Distance: 93 miles covered in 12 hours of cruising
Highlights: Weather and water conditions are perfect to finish our crossing of the Strait of Georgia. We take advantage of the good conditions and get so close to home we can almost see it! Spectacular weather, and as we proceed further south we see more and more boats and signs of getting near home after more than two months away, and sharing the confines of Seaquel's less than 200 sf of floating accommodations among three people and one furry four-legged friend.
Other highlights: Lots of boats; a comparison of hull designs; a crowded "line-up" converging at the U.S. Customs dock at Roche Harbor; formulating a "Plan B" to clear customs; and finding a favorite spot to anchor for our last night before reaching home...
Other highlights: Lots of boats; a comparison of hull designs; a crowded "line-up" converging at the U.S. Customs dock at Roche Harbor; formulating a "Plan B" to clear customs; and finding a favorite spot to anchor for our last night before reaching home...
5 am shore duty with Moxie so we can depart early (5:30 am), giving us the best chance for calm conditions on the Strait of Georgia. Another sign we are no longer north in Alaska, it is darker during the night and early morning hours. The small bay is illuminated by the anchor lights of the boats...
Sunrise as we move toward open water...
Rounding our way around the southern point of Lasqueti Island, calm glassy water is a very welcome sight! By the looks of it, we made the right decision with yesterday's layover, and also today's early start...
Blue skies emerge from the clouds...
We will see numerous other boats making this crossing, confirming our decision to head across today...
Fishermen are taking advantage of good conditions to deploy downriggers and chase their prize...
One of many southbound vessels we will pass today. The sun continues to burn off the cloud cover...
The silhouette of a sailboat under power underscores three positive indicators for our crossing: 1) Lack of wind; 2) Calm water; 3) Sunny skies with good visibility
Another vessel heading north as we head south. The homes in the background are on Vancouver Island, confirming our crossing of the Strait of Georgia in less than two hours from Jedediah Island...
Another, larger vessel taking advantage of calm conditions, also heading south...
The further south we get along the Eastern shore of Vancouver Island, the more boats and homes we see...
This no longer feels like the remote wilderness of the Inside Passage to Alaska anymore...
A tell-tale sign of approaching the port of Nanaimo is the presence of huge freighters everywhere...
Another sign of Nanaimo and its landmark pulp mills - and a contrast to how far we've come from the wilderness of ice bergs and snow-capped mountains and waterfalls...
Working tugboats - large and small - are prevalent along this busy waterfront...
With the Strait of Georgia behind us, our next "small" gate to enter into the Canadian Gulf Islands is Dodd Narrows, which can run at over 7 knots. Our fast, smooth crossing set us up to hit this pinch-point near slack tide with little current, making for easy passage...
Once into the Gulf Islands, the water is, as my good friend Dave Vacanti would say: "like pond water" - easy, calm, and protected compared to where we've been cruising for over two months...
Further into the picturesque Gulf Islands, we see boats of every size and shape. As an enthusiast of both boats AND photography, I love to capture images of boats. I will have a lot of "subjects" to shoot as we covered nearly 100 miles of fairly high-traffic boating waters on this day...
Most boaters are quite friendly. A wave of the hand out of the helm is a typical greeting...
Yet another Bayiner 38 traveling the same familiar waters where we once cruised our old 38...
We even came across another flotilla of three Ranger Tugs. But instead of 27's, these were the larger 31's...
These pictures provide a good comparison of the semi-displacement hull design and greater horse power of the Ranger Tug Inboard Diesels versus the classic full displacement hull design (and less horsepower) of a traditional tug like the Nordic Tug (shown in background, above and below) or other slower trawlers. These Ranger Tugs (like our 27) are designed to cruise 7-15 knots versus 6-8 knots, and this difference is reflected in these pictures where the Nordic Tug slowly pushes through the water; and the Ranger Tug powers up and partially out of the water at more than double the speed...
A new breed of Ranger Tug is shown below, powered by large gas outboards rather than inboard diesels. But the largest conceptual change is that these new vessels (23' and 27') feature a full planing hull and are designed for even greater speed (upwards of 40mph). As with all aspects regarding boat design, everything is a compromise: the slower speed/lesser horsepower of the full displacement hull is more stable in rough water, more fuel efficient, and less costly; the high speed/greater horsepower of a full planing hull is less stable in rough water and often uncomfortable running at slower speeds (and loses efficiency if not run faster on a plane). For us, the semi-displacement/semi-planing characteristics of Seaquel (and these three Ranger Tug 31's pictured) are a "sweet spot" for the type of boating we do and the benefits were evident on our journey up the Inside Passage to Alaska. We generally traveled slow like most displacement trawlers to travel at a comfortable, relaxed pace to cover such long distances and also to afford the best chance to avert hitting logs/deadheads while maximizing fuel range; but we could comfortably double our speed when conditions dictated that getting across large, exposed body of water minimized exposure and risk by avoiding late afternoons when winds typically escalate...
A Cutwater, below, is made by Fluid Motion who also builds Ranger Tugs. They share many design characteristics but with a more modern exterior (no traditional "tug" look); but typically have more horsepower to achieve faster cruising speeds...
Of course, there is the marvel of automobile ferries. These unique displacement vessels move surprisingly fast, but are also very stable. Below, a typical B.C. ferry travels 19 to 23 knots (21 to 26 mph). That's why most cruising vessels do not want to try to outrun them or cross in front of them...
Sailboats can have many different hull shapes hidden well below the surface of the water, but most represent some type of displacement hull so these sleek vessels can efficiently slice through the water...
A classic full displacement trawler slices through (not atop) the water...
We have crossed the Canada/U.S. border and into our familiar backyard. Below: the historic lighthouse at Turn Point on Stuart Island in the San Juan Islands...
Approaching Roche Harbor for U.S. Customs. Time to take down the Canadian flag we have been flying as a custom for transiting our northern neighbor's beautiful waterways for the past two weeks. On our approach to Roche Harbor, we were surprised how few boats were under anchor in the harbor out away from the docks where we normally see many vessels anchored. After all, this was a mid-summer Friday afternoon (peak boating season) and one of the prime destinations of the San Juan Islands...
Our Lady Of Good Voyage Catholic Church is a familiar landmark of Roche Harbor...
The Arabesque is a spectacular sailboat that is also a familiar sight, often on anchor at Roche Harbor...
Approaching the U.S. Customs dock at Roche Harbor...
But our pleasant surprise of seeing this uncrowded harbor was replaced at shock that there was a massive "line-up" formed of at least THREE DOZEN boats waiting for customs clearance, crowded near and around the U.S. Customs dock…
Another "ice pack" to navigate through???
We have cleared customs at Roche Harbor many times. Never have we experienced a "line-up" that could take many hours to work through. This is not like parking your car in the line to board a ferry; each boat must try to maintain proximity while being "moved", fighting wind, tides, and currents in very tight quarters. In the snapshot below of Seaquel's radar overlay, each orange "dot" represents a boat. The larger "blobs" are where multiple boats are packed together on the dock. Counting just the individual boats "waiting" you can see there are 36 vessels (including Seaquel, circled and noted as #17). Not having ever experienced such a line-up, as we approached the customs dock we noticed unhappy glares coming from some boats we passed (i.e., identified as #22 to #36). Once we realized these boats were WAITING, and knowing that there are typically just two or three U.S. Customs Agents working and a typical clearance can take 15 to 30 minutes (not including time to dock and depart), we quickly calculated that this wait could require HOURS of jostling to maintain position. It was already 3pm, and quick math suggested that 36 boats/30 minutes/3 agents could represent six hours of processing, maybe more. That would suggest a 9pm clearance time (at the earliest), assuming the agents would work this late. And one cannot anchor until clearing customs, so that would mean another 6 hours of slowly maneuvering Seaquel - and we had already been underway since 5:30am. Flashback to our day among the ice bergs coming out of Ford's Terror...
Instead... we head back to open water, and set a course to Friday Harbor as an alternative for U.S. Customs where we hope to avoid the crowd at Roche Harbor. On a multi-month journey that requires making a series of thousands of decisions big and small, one of our last decisions is one of our best. We arrive at Friday Harbor and we are the ONLY boat waiting for customs. We clear customs in less than an hour since leaving Roche Harbor, take on our last fuel, and head for one last anchorage. Below we cross paths with a Washington State Ferry...
More boats! I find different boat designs fascinating, and this pilot house cruiser below, named Friendship, reflects a rugged character that would be very much at home in Alaska...
Another Ranger Tug, this one a 29' model. This is a semi-displacement hull like the RT31's we saw earlier, but cruising more slowly so the bow is not up on a plane...
And yet another Ranger Tug 31'. This one is utilizing the semi-planing characteristics to get the bow up out of the water to achieve faster speeds. Ranger Tugs of every shape and size are EVERYWHERE...
And yet another ferry, this one departing the ferry dock at Upright Head on Lopez Island. Seeing the familiar white & green of Washington State ferries is another reminder of being close to home...
Afternoon winds begin to kick up, to the chagrin of powerboats but the delight of sailboats...
Approaching Spencer Spit on Lopez Island, from the north. We have truly come full circle now, as this was the location where we spent our very first night on anchor at the beginning of our Alaska journey more than two months ago...
Cormorants and Sea Lions enjoying the late afternoon sun at low tide on the rock islets just north of Spencer Spit...
There are sailboats (bottom, left); and there are SAILING SHIPS (bottom, right)…
The 160 foot Schooner Zodiak is another familiar sight. She is based out of Bellingham and offers cruises, charters, and the opportunity to learn various stations for learning to sail a classic. Seaquel will cross courses with her twice today, affording my passions for both photography and boats a thrilling double dose...
Approaching Spencer Spit and the landmark cabin that is mid-spit...
Charting a course through the narrow passage between steep-sided Frost Island (left) and low-profile Spencer Spit (right)…
View from Seaquel's helm window making passage past the point of Spencer Spit. I am always amazed that there is adequate depth to cruise past this unique sandy beach with kids and dogs playing so close by...
So close, and yet so far! South of Spencer Spit and heading through Lopez Sound, we can very nearly see our home! The tall mountain with cell phone towers atop (bottom, right) is Mt. Erie, and we live on Campbell Lake exactly at its base, to the right, on Fidalgo Island. In the foreground is Decatur Island, separated from Fidalgo Island by Rosario Strait. So we have ONE LAST CROSSING to make, east across Rosario Strait. This is approximately 5 miles across, but where we need to cross toward Deception Pass is also open to the Strait of Juan de Fuca with typically strong winds blowing from the open west. At this late hour, winds are forecasted to be quite strong, over 20 knots with small craft warnings. Instead of pushing it, we opted for one last night on the anchor, and an early morning departure the next day to complete our journey. It would be reckless to take needless risk so close to home after carefully navigating nearly 3,000 nautical miles of wild, remote waters...
Seaquel's last night anchorage as marked below at the southern tip of Decatur Island. So close to home, and yet a very windy Rosario Strait on this late afternoon represents one last "gate" to getting home, where we will dock at Cornet Bay inside Deception Pass...
Another sign of getting close to home: we pass the summer home of friends who recently built this substantial dock and staircase to their waterfront, summer home on Center Island...
Approaching Lopez Pass Tomobolo, with the southern tip of Decatur Island to our port and the unique, two-sided beach of the tombolo straight ahead that connects to Rim Island to our starboard. This is one of our favorite "quick trip" destinations close to home...
Seaquel on anchor, just two hours since departing Roche Harbor, having cleared U.S. Customs, re-fueled, and traveled some 10 nautical miles closer to home, and it is just 4:30 pm. We would not even be halfway through the U.S. Customs "line-up" at Roche Harbor had we stayed and not chosen to move on. We are now only 30 minutes of cruising to home (in good conditions); but nevertheless it is nice to be sitting here in this peaceful, final anchorage of our Alaskan adventure...
Despite a Friday afternoon in peak season, we still enjoy complete solitude and a serene setting in this well-protected bay, with rough winds building just around the corner. Contrast the picture below, with Seaquel having complete solitude on anchor, to the radar screen snapshot earlier showing 36 vessels jostling for position at Roche Harbor. We are glad we chose "Plan B"...
Moxie has been patient on this day, one of the longest of the entire journey. Shore Duty was 12 hours ago and in the dark - the last time Moxie was off of Seaquel - and in that time we have traversed half of the Strait of Georgia, all of the Canadian Gulf Islands, nearly all of the San Juan Islands, entered the ports of Roche Harbor and Friday Harbor, cleared U.S. Customs, and re-fueled; all told covering 93 nautical miles. You can say that Moxie was just a bit happy to swim, and run, and roll around on a sandy beach doing her best "Snoopy" imitation once again...
With steady wind filling Schooner Zodiak's towering stark-white sails contrasted against a background of either dark evergreen or blue skies, capturing images by utilizing different foregrounds and backgrounds is a delight and a great way to unwind after a long day. Here is a smorgasbord of images of this stunning sailing ship...
Seaquel on anchor in such a lovely spot, with late sun casting low shadows...
Peggy and Moxie stretch their sea legs on this wonderful beach we have all to ourselves...
Moxie seeks shade from the late afternoon sun next to the dinghy...
Back to Seaquel for our last dinner of this long adventure...
Seaquel with calm water and a blue sky background belies the rugged conditions she has withstood over the course of 9 weeks up the Inside Passage to Alaska and back...
The sun sets one last time on this trip of a lifetime...
We are planning another early start tomorrow, not because we have far to go, but because crossing any large body of water is usually better earlier than later. For tomorrow's crossing of Rosario Strait, the wind forecasts confirm early is best. Plus, now that we are so close to home, we are really excited to be home, and especially to see our kids and grandkids, including Baby James Augustine Steinbrecher who was born 6 weeks ago while we were in Alaska...
~Mark
What a journey! Welcome home.
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