2006 Spring Cruise, Part 2

The conditions in Filucy Bay remained chilly and gray, but we decided to head out anyway. "Juniata" and "Sail La Vie" were going back to the park dock at Penrose Point. We elected to continue on into Horsehead Bay, where we hoped to hide out from the even stronger SE winds that were forecast. The guide book said that large, expensive homes lined the shore. We immediately thought, "Wi-fi!" It was time we checked TurboTax to see if our e-filed forms had been accepted. I couldn't relax until we were assured they went through okay. Clark steered "Rikki-tikki" as far toward the head of the bay as we felt comfortable and went forward to drop the anchor. As soon as it set, I turned on the iBook's Airport and, wonder of all wonders, we immediately picked up an open network! Yes! We'd come to the right spot. We could relax and enjoy the evening. The winds did pick up but the small bay was well sheltered, as were we.

As we exited Horsehead Bay the next day, we saw "Juniata" had already made a good distance down Carr Inlet ahead of us. It was bumpy and the wind was nearly on our nose, but the gusts soon calmed as we turned to go into Tacoma Narrows. Back in Gig Harbor at the City Dock, thunderstorms and heavy rain squalls made our walking tours "interesting". We ducked into little shops to wait out each sudden downpour. Way down the street, toward the head of the harbor, we found a little marine store where we bought a curious folding, lightweight grapnel anchor for Darzee. When Dave saw it, he immediately asked Larry to buy him one- "Sail La Vie" was staying another day or two.

On April 17, we motored 27 nautical miles back to Port Madison where, as we had expected, the wi-fi network there now required a password. Email would have to wait until we got back to Port Ludlow. After another four hours of travel next day, we anchored in our very favorite hideaway, the Inner Harbor. Dave and Marcia would go on into Canada, while we decided to see if we could offload our bicycles before heading to BC. We emailed Dick and Sharon to inquire if they had room. They replied in the affirmative, so we decided to go into La Conner, where our friends could meet us with their pickup truck. 

Leaving Port Ludlow on the 20th, we enjoyed calm conditions all the way across the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The current runs very swiftly in Deception Pass, between Fidalgo Island and Whidby Island. Everyone respects its narrow fairway and turbulent waters. We arrived shortly before slack and found a pair of tugs along the north shore with their log boom waiting to go through. They pulled out in front of us as the time neared. We hailed them several times on the VHF but they failed to respond, so we throttled up and pulled around them before there was no time left to do so. Passing under the bridge at low tide, one is impressed with the narrowness of the water, the size and frighteningly jagged rocks that line the shore cliffs. We wished someone had been on the bridge to photograph "Rikki-tikki" going under for his first time. "Serendipity" must've passed under dozens of times in her ten years of cruising these northern waters.




Two tugs with their log boom headed for Deception Pass.

The Swinomish Channel is fraught with strong currents, which even locals don't seem to quite understand which direction they will run on which state of the tide. We decided to deal with whatever current there was. The channel is clearly marked. We entered the south end, which is very narrow between mud flats with no water. The current was running against us and a big power yacht came astern wanting to get by. We pulled as far over to the right as possible. As they passed, a man came out onto the swim step and mouthed, "Sorry about the wake," and stepped back inside leaving us to rock back and forth. At far end is a steep-sided channel with an S-curve shape that blocks any view of traffic approaching. With our wide beam, we hoped not to meet any other boat, while we nervously took quick glances overhead to marvel at the homes perched on the edges of the cliffs.

There is another bridge at the south end of La Conner and the chart assured us we would enjoy ample clearance but, as we approached, we spied a cable hanging much lower than the bridge span. We were almost afraid to continue into town! Slowing to a creep, we edged our way toward the higher side of the cable and crossed our fingers that our mast top would not snag. If it touched, we were prepared to back away immediately. This time we didn't even breathe. "Rikki" went under without catching the cable, but we were sure that this clearance was not what was stated on the chart! With relief, we tied "Rikki-tikki" to a City Float, and put our $20 check into the fee box.



A metal sculpture of a salmon graces this ramp at one of the La Conner City Floats.

It turned out to be Tulip Days in La Conner. Discovering this, we were amazed that there was room along the city waterfront for us. The attractive little town was crowded with people, hundreds of cars, and motorcycles. A bank parking lot sparkled with an amazing array of shiny, expensive sportscars.



A steam-powered launch gives tours up and down the waterfront at La Conner.



Designed for speed, these sporty vehicles dazzled the eyes.



The main street of La Conner was congested with weekend visitors.


Dick and Sharon came down to the dock, loaded up the bikes, then took us to their home in Mount Vernon for dinner. On the way out of town, Dick slowed the car so I could grab a shot of the last of the tulips left in the field. The remaining acres of flowers had all been snipped off, leaving only stems and leaves! The tulips are grown for their bulbs not their blooms. We just missed what must've been a truly awesome landscape just days before.





No stopping. No Cars. Just grab a quick photo!

Our dismay at missing the La Conner fields was soon forgotten. As soon as we checked into Canada Customs on April 26th at Tsehum Harbour, we made a beeline for Tod Inlet, where we would tour The Butchart Gardens. They are renowned worldwide for their floral displays and we would not be disappointed. We spent two days taking photos and wandering through the amazing combinations of colorful foliage and bright spring blossoms.





Clark overlooks The Butchart's Sunken Garden.

Here are just a couple of the hundreds of photos I captured.




The beds are layered with swaths of blooms.




Nature creates some eye-popping shapes and hues.




The tulips are artfully integrated with contrasting or harmonizing companions.


When we emerged from our last day at The Butchart Gardens, Juniata was waiting for us in the anchorage. The following day was drizzly but we didn't care. Ira (You remember Small Fry?) met Clark and I at the end of the trail where the lane ends, loaded us into his pickup, and drove us into Victoria/Langford for grocery shopping. We enjoyed his wonderful stories along the way. After a personal tour of this beautiful area, he took us to his home, where we finally met his wife, Betty. Thanks, Ira. Our visit was much too short!


All stocked up with groceries, we followed "Juniata" out of Tod Inlet and northeast toward Pirates Cove, a popular Marine Provincial Park on De Courcy Island. The weather was threatening to worsen but conditions were benign for the six and a half-hour trip. Arriving at Pirates Cove in late afternoon, we anchored as close to the east shore as we could and rowed out a line to shore. "Juniata" anchored out in the middle, just ahead of a raft of six powerboats with music blaring and we both hunkered down to await the coming storm.


Clark & Nina

Spring Cruise, Part 1

The Adventures of Rikki-tikki-tavi

March 27 to April 12, 2006

South Puget Sound Cruise - Part 1

We bid farewell to our new friends in Port Ludlow Marina on a pleasantly sunny day. The breeze outside the harbor was brisk but going in the wrong direction. We motored south to meet Juniata in Port Madison, a quiet harbor on Bainbridge Island. Our Spring Cruise of South Puget South had begun. We anchored off an idyllic-looking private island compound sprouting a lovely home, a treehouse, a couple of rope swings out over the harbor, kayaks on the private pier, and cushy deck chairs on the porch. We figured the owners for Seattle residents, their island get-away visited only on long weekends or over summer vacations. Dave and Marcia joined us in the cockpit. The sun warmed Rikki-tikki's decks and our faces as we talked about the month ahead. The weather, so far, looked promising. We discovered that our computer could pick up an open wi-fi network, so we checked email from the boat.

Gray skies next morning greeted us as we got underway early to catch the slack current in Agate Pass. Even though the bridge clearance is 75 feet, we sucked in our breaths as Rikki-tikki's nearly 60-foot height passed beneath. There were long-tailed ducks and a few loons along the shore. We followed in the wake of both Juniata, Dave and Marcia's 37-foot Pacific Seacraft yawl, and Serendipity, my maternal grandparents' 37-foot custom motorsailer. Julian and Olive were on the same course through Agate pass back in April of 1965 and their adventurous spirits are held dearly in my heart. We pulled into Poulsbo at the head of Liberty Bay and dropped anchor in the shallow water. Two friends of Dave and Marcia's motored out to Juniata in their dinghy, and we joined them all for lunch in the cockpit. After eating, Dave lowered his new 6 HP outboard onto their Porta-Bote. He let Clark start it for the very first time (!) before they went out for a spin on the glassy bay.

The next day, we got Dave to tow Darzee into town with his new motor, while we sat back and enjoyed the ride. The little town of Poulsbo (pronounced "Pauls-bow") is popular in the summer, but this time of year things are fairly quiet. Dave, Marcia and Clark posed for a photo in front of the famous bakery, resisting the temptation of sugary morsels laid out in the window. We sat with a cup of coffee in the Poulsbohemian Café, where a couple of gals added sections to the world's longest knit scarf.

Slowly we sauntered in and out of the shops and back to the marina, where there was something even more interesting to see- the world's largest (perhaps) trimaran. Dave towed us over to gawk at a trimaran so big that we guessed Rikki-tikki would fit on one side deck! Wow, it was huge.

After a full run around this leviathan (it's for sale!), we headed back to Rikki-tikki for a yummy sardine mash lunch. Marcia wasn't so sure she would like it, but with capers and sundried tomatoes added, sardines, besides being very healthful fare, taste great. It's our staple lunch- quick and easy.

Rain soon settled in and we watched from the shelter of our cockpit dodger as a several fleets of kids raced small sailing dinghies for an hour despite the wetness. After three nights in Liberty Bay, we decided to go back to Port Madison for the wi-fi and to explore the length of the inner harbor in our new kayaks. The wi-fi remained open and we accomplished some essential tasks online. It was only a matter of time before the open network would be accessed only with a password, so we took advantage while we could.

Next on the agenda, kayaking. We enter the kayaks off the stern where I tie both ends of the 'yak off to the handrails. That way, when I get in or climb out, the plastic boat doesn't zip out from under me. Clark is much more agile and he ties only one end. Our water-level tour around Port Madison gave us a new view of the multimillion-dollar homes that line the shore. We donned our drysuits next morning and got into the water to scrub all three of Rikki's hulls, scraping and brushing off the many forms of algae that seem to grow back overnight. Clark spent the entire next day, which just happened to be April Fool's Day, working on our contribution to the Northwest Multihull Association newsletter. They had invited us to write about our 2005 trip up the West Coast. About 5 PM, he called Juniata on the walkie-talkie to announce that "writing is painful", and mentioned vodka may be the cure for his pain. After two chilled coconut concoctions and some mango ginger Stilton cheese, Clark and the rest of us were feeling quite relaxed.

Juniata sailed away for Blake Island, leaving us behind to wait for their friends, Larry and Marcia, aboard Sail La Vie, a Gemini 32 catamaran. When they arrived, we enjoyed cocktails and dinner aboard Rikki-tikki-tavi. Next day we both headed south, but our destination was Blakely Harbor. On our way past Eagle Harbor, where the Washington State Ferry traverses between Bainbridge Island and Seattle, we turned in for a look. It was raining and we were slowly cruising the harbor looking at boats. I spotted an interesting white trimaran on the end of a dock. As we approached, a powerboat drove out from the fairway behind the tri, stopping us dead in our tracks. Clark looked to starboard as we waited for him to pass and there, just a few feet away, was Bacchanal, John Marples' Searunner 37, vintage 1970s. The companionway was open, so we hailed the owner. Patrick popped his head out and motioned for us to pull in behind his trimaran.

What a great treat to meet Patrick here! He had introduced himself by email many months before as we were making our way up the coast toward Cape Flattery, saying that he'd been watching our building progress on the internet for years. He had invited us to come by to say "hi" when we got to Seattle. Eagle Harbor is across The Sound from Seattle, so we were surprised and glad for the serendipitous meeting. Patrick arranged for us to stay the night on the Pub Dock behind Bacchanal. After hours of talking, dinner and wine aboard Rikki-tikki, breakfast the next morning too, we got to know Patrick and he us.

Here in Eagle Harbor, Rikki-tikki-tavi meets his brother, Bacchanal. (They are both male boats!)

The next day, April 4th, we left Eagle Harbor enroute for Gig Harbor, some 28 nautical miles away. Puget Sound was all new territory for us and we enjoyed the afternoon with a bit of sailing and motorsailing. When we arrived at the entrance to Gig Harbor with its serpentine shallow sandy bar, it was right at a minus 0.07-foot low tide. We were glad for our mere 38" of draft! Juniata and Sail La Vie were at the City Dock, their crews wondering what had been keeping us. We excitedly related our chance encounter with Patrick on Bacchanal.

Three chums, each of a different "feather" (different number of hulls), at the Gig Harbor City Dock.

We visited Gig Harbor again on the way back from the South Sound. The city allows two free days at their dock, which is centrally located to the little town with a grocery, post office, shops, marine stores, and restaurants. Between thundershowers, we walked the long frontage road to see the historical points of interest in the harbor and town. A historic walking tour brochure and placards along the way explain key aspects of the growth of the area and the fishing industry. There is still an active fleet of seine boats.

Our first trip under the Tacoma Narrows bridges, both the old and the new one now under construction, was under a full jib and with a favorable current. The clear blue sky put smiles on our faces. Checking grandpa's log, he and grandma motored under the Narrows Bridge at 1537 hours (that's 3:37 PM) on April 9, 1965. His notes say, "Rainy & cold all day." We headed for Penrose State Park, where we were promised fresh oysters and clams. Larry and Marcia had shellfish licenses!

We all stood around watching Larry and Marcia while they dug the clams and shucked the oysters on the muddy flats. After returning the oyster shells to their beds, we all went back to the dock for fried oyster appetizers. The clams were hung over the side in a net bag to purge themselves. The fishery notice on the park bulletin board stated that crabbing was open, so Larry also deployed his trap and next morning came back with three large rock crab- our first! Returning from the second day of clam digging, the notice stated that crabbing was closed! Were the crabs now illegal? Oh well, they'd already been cooked. So yummy, too, I sat on the dock long after everyone else had finished working to get out every last shred of meat.

While Marcia shows off the harvest, "The Other" Marcia digs clams at Penrose Beach.

Our three boats all carry or tow Porta-Botes as dinghies. Darzee has two buddies!

Appetizers enjoyed at the dock- it can't get better!

Cruisers are very self-sufficient. Dave gets a haircut, then it's Marcia's turn.

Next morning, we followed Juniata through Pitt Passage where there were two fishing boats with divers in the water. The large-diameter hoses led overboard told us they were probably harvesting geoduck clams, a tough business. There was not enough breeze for sailing into Olympia, so we motored over to tie up at the Swantown Marina transient dock. Dinner for eight aboard Sail La Vie featured garlicky clams, salads, and Clark's zucchini cake with coconut cream cheese frosting.

Clark's cousin, Betty, who lives just south of Olympia, came to pick us up. She took us shopping and to her home, where we met a long-time friend of hers. Unfortunately, I spent a good deal of the time on the computer in a frustrated attempt to complete our taxes online using TurboTax. Even though Betty's internet access was fast, I didn't have time to finish and I missed out on a lot of the conversation too! The following morning, I tried in vain to get the Swantown wi-fi to work. I even took my computer outside and held it up directly in sight of the antenna on top of the laundry/showers building. Drat it! We needed to get our taxes e-filed before leaving. Back at the dock, the iBook Airport hooked into an open network of unknown origin, but I thank whoever provided this access because I was able to complete and send our federal and California forms successfully! What a great relief. Now we would need to find another open wi-fi in a few days to confirm that the tax agencies had accepted our forms. Who knows where we might be? Rune, Betty's friend, Rune, came down to boat to get a tour before we left.

Leaving Olympia on a mirror of silvered, watery clouds.

On April 9, our first stop out of Budd Inlet was for fuel in tiny Boston Harbor. It is amazing, given the size of Budd Inlet and all the boats in Olympia, that there is no fuel dock. It is perhaps because Budd Inlet has very little exchange of water, it being at the extreme south end of Puget Sound. Four hours of motoring later, we arrived at Jarrell Cove, where Juniata and Sail La Vie were already tied up at the park dock. We elected to anchor out because we had also elected not to buy a Washington State Park Pass. Anchoring is always free. We took the dinghy into the dock for BBQ with the two Marcias, Larry and Dave.

The weather was kind to us here, as it had been for my grandparents when they stopped here, apparently for lunch, on April 11, 1965, on their way to Shelton from Filucy Bay. "Sunny- warm, calm. Beautiful weather." Most likely little has changed since their visit. We got out our hair scissors, our barstool, and gave each other haircuts. A local paddled out in a kayak to comment on the unusual sight we presented perched atop a barstool on the wide side-deck of our trimaran. Dave and Marcia, out in their inflatable kayak for the very first time, arrived at our stern. They got out of and back into the 'yak without falling in, though I was ready with a camera just in case they didn't.

April 11 was David's 59th birthday. We enjoyed delicious smoked salmon dip, salad, and BBQ'd New York steaks from Olympia's famous Farmers Market. David's "cake" was a walnut chocolate brownie with caramel sauce. Larry set the mood for the evening with 50's music on the MP3 player. We all had a great time.

We weighed anchor just before noon next day, our courses set for Filucy Bay, where Serendipity had experienced chilly, overcast, breezy conditions exactly 41 years ago to the day. The wind out in the inlets was brisk, up to 25 knots, generally holding between 12 and 18 from the south. We rolled out the jib and arrived about 3.5 hours later, also a bit chilled. As we carefully searched for a secure spot to set the anchor, my thoughts were of those intrepid, amazing sailors aboard Serendipity.

Clark & Nina

s/v Rikki-tikki-tavi

(Rikki-tikki's motto, and that of all mongooses, is "Run and find out.")

svrikki.net

A Pacific Northwest Winter - Part III

"You Haven't Yet Seen Cold"

February 7 to March 23, 2006

Dear Friends,

A beautiful winter scene – warm, cozy homes nestled amongst tall trees, whose drooping branches are lightly tipped with freshly fallen snow – brings a glow to one's heart. Visions of lounging before a toasty fireplace, feet propped up on a cushy pillow, float serenely in front of the eyes. It's Valentine's Day, dreams of champagne and soft music, a lover snuggling...

Wake up! You are really in that boat anchored out in the ice-covered water in front of those cozy homes! There is no fireplace, no champagne, and you get to bundle up, go out on deck and remove the heavy load of snow that has covered the solar panels, clogged the access to the hatches- your frozen fingers aching. Your lover, however, is with you and she hasn't yet threatened to abandon ship, so it's not as bad as it could be! So get out there and shovel that snow with your little plastic dustpan while she takes QuickTime® movies of you doing it! On your way out, turn up the cabin heater so icicles stay on the outside of the boat. The foreground reveals the true nature of the situation. Photograph of Rikki-tikki-tavi anchored in snowy Port Ludlow Inner Harbor by Del Jacobs. As a weak sun begins to peer over the trees, we awake to find Rikki-tikki cloaked in soft white snow. Okay, so it wasn't a lot of snow that fell that night, just over an inch or so. And the previous week in Port Ludlow had been sunny and clear. We'd gone shopping with Dave and Marcia in their little Honda, had Polish sausages at Costco, were able to get in some computer time on the marina wi-fi, where Juniata was moored for the winter. Best of all, we delighted in some great camaraderie with our friends. We were enjoying our first week at Port Ludlow quite a bit. The Inner Harbor is lovely and very protected, with sticky mud on the bottom- all the better to hold you with, my dear. We liked the Inner Harbor. Marcia unloading the latest goodies from the trunk. We loaded the Honda so tight we had to hold stuff on our laps! We were soon to discover that the snow was only the beginning of our winter fun in the Inner Harbor. The VHF weather announcements gave little warning of what was to come. The electronic voice said the night temperatures would fall into the 'teens. The voice didn't say our little watery parking lot would freeze over, so we blithely hung on our anchor and watched the hail and snowflakes blow by. In the middle of the night two days after snowy Valentine's Day, we were awakened by loud sounds very much like the squelch on the VHF gone into overdrive. Immediately, we knew it was the sound of surface ice being crunched and broken up against the hulls as the breezes gently pushed the boat from side to side. No worries, it was thin ice. The low winter sun just couldn't seem to warm up the air during the day and temperatures barely reached into the 20s, then dropped again into the 'teens night after night. On the morning of the 17th, we awoke to 18 degrees. Lucky for Rikki, there was no wind because he was frozen in place- solidly. The ice was so hard that Clark couldn't punch through it with the boat hook. The entire Inner Harbor was frozen over with about 5/8" freshwater ice- and Rikki-tikki was stuck in the middle. Darzee to the rescue! Clark got the outboard started, let it warm up, then managed to break a hole large enough to back up a little way. It was easier to go backwards because the spinning prop helped break up the crust of ice. While I attempted some video clips of the action on my Canon PowerShot, Clark ran our Porta-Bote-turned-icebreaker up on top of the ice a few feet at a time, waited for it to break, backed out, took another angle of attack, and then ran up on the ice again, repeating this action many times. It took about an hour to make a narrow cut completely around our trimaran. Then he took Darzee on a few merry-go-round turns to widen the ice-free circle. The hard, freshwater ice laid thickly on top of the saltwater of the Inner Harbor. Dave and Marcia were expecting us to arrive at the marina, a half-mile away, for a car trip into Silverdale for shopping or, as we call it, provisioning. We hailed them on the walkie-talkie over the racket of Darzee breaking an icy highway for us to get out of the Inner Harbor. There was no way we could move Rikki-tikki until the ice softened a bit, which we hoped the sun would do during the day. The shards of broken ice were sharp and we feared damage to the paint. So we went shopping. Little Darzee broke a path through the ice. Wow, what a racket! We returned from our excursion into Silverdale just as the sun was touching the tops of the trees. We rounded the tip of the island into to our bay and saw that the highway Darzee had forged remained unchanged. The ice around Rikki was as hard as ever. Clark dropped me and our goodies off at the boat, then turned to run Darzee back and forth along the edges of the path, widening it enough to drive Rikki out to the main harbor. With just enough light left to see, we anchored in liquid water to wait for warmer weather. We were determined to go back into our private bay as soon as it was possible, we liked it that much. A few days later we found ourselves sitting in the Honda again. We were just leaving the marina parking lot for another trip to the shopping center. Marcia's cell phone rang. She missed the call as she searched inside her backpack for the phone and the call went to voicemail. Unable to retrieve the message, she merely returned the call. A friendly female voice answered but said she hadn't made the call. She asked where Marcia was calling from because the area code showed California. Marcia explained that they were aboard their boat in Port Ludlow at the marina. The woman exclaimed, "We live in Port Ludlow!" After many questions, Shirley realized that her husband, Del, had called the marina trying to find the owner of the trimaran that had been anchored in snow and ice in front of their home on the Inner Harbor. Would Marcia know these people? Yes, we know them, and they are with us right now. Would you like to talk to them? And so we met Del and Shirley. Del had taken photos of Rikki-tikki-tavi over the last week and he wanted to make sure we received copies, so he hunted us down! He owns the only trimaran in Port Ludlow, an F-31A, and was very interested in our multihull. We invited them to dinner aboard Juniata and a tour of Rikki-tikki when we came into the fuel dock. We sure enjoyed their company! Shirley and Del treated us all to a lovely dinner at their fabulous home. Listening to Del's wonderful stories, we were fascinated by the rich and adventurous life this couple has led. We are grateful for the photos but the real pleasure resides in meeting such interesting and generous folks. Thank you, Del and Shirley. Frozen solid. Photo by Del Jacobs. Our enjoyable memories don't end there! Del invited us to attend a meeting of the Northwest Multihull Association in Seattle as his guests. It was a great day to ride the ferry between Eagle Harbor and Seattle- the views incredible. Del took us to Fisheries Supply, where we found a couple of terrific rain hats, and REI's flagship store, where Del bought a tent (we just browsed). The NWMA meeting was great fun. Del introduced us and passed around an 8 x 10 photo of our iced-in trimaran. We met a whole roomful of multihull enthusiasts, some cruisers and a lot of racers with "F-boats", most of the names fleeting. We were invited to write a story of our trip up the coast for their April newsletter, which we did. It is available online from the NWMA website- http://www.nwmultihull.org Thank you again, Del and Shirley. We hope to meet you on the water, sailing your trimaran. The rest of the story is that our heater decided to quit just as the cold weather was at its coldest. We had just spent, you may remember, about $500 to have a new fan installed in Vancouver. They did other maintenance too while it was in the shop. Clark reinstalled the overhauled unit in January before we returned to the U.S. Now it was only mid-February and the heater was belching blue smoke in attempts to fire up. We sent for more parts from Seattle. A tiny zipper sandwich bag with a little screen and a couple of gaskets arrived in the mail- $120! Clark took the unit over to the marina and, with the blessing of the staff, he disassembled the entire heater, part by part, on their worktable. After cleaning the burn chamber and installing all the new parts, he hauled the heater back to Rikki in the Inner Harbor to see if it would fire. Yes, but our confidence that we had reliable heat aboard was considerably eroded. By now, we were making regular trips in Darzee across the 1/2-mile of harbor to the marina. Some days it was very choppy with wind-blown waves. The wind never bothered us in the landlocked anchorage behind the Twin Islands. Other days we were assailed by sleet, hail, rain– you name it. We wanted kayaks and were spending time researching online for what was available at a reasonable price. I remembered that Costco in Sacramento sold kayaks last year, but we'd been to Costco in Silverdale many times- no kayaks. Then, one day, we went to Costco with Marcia and there, stacked up high, were bright orange kayaks! The one-person sit-insides came complete with paddles, spray skirts, and a cartop carrier (smart of them to include this!). Guess what we loaded onto the car? We went back to Costco and bought another kayak! After a bit of practice, my kayak became less tippy. I devised a way of safely getting into and out of the kayak from the stern steps. Two lines, one fore, one aft, tied onto the handrails, keep the kayak from scooting out from under me! We are going to enjoy having these and, Rod, we now have a way to rescue Darzee if he ever decides to go on walkabout again. In March, Dave and Marcia took Juniata to Port Townsend for a haul-out. We visited them with Steve and Myndy from "Enchantress". Dave was lucky to have good weather for painting the bottom and removing a thru-hull. I took a walk around and shot some photos of other boats there for work. Port Townsend has a very busy boatyard, there are vessels of every size and description, commercial and otherwise, though we saw no trimarans. Juniata on the hard in the Port Townsend boatyard. Boatworks in the boatyard. One of the murals in the Port Townsend boatyard. We began getting ready to leave for our Spring Cruise of South Puget Sound. The weather was definitely showing signs of improving! Just to remind us that winter wasn't yet over, it snowed again on March 8th. March 27th, we would head south into Puget Sound to meet Juniata in Port Madison.

A Pacific Northwest Winter - Part II

"Two Windy Weeks In Friday Harbor In Which Darzee Goes On An Adventure" We awoke to this view of Mount Baker across San Juan Channel from Friday Harbor's North Cove. Late that afternoon, as we settled ourselves and Rikki-tikki alongside the little barge in Hong Kong Basin, we met the caretaker of the barge, Jim, a very reserved fellow. He is known in Friday Harbor as a creative- local art galleries sold his jewelry and very-much-in-demand, fantastically detailed miniature buildings built inside bottles. He even designed and built the special miniature tools that this kind of weensy construction required. Now he writes stories and articles from the confines of his little boat moored out in The Basin. We marvelled at the tales he had to tell of past experiences living in a myriad of boats- all very tiny- a canoe (would you believe?), a West Wight Potter, now an 18' powerboat named "Patna". Our view of the Port of Friday Harbor from The Barge. We had been to Friday Harbor once before- in the company of two other boats, four of us aboard a chartered Catalina 36 named "Norma Jean". It was 1995 or thereabouts, 4th of July, and we had a great time watching the local Independence Day parade featuring kids towing their dogs and smaller siblings in decorated wagons. There were brass bands, lots of waving flags, firetrucks demonstrating their water power. It was truly small-town America stuff. Hot dogs were on the grill and lawn games were played in the sunken park. The community egg toss was especially fun. Dozens of participants were defeated, impossibly and at long last, by a very small boy whose egg, despite hitting the grass many times, simply refused to break. At the end, his egg had to be broken by the judge to prove it wasn't hard boiled! Our 2006 visit was cold, windy and gray most days, it being January, not July. The crowds of boats waiting to get a slip were absent, as were the lightly dressed sailors wearing sunhats. Friday Harbor residents had their town to themselves for the winter. We tried to blend in. It was our good furtune to have made the acquaintance of two locals while at Nanaimo's Newcastle Island back in August. Rod and Barbara live right off the main street around the corner from the big grocery and they wanted some advice on remodeling their home. They also desired our opinion on several homes that were under construction with the idea they would purchase one as a rental investment. Since building is Clark's area of expertise, they "hired" us to do some consulting. We enjoyed many hours of discussion, friendship and were given the opportunity to see a couple of very nice homes, plus a little of the island itself. Washington State Ferries call several times a day, leaving a rolling wake with each passing. We were invited to a Super Bowl Party. We don't enjoy football and neither does Rod, so we spent the time walking along country roads with our hostess and enjoying great conversation. We met several other sailor folks- our hosts were long-time SF Bay Area sailors and owned Bird Boat #18 for 25 years. They later owned and raced a Farallone Clipper, a classy classic wooden sailboat. We felt like newborns talking to Dan and Eileen about sailing. Their home on San Juan Island is cozy and filled with books, a lovingly built wood dinghy resides in the shop. The rooms feature a terrific view over Griffin Bay and San Juan Channel. On one of the two days we had sun, Clark and I filled our rolling insulated bag at "The Marketplace". In between our forays away from Rikki-tikki with new friends, we endured unpleasant weather, both while tied to The Barge and in the marina. We backed into two slips at the Port of Friday Harbor (they only charged us for one). Big winds were forecast and the minus tides would have set us into the mud in Hong Kong Basin, so we sought refuge of a sort tied to pilings and docks in deeper water. Sure enough, the winds reached 55 knots- that's 63 mph! The waves leaped all the way over the docks even inside the breakwater. When the winds ceased, we moved back to the barge and went back to rowing Darzee into the dinghy dock. It was cheaper. Our double-wide "G Dock" slip in the Port of Friday Harbor. Local color inside the Port docks. The Port of Friday Harbor before the wind began. Back on The Barge, another rainy windstorm blew in overnight. Clark got up in the morning, made coffee and sat down in the settee to enjoy it. He usually sits on the starboard side where we tie Darzee up between the vaka (the main hull) and the ama (the outer hull), using a three-point arrangement to keep him from banging into the hulls in the wind and waves. I arrived in the galley just in time for Clark to take a look outside to find that Darzee was gone! Darzee had taken a "walk", gone on an adventure of his own, without us. It was raining. The wind was blowing very hard. Lucky for us it was blowing toward the shore behind us. How did Darzee get loose? Unbeknownst to me, Clark had moved Darzee to the barge before we went to bed. Whatever knot he used, the waves had managed to untie. I grabbed the binoculars and searched anxiously along the shoreline. The tide was extremely high and lots of flotsam was piled up against the land. There, among a bunch of large logs, bobbed our lost tender, but we had no way of getting over to him. We thought, no problem, the tide will go out and leave Darzee high and dry. We can have Rod go down to get him later. Just as we voiced our solution, the wind shifted completely around and Darzee started to float out away from shore. I started to get very worried and fetched my drysuit from the ama, intending to swim to shore and retrieve our little taxi before he was blown out into the channel. Clark nixed my swimming. I got out my new dock hook and posted myself on deck, just in case Darzee was close enough to snag on his way past. Meanwhile, we called (we still had our GoPhone!) and left voicemail for Rod- could he come rescue Darzee? The morning before the storm that blew Darzee away. Nice and calm. With every gust of wind, we crossed our fingers that the jetsam surrounding Darzee would hold him close enough to shore for Rod to reach him- that is, when he arrived. The waiting was tense. After what seemed like forever, we saw our friend, without even a hat on, walking along the backyards of the homes that line the shore. Darzee was inching his way out of reach and we knew Rod hadn't seen the dinghy yet. He couldn't hear our shouts against the wind. We waved our arms and Rod finally spotted our wayward workhorse. Through the chop and rain, our rescuer brought little Darzee home. We are forever grateful and promise to never let it happen again, Rod. Thank you. Not calm now... Rod rescued Darzee and returned him to us. When the weather cleared enough for us to get out of Friday Harbor, we did just that. It is a great place- convenient access to everything a boater needs (except decent laundromats, more about that later) and the Washington State Ferry system. However, we've pretty much concluded, Friday Harbor is a wind-hole. Enough said. February 6- a calm day to leave Friday Harbor. Stopping at the fuel dock on our way out, a very pleasant couple hailed us from the wharf. They wanted to tell us how much they admired Rikki-tikki, so we invited them for a quick look-see. It turned out that Davey and Ziggy are circumnavigators, with wonderful stories we hope to hear when we meet them again. We are so glad they stopped to introduce themselves. Then we motored down through Cattle Pass and across the Strait of Juan de Fuca over relatively smooth seas, dodging the many logs and congealed islands of debris carried into the waters by the high tides and storm waves. The rain threatened but did not fall, we finally reached Point Wilson on a course for Mystery Bay. We carefully threaded our way through the complex winding entrance to Kilisut Harbor, between Indian Island and Marrowstone Island, spotting our first-ever long-tailed ducks- beautiful. A quiet night on anchor was a welcome change from the boisterous and busy days we spent in Friday Harbor. Point Wilson. The next morning, a very cold crosswind cut through our woolies as we rounded Marrowstone Point, but then it turned against us. The day was gray but the high clouds allowed a great view of the Olympic Mountains as we approached Port Ludlow, where Dave and Marcia on Juniata were holed up for the winter. We thought we might pay them a visit. It was February 7, 2006. Our view of Hurricane Ridge as we head into south Admirality Inlet. The condos at Burner Point, the entrance to Port Ludlow, the Olypmic mountain range in the background. Dave and Marcia wait on the dock to take our lines at Port Ludlow Marina. From their slip at Port Ludlow, Dave and Marcia enjoyed this view of the Olympic Mountains. Yet another chapter begins in our life on the water aboard Rikki-tikki-tavi. ... (Your patient indulgence for the belated nature of our journal entries is humbly requested.) Clark & Nina s/v Rikki-tikki-tavi

RTT's Ports of Call

News from "Rikki-tikki-tavi,"
31 July 2006

Fury Cove, Fitz Hugh Sound


Of the 212 days that have so far slipped away this year, Rikki-tikki-tavi traveled on sixty-eight of those days, spent forty-one of the nights tied to a dock, with the remainder side-tied at anchor to Juniata, with whom we began buddy-boating at the end of March. Rikki-tikki has covered 1145 nautical miles, with many more miles remaining to slide beneath his hulls before we are back in the USA.

Our season of cruising the Central Coast of British Columbia must be
cut a bit short. Rikki-tikki-tavi has been accepted to be a part of
the 30th Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival! The Festival runs
September 8-10, so we will be heading back to Washington over the
last three weeks of August. It is an honor to join the ranks of the
many beautiful wooden boats that have participated in the Festival.
We are thrilled and looking forward to the event with great
anticipation.

After the Festival, we will find a safe place for Rikki-tikki while
we go back to Sacramento to see Nina's first grandchild. A beautiful
boy, Merritt Maui, was born June 25 to Michael and Samantha Bailey.
It has been difficult to be without communication for such long
periods while cruising the farther reaches of BC, but we have been
able to see photos of the baby on the internet and spoken to the new
parents on Skype from Ocean Falls and from Shearwater, where we found
that these two remote outposts recently began providing wireless
internet access.

We have found that cruising brings new challenges each day. Be it
unpredictable weather, navigational problems and hazards, finding
comfortable anchorages, or the hours required daily to hunt for food,
prepare food, clean up after food, store food– the tasks necessary
to keep the boat running well and ourselves content are innumerable.
We find new interests taking the place of old. We are discovering
what works for us and what doesn't. Above all, we are learning and
enjoying life aboard Rikki-tikki-tavi.

We find time to kayak the shorelines at low tide, discovering new
creatures that we've never seen before. Clark fishes and sets traps
for prawn and crab. He has caught more fish than we can eat so we
release most of them. He brought a beautiful 33.5", 18# Chinook
salmon back from fishing in the dinghy off Hakai Passage. We've found
new and delicious ways to prepare all the wonderful seafood and have
experimented with harvesting and eating seaweed. Bull kelp makes
delicious chutney for our fish and the blades of winged kelp, which
can only be found in areas with very fast moving water at a very low
tide, is tasty fried. The rib in the center tastes like shitake
mushrooms in soups and stir-fry.


The interesting people we've met on other boats are always one of the
best parts of cruising. Everyone has a great story to tell and the
vessels they inhabit are all so very different. Living on water seems
to attract those who enjoy solitude and wildness, relish the
challenges of being self-sufficient in remote areas, and find reward
in successfully handling the natural forces of weather and the ocean.
We feel like such newcomers to the community but we look forward to
experiencing at least a small number of the places these wonderful
folks have travelled in their boats.

Our travels so far this year have been inspiring, enlightening,
tranquil, breathtaking, sometimes daunting and demanding– we are
living Rikki-tikki-tavi's Adventures. The task of transcribing our
experiences has become more taxing to us than all the other
challenges we face each day. So, for now, we beg your understanding
as we send this missive merely listing our Ports of Call. We promise
more details of Rikki-tikki's adventures as soon as we have some
long, uninterrupted time to write them down. Meanwhile, we are on the
move nearly every day and are entwined in the adventure itself.

Ports of Call January 1, 2006 to July 31, 2006

January 1-21   Montague Harbour, Galiano Island, BC
  Montague Harbour Marina
January 21-23  Winter Cove, Saturna Island, BC
   10.93 NM
January 23  Return to USA across Boundary Pass
   20.37 NM
January 23-February 6 Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA
   Anchorage, Hong Kong Basin & 4 nights at marina.
February 6  Mystery Bay
   37.6 NM, cross Strait of Juan de Fuca
February 7-March 26 Port Ludlow Inner Harbor
   19.6 NM
March 27  Port Madison
   22.69 NM
March 28-29  Poulsbo
   9.03 NM
March 30-April 2 Port Madison
   9.01 NM
April 3   Eagle Harbor
   10.07 NM, dock behind "Bacchanal"
April 4   Gig Harbor
   27.77 NM, city dock
April 5-6  Penrose Point State Park, Mayo Cove
   16.08 NM
April 7-9  Olympia, Swantown Marina
   21.54 NM
April 9-11  Jarrell Cove
   19.23 NM
April 12  Filucy Bay
   16.74 NM
April 13-14  Horsehead Bay, Carr Inlet
   8.15 NM
April 15-16  Gig Harbor
   16.39 NM, city dock
April 17  Port Madison
   26.74 NM
April 18-19  Port Ludlow Inner Harbor
   23.7 NM
April 20-23  La Conner
   43.38 NM, through Deception Pass, city dock
April 24-25  Friday Harbor, San Juan Island
   30.42 NM, Hong Kong Basin barge 
April 26  Tsehum Harbour, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
   19.83 NM, enter Canada
April 27-29  Tod Inlet, Vancouver Island
   13.82 NM
April 30-May 1  Pirates Cove, De Courcy Island
   35.81 NM
May 2-3   Silva Bay, Gabriola Island
   5.18 NM, through Gabriola Pass Rapids
May 4-8   Smuggler Cove, Sechelt Peninsula
   28.98 NM, cross Strait of Georgia
May 9   Green Bay w/stop at Madeira Park, Pender Harbour
   17.79 NM
May 10-15  Princess Louisa Inlet Marine Park, dock & mooring
   39.19 NM, Happy 2nd Birthday, Rikki-tikki-tavi!
May 16-17  Harmony Islands
   35.29 NM
May 18-19  Ballet Bay
   12.36 NM
May 20-24  Drew Harbour, Quadra Island
   49.49 NM, via Strait of Georgia, cruise around Mitlenatch Island
May 25-28  Octopus Islands
   14.02 NM, through Surge Narrows Rapids
May 29-30  Handfield Bay, Cameleon Harbour, Sonora Island
   17.17 NM, through Okisollo Channel
May 31   Beaver Inlet
   24.75 NM, through Green Point Rapids
June 1   Port Harvey
   40.05 NM, through Whirlpool Rapids
June 2   Lagoon Cove
   13.08 NM, through Chatham Channel & The Blow Hole, dock
June 3-4  Potts Lagoon
   8.8 NM
June 5-6  Beware Cove
   5.39 NM
June 7   Dead Point Cove
   1.82 NM
June 8-9  Crease Island Cove
   4.04 NM
June 10-11  Waddington Bay
   11.7 NM
June 12   Echo Bay
   6.53 NM, dock
June 13-14  Laura Cove
   5.53 NM
June 15-16  Lady Boot Cove
   10.05 NM
June 17-18  Port McNeill
   23.66 NM, marina
June 19   Blunden Harbour
   25.46 NM, Queen Charlotte Strait
June 20-22  Fury Cove, Fitz Hugh Sound
   49.42 NM, around Cape Caution
June 23   Philip Inlet, Fitz Hugh Sound
   9.08 NM
June 24   Kwakume Inlet, Fitz Hugh Sound
   13.41 NM
June 25-27  Codville Lagoon, Fitz Hugh Sound
   24.21 NM
June 28-29  Ocean Falls
   22.03 NM, dock
June 30-July 1  Forit Bay, Gunboat Passage
   14.44 NM
July 2-3  Gunboat Lagoon Cove
   4.03 NM
July 4-5  Discovery Cove, Troup Passage
   11.34 NM
July 6-8  Nash Passage Cove, Spiller Channel
   21.26 NM, through Troup Narrows & Bullock Channel
July 9-13  Morehouse Bay, Chatfield Island, Return Passage
   17.77 NM
July 14-15  Shearwater & Whisky Cove, Denny Island
   14.26 NM
July 16   The Hunter Group, Lama Passage to Hunter Channel
   8.5 NM
July 17   Cultus Bay, Cultus Sound
   11.16 NM
July 18-19  McNaughton Group, Queens Sound
   7.38 NM
July 20   Kayak Cove, Queens Sound, Hunter Island
   2.66 NM
July 21-22  Spitfire Channel, West Cove
   6.03 NM
July 22   Hurricane Island, 1-boat nook on south end
   4.54 NM
July 23-24  Watt Bay, "Domestic Tranquility" cove, Hunter Island
   6.46 NM
July 25-27  Lewall Inlet, Stirling Island
   9.54 NM, Clark caught 33.5" Chinook in Hakai Passage
July 28   Pruth Bay, Calvert Island
   9.98 NM
July 29   Kwakume Inlet, Fitz Hugh Sound
   11.11 NM
July 30-31  Green Island Anchorage, Illahie Inlet, Fitz Hugh Sound
   6.89 NM

Harmony Islands, Jervis Inlet

Our best to you all,
Clark & Nina