We got our first glimpse to the Azores archipelago on the morning after our eighth night after departing Dublin. We reached the port of Horta shortly after day break and proceeded to our berth in the commercial harbour, with views to the historic town on the opposite shore. The protocol for pleasure craft arriving into…
Tag Archives | trawler
May 19 – Watkins Glen State Park
“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” – T.S Eliot
We spent the morning hiking at Watkins Glen State Park. Known for its natural beauty, the park’s gorge trail is a two mile hike, which takes the hiker past 19 waterfalls and up 800 stone steps. Carved into the escarpment at the southern end of Seneca Lake, this hanging valley is the oldest and most renowned State Park in the Finger Lakes region. The park is a beautiful work of natural art and it was first opened as a tourist resort in 1863. It’s amazing what a little water and thousands of years can create.
May 12 – Celebrating the Sun
“We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our souls.” ― Winston Churchill
The sun was out today, so we just had to go out and celebrate. We did this by having a wonderful lunch at The Ginny Lee Cafe at Wagner’s Vineyard. This has been a favorite of yours for years. We had the best table on the deck overlooking Seneca Lake. The weather was still a bit cool, but it felt amazing sitting in the sun soaking in the warmth of the day and the views of the lake.
Direct, Continuous and the Most Reasonable Route
The 2021 cruising season has begun and it bears a resemblance to last year but also to the pre-Covid-19 cruising seasons.
In 2020, during the early phases of the pandemic everything was locked down and we were confined to Puget Sound. But in late June 2020, the Canadian government began allowing boats to transit their waters, even for “non essential” purposes (e.g., recreation), if going from foreign port to foreign port. The transit had to be “direct”, “continuous-uninterupted”, and “by the most reasonable route.” The most important aspect of the policy
was the ability to stop for essential or safety reasons (e.g., anchoring at night). The rules the Canadians have in place this year are pretty much the same. The process is a bit more routinized this year but the intent and operation is pretty much the same.
We are currently in Ketchikan having completed the trip abiding by the Canadian rules as best as we could. We cleared into Canada at the Van Isle Marina near Sidney, BC on May 8. We cleared back into the United States in Ketchikan on May 14. We anchored the night before in a US anchorage about 20 miles from Ketchikan. From our last US anchorage in Washington to our first US anchorage Alaska we made five stops in British Columbia and covered 585 nautical miles. During the six days we averaged over 97 miles per day.
The difference we are seeing between 2020 and 2021 are the numbers of US boaters availing themselves of the opportunity to transit. Last year, the Canadian transit policy went in effect with little fanfare and relatively late in the cruising season. This year US boaters have been chomping on the bit and planning for summer 2021 in SE Alaska all winter and spring. On the day we arrived in Ketchikan, we counted at least ten other US boats doing
likewise.
Our itinerary in Alaska is not set in stone but we hope to get to Sitka, a stop we didn’t do last year, and do more fishing. We’ll try to get to Glacier Bay but will focus on a short notice permit rather than an advance notice permit. Beyond that we’ll let conditions and opportunities direct our route.
Direct, Continuous and the Most Reasonable Route
The 2021 cruising season has begun and it bears a resemblance to last year
but also to the pre-Covid-19 cruising seasons.
In 2020, during the early phases of the pandemic everything was locked down
and we were confined to Puget Sound. But in late June 2020, the Canadian
government began allowing boats to transit their waters, even for “non
essential” purposes (e.g., recreation), if going from foreign port to
foreign port. The transit had to be “direct”, “continuous-uninterupted”,
and “by the most reasonable route.” The most important aspect of the policy
was the ability to stop for essential or safety reasons (e.g., anchoring at
night). The rules the Canadians have in place this year are pretty much the
same. The process is a bit more routinized this year but the intent and
operation is pretty much the same.
We are currently in Ketchikan having completed the trip abiding by the
Canadian rules as best as we could. We cleared into Canada at the Van Isle
Marina near Sidney, BC on May 8. We cleared back into the United States in
Ketchikan on May 14. We anchored the night before in a US anchorage about
20 miles from Ketchikan. From our last US anchorage in Washington to our
first US anchorage Alaska we made five stops in British Columbia and covered
585 nautical miles. During the six days we averaged over 97 miles per day.
The difference we are seeing between 2020 and 2021 are the numbers of US
boaters availing themselves of the opportunity to transit. Last year, the
Canadian transit policy went in effect with little fanfare and relatively
late in the cruising season. This year US boaters have been chomping on the
bit and planning for summer 2021 in SE Alaska all winter and spring. On the
day we arrived in Ketchikan, we counted at least ten other US boats doing
likewise.
Our itinerary in Alaska is not set in stone but we hope to get to Sitka, a
stop we didn’t do last year, and do more fishing. We’ll try to get to
Glacier Bay but will focus on a short notice permit rather than an advance
notice permit. Beyond that we’ll let conditions and opportunities direct our
route.
Ireland to Azores
In late April, we continued our journey home with a 1,330-mile, 8-day run from Ireland to the Azores. We departed Dublin in strong winds, but those settled within a day and we had reasonably calm conditions most of the way. We initially were planning to start the Atlantic crossing from south Ireland, but many ports…
Alaska 2021 Day 5-8
May 11, 2021 With the extra distance run yesterday, we were able to delay our departure from Codville Lagoon until 0700. The sun was shining and the reflections of the rock walls in the water made it look like totem poles laid on their side….
SOLD!
April 2021End of the sea-road for us…. DOMINO has new owners….Our delivery trip from Zihuatanejo to Guaymas was amazing, averaging almost 15 kts against winds and currents up rhe treacherous Sea of Cortez in winter…. BigD wanted to shine fo…
SOLD!
April 2021End of the sea-road for us…. DOMINO has new owners….Our delivery trip from Zihuatanejo to Guaymas was amazing, averaging almost 15 kts against winds and currents up rhe treacherous Sea of Cortez in winter…. BigD wanted to shine fo…
Dun Laoghaire
Our second visit to Dun Laoghaire marina outside Dublin was as enjoyable as the first. In the same berth as last time, we watched many spectacular sunrises over the harbour walls. The weather was clear and calm most days, and we took several walks, including to the end of each harbour pier. We also explored…
