Sunday May 19, 2019 - Jones Island to Bellingham

Nice quiet night on the mooring ball, and woke to a bright sunny windless day. Couldn't ask for more. So we just got going in order to enjoy the trip home for a change. The prawning website for the 7 West area talked about "unusually strong tides" and boy were they right. We went 4 knots in some places and just enjoyed the ride in others.




And we won the Bellingham Bay lottery one more time - flat calm day. Maybe we'll do it again one day.

Saturday May 18, 2019 - Reid Harbor to Jones Island

EG headed out around 8:45 to get going. We left around 9:45 in order to time the 11:16 slack around Waldron for more prawning. The conditions were not quite as nice as Thursday, but still not too bad. There were *way* more boats out there though. Fortunately, our "hole" was still available.



The first set was not great but the second set was OK, so we netted about 61 total. Greg really had to work for them again as the new trap is really heavy and the hauler still requires some assistance to bring it up in any current.

We headed over to Jones and there was an open mooring ball so we took it. The sun came out and it was lovely and warm as we had a late lunch and then lounged in the warmth on the flybridge for a little while. A sailing sloop named Cutty Sark came into the cove while we were on the flybridge, saw that we were a Grand Banks, and said that he was hull#1 from American Marine. It was a beautiful sloop and we took some pictures. It apparently does educational cruises out of Coupeville.

Later on we went for a walk on the Island and as we arrived on the dock we saw another blond mini long-haired dachshund! Her name was Nicky, and she had a Shelty pal named Roxy. We talked for a bit and found out that Nicky is quite spoiled. (Really?). We did a nice long walk around the west side of the island. Got off the path at one point and had to back track to find it again. Ran into Nicky and Roxy again and had a really nice visit. Nicky reminded us so much of Bella when she was younger (and could see).

Someone had put the skull of a raccoon in a hole in a tree which was really creepy. So I thought I would share:






Back to the boat for some fresh prawns as an appetizer, and then some Tamales for dinner. Watched a movie.

Friday May 17, 2019 - Reid Harbor

The forecast for the wind today has been "bad" for awhile. We had a few gusts come through in the night and make some noise but not too bad. The morning wasn't terrible, but we're pretty sure it's not a day to be out in the dinghy prawning. Eagles Gig invited us over for fresh baked scones in the morning which were wonderful.

B&S headed off for a walk to the Lighthouse but we decided to stay on the boat and do some work. We had some lunch and continued fussing on the boat. About 3:00 we decided it was time for us to do a short walk so we dinghy'd to shore. Ended up talking to a couple from a sailboat who were new to the area about best places to go in the San Juan's and how far north to go in the summer.



Back to the boats for another BBQ dinner - hot dogs (sausages) and no dachshund's were harmed in the making of dinner!

Thursday May 16, 2019 - Deer Harbor to Reid Harbor

Prawning day! Left Deer Harbor to prawn need Waldron and to time the slack properly. Left the dock around 8:15 and pumped out along the way. Used the big boats to drop the traps and then launched the dinghy to pick them out. Was a nice calm day out there which made the experience better. We did 1 set of 2 traps and did well, so we "lent" one of them to Byron for his second set. We managed to get 1 less than our daily limit in the end.

Cruised into Reid and both boats grabbed one of the empty floating docks just for us. We went for a walk around and looked for birds. Then back to the dock and had a prawn feast dinner on the BBQ's with zucchini and asparagus.

Wednesday May 15, 2019 - Fossil Bay to Deer Harbor

Went to go to Jones but it was too busy and a little too windy. Called Deer Harbor instead and they had lot's of room. Got into Deer Harbor in good time. Summer rates started *today* so it was $2.00/foot. Timing is everything.

Lunch and then we dinghy'd over to Yellow Island which was something we have all wanted to do for quite a while. It is a preserve managed by the Nature Conservancy. It was pretty windy out which was another reason we went to Deer Harbor. Really beautiful wild flowers. Lot's of Bee's and quite a few birds. Windy on the north side beach, fine on the south side.







Pizza place not open until tomorrow. Dinner on the boats - Good to Go pies. Yummy.

Tuesday May 14, 2019 - Fossil Bay, Sucia Island

Started to rain last night and this morning just poured down. So slow morning of computer work and heating the hot water for a shower and trying to not go outside. Did some work on the manual and then EG invited us over for smoked salmon lunch and the rain let up for the day. After a leisurely lunch, the 5 of us left and did the "Outhouse to Outhouse" trail. Rob was familiar with it and wanted to mark it with GPS coordinates. The trail was made by a Conservation Corp of some sort a few years ago, and then the last bit of connecting it to another existing trail was done by the Squalicum Yacht Club (w/ Rob). He said the average age of the crew was 70!



It was pretty breezy with winds coming from the South, but the other side of the island was lovely. We got a good look at Shallow Bay which we have never stayed at and really need to check out. Back across the middle of the island, it was lovely and bright and the whole trail was filled with great wild flowers.



The walk was only 1.4 miles, but it felt longer with the initial part being quite hilly! But the last part (shown above) was a lovely wide trail.

Spellbound made BBQ chicken dinner for everyone with BBQ's potatoes and Asparagus and a tomato and mozzarella salad to go with. Better than a restaurant!

Monday May 13, 2019 - Reid Harbor to Fossil Bay, Sucia Island

Left around noon and headed for Fossil Bay on Sucia. Weather was nice but a bit breezy. Rob and Sharon from Sirena were already there and the large dock was otherwise empty. So we pulled in behind them and EG went on the other side and we had a mini GB party.

EG and SB went for a walk out to Fox Point and did some bird watching and viewing - a really nice afternoon out there.

Appetizers on the dock with Sirena when we returned (opened the Tomato Jam - Yum!), and then Chicken Fajitas for dinner on EG.

Sunday May 12, 2019 - Roche Harbor to Reid Harbor

Happy Mother's Day!

Greg and Byron left "late" at 7:00am to go out and go prawning. The weather today was MUCH colder and windier so they tucked behind the little island to stay out of the white caps. The boats started clearing out pretty early and it was a steady stream of departures. We of course stayed until the end. I went up to do some shopping at the Sportswear store, and then met everyone at Madrona's. Apparently the Lime Kiln was just in the process of switching from breakfast to lunch right at 11:00am.

We ate, and then everyone did a bit of shopping - for clothes, produce, and dinghy gas. We left around 1:30 and decided to just head to Reid because everyone was tired and didn't feel like doing much. Arrived and no room and any docks so we took a mooring. Not long though and someone left the land dock so Eagles Gig swooped in. Turns out there was room for Spellbound on the inside so we came over to take that spot.

Prawn Pesto Pasta for dinner - YUM!

Wednesday May 8, 2019 to Saturday May 11, 2019 - Roche Harbor

Rendezvous 2019

We arrived at Roche around 11:00am after a quiet morning. Got settled and then I helped Carol and Leslie get everything setup. Normally Greg and I clean the boat to make it look nice and clean with all the others, but somehow that seemed less important this year.

Helped put everything together at the Registration Desk and then helped man it and check everyone in. A steady stream of boats all the way until 5:00 and afterwards. Docktails started and we chatted with new members and everyone who was around. Then dinner at Madrona's.

Thursday was seminars all morning, and then we borrowed Leslie's car and drove into Friday Harbor for our 2:40 Vet appointment at Island Veterinary. We liked the Vet that was there and of course everyone thought Bella was ADORABLE. Turns out she has an impacted tooth and needs dental surgery. We can get by until we return but she needs antibiotics. The Vet also gave us some pain pills. Wine and Cheese and Charcuterie that night. We made sure we had a bite to eat beforehand so it didn't matter if it all disappeared. Incredibly warm sunny weather - Happy Jan.

Friday had some good seminars again in the morning, followed by a BBQ Burger lunch. The sunshine and warmth was spectacular with temperatures easily close to 80F and everyone sweating up a storm. The afternoon was the sponsor faire and then the "games". The potato shoot was exciting and someone actually got it in the dinghy - two others hit the dingy edge and bounced away so they got "runner up" prizes. The fender roll was not quite as exciting and the blind dinghy race had only 1 entry. No one had dinghy's without a motor attached, although I'm not sure it would have made that much difference. Dinner was the "Theme night" (Groovy Grand Banks) and the potluck. We did BBQ chicken hot dogs, but people ate them without the bun or condiments! Managed to get a fair amount to eat for a change! There were people who had some really great costumes that looked like they could have come straight out of "Laugh In". The DJ started up around 7:00ish and the dancers started grooving. Even our own group of non dancers had to start singing along at some point because the music was really good! Everything shut down at 10:00am with a Nora Jones song for Bill and Carol.



Saturday was slightly cooler again but warm enough. Greg and Byron left at 6:15am to head out for the prawn opening and got back with about 60 prawns! Shing Kong was the first speaker and it was so great to hear his stories of the old days of American Marine and then of the people who were involved in it and where they went from there. Turns out that Grand Banks cancelled on us (!?!?!) and so then S3 filled in with a presentation on electronics. Prawns for lunch! Then Brian Pemberton talked about preparing to go to Alaska, Brian Smith on Lehman engines, and then we had round table discussions where people could exchange ideas and ask questions amongst themselves. Before we knew it, it was time for cocktails at the pavilion at 5:00pm and then dinner. We had some outside tables and it was warm enough to eat outside. A nice evening with lot's of new friends.

Tuesday May 7, 2019 - Friday Harbor to Garrison Bay

Had breakfast with Rob and Sharon from Sirena at the Rocky Cafe which was a good diner just up the street. Miss B's nose is still swollen and we picked up some "new" un-expired Benadryl for her too. Back to the boat to work for a little while and to collect some nice driftwood from the dock that someone had left there. EG will be taking it back to Bellingham for my garden which is nice. Left around noon and headed around the corner to Garrison. We decided to stay on the boat and do some work and Byron and Sue went off for a walk. Also with Bella's swollen nose, we didn't want to take her to shore.

Dinner on Spellbound.

Monday May 6, 2019 - Spencer Spit to Friday Harbor

Calm night but the wind started picking up at 6:30am and just kept rising. Was blowing pretty good by the time we left around 9:15. So we snuck the boats between the spit and Frost Island to give us a better angle (Greg's idea) and it worked out really well. By the time we got through, the chop wasn't too bad and then we got into Upright Channel where the wind was down to 2 knots!

Sunday May 5, 2019 - Rosario to Spencer Spit

Happy Birthday Karen! The forecast for today and the rest of the week has gone "fer schtinken". Got windier and windier this morning. Small craft warning ended at 11:00am and it was around then or later before we left, but the wind just kept getting stronger.

Saturday May 4, 2019 - Rosario

OF had rented a Van for the 6 of us. Van left the parking lot at 9:00am to head to Olga and the Catkin Cafe for breakfast!

Friday May 3, 2019 - Bellingham to Rosario

Forecast was for good weather but of course it was blowing more than the forecast and more than the "actuals" reported in the various reports! Bugger!

Left around 11:00-ish Got nicer at the end of Bham Bay at least and then was nice all the way to Rosario. Arrived around 2:00pm. Went for a walk around the grounds after checking in. Got pretty nice!



Chicken nachos on OF at 4:00. Bella very much enjoyed them as did everyone else. Dinner in "The Lounge" that night. They had live music (Oh Yay).

Post Rendezvous 2018
May 16, 2018 - May 22, 2018
Bellingham - Ganges - Montague Harbour - Port Browning - Prevost Harbor - Fossil Bay - Bellingham

Since the weather was supposed to be stupendous, we decided we should go back out again until we *really* needed to get back. The wind was supposed to be down for the next week, but I guess not surprisingly, it sprang up Tuesday before we were to leave and was pretty bad. So instead of leaving first thing Wednesday, we waited awhile and took our time and by the time we left around 11:30, the winds were down a fair amount and Bellingham Bay was …. mostly OK. Only little whitecaps. We decided to go up Hale passage even though we knew that could be trouble, but it wasn't and the rest of the trip to Ganges was lovely.

We met Eagles Gig there and had a nice dinner out in town.

Rendezvous 2018
May 3, 2018 - May 14, 2018
Bellingham - Vendovi Island - Jones Island - Reid Harbor - Friday Harbor - Reid Harbor - Roche Harbor - Garrison Bay - Bellingham

We ended up leaving a day earlier than planned since the weather cooperated as you can see. Unlike last year, this was a constant theme throughout this trip and I've come to the conclusion that boating in the sun is WAY better than boating in the rain.

We left Thursday and spent a few hours at Vendovi on the way. Fortunately, we got both boats on the dock.



And did the hike out to the northern tip of the island.



We thought about stopping in Blind Channel afterwards but pushed on to Jones. Again, more luck, we got on the dock and had a late dinner and a lovely evening. The next day we walked and then headed over to Reid. Weather and dock gods were with us again and we got both boats on the dock. The next day, Saturday, was the first day of the prawn opening, and in theory our whole reason for leaving for the rendezvous early. Slack the next morning was at an ungodly morning hour, but Greg and Byron were troopers and headed out in the dinghies to hunt and and forage for food for the women folk. Unfortunately, the prawn gods were not that kind, but they did OK. But hanging out for several hours in the dinghies in the wind took their toll.

So off we went to Friday Harbor for Saturday night. There was a presentation put on by the San Juan Preservation Trust the next morning at "Red Mill Farm" that I wanted to go to. We ran into Patt Aiello that evening on the docks and she said she would be at the harbor all day Sunday coordinating the Yacht Club Sail Past and so she lent us her car. It even had a doggy car seat which Bella used and didn't hate!



Another beautiful sunny day and in the afternoon we left and went back to Reid Harbor. Time for more prawning. This time with a bit more luck.



We stayed there Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights and basically hung out, walking and prawning, working on computers, and generally "boating".

We left first thing Wednesday morning for Roche and the Rendezvous. Everyone had some chores to do and I was on "registration" staring at noon. Greg also gave the first talk of the Rendezvous on Thursday morning so he needed to be ready, and of course we needed our traditional McMillins dinner on Wednesday night to start out the event. A little chilly on the first couple of days but we had some great weather and a great time and perhaps a little too many margaritas, and most certainly too much wine.





I managed to get some good shopping in at all the stores so that part was a success too. Sunday was Mothers Day and there was no chance for breakfast at the Lime Kiln this year. We left as late as possible and decided not to go back to Bellingham because it was just too damn nice. So we headed over to Garrison and anchored out and did the walk there.



Up and going at 9:00am on Monday morning and headed back to Bellingham. Another gorgeous and warm day and a beautiful ride. Arrived around 2:00 and headed home so that Jan could go to Book Club that night, and we could pick up the mail and water the plants before they died. But we decided that the weather was too nice to stay home and decided to head out again on Wednesday.