Will we cross Cape Caution today? This 40 mile open water passage around the Cape is one of two open ocean passages on our way to Alaska. This transit can be very challenging with steep confused seas that stack up due to a rapid shelving of the ocean bottom. The 4 am forecast calls for […]
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Sidney to Cape Caution
Our first task after leaving the Philbrooks Boatyard is to “Round the Flag”. We came into Canada under a work order in order to avoid paying any of the Canadian taxes. After the work is done, we must go directly back into the United States without doing any pleasure cruising. The US/Canadian border is only […]
Life at the Boatyard
Over the past two weeks, there has been a beehive of activity aboard Idyll Time while Philbrooks completed their list of projects. We were at the docks less than an hour when our (new) fresh water pump stopped working. We had just replaced this pump two weeks ago when the original water pump quit working. […]
Into Canada
What we do for our pets! Because Nate and Primo are considered endangered species, they fall under an international treaty called CITIES. They both have their own passport and must be stamped in and out of the country each time they cross the border. Over the years we have learned how to navigate through the […]
The Launch Spring 2019
We are a little nervous as the travel lift creeks and groans while lifting our precious cargo into the air. We have been hauled out many times but it is always an uneasy feeling until Idyll Time is safely back in the water. On this particular launch, Idyll Time must be carried almost half a […]
Spring 2019 Commissioning
We are happy to be back aboard Idyll Time. Our 3300 mile cross country RV trip went well. We crossed off two National Parks from our bucket list, Hot Springs in Arkansas and Arches in Moab Utah. The highlight of our trip was a week spent along the Oregon Coast. We enjoyed some great hiking […]
End of Season
It is hard to believe the end of our 2018 cruising season is already here. Idyll Time took good care of us this year on our 3200 mile trek to Alaska and Back. It is now time to give her some attention. We settled on Anacortes, Washington and North Harbor diesel for our winter location. […]
A Change of Scenery
With a favorable forecast for the Strait of Georgia, we reluctantly say goodbye to Rekindle and Navigator and depart Van Donnop anchorage at first light for a 62 mile run down the strait to our anchorage in Tribune Bay on Hornby Island. Seeing several whale spouts, we make a stop to see what is going […]
Running The Rapids
We have zero visibility as we pull away from the slip in Port McNeil and enter Queen Charlotte Strait. Checkout time is 11 am and we must leave as they have another boat coming into our slip. The dock master assures us that the fog usually lifts by 10 am, but not today. We keep […]
Dixon Entrance to Cape Caution
After spending four days at Pond Bay waiting for winds and seas to calm down from a gale force warning, we find benign conditions for our open water crossing of Dixon Entrance. The calm passage was well worth the wait. We soon enter British Columbia waters and call Nexus for our clearance. With our newly […]
