Another beautiful morning as the sun came up over Oro Bay.  Time to check 4 pots we set the night before, so all 4 of us piled in the dinghy to reap the bounty of the sea.  No Dungeness crab but each pot had a large Rock Crab.  We figured we better keep them, as it may be all we get.

12 noon, Julie says…I’m not felling very good.  Oh no! Skylar may not have had food poisoning after all.  Being sick on a small boat is not fun – cramped quarters and only one bathroom, no one can escape the toxic fumes and everything seems germ ridden.  The puke just kept coming so I had to get the kids and me out of there.  After a tiny dinner – no one really wanted to eat – we went up to shore for a fire.

9pm – Ava says…. My stomach hurts!  I knew what was coming but didn’t say anything.  No way we were going back to the boat, she was going to have to puke outside.  Face turned white and sure enough, here it comes.  We couldn’t quite make it to the grass so Flumegedon spewed all over the sidewalk.  Now two of them sick on the boat – all I could think about was my turn!

Ava and Julie were banished below deck to wallow in their flu while I tried to keep things disinfected.  What a start to the trip!

Another big summer boating trip is about to begin!  Here’s the plan – July 29 cast-off for our adventure.  Return…..  Well we’re not sure yet, sometime at the end of August.  We decided to visit some cruising grounds we are very familiar with – the San Juan’s and Canada Gulf Islands.  We’ve cruised these waters every year for the last 12 years but there’s always more to explore.  Our goal is to visit as many new places as possible but of course hit our favorites as well.

But before we go north, we will need to turn south.  Julie’s big family reunion – Pirates Cove near Allen in the South Sound – is the weekend after we leave and our contribution is to bring as much freshly caught crab as possible.

Weeks of preparation, the boat is almost ready to go.  Two days before cast-off, 3am, I hear the horrible sound of kid puke permitting the house.  I run to the kids’ bathroom – no child.  Not good – there’s going to be a mess to clean up.  Skylar is sitting at the edge of his bed puke all over his bed and floor.  How do you deal with this, especially in the middle of the night!  Julie and I rallied and got everything cleaned up and disinfected but poor Skylar was not doing well.  After dry heaves all mooring and into the next day, he was starting to feel better.  No body aches, no fever, we wondered what he had and thought we might have to postpone our cast-off date.  Ahhhh…. the seafood chowder he ate the night before at Crockets.  Food poisoning – must be it, no one else is sick and he’s getting better pretty quick.  Thank God, no worries about making our cast-off date even if late in the day.

After loading the last of our belongings we cast-off for Oro Bay on Anderson Island – Tuesday July 29th 4:55pm.  Oro Bay will be our home base for the next few days while we hunt down the crab!

Dropped 4 pots in the water for a nights soak, had dinner, played some Gin Rummy and went to bed in hopes of the mother-load tomorrow morning.

Arrived at 6:50pm
Traveled 13.73nm
Total – 13.73nm

Day 29 & 30 – The last two days out on the water will be spent in Seattle school shopping for the kids, and cruising the last leg to our home port in Tacoma.  We woke up late with a great cup of coffee looking up at the city. Against the kids wishes, everyone got ready for a full day of back-to-school shopping.  It was a must though, the kids go back in a few days and this it our only opportunity.

Back in the big city after all that time bonding with nature can be a little shocking.  We ran around from store to store getting the kids everything they needed then had a great dinner at Ettas.

After getting up early the next day to wash the boat, we took off for the final run to Tacoma Yacht Club. Thankfully it was a nice calm day so my wash job stayed nice and clean.

30 days out on the boat with two kids is quite a long time.  It certainly has its challenges, but even after all that time no one really wanted to go home.  As we approached TYC we all talked about the fun we had and our favorite moments.  The time together in close quarters really helps us all become closer to each other. 

Trip Summary –

Tacoma – Sucia, 102nm
Sucia – Roche, 17.8nm
Roche – Pender, 10.4nm
Pender – Roche back to Montague, 32.4nm
Montague – Nanaimo, 28nm
Nanaimo – Garden Bay, 34.7nm
Garden Bay – Grace, 48.6nm
Grace – Tenedos, 9.67nm
Tenedos – Roscoe, 5.79nm
Roscoe – Laura, 5.83nm
Laura – Refuge, 8.39
Refuge – Teakerne – Squirl, 15.4nm
Squirl – Savary – Lund, 14.7nm
Lund – Nanaimo, 61.34nm
Nanaimo – Pirates, 11.1nm
Pirates – Ruxton – Ladysmith, 12nm
Ladysmith – Wallace, 15.9nm
Wallace – Otter, 14.2nm
Otter – Russell, 5.8nm
Russell – Sidney, 6.5nm
Sidney – Roche, 10.5nm
Roche – Sucia, 16.68nm
Sucia – LaConner, 30.6nm
LaConner – Seattle, 56.67nm
Seattle – Tacoma, 22nm

Total nautical miles traveled = 597.15   Thats 687.18 regular miles!
Fuel used 369 gallons = 1.61 miles per gallon
Engine hours = 86 hours 20 minutes