Friday August 5^th we left Deer Harbor headed to Sucia Island for a little relaxation in the wild.  Getting there was a little lumpy at times. The wind forecast was not great so we needed to find a good protected anchorage.  We settled on Echo Bay and dropped the hook for a good set.

So far the weather this trip has been less than optimal.  We’ve had moderate wind every day and while there hasn’t been much rain there’s always a chill in the air with temperatures only 62-70 degrees.  Everyday feels like a pretty nice fall day.  Not what we want for an August boat trip!!

Regardless of the weather, the boys were excited to get off the boat and camp on the island for a couple nights on their own.  After we anchored and got the kayaks and dinghy down they packed up their things and loaded the kayaks for the paddle in to shore to find a camp spot.  They found a great spot overlooking the bay and gathered a stock of firewood.  The boys had a fun time cooking some meals over the fire and roasting s’mores.

The next day we decided to check out Fossil Bay a short distance away.  Skylar and Dylan wanted to kayak over but the wind was whipping up a bit.  They needed a chase boat for their adventure so Julie, Ava and I gave them a head start and we followed them in the dinghy.  The waves got a little steep in some areas but we were very close to shore and the dinghy was right there handling it great.  The boys had a blast in the rough stuff, water coming over their kayaks as they surfed down the waves into the next one.  We got into Fossil Bay and the kids emptied the water that accumulated inside their kayaks.

We stayed over there for a few hours enjoying the lunch we brought, walking the beaches and Skylar and Dylan hiked out to one of the points.  The wind calmed down for our ride home (Skylar and Dylan wished it hadn’t) and the kids had another great night camping on the island.

Thursday the 4^th – With all the factory work completed it was time to go cruising!  We left La Conner bound for Deer Harbor where Skylar’s friend Dylan was flying in on a floatplane at 2:55 pm to stay with us for a few days. Arriving at the marina early we got tied up and made our way to the pool for some swimming.  The weather was finally kind of nice and the pool was just what we needed. Dylan’s flight came in right on time as we watched him land and taxi to the dock.

The float plane service around Puget Sound and the BC coast is very cool.  You can just about fly anywhere you want via Kenmore Air, Northwest Seaplanes and a couple others.  They have regular schedules and stops but you can also have them land in almost any bay on the coast.  Up in BC’s Desolation Sound they land in areas where there’s no docks or services, then you pick up your guest by driving your dinghy to the floatplane where they hop in and motor back to your boat anchored in some cove.  Its an awesome service and its quick.  You just arrive at the departure point 5 minutes before scheduled take off and hop on the plane.  Much more enjoyable then the crazy airports we all used to.

The 5 of us hung out on the boat that night in Deer Harbor and had fun listening to the pirate ship sing songs.  There was this really old sailboat moored across from us that had a large crew.  They were mostly young folks who I assume were volunteers crewing on this boat for the experience of it all.  They played all kinds of instruments and and sang songs like some sort of band from the 1800’s on a pirate ship.  They were very talented and fun to listen to.

Monday August 1^st – We left Blakely Harbor at 6:30am on Monday August 1^st headed for La Conner on the Swinomish Channel.  Our boat still needed the upper deck seating installed and a bunch of miscellaneous other items that the factory was going to complete.

As we headed out of the bay it became apparent we were in for some serious fog.  Keeping our speed to about 7 knots Julie and I were glued to the radar, chart plotter and our surroundings while the kids slept below.  Unfortunately, if you boat in the Pacific Northwest for any length of time you will encounter fog.  It’s never fun and can be very stressful but after some whiteout experience you get just a little more comfortable.  However, when you see a blip on the radar racing toward your stern you get a little nervous.  Then out of the fog you catch glimpses of the Victoria Clipper racing along, it’s a little eerie and unsettling as the clipper runs you down in the fog while you never actually see it.

We arrived in La Conner at about 1pm and the guys were quickly down to the dock starting the seating install.  The next day we hauled the boat out at 10:30 am so we could install a new thru hull fitting to relocate where the watermaker was pulling seawater.  The boat was out of the water for a couple hours hanging in the sling while the factory performed the work.  A few other miscellaneous projects got done but still more to do tomorrow.  All together we spent 3 nights in La Conner sitting at the dock while the factory performed the necessary work.  The kids were very good considering but they (actually Julie and I too) were getting a little stir crazy!