, 5:51 hrs. motoring, ending engine hours 6202.5

Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese

4 oz. of smoked salmon
1 package of cream cheese, softened
1 T of minced onion
1 t Bick's Red Pepper Relish
1/2 t dill weed (or to taste)
1 t capers
pinch freshly grated black pepper

Crumble salmon into cream cheese and mix, add onions, relish, dill, capers and black pepper to taste and mix again. Do not over mix, there should be some small bits of smoked salmon to bite into. Chill for 30 minutes or more and then serve on water crackers or crusty rounds of french bread.

Day 25 - Kingston to Olympia

2011-08-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday, August 7, 2011.
We left Kingston at 0600 to ensure that we would take advantage of the flood going down through the Sound and through the Tacoma Narrows. My plan was that we would make it all the way to the entrance at Budd Inlet by Olympia before we would face an ebb current. I like going "downhill" whenever I can.

Sunrise at Kingston

Skies are clear but there's a threat of fog, but it never fully materialized on our trip. When you looked up the sound towards Admiralty Inlet you could see fog. The cruise down the central portion of Puget Sound was uneventful. Past President Point, past Restoration Point, and Blake Island all under calm seas and with a flood current. When I entered Colvos Passage I aimed for the east side of Colvos Passage to take advantage of the continuous back eddy current that goes south down Colvos Passage. The trick is to stay as close as you can to the Vashon Island shore. So I turn on the depth sounder and cruise along the 40' depth contour. Going this route might be a bit longer but you can hit speeds of 7+ knots while if you are in the center part of Colvos Passage you're doing about 5 knots. Only at the #5 daymark just northeast of Pt. Richmond do I abandon following the Vashon Island shore. We spotted a very large sailboat race just south of Pt. Richmond. There must have been about 50-60 sailboats all out with their spinnakers. Unfortunately for them there wasn't any wind so they weren't going anywhere fast.

We made the Tacoma Narrows at 1100 and continued to ride the flood into South Sound. As we motored farther and farther into South Sound the weather changed from sunny to cloudy and cooler. At about Gibson Point, friends in their boat hailed me on the VHF radio as they too were heading home from an extended cruise from Vancouver, BC. We chatted for about 3-4 minutes and wished them well on their way as they passed me going much, much faster. We motored through Balch Passage, then down Drayton Passage and to Devils Head on the lower end of the Longbranch Peninsula. The clouds burned off as we came around Devils Head, so we moved up to cruising on the flying bridge and enjoying the last bit of our cruise in the sun. Around Johnson Point, past Itsami Shoal, down Dana Passage and finally around Dofflemeyer Point where we got our first glimpse of our home destination - Olympia. Just as I had planned we also hit slack then and only going down Budd Inlet would we face the start of an ebb current. We got into the Olympia harbor at 1500 and were tied up in our home slip at 1520. Thanks be to God for a safe and happy trip.

We traveled 609.5 nm including our Zipper excursion to Brem Bay in Toba Inlet. Otherwise, we traveled 589.7 nm in 99.42 hours which calculates to an average speed of 5.92 knots.

An interesting note, is that we never had spray from waves hit our windows on this trip which tells that we had calm waters for the entire trip. I doubt that will ever happen again.

Stats: 56.6 nm, average speed 6.1 knots, 9:17 hours motoring, ending engine hours 6196.0.

Day 24 - Hope Island to Kingston

2011-08-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 6, 2011.
Left Hope Island at 0620 under cloudy skies and calm conditions to continue our journey home. We enjoyed a great flood down Skagit Bay. I was only at 1,200 rpm but was doing 6 knots. By the time we reached Strawberry Point on Whidbey Island the current was gone and I throttled up to 1,700 rpm. Going down Saratoga Passage was uneventful as was the cruise down Possession Sound. We had calm seas and sunny skies. There were lots of boats going north but I think we were the only boat heading south. The crew and I traded times taking the helm. As we came around Possession Point the area was full of fishing boats but I didn't see anybody catching fish. Weaving our way through the myriad of fishing boats was our only cruising challenge. We crossed the central sound only turning to avoid a freighter coming into Seattle.

We got into Kingston Cove Marina at 1345 and got 120 gallons of fuel at $3.91 per gallon. Engine hours read 6186.1, or 86.8 hours since we last took on fuel. This calculates to be 1.38 gallons per hour! Wow! That's great. We were only "sipping" fuel for this trip. Cruising at a lower rpm and cruising with the tide has some real financial benefits.

We then pulled into our reserved slip and tied up at 1400. Kingston is packed with boats and the marina park has some kind of event going on too. There is a band playing and tents pitched up in the park. When I went up we just missed the Saturday farmers market. We took showers and generally relaxed at the marina. Watching boats coming and going. Part of our cruising tradition when at Kingston is to go up to the restaurant Bella Luna and have a Morgan's Special Pizza. A Morgan's Special has got sausage, mushrooms, olives, extra cheese, and jalapenos on it. It is a big, hearty, and tasty pizza. After supper some friends stopped by and we enjoyed some drinks and talked about our recent trip up north.
Stats: 43.6 nm, average speed 6.0 knots, 7:15 hrs. motoring, ending engine hours 6186.3

Day 23 - Friday Harbor to Hope Island

2011-08-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 5, 2011.
One of the best "old traditions" we have when we are in Friday Harbor is to walk up town to the donut shop and get fresh donuts for breakfast. This is always a treat. The cafe is always packed with folks because they serve a delicious breakfast too. This morning was no exception. We ordered some donuts and apple fritters that we would enjoy for our morning cruise out of Friday Harbor. As soon as we got back I gave the engine a quick check and untied from our slip at 0920. The crew helped me out of the slip and then met up with me in the Zipper out in front of the marina where we set up the Zipper to tow. Again I enjoy this a lot because it's nice to have help that you can trust on the dock.

Once out of Friday Harbor we set our course for just north of Turn Island. There was no fog but a few light low clouds. There was a fresh 10-15 knot south wind blowing up San Juan Channel which made for a bit of an uncomfortable chop when combined with the current. We turned to go up Upright Channel, passing Flat Point to our starboard. The channel was crowded with all sorts of boats - ferries, fish boats, sail boats, runabouts, and various powerboats. I tried to stay on the far east side of Upright Channel to avoid most of the marine traffic. The wind calmed after rounding Upright Head on Lopez Island, but the marine traffic did not. We motored east through Thatcher Pass, north of James Island, and then turned to go SE down Rosario Strait passing Bird Rocks (well to our starboard) and Williamson Rocks (well to our port) on our way to Deception Pass. I was surprised at how calm Rosario Strait was and it made for an easy cruise. I thought because of the wind we experienced back at San Juan Channel that there would as much or more wind here in Rosario Strait. We were cruising at a relaxed pace at 1,700 rpm.

We were going to be at Deception Pass well before slack. I figured that the current would be ebbing at 3-4 knots, when in reality the current was ebbing at over 5 knots! I wasn't too worried and figured we'd be able to make it through without too much problem. As we approached Deception Pass I could see a sailboat slowly making his way through the narrow passage. We easily caught up to him and followed him through. He was definitely struggling against the strong current. He was right in the middle of the channel and with the current running so strong it would have been dangerous to attempt to pass him, but I kept off his port quarter. At times we were only making about 2.5 knots headway against the strong ebb current. A Bayliner came dangerously close behind us and you could tell he was pushing us to hurry through. The current was really moving and pushing us all towards the small island in the middle of Deception Pass. I was worried that this Bayliner skipper would attempt a pass between me and the sailboat since he was off of my starboard quarter. I finally pushed the throttle to 2,100 rpm and made way to pass the sailboat off of our starboard side. I don't think the sailboat skipper was too happy, but he did move over to let me pass him on his port side. The Bayliner stayed still dangerously close to my stern (within 20'), moving from the starboard quarter to my port quarter. After we got out of the strong current he passed me on my port side. Being out of the current and the stressful traffic I once again lowered the rpm to 1,700 and we once again continued our slow cruise. Whew! I was glad to be done with that.

On a buoy at Hope Island State Park

Rounding Hoypus Point we spotted an open mooring buoy at Hope Island - the 3rd buoy from the west. Good, I wasn't in the mood to anchor here. We tied up to the buoy at 1345. It was good not to be motoring - that mess by Deception Pass had me a bit flustered. I finished reading a book and the crew took a nap. I also spent time preparing supper - grilled curry chicken and a sunomono salad. Had a nice evening.

Part of the evening's entertainment was watching a sailboat from Port Ludlow spend almost an hour or more trying to anchor. There were about 6 boats anchored and all were watching. They would drop their anchor with not enough rode and move quickly back to set the anchor. The wife was working the throttle and letting the skipper know of the depth. If you've ever tried to anchor by Hope Island you will learn that it shoals rapidly from 60' to 7' and that the bottom is soft and covered with thick kelp. I could tell that the crew was getting frustrated by the sound of the skipper yelling commands - "turn this way," "no, turn that way," "slow down," "what's the depth," "stop," and "go forward." Finally, and luckily for the wife they finally were able to get the anchor set. Finally silence once again returned to the small anchorage.
Stats: 24.2 nm, average speed 5.6 knots, 4:19 hrs. motoring, ending engine hours 6178.7

Grilled curry chicken marinade

2-3 T of olive oil, amount varies on how much chicken
1 T of curry powder
1 T of onion powder
1/2 t ground tumeric
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t chili powder
2 T Bicks Red Pepper Relish (substitute 2 T of chopped pickled jalapeno's if you don't have Bick's relish)
2 drops of fish sauce (substitute 1/2 t salt)
1 T dried basil
1/2 t black pepper
1 t lemon juice
4-5 chicken thighs or 2 chicken breasts

Mix all the ingredients well except the chicken in a zip lock bag. Add the chicken and squish the bag about to working the spices and ingredients into the chicken. Squish and mix the ingredients about every 15 or so minutes. Let the chicken marinade for at least an hour or more. Remove the chicken from the zip lock bag and grill over medium heat, turning occasionally, until cooked thoroughly about 15 minutes . Discard the marinade.

Day 22 - Montague to Friday Harbor

2011-08-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

Thursday, August 4, 2011.
Left at 0620 to go to Friday Harbor. Skies are clear with little or no wind. We motored past Enterprise Reef and down past Conconi Reef where we enjoyed a very good ebb making 8 knots or more. Then down into Plumper Sound again making good speed. You've always got to be vigilant when in Plumper Sound for floating debris and commercial crab pots. We did see quite a bit of debris and had to steer around it here and there. We were enjoying clear cruising conditions but that was not the case everywhere. The US Coast Guard was mentioning via the VHF radio that thick fog was in Rosario Strait, Admiralty Inlet, and Juan de Fuca Strait. I could see no fog on our route for crossing Haro Strait. However, I could see fog in the distant east towards Rosario Strait.

Crossing Haro Strait was a snap. We did have to adjust course to steer behind a freighter that was moving east towards Vancouver. Many times we have crossed Haro Strait with strong currents, confused seas, and winds. Today crossing Haro Strait was a snap. We crossed international border from Canada into the US at about 0830. It was good to be back in the US. I went out and took down the Canadian courtesy flag and sang "O Canada" in which the crew joined in. Funny that we know the Canadian national anthem, perhaps its from watching too much hockey. The current continued to favor us almost all the way to Friday Harbor always pushing us so we were making more than 6 knots and I was only cruising at 1,700 rpm or less.

Since all of the crew had NEXUS permits I thought I would take advantage of this by calling in versus stopping at the customs dock in Friday Harbor. I've learned that you cannot use your cell phone for reliable service until you are well into the San Juan islands. The Canadian mobile signals extend far into the US. I called Customs at about Jones Island and went through the lengthy first time reporting procedure using NEXUS. We were given a "BR" number for each person and this needs to be used each time when entering the US via a private boat. Next time all I have to do is mention the "BR" number and be asked a few questions - pretty simple. I then received our clearance number and were officially in the US. While I was on the phone the crew piloted the boat for me. San Juan Channel wasn't too crowded so it wasn't of too much concern to me. Once the Customs "stuff" was finished I resumed taking the helm and went on to Friday Harbor.

We radioed the Port of Friday Harbor and got a slip assignment. The crew then boarded the Zipper and took that in to port and would assist me getting in to the dock. I like this arrangement. I have found over the years that docking in Friday Harbor can be challenging because of the currents that sweep through the bay. When the crew gets to the dock they radioed to me which direction the kelp off of the finger piers is pointing. This then helps me understand how to approach the slip. Today the kelp was pointed towards the NW and it was pointing mostly down. So, it will push me into the finger pier but it's not that strong. All too many times I have seen boaters get in trouble with this current. We tied up in our slip at 1055.

It's still sunny and clear out. We had a long lazy afternoon taking naps and generally doing nothing. For supper we went up to the new eatery called "Cask & Schooner" which has taken the place of the old Front Street Ale House. The food was okay, it did not meet what I remember that the Ale House provided. We ordered Poutine as an appetizer which any Canadian would have been ashamed of. Poutine is a simple dish of french fries with cheese curds sprinkled throughout and rich brown gravy poured over the cheese and fries. When made properly it is absolutely delicious. Unfortunately this Poutine had very little gravy, the gravy was more red than brown, and only a few cheese curds. The crew and I were very disappointed. They've tried to replicate many of the old menu items that were on the old Ale House menu. I ordered "Bangers and Mash" which was okay, but I had to order gravy separately and again it was a reddish gravy rather than a dark, rich brown gravy. I miss the Ale House.

After supper we came back to the boat and had some drinks and listened to music and enjoyed the cool evening until it was time for bed.
Stats: 28.2 nm, average speed 6.3 knots, 4:27 hrs. motoring, ending engine hours 6174.1

Relaxing in Friday Harbor

Day 21 - Nanaimo to Montague Harbor

2011-08-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 3, 2011.
Woke to a very calm but cloudy morning. It's time to leave Nanaimo. I didn't wake the crew, instead choosing to do all the morning chores myself. I set up to tow the Zipper, released from the mooring buoy, and then release the Zipper tow all by myself. I find it kind of fun and challenging to do it all by myself, but I do appreciate a good crew. Today, I decided to let the crew sleep in.

I untied from the mooring buoy that I called home for the last three days at 0558 to make slack at Dodd Narrows at 0714. We slowly motored out of Nanaimo Harbor and into a cloudy sunrise. We were making good time and as it was, we arrived early to Dodd Narrows at 0658. Behind me - about 2 nautical miles or so distant - I could see at least seven or eight boats moving southwards towards Dodd Narrows. We were the only boat in the area that I could tell. That's why I like these early morning transits of Dodd Narrows - everybody is still sleeping. We happily cruised right on through Dodd Narrows without the hassle of any other boats and into peaceful Trincomali Channel. I could see about four boats from the south making for Dodd. Sure enough within 15 minutes the VHF radio was blaring "Securitay, Securitay, blah, blah, blah foot boat traversing Dodd Narrows." And like always boats on either side of Dodd Narrows don't pay attention to the recent VHF radio message and then complain on the VHF about who gets to traverse the narrows first. Oh, the fun of Dodd Narrows.

Trincomali Channel was absolutely calm with only a few light and variable winds here and there. It looked like a great big lake. The steam from the mill by Chemainus rose straight into the air signaling that there's no wind. From Dodd Narrows, we made a course towards Tree Islet to our port and farther down Reid Island to our starboard. We then adjusted course for the waypoint just east of Walker Rock passing closely by the steep rocky shores of Galiano Island on our port. All this time we rode a good ebb down making good speed while only running the engine at 1,700 rpm. At times we were making over 7 knots - woo hoo. There really were not too many boats out. The crew woke up about 0900 and wondered why I didn't wake them. I just smiled and said, "Hey it's a beautiful morning and we're on our way." Finally I adjusted course to keep the Balingall Islets to our starboard and we cruised down the channel between Montague and Parker Island. We arrived early at Montague Harbor at 1028 and found a mooring buoy along the western side of the harbor. I was happy with the buoy we found because if the day is hot it will give us some early shade. As I mentioned this, we noticed that the clouds are lifting and making for a nice day. We lazed about the boat really not doing much of anything. We watched boats come and go while sipping cold drinks and snacking. All the park mooring buoys were taken by 1400. A few boats arrive later in the day and wistfully cruise about the harbor hoping that somebody will leave or that they'll find a buoy not taken. We talked about going for a walk on the Point Grey trail, but that thought would quickly fade into sitting down and reading a book, or better yet into a nap. The only challenge was trying to decide what we were going to have for supper. Later I made a nice German potato salad to go along with the grilled Bavarian Smokies that we had for supper. We sat out on the back deck and enjoyed a wonderful evening. It is our last night in Canada.

On a mooring buoy at Montague Harbor

Independence German Potato Salad

4-5 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4 strips bacon
1 T coarse mustard
1 T Bick's Red Pepper Relish (or chopped spicy pickles)
1 T fresh basil, chopped
1 t dried parsely
2 T vinegar
1 t Montreal steak seasoning

Cook potatoes in a pot of boiling salted water for about 5 minutes. Potatoes should be hot and still be firm. Drain and rinse. Fry bacon until crisp and remove bacon from pan and set aside. Keep pan hot with bacon grease and fry onions for 2 minutes, then add potatoes and fry until potatoes are done - about 7-8 minutes - and have crisp edges. Remove potatoes from pan and transfer to a large bowl. Chop bacon, add remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve immediately while potato salad is still warm. Guten appetit!