Great Loop & Cruising Adventure Blog

We don’t want to do it, but then again we do… We are talking about leaving Washington to go home. We’ve had such a rewarding experience while in the Pacific Northwest making new friends, reacquainting ourselves with some of Lisa’s old friends, sightseeing, watching our new boat be built, cruising the Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands and a few surrounding inland lakes. Part of us would really like to just stay - This is the “don’t want to do it” part. On the other hand we are getting antsy to leave because we miss being with our family and friends back home and now that summer is just around the corner we’ll be anxious to see the familiar waters of the Great Lakes and return to our home state of Michigan with our new Kismet – This is the “want to” part.

Lisa asked me to write this final posting of our experiences during our 5-month visit to Washington State and after reflecting on our time spent here I’ve got to say that I am one lucky guy. I am lucky because Lisa loves the adventures we embark on as much as I do and often times, I think, more than I do. Spending the winter out here while having a new boat built was OUR idea, not mine and not hers, but ours and I find it very satisfying to be able to share this experience with someone who can, not only embrace a dream but, work to make it turn into a reality.

So, to our friends in Seattle, we hope to see you all again in the near future, we really do want to come back someday. To everyone back home… we’ll see you soon.

After the boat was safely secured on the truck we headed back to Seattle where we were the guests, for dinner, of Walt and Margie with whom, along with friends Patti and Eric, we celebrated our last night in Seattle. We spent the night at Patti and Eric’s home and squeezed in precious moments until we left early Friday morning.

We feel fortunate to have been able to spend some time during our stay with such fun people.

Yesterday they took off the fly bridge to prepare it for shipping. Today we got up early drove the boat over to the lift where it was lifted out of the water and onto the truck for the long ride east.

Today is our last day, touring the islands. We left Friday Harbor this morning to head to Hunter Bay, off Lopez Island. This is quite a large bay located on the southeast side of the island. We made our way into the crook of the bay and found only one other trawler and an old fishing boat already anchored close by.

We settled in to enjoy a warm, sunny afternoon - time now for us to celebrate our time in the San Juans with drinks and a game of Sequence on the fly bridge until just before sunset when the wind picked up, just for half an hour or so, and we headed below for dinner and more games.

Tomorrow we will head back to the mainland and secure a slip in LaConner where the boat will stay a few days so that we can have the factory go over the boat with a few changes we need to make and then we will get her ready for the truck that will pick it up this Thursday morning to haul it across country to the Great Lakes. 

Friday morning finds us leaving Fisherman Bay and Lopez Island at high tide and cruising the short distance back to Friday Harbor. We found more liveliness in this harbor this trip since the weekend is approaching and there are more boat and people activity.The weather cooperated with a warm afternoon for us to sit on the fly bridge to watch the comings and goings of all the boats, float planes and ferries. The sunset was amazing as it cast a glow on nearby vessels and made the calm water shimmer with the reflections of the puffy clouds overhead.

As we were passing by the Fish Market just off the docks we met Popeye the harbor’s pet seal. They were feeding him fresh salmon and he was practically doing tricks to get them to throw more to him. He did not seem to mind being so close to people like the other seals we have seen.

Thursday morning we rose to a gentle rainfall. We took time with our showers and preparations to leave not wanting to vacate the peace and quiet of Reid Harbor. We find that most days include rain of some sort accompanied by ever changing skies, which open and close to expose the blue sky and rays of sun on and off all day long. We have noticed that the skies here are often dark and menacing looking, but quite harmless unless accompanied by strong wind. We have picked a good week to tour the San Juans since the winds we experienced earlier in the month have departed and all of our days here, so far, (knock on wood) have been extremely calm and inviting.

Today we head to Lopez Island to meet up with our friends David and Judy one last time before we end our stay in the Pacific Northwest. After we left Reid Harbor, we cruised near Orca Island and took the long way round to Fisherman Bay on Lopez Island.

We approached the harbor at low tide and were sorry we had not come earlier in the day since it was quite shallow going in. We made a mental note to make sure we leave at high tide Friday morning. 

David and Judy picked us up at the marina and took us out to dinner. Later we returned to the boat for tea and cookies and none of us wanted the night to end. Then it was time to say goodbye with promises to keep in touch and plan future get-togethers.

One thing you can’t help but notice out here in Puget Sound, and surrounding waters, is the continually changing character of the water. With the rise and fall of the water, which constantly and rhythmically comes in and out on a predetermined schedule, Mother Nature is right in your face reminding you of forces greater than yourself.

While out whale watching, in Haro Straits we thought the 900 foot depth water seemed more alive with an amazing rush of disturbed water from the receding tide, the dramatic, swirling whirlpools and spontaneous waves that seemed to come out of no where.

Today’s destination was Stuart Island’s Reid Harbor and a secluded, well-protected anchorage within three miles of Canada’s Vancouver Island.

It was optimistic but, our mission today was to try to spot a rare (this time of year) whale sighting in the 800-foot water of Haro Straits on the Canadian / United States border. We had no such luck, however, we did see dolphins, sea lions and some of the most turbulent and large whirlpools, we had ever seen, as the currents of low tide swept out of the Straits.

Our anchorage was very peaceful and the only wildlife we saw close up was a seal who came over to check out our boat. Now we are on the lookout for eagles.