San Juan Sailing Adventure

7/26/09-8/1/09

The Plan: When I bought Minerva

(aka Wanderer), I was excited to

take it out for a trip. Dave and Sue

were interested in going along as

they had planned a trip to Washing-

ton already. Of course, moving out

of my house onto the boat while si-

multaneously leaving for a trip is

quite the logistical mess, but we

made the best of it… Our plan was

to leave on Monday evening and

come back that Sunday. Although

we intended to spend our time in the

San Juans, our itinerary wasn’t cer-

tain, but we were all ready for an

adventure!

San Juans: The San Juan Islands are a part of

the San Juan Archipelago in the northwest corner

of the continental United States. The archipelago

is split into two groups of islands based on na-

tional sovereignty. San Juan Islands are part of

the U.S. state of Washington, while the Gulf Is-

lands are part of the Canadian province of Brit-

ish Columbia. There are over 450 islands in the

entire archipelago at high tide, but fewer than

one-sixth are permanently inhabited. In the ar-

chipelago, fifteen islands are accessible by pub-

lic ferry. Public ferries serve nine Gulf Islands

and six San Juan Islands.

Getting ready

What a messy boat!: Trying to

find homes for everyone’s things

and the boat essentials is tough!

David, Susie, and my parents did a

great job of finding homes for eve-

rything. Now, where is that...

Fixing Things: Coming from work

and not having much experience

with the boat, I tried to figure things

out as we went.

Day 1 — Underway at

Last!

Susie Cooking: Given the late

hour, we decided to cook under-

way. Susie made great use of the

galley delivering consistently

tasty meals! When the engine is

running, it’s loud in here!

Ballard Locks: Our transit of the Ballard

Locks was relatively uneventful on that

warm Monday evening. Salmon were jump-

ing and everyone was on board (save for my

Dad who had gone to retrieve a guidebook).

Doesn’t it seem like there’s always some-

thing that you forget when you are trying to

leave on schedule?

On Our Way: The calm

waters flowed smoothly

by our hull on a warm,

windless evening on our

way to dock at King-

ston.

Kingston, WA: Founded in

1853 by Benjamin Bannister the

community was originally

known as Apple Tree Cove, By

1880 it was a lumber town until

the mill closed down in the

early 20th century. But the local

lumber yard is still in business

today. The "Little city by the

sea"(Kingston), is the northern

gateway to the Olympic Penin-

sula. Now it is the social and

economic center of the north

end of the Kitsap Peninsula.

Day 2 — Cypress, here we

come.

Spare Anchor: Having just finished

spending a week updating the boat

with a shower, hot water, alternating

current, and a fridge/freezer, my

Dad and I surveyed my project list

and realized, it’s longer than when

we started!

Preparing to Work: Isn’t technology

wonderful? Vicky was able to work re-

motely from many of our locations on

the trip.

Cypress Island: Cypress is one of the largest

undeveloped islands of the San Juans. It offers miles

of hiking trails including several lakes (which we did

not get the opportunity to visit) and splendid mooring

buoys. What I love about the island is the solitude;

the quiet lapping of waves against the boat would

have been great. We learned a lesson about preparing

the boat for sleeping. Lesson 1 – tie everything down

because it will invariably bang around at night mak-

ing it difficult to sleep!

In the Rhythm

Catching Winks:

Susie is catching a lit-

tle shuteye (we are on

vacation after all!)

Long Day: Heading out,

we really weren’t sure where

we would end up, but the rela-

tively close Cypress Island

became the obvious choice as

we visited Port Townsend late

in the day.

Mom at the Helm: With no autopilot,

everyone got a turn at the wheel.

Port Townsend: Port Townsend is a town in

Jefferson County, Washington, United States, ap-

proximately 40 miles (64 km) north-northwest of

Seattle. With a population of 8,334 it’s the county

seat and only incorporated city of Jefferson County.

In addition to its natural scenery at the northeast tip

of the Olympic Peninsula, the city is also known for

the many Victorian buildings remaining from its

late 19th-century heyday, numerous annual cultural

events, and as a maritime center for independent

boatbuilders and related industries and crafts. The

Port Townsend Historic District is a U.S. National

Historic Landmark District.

Cypress Island

Top Left: We

have to row?

Although the

porta-bote (a 12

foot folding

boat that was

always an adve-

nture to put tog-

ether) rows well,

it also will take

a small out-

board. Unfortu-

nately, on a prior trip it decided to take a swim so was in the repair shop during the trip.

Top Right: Sometimes reaching the main halyard is half the battle. Bottom: David at the

grill — despite its small size, David took control of the grill and delivered consistently

splendid (smelling and tasting) fare.

Day 3 — Morning at Cypress (Crabs)

How Does This Thing Work?: Vicky and Mom

putting together the crab trap near Cypress.

We Got One!: Vicky and Mom are proudly

showing off the first crab of the trip.

Cleaning the Catch: After boiling, these

things have to be cleaned. This one made it

into a great seafood chowder that Susie pre-

pared at Stuart Island.

Where are the salmon?

Vicky at the Helm: Look at that

splendid hat! But, where is the

wind?

The One That Got Away: I

spent hours pulling frozen her-

ring on the line behind the boat

while trolling for salmon. How-

ever, the only excitement we had

was pulling in a rock fish that we

unintentionally released while

trying to identify it. Perhaps I

should do a little more re-

search on salmon fishing prior

to the next trip?

At Anchor: With its 61 foot mast, Mi-

nerva is often the tallest boat in each

moorage. More often than not, strangers

will come up and relay an experience

with this type of boat, comment on its

fair lines, or even, on rarer occasions,

share a bit of history about this par-

ticular boat in Puget Sound waters.

Anchoring (at least in moderate wind

and current) seems to work really

well; It also carries no nightly fees for

the privilege.

On the way to Stuart

At the Helm: Dad at the helm en route to

Stuart Island.

Stuart Island: Many claim that Stuart Island is the most

beautiful of the San Juans. It can only be reached by private

boat or plane. On our approach we stopped briefly by the

Northern Tip of Blakely Island to refuel and refill water.

Serendipitously, they also had showers which the majority

of the crew of Minerva took advantage of (followed by a trip

to their famous soda fountain for monstrous waffle cones).

Killer Whale on the Horizon?: We got to appreciate

the rugged shores as sunset approached as we were going

very slow trying to catch those elusive salmon. As we ap-

proached the entrance to the harbor Dave and I thought that

we saw a killer whale breach in the distance. We had al-

ready pulled in the fishing line so I took the helm and we

motored out towards the suspected sighting at close to 8

knots. When we approached the location we slowed and

then silenced the engine. The water was mirror calm so we

could see clear into the

Gulf Islands. After wait-

ing for 15 minutes seeing

nothing we reluctantly

made the trek back to the

harbor. As we got close

we saw the sight again,

only to realize they were

sea lions beating the wa-

ter trying to scare the

salmon! It was never a

whale at all. :-(

You Brought Ci-

gars?: Dave and

Vicky enjoy a

break on the way

to Stuart Island.

(Well, we can’t al-

ways work!) :-)

Day 4 - Exploring Stuart Island

Easy Way or Hard Way: Once you catch a

crab, he may not willingly choose to depart

the safety of the cage.

Clams: Vicky and Mom discover clams.

Clams became a bit of a theme on our trip as

Vicky and Mom were two kids in a candy

store. On Stuart, they opted to dig in the sand

with broken sticks and their bare hands rather

than visit the schoolhouse and cemetery with

the balance of the group.

At Stuart Island

Look at those Shish Kabobs! (right):

David performing his magic at the grill.

What a Spread! (below): Here is the

rest of one of those delectable meals.

Hard at Work (below right): Vicky

keeping her work team on task. Next

Page: (top left): Dave & Sue on the

Trail—Much like Eastern Washington,

the terrain on Stuart was warm and dry.

Well marked trails gave us a much

needed chance to stretch our legs. (top

right) - Teacher’s House—this single

room facility was provided to house the

teacher for the one room island (cont.)

(cont.) schoolhouse. (mid right) -Highway—Here

is a typical “highway” on Stuart. Stuart has a few

cars but most of its 40 permanent resident families

just bike, walk, or use golf carts on the 3 gravel

thoroughfares. (bottom) - Honor System—for

years the only real island shop has been this unat-

tended stand where tourists can purchase visit me-

mentos and mail the corresponding payment back

to the owners, upon returning to the mainland.

Leaving Stuart

Good Exercise:

There are always

opportunities to

get a good work-

out on the boat.

Here, Mom is

rowing back from

the boat to pick up

the 4 of us who

visited the school-

house and ceme-

tery.

We’re Into It: Dave, Sue, Mom, and

Vicky pose for quick pictures in front

of a lighthouse en route to Friday

Harbor.

Friday Harbor Friday Harbor: Having spent a couple days at anchor, it

was time to spend a night at shore. Of course, hotel rooms run

$200/night in high season so we gladly paid the “reasonable”

rate of $85 to tie up Minerva and sleep aboard, repower, dump

our holding tanks, and re-provision. Friday Harbor on San

Juan Island is as close to a metropolis as one gets in the San

Juans. It the “the” place to be. Between the sounds and smells

of the fish market displaying its array of fresh crab, salmon,

and halibut to the fog horn of the interisland ferry getting ready

to leave the dock and the energy of vacationing tourists, this is

the place to be.

Birthdays: It’s birthday time for Mom and

Dad! Mi-

nerva turns

out to have a

great oven.

However,

cakes still re-

tain heat and

if you put candles in too quickly, your cake may get a

warm wax layer to augment the other delectable fla-

vors contained therein. :-) Fillet at the Table (below):

Our late arrival left us only time to explore the town a

bit, do a couple loads of laundry, and visit the local

supermarket for a fillet mignon feast planned for the

evening.

Coffee and We’re Good (above):

Minerva’s high-end instant coffee

and espresso brewer can’t win over

Washington’s abundant coffee pur-

veyors near docks. Morning? (top

right) - Vicky, a night owl, struggled

through ridicule and distraction to

get some mid-morning shuteye.

Now That’s a Ship (right) - Leav-

ing Friday, we enjoyed see-

ing several impressive ships

on one of the few occasions

the wind justified raising our

sails. Casey and Vicky on a

Tandem (left) - After this de-

lightful first experience, the

couple was still talking

(despite receiving dire warn-

ings to the contrary).

Day 5 - Evening at Sucia

Sucia: Leaving Friday Harbor mid-afternoon, our

destination was the famed Sucia Island. This chain

of islands is often the first and perhaps only destina-

tion for San Juan cruising sailors. It rivals Stuart in

its beauty offering myriad hiking trails, mooring

buoys, good anchorages, and miles of coastline to

explore.

At Anchor:

Minerva is

right at home

on a hook…

Clamming

101: Mom and

Vicky demon-

strate, having

acquired a tool,

how it can be-

come an addic-

tion...

Sucia Sunset: Casey and Vicky

pose near sunset on the shores of

one of the Sucia Islands.

About Crab...: Throwing the crabpot overboard

not only occupied a fair bit of time but lent a de-

gree of excitement to the trip anytime the pot

emerged from the dark depths to reveal, what

everyone hoped would be, an abundance of

crabs within. In retrospect, the quantity of bot-

tom dwellers seems proportional to the time on

the bottom, as much as the location. Most of our

trip the pot was retrieved after a little more than an hour. On Sucia, we set the pot that

evening after dark and retrieved it the following morning. The stunned crew of the porta

-bote bore witness to no fewer than 10 crabs residing within the pot. Vicky rowed back

towards Minerva with all possible haste as one of the resident crabs, finding its home

cramped, decided the floor of the porta-bote was much more to its liking. When it was

all said and done we kept 7 crabs and threw back 2 that, but for the daily limits, we

would have kept. The best way to prepare a live crab? — For another day.

Day 6 — Crabs at Sucia!

Clams at Sucia Too!

Look at ‘Em All: While Vicky and Mom

rowed to shore to try their luck with the

clams, Casey cooked, and David, Susie,

and Dad all cleaned the bumper crop of

crabs we got from the night before.

Success: Vicky and Mom show off their

well deserved prize.

Evening on Lopez

Crabcakes, Clams, and a View:

through the gentle rocking (enough

to keep Susie safely on the deck),

Mom prepared a savory crabcake

meal while David and Vicky pre-

pared the clams and we all enjoyed

one of the most memorable sunsets

of the trip. After a thorough scrub-

bing, roughly half of the clams

found their way to the grill while

the remainder were boiled to per-

fection. Garnished with a little

butter and garlic glaze, they taste

amazing when they hit your pallet.

Day 7 - On the

way home...

Terror: Defn: travelling

across open water without

radar with less than 1/2

mile visibility in shipping

lanes. At 20+ knots, large

cargo ships would come

into view and I may have

to make a life and death

decision within a couple of

seconds. The crew was on

constant vigilance as we

routinely sounded our air

horn to warn others of our

presence and each crew

member was staring off in

a different direction into

the fog, hoping to see a

ship with those extra few

seconds to help save us.

.

The End: As we

approach Shilshole

Marina, we are glad

to be back to land

but it won’t be long

before I feel the

need to travel once

again into the soli-

tude and beauty of

the waters of the

Pacific Northwest.