3 Stateroom plan 

2 stateroom arrangement 

New 60' Voyager project. What are your thoughts? 

Part 9, Wild Duck



June 24-30, 2005. Rainy skies cleared as Fred and Diane Siegel came down the ramp at Port McNeill and boarded Safari for a two-and-a-half hour cruise to secluded Waddington Bay in the rocky Fox Island Group. All afternoon and evening three bald eagles entertained us by soaring overhead and plucking little fish from the small pool where we were anchored with several other boats. While setting the shrimp trap in Arrow Passage Fred and I noticed what seemed to be a freelance fish farm. The young idealistic Australian who lived in a small shack on the float enthusiastically explained to us that he was a volunteer participating in research regarding the transfer of sea lice from farmed fish to wild salmon. By nightfall we had sequestered 20 nice crabs. The next morning another 20 crabs found temporary refuge and sustenance in one of our traps. All but twelve were given amnesty.



Anca, Max and their children, Marieke and Russell, are the sole residents of stunning Kwatsi Bay surrounded by a high, sheer bowl of rock. Naturally beautiful Anca took our line as we tied to the dock and then rowed us over to a rock so that we could hike up to the waterfall. She gave us an air horn and canister of pepper spray for protection from bears and a cougar that was recently spotted on the trail. We brought our own beverages and appetizers to share at the nightly dock party with old and new friends before dinner aboard. The next morning we were amazed to watch two tiny Marbled Murrelets work as a team to encircle a school of shiners (piling perch) who made the water boil in their frightened frenzy. Then each bird in turn would dive down and pop to the surface through the knot of shiners with a mouthful of the little fish in a process they must have learned from humpback whales.



On our way to Lagoon Cove we spotted a large fish farm at Doctors Island and decided to stop for a tour. We tied Safari alongside the floating bunkhouse/office and after lunch, Bryant, the manager ferried Fred and I by skiff to the floating pens where he gave us an extensive tour and PR pitch. Each year Stolt Sea Farms Inc. harvests over 25 million pounds of Atlantic salmon from their 24 marine farms in B.C. We weren’t allowed to bring our fishing poles along on the tour.



At Lagoon Cove we didn’t need dinner after Bill’s all-you-can-eat boiled shrimp and shared appetizers with yet more old and new friends. We got some tips on spots to visit on Vancouver Island’s wild, west coast and a new bible from the friendly folks on Coastal Messenger, a stout steel hulled vessel. The next morning as we were preparing to get underway, Gay looked out and saw Wild Duck, our old Bristol 38.8 sailboat exiting the lagoon. Fred and I jumped into the dinghy and raced out to intercept them. The current owner bought Wild Duck two years ago from the couple who bought the boat from us.



At Forward Harbor we took the dinghy to a rock outcropping to access a trail marked by a deflated bumper. What a surprise to discover that the trail was marked every ten feet or so by a piece of plastic line, a plastic bag, a plastic bottle, plastic hose, etc. The trail led to a pristine beach on the windward side of Bessborough Bay where we saw Wild Duck sailing in the distance. By combing the beach we found our own plastic milk bottle, line, bag and board that had washed ashore, left the beach even more pristine and had a supply of objects to add to the trail markings. Back at the boat the clouds disappeared to reveal a snow capped peak that must have been the model for the opening title shot of each Paramount movie. When Fred and I went around the corner to find a good fishing spot instead we found Wild Duck at anchor in a nook at the entrance to Forward Harbor. We raced back to the boat and told Gay that we found a bear. She jumped into the dinghy and was surprised that instead of a bear she was invited aboard the boat that was built as a birthday present from me to her twenty years ago. Not a thing had changed since we sold it five years ago.



Detailed study of the tide charts got us easily through Whirlpool Rapids, Greenpoint Rapids, Shellpoint Rapids, Gillard Passage and Dent Rapids in succession at near slack without the excitement provided by haphazard planning. Then as we were checking in at elegant Dent Island Lodge Marina a call came in on the radio that 40 Killer Whales had just passed Frederick Arm in Cordero Channel and would be at Dent in ten minutes. We ran back to the boat, dropped the dinghy in the water and charged out to Dent Rapids but unfortunately the Orcas had made a turn at Nodales Channel en route to Johnstone Strait. When the guide boats came in with only four salmon, the excuse was that the whales had either eaten or scared away all of the fish. Dent Island Lodge is owned by the Nordstrom family for their personal use, but takes guests who are treated like family.



The route through Yaculta Rapids and Hole in the Wall led us to the beautiful Octopus Islands. While there we found The Cabin where we added our memento among the rustic hangings, carved signs and driftwood sculptures left by cruisers for many years. It was fun to find the artwork made from a piece of kelp that we left three years ago. Evening entertainment was provided by a bald eagle, a loon and a Pigeon Guillemot.



From San Francisco Bay

Safari came with Wyman and Gay

Diane and Fred

And left this memento to be read. June 29, 2005



On a beautiful day we cruised on to Campbell River via Surge Narrows and Cape Mudge.

Part 8, Oyster Escape



June 17-23, 2005. When we left Desolation Sound we still had an extra five gallon bucket full of some of the tastiest oysters imaginable so I hung them over the swim platform in Gay’s mesh laundry bag to keep them fresh for future gastronomic delight. The first couple of mornings I remembered to pull up and stow the bag before getting underway. But when we arrived in Blind Bay after a long trip through a series of difficult rapids I found the empty bag limply hanging from the transom. Those rascals had cut their way out and escaped! Worse yet, we are in territory where we haven’t found oysters in the past. Oh well, at least the oysters have been liberated and hopefully will colonize a new site.



In this beautiful part of the world when you are living on a boat it is hard to get enough exercise because there aren’t any roads and often the shoreline goes straight up five or six thousand feet. But sometimes the little docks have trails up to a waterfall or an overlook. The stores at the docks sell bear bells to wear when hiking to warn the bears that you are in their territory. The guidebooks have helpful information to let you know what you are seeing in the woods and which animals have been using the same trails based on their footprints or droppings. For example, black bear droppings contain berry seeds and bones from small animals; grizzly bear droppings contain little bells. A sign at the beginning on one trail warned of bears, cougars and wolves. The local dog surreptitiously followed us up the trail and at the overlook goosed Gay with his nose. She thought it was a wolf and almost jumped off the cliff.



The guidebook also said that Cutter Cove at the intersection of Knight Inlet and Chatham Channel across from Minstrel Island was full of crabs. That might have been true before a thousand people bought the guidebook. So, after catching only a starfish and one undersized crab I moved the traps over to Lagoon Cove where I got 15 keepers in three days. I also invested in a prawn trap, 400 feet of line, a float, a weight, an E-Z line puller, bait holders, a bag of prawn food and instructions from Bill at Lagoon Cove. Every evening Bill cooks prawns at happy hour for all of the boaters tied to the dock so he knows where the prawns are and how to catch them. It worked so well that Gay has now imposed a moratorium on crabbing and shrimping until there is more room in the fridge and freezer. I’ve only caught one fish so far—in the prawn trap. I was going to use it for bait, but one of my crabs got to him first. The potluck dinner at Lagoon Cove on Father’s Day was a special treat. And of course, Bill had a few new stories to tell.



At the other end of Clio Channel, Potts Lagoon was a nice stop—no doubt full of crabs—but I’ll never know for sure. Just after we tied to the dock at Port McNeill the wind cranked up to 20 to 25 knots for 48 hours—good timing. We refueled, provisioned got haircuts and generally enjoyed life in the slow lane for a few days. At the top end of Vancouver Island, Port McNeill is a jumping off point for destinations across Queen Charlotte Sound to the north. As such, it has all the services a boater might need within walking distance including a good restaurant (Northern Lights) and a dive shop (where I obtained a tough mesh collection bag guaranteed to hold up to rambunctious sea critters). Quite a number of cruising boats in the harbor were familiar to us from stops along the way during the past two months or from past years of cruising. This far out from civilization the boats on average are a little bigger and the cruisers are either retired or temporarily unemployed following a high-tech IPO so nobody is in a rush to get back to work.

Part 7, Princess Louisa Inlet



June 8-16, 2005. Torpedo practice and sonar testing by the Canadian Maritime Forces forced Safari to detour around the WG (“Whiskey Golf”) Test Range during our otherwise calm 25 mile crossing of the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island and mainland Canada. For a while we had beautiful and secluded Smuggler Cove all to ourselves, but later on a few other boats came in and anchored in other nooks behind small islets. I dropped a crab pot in Buccaneer Bay and fished a bit in Welcome Passage without success in either endeavor. The next day we tied to the town dock at Madeira Park in Pender Harbor where we met new friends, exchanged boat visits and had a lively dinner at Garden Bay.



Dick and Barbara McAuliffe landed with a splash courtesy of Tofino Air and stepped aboard Safari for an afternoon voyage to the Egmont town dock. From there we made the two-and-a-half hour round-trip hike to the Skookumchuck Rapids to view the largest salt water rapids in the hemisphere. The trail has been improved but it is definitely longer than before. On the way back we observed a tiny vole gathering moss for his bed. I bought two pounds of prawns from a commercial shrimper who explained that prawns from these waters are too valuable for the U.S. and Canadian markets. The prawns are packed whole and sent to Japan for sushi bars where they sell for $5 to $8 a piece. If a whisker or leg is missing he breaks off the head and freezes them for his own consumption.



The next morning a 5:30 departure allowed us to enter Malibu Rapids three hours later at slack water. And thus we entered Princess Louisa Inlet—the “holy grail” for cruising people from all over the world. Mother Nature must have created Princess Louisa Inlet with Chatterbox Fall at its head as a reward for boaters for putting up with all of her bad moods because the only way to experience this astonishing place is by boat. Dozens of waterfalls refreshed by recent rains and snow melt cascaded down sheer mile-high cliffs.



At the picturesque Harmony Islands we celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary with freshly picked oysters and champagne while hummingbirds sipped nectar from each flower in a bouquet on the cockpit table. An aggressive pair of Canada geese on welfare came to teach their half grown gosling how to beg and boarded the swim platform when we refused to contribute to his delinquency. Yummy fried oysters and eggs for breakfast.



Our normally accurate electronic charts showed that we anchored on dry land behind scenic Musket Island. And then as the tide dropped many uncharted rocks appeared. This area must be the source of the photos of fine yachts sitting high and dry atop a rock that greatly amuse the locals. Fortunately, we have no such photos of Safari to share. On our dinghy ride around Blind Bay questions arose regarding who might have carved ancient steps into stone leading to a bluff with a commanding view of the entrances to the bay.



We said goodbye to the McAuliffe’s at Westview and continued on to Desolation Sound where we anchored in pleasant Squirrel Cove, Cortes Island. The next morning our timing worked out so that we easily passed through the Yaculta, Gillard and Dent rapids and pulled into the dock at Blind Channel. The resort at Big Bay has been sold and the docks have been towed away. We hiked up to the 800 year old cedar tree with a diameter of 16 feet. The trail is pretty much the same as it was three years ago but they have moved the tree farther up the mountain. I swear, if you are going to see all of these natural wonders you’d better do it soon before they put them all out of reach.

Part 6, San Juan Islands



June 2-7, 2005



Our exit from Puget Sound through the Skagit River delta took us on the back side of Anacortes along side the refinery. Instantly, like a scene change in a movie, we left the flat landscape and gloomy day behind and sailed into a sunny day in the beautiful San Juan Islands. First stop: two days at lovely Sucia Island. For a change of scene from past visits we anchored in Fox Cove and then circled the island by dinghy stopping to explore Fossil Bay, Echo Cove and Shallow Bay with a side trip over to Matia Island. Mother seals on nearby Clements Reef gave us a sleepy look as their wide-eyed babies anxiously watched us pass by. From the dock at Fossil Bay we were able stretch our legs on some of the trails.



Next, we anchored in pretty Reid Harbor on Stuart Island where we hiked up to see how the school is doing. Enrollment spiked to nine students at the beginning of the school year but dwindled to two by the end of the year when two families moved off island. Nevertheless, the teacher and two students enjoyed an end of year field trip to Alaska including Glacier Bay. A word to the wise: the hill is a little higher and the trail is steeper than it was on our first visit several years ago. Instead of hiking to the Turn Point light house we gave it an inspection by taking the dinghy around the island by way of Prevost Harbor.



At Roche Harbor we got a slip for two days next to Offshore 48 Rebozo, home of good friends, Bill and Rebbie Bates. Their exciting news is that after living on a boat for all of their 28 years of married life, they bought a home five minutes from Roche Harbor on Davidson Head overlooking Spieden Channel. Bill helped me with a couple of boat projects including servicing the windlass while Rebbie prepared a delicious dinner. The sunset Colors Ceremony when the British, Canadian and American anthems are played and flags are lowered and the cannon is fired is a Roche Harbor tradition.



We always thought of Bedwell Harbor on South Pender Island as a sleepy Canadian Customs port of entry. But now there are signs of life as the new Poet’s Cove Resort has given the place a new look with a hotel, spa, villas, condos, etc. After clearing customs we anchored, set out a crab pot and took the dinghy through the Pender Canal to Port Browning. At refreshment time an Osprey skimmed the water and easily snatched several small fish. The next morning the crab pot yielded a disappointing catch of two big wriggling sun stars and three female crabs. Gay’s casual comment that the inflatable dinghy was suffering from E.D. was my command to spring into action. A few squirts of air should do the trick. While retrieving the foot pump under the seat, I noticed that the contents of the cargo hold (foot pump, five life vests, anchor with 50’ of line, two more 50’ lines, two paddles, navigation light and mast) had shifted to the bilge and was covered with mildew. An hour after I climbed in with a bucket of soapy water and bleach the place was sparkling and ready for inspection.



Pirates Cove on DeCourcy Island is one of the most picturesque spots in the Gulf Islands but the narrow, rocky entrance is not for the weak of heart. We stopped there for an hour and a half to wait for the six knot current at Gabriola Passage to abate. Then as we pulled up the anchor a log drifted across the entrance. No problem. Tugboat Safari just pushed it aside. Looking ahead we saw that two tugs were getting ready to push a quarter-mile log raft through Gabriola Passage. A little extra speed got us ahead of the log raft, through the passage and into Silva Bay where we anchored for the night with a red sunset.

Part 5, Leaving Puget Sound



May 25-June 1, 2005



It’s good to be back on Safari after nine days at home. The perfect weather that we enjoyed while at home continued here for another week. During the return flight all of the snow capped volcanic peaks (Lassen, Batchelor, the Three Sisters, Hood, St. Helens, Rainier and Baker) stood out like ice cream sundaes against the green forest and brilliant blue sky. All are perfect cones except Mt. St. Helens where the vast devastation that resulted when it exploded is still very evident.



We went back to our favorite spot at Blake Island for another night before going to Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island for a few days. We made new friends including a charming tug boat captain who couldn’t believe that old folks like us are out there doing what we are doing. (We couldn’t believe he was mature enough to be doing what he is doing.) Melanie and Lloyd Benson visited for a couple of hours before going back to the process of moving into their new home on Bainbridge Island. Bainbridge Island is a bedroom community for about 20,000 residents—many of whom commute from Eagle Harbor to Seattle some six miles away by ferry. Washington State Ferries operates the largest ferry fleet in the United States. Twenty-eight ferries cross Puget Sound and its inland waterways, carrying over 26 million passengers to 20 different ports of call. The largest of these ferries is the Jumbo Mark II Class which is 460’ long, has a beam of 90’, a 17’ draft, and carries 2500 passengers and 20 vehicles at 18 knots. The small passenger-only ferries are 143’ long, carry 350 passengers and travel at 38 knots. With all of these ferries plus cruise ships, freighters, excursion boats, tugs, barges, crabbers, sail boats, motor yachts, speed boats, kayaks and logs it’s a good idea to keep a constant watch while navigating Puget Sound—but what a great place.



We went back to Bell Harbor for another night to get a taste from the world’s largest bowl of clam chowder planned for Memorial Day at Pike’s Market. But the health permit didn’t come through so we settled for oysters at Elliot’s Oyster House. We will have to go back again in order to try all 30 different kinds of oysters on the menu.



After more than a month in Puget Sound it’s time to move on to the San Juan Islands and points north. There are three ways to get there: on the outside of Whidbey Island (considered to be the longest island in the nation) through Admiralty Inlet (the way we came in) or inside of Whidbey Island either through Deception Pass or via the Swinomish Channel by way of La Conner. We chose the latter. It is a 15 mile cut through mud flats separating Fidalgo Island from the mainland that reminded us of the Petaluma River. The main attraction is La Conner, a tourist destination, with colorful false-front shops, inns, and restaurants, original wood-framed historic homes, and several museums. It’s well worth a visit as it took us two days to see all of the shops and to try four of the best places to eat. We especially enjoyed the quilt museum and, thinking ahead, bought a Canadian courtesy flag.

Part 4, Muskrat Alert!



May 11-16, 2005



At the Seattle Yacht Club three large yachts have sunk in the past four years and many others have sustained less serious damage from Muskrats. These pesky critters like to swim into the exhaust lines; sometimes they will chew through fiberglass or rubber hoses and then down goes the boat! I did see one of the varmints admiring the stern of a 39’ Bayliner.



While enjoying two days of hospitality at the SYC Wyman installed a new fresh water pump and discovered that a loose yellow wire was the reason that the 12 kW Northern Lights generator wouldn't start. Then, when the hot water heater stopped heating the problem was remedied by reconnecting a wire that had burned through due to a loose connection. These are the times when we are happy to have backup systems and the ability to diagnose and fix problems. Mom always said that problems come in threes.



With all systems functioning properly again it was time to head back to salt water—did you ever notice how much lower a boat floats in fresh water? This is because fresh water is less dense and requires more volume to displace the weight of the vessel. This time with fewer boats heading out to sea the small lock was operating which only held Safari and a new Grand Banks 48 on its way to the Grand Banks Rendezvous at Roche Harbor.



Gig Harbor is very secure with a narrow, shallow entrance that widens out into a spacious area surrounded by large homes and marinas. The village with specialty shops and good restaurants serves an upscale community. Small world story: on the street Wyman ran into friends that we met while cruising in Kwatsi Bay three years ago. They gave me a ride to the Gig Harbor Yacht Club tag sale were I bought a crab trap and then we spent several hours catching up followed by dinner. The next day the harbor mistress's son was thrilled when I gave him the crab pot that was likely to leave rust spots on the boat. After three pleasant nights at Gig Harbor we jumped across the sound to the Des Moines Marina where we left Safari while we returned home for a week so that Wyman could attend a board meeting and play in a piano recital.

Part 3, Lake Washington



May 5-10, 2005. Most of the time boating safety and finding the best cruising sites and activities is the result of meticulous planning; sometimes its just dumb luck. Such was the case when we floated into the biggest boating season Opening Day celebration in the country—a really big deal since Seattle more boat owners per capita than any city in the U.S. As planned on Thursday we made the short hop from Bell Harbor to Lake Washington via The Ballard Locks necessary to elevate boats 26 feet from sea level outside to the freshwater level outside. Safari joined the gaggle of some 35 waiting boats and on signal entered the lock, Gay expertly heaved our lines up to the lock-wall attendants, secured the boat against a concrete wall and helped a couple of sail boats raft along-side. The lock, 825 feet long and 80 feet wide, is about the size of one of the Panama Canal locks and easily contained the 35 or so boats in our group. Then the west gate closed, the rising water raised all boats, the east gate opened and all boats exited into Salmon Bay and Lake Union. The whole process was accomplished in a fairly efficient, semi-organized fashion without loss of life or limb. Water-related businesses solidly line both shores of Salmon Bay and Lake Union with boatyards, shipyards, marinas, fishing vessels, tramp steamers and working wharfs.



We observed the 7 knot speed limit through Lake Union, Portage Reach, Montlake Cut and Union Bay past the University of Washington and into Lake Washington where the Seattle Yacht Club had just anchored two parallel mile-long log booms (2-3 foot diameter cedar logs tethered end-to-end) about 40 yards apart. We quickly saw that the drill was to go on the outside of either of the log booms, drop an anchor about 100 out, back to the log boom and tie a couple of stern lines to the log. A friendly chap in a Boston Whaler introduced himself (Jerry) and gave us a hand. Four of Jerry’s UW fraternity bothers (Bob, Kurt, Ron and Bud) soon arrived in their boats along with their wives (Coleen, Cindy, Debbie, Una, and Louise), children and grandchildren. Within a couple of hours all of the gaps had been filled and we found ourselves rafted with about 300 boats across from another 300 boats rafted together on the opposing log boom—all ready for a party.



On Friday morning while Gay was walking with the ladies on the UW campus, a police boat with a local news crew aboard stopped and zoomed in on me as I watched the parade of boats between the two log booms and worked out on the stair master in the cockpit. Several people told me that they saw me on TV. The parade of boats—from kayaks to mega-yachts continued non-stop until the fireworks started at 9:30 just off our bow. On Saturday, the 7th, my birthday activities began with crew races followed by a Coast Guard cutter that led a three-hour parade of over 300 official entries in 23 different classes followed by a fireboat. Then all of the boats came back the other way joined by hundreds of spectator boats. All-in-all it was a very festive birthday party with 40 to 50,000 participants and spectators--and we now have some new boating friends.



Ready for some quiet time Safari spent a rainy Sunday afternoon and evening anchored in Andrews Bay and then moved on to anchor at Bellevue in front of the house of new friends Ron and Louise Lofgren who hosted us for dinner with even more new friends. By Tuesday the sun came back and we completed our tour of Lake Washington where the shore is lined with one mansion after another, including the homes of Bill Gates and Paul Allen.

Part 2, Puget Sound
April 26-May 4, 2005. With the passage complete Gay and Wyman settled into cruising mode by spending three days at Bell Harbor Marina in downtown Seattle where we walked to Pike Place Market, the oldest continuously operating farmer�s market in the U.S., renowned for its bakeries, its farm-fresh produce and flowers, and its seafood. The approach to Seattle by boat is quite spectacular with the Space Needle, sports stadiums and sparkling sky scrapers�sort of like San Francisco without a red bridge. We were joined by good friends Glenn and Penny Byrd aboard Barnaby, a lovely 54� custom built Sunnfjord motor yacht. We met the Byrds on our first cruise to the Pacific Northwest in 2002 and have buddy boated from time-to-time ever since.
Both boats moved on for two nights to the village of Poulsbo in Liberty Bay. Poulsbo has done a fair job of preserving its� Norwegian heritage with brightly painted houses, charming gift shops, bakeries and restaurants.
The next two-night stop was Blake Island State Park, a 475 acre preserve only seven miles from downtown Seattle�the local equivalent of SF�s Angel Island. As we look forward from the pilot seat the Space Needle and the burgee flag pole on the bow pulpit are side-by-side and appear to be the same size and shape. By Monday morning only Safari and Burnaby remained after a busy weekend of family activity. Since the island is densely wooded, lots of activity seems to take place around the tiny harbor: in the evening the deer wandered down to inspect the visiting yachts, an otter spent an hour playing in the sand on the beach less than 20 yards from the boat, a raccoon waddled over to pass the time of day with the otter, a great blue heron posed on the sea wall, a magpie and a raven prattled on about local politics while a bald eagle pondered affairs of state in the top of a nearby tree, the purple martins cleared the air of flying insects while barn swallows rested on the bow-pulpit, a pileated woodpecker tapped out a beat to which a kingfisher danced atop a piling and a pair of Canada geese announced their arrival by loudly honking out of tune as they swooped in to land with a splash along side. The otter thought he was the target of the noisy dive-bombing geese and scrambled head over heels down the beach, dove in the water and swam like a torpedo toward Safari�finding safety under the dock. As the tide and night fell, a pair of raccoons sampled the seafood buffet on the seawall and the great blue heron tip-toed along the shoreline. The next morning we discovered tiny hand prints left by a curious raccoon on our teak cockpit cap rail. I would discuss our morning walk in the woods the next morning, but space here is limited.
We took advantage of two more nights back at Bell Harbor Marina in Seattle to keep a doctor�s appointment and to see long-time friend Heidi Gans along with three new family members: husband Marcus and daughters Gracie (2 �) and Ava (6 weeks). We also played tourist by taking the Underground Seattle Tour and seeing the IMAX show of the Mt. St. Helens eruption
 

From the Log of Safari
Part 1, the Passage
Sent from 48 10.33N, 122 53.3W


Wyman and Gay and their Offshore 54 motor yacht Safari were ready to depart San Francisco Yacht Club on Sunday, April 17, 2005 en route to the Pacific Northwest. High winds and unruly seas delayed departure until 5:00 a. m. Thursday, April 21. Fellow SFYC members John Scarborough and Hal McCormack joined Wyman and Gay to assist in the delivery. As Safari charged out of the Golden Gate, the black of night faded to reveal no wind, glassy seas and large swells left over from a storm in the North Pacific. Offshore 52 Sea Dreamer owned by John and Erica Eigoe of St. Francis YC and Marin YC buddy-boated throughout the trip. Large flotillas of Velellas took advantage of the light winds to sail on a broad reach. In the afternoon NW wind built to 15 to 20 knots and wind waves grew to three feet or so on top of the six to nine foot swells. This cauldron deposited one Velella on the windshield and one in the cockpit for detailed examination. These creatures from the jellyfish family are about the size of a silver dollar, purplish in color and have a transparent sail on their topside set for a permanent starboard tack.

At midday Friday, April 22 we refueled in Brookings, Oregon. During the night the wind clocked around to the South, built to 20 knots and provided a roller-coaster ride until we pulled into Grays Harbor Saturday night. During the day we dodged all but one of the many crab pots along the way. As we docked two floats from the unlucky crab pot were cut free by the spurs on the propeller shafts.

On Sunday, April 24 John Scarborough caught a ride with Erica Eigoe to the Seattle Airport. A light Southerly breeze provided conditions that allowed us to take the �Hole-in-the-Wall� shortcut between Cape Flattery and Tatoosh Island before docking at Neah Bay for the night while bald eagles stood by.

Fair weather continued for Monday�s trip in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Port Townsend
 

"Safari" in the NW 

Start Date