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Ketchikan to Petersburg

After the grind getting to Ketchikan, there was unanimous agreement to spend four nights at the dock. We had no big projects but we’ve gotten pretty good at letting little tasks expand to fill the time available for them.

2025-Cruise-021xOne daily task was playing with Drake since it had been two weeks since he got to go to ashore at all. The most convenient place we’ve found near the Bar Harbor Marina where we were moored is a lovely neighborhood park about 3/4 mile away. We’d also take Drake on walks with us when we went shopping.  At the local hardware and outdoors equipment store, Drake comes in with us and gets to meet people and often gets a treat.  He has learned that people standing behind counters (pretty much any counter) often have biscuits that they’ll give him if he stands on his hind legs and puts his front paws and muzzle as high as he can on the counter. 2025-Cruise-025x

One trip Drake was excluded from was a bus ride to Saxman about 4 miles SE of the marina. The motivation was to visit the Three Bears Alaska store we’ve seen from the boat as we come into Ketchikan along Tongass Narrows.  It is a warehouse style store like Costco and actually does carry quite a number of Kirkland brand (Costco’s house brand) products.  It even sells bona fide Costco rotisserie chickens (but at Alaskan prices).  We had already provisioned at the two grocery stores near the marina so we didn’t actually buy anything.  While in Saxman, we visited the lovely totem park lovely totem park there.

On Wednesday,June 4, we got an early start in order to maximize the northbound flood current and calm conditions in Clarence Strait. After about 30 miles we headed east into Ernest Sound. As we neared our anchorage for the night, Santa Anna Inlet, we dropped prawn pots in locations that had been productive in the past. 

2025-Cruise-028xThe next morning we pulled the pots but we were a bit underwhelmed with the catch.  The commercial prawn season started on May 15 and only recently ended.  That may have decreased our catch or it could have been the prawns were simply somewhere else.  We dropped our pots outside Thoms Place, our anchorage for the night.

The next day, when the prawn pots were pulled, we were pleasantly surprised. We considered resetting in the same location and spending another night at Thoms Place but decided not to be greedy and moved on to another nearby anchorage.  Once again, we dropped our prawn pots before heading into our anchorage for the night in Fools Inlet.

The next morning’s pot pull was the biggest disappointment so far with blanks in all three pots.  Even though Fools Inlet has produced good results in the past, we accept that sometimes the “prawn gods” do not reward our efforts. We put away our prawn gear and headed to Berg Bay.  Two other boats were anchored there but we found room near the head of the bay.  We spent two nights at Berg Bay and actually had the whole bay to ourselves the second night when the other two boats left as did the group that was staying at the USFS cabin on shore at the head of the bay. Drake got a brief play session in Berg Bay when we went to shore and played in the clearing in front of the cabin.

We chose our last anchorage before heading into Petersburg, Roosevelt Harbor, especially for Drake.  In Roosevelt Harbor on Zarembo Island the USFS has a dock connected to shore.  The ramp had been damaged in a storm during the winter of 2022-23 but we were pretty confident the ramp had been repaired sometime in late 2023 or early 2024.  As we approached the harbor we could see the new ramp connecting to the floating dock but it was only after we were anchored that we saw that the connection from the top of the ramp to shore had been severed by a tree dropping across the elevated section, presumably during the last winter.  Fortunately, there is reasonable beach access so we dropped the dinghy and provided Drake with two ball play sessions.

2025-Cruise-031xAfter our last play session on shore, we retrieved the dinghy on board and on June 10, we departed Roosevelt Harbor, transited Wrangell Narrows and docked at the South Harbor in Petersburg.  We were fortunate to get a slip next to our friends John & Kathleen Douglas, who own Laysan, a sistership to our Alpenglow.

John & Kathleen lease a slip in Petersburg and, while they return to their home in Hawaii at the end of the cruising season, Laysan spends its winter in Petersburg.  John had some residual tasks to complete to get everything shipshape for the season so we had a front row seat to his very efficient replacement of the radar dome and mast mounted wind sensor on Laysan.  In the evening we gather on one of our boats for pū-pū (i.e., appetizers), and catch up on things and make plans for the cruising season. 2025-Cruise-041

Our plans from here are to leave on Saturday, June 14, and try some new (to us) anchorages then meet up with the Douglas’s in a few days. They are waiting for guests to arrive and will leave a couple of days after us. We will part ways with the Douglas’s when we head towards Sitka while the Douglas’s drop their guests off in Juneau.

Ketchikan to Petersburg

After the grind getting to Ketchikan, there was unanimous agreement to spend four nights at the dock. We had no big projects but we’ve gotten pretty good at letting little tasks expand to fill the time available for them.

2025-Cruise-021xOne daily task was playing with Drake since it had been two weeks since he got to go to ashore at all. The most convenient place we’ve found near the Bar Harbor Marina where we were moored is a lovely neighborhood park about 3/4 mile away. We’d also take Drake on walks with us when we went shopping.  At the local hardware and outdoors equipment store, Drake comes in with us and gets to meet people and often gets a treat.  He has learned that people standing behind counters (pretty much any counter) often have biscuits that they’ll give him if he stands on his hind legs and puts his front paws and muzzle as high as he can on the counter. 2025-Cruise-025x

One trip Drake was excluded from was a bus ride to Saxman about 4 miles SE of the marina. The motivation was to visit the Three Bears Alaska store we’ve seen from the boat as we come into Ketchikan along Tongass Narrows.  It is a warehouse style store like Costco and actually does carry quite a number of Kirkland brand (Costco’s house brand) products.  It even sells bona fide Costco rotisserie chickens (but at Alaskan prices).  We had already provisioned at the two grocery stores near the marina so we didn’t actually buy anything.  While in Saxman, we visited the lovely totem park lovely totem park there.

On Wednesday,June 4, we got an early start in order to maximize the northbound flood current and calm conditions in Clarence Strait. After about 30 miles we headed east into Ernest Sound. As we neared our anchorage for the night, Santa Anna Inlet, we dropped prawn pots in locations that had been productive in the past. 

2025-Cruise-028xThe next morning we pulled the pots but we were a bit underwhelmed with the catch.  The commercial prawn season started on May 15 and only recently ended.  That may have decreased our catch or it could have been the prawns were simply somewhere else.  We dropped our pots outside Thoms Place, our anchorage for the night.

The next day, when the prawn pots were pulled, we were pleasantly surprised. We considered resetting in the same location and spending another night at Thoms Place but decided not to be greedy and moved on to another nearby anchorage.  Once again, we dropped our prawn pots before heading into our anchorage for the night in Fools Inlet.

The next morning’s pot pull was the biggest disappointment so far with blanks in all three pots.  Even though Fools Inlet has produced good results in the past, we accept that sometimes the “prawn gods” do not reward our efforts. We put away our prawn gear and headed to Berg Bay.  Two other boats were anchored there but we found room near the head of the bay.  We spent two nights at Berg Bay and actually had the whole bay to ourselves the second night when the other two boats left as did the group that was staying at the USFS cabin on shore at the head of the bay. Drake got a brief play session in Berg Bay when we went to shore and played in the clearing in front of the cabin.

We chose our last anchorage before heading into Petersburg, Roosevelt Harbor, especially for Drake.  In Roosevelt Harbor on Zarembo Island the USFS has a dock connected to shore.  The ramp had been damaged in a storm during the winter of 2022-23 but we were pretty confident the ramp had been repaired sometime in late 2023 or early 2024.  As we approached the harbor we could see the new ramp connecting to the floating dock but it was only after we were anchored that we saw that the connection from the top of the ramp to shore had been severed by a tree dropping across the elevated section, presumably during the last winter.  Fortunately, there is reasonable beach access so we dropped the dinghy and provided Drake with two ball play sessions.

2025-Cruise-031xAfter our last play session on shore, we retrieved the dinghy on board and on June 10, we departed Roosevelt Harbor, transited Wrangell Narrows and docked at the South Harbor in Petersburg.  We were fortunate to get a slip next to our friends John & Kathleen Douglas, who own Laysan, a sistership to our Alpenglow.

John & Kathleen lease a slip in Petersburg and, while they return to their home in Hawaii at the end of the cruising season, Laysan spends its winter in Petersburg.  John had some residual tasks to complete to get everything shipshape for the season so we had a front row seat to his very efficient replacement of the radar dome and mast mounted wind sensor on Laysan.  In the evening we gather on one of our boats for pū-pū (i.e., appetizers), and catch up on things and make plans for the cruising season. 2025-Cruise-041

Our plans from here are to leave on Saturday, June 14, and try some new (to us) anchorages then meet up with the Douglas’s in a few days. They are waiting for guests to arrive and will leave a couple of days after us. We will part ways with the Douglas’s when we head towards Sitka while the Douglas’s drop their guests off in Juneau.

An Odd Start to an Odd Year

Our 2025 cruising season hasn’t gone as we planned or hoped.  First some background and then a recounting of our trip so far.
Towards the end of last year’s cruising season, we decided that it was time to replace our still functioning but very hea…

An Odd Start to an Odd Year

Our 2025 cruising season hasn’t gone as we planned or hoped.  First some background and then a recounting of our trip so far.
Towards the end of last year’s cruising season, we decided that it was time to replace our still functioning but very hea…

Wrapping up Alaska Cruise 2024

Our 2024 cruise bore a remarkable similarity to 2023.  While we left a week later, we still managed to attend the Little Norway Festival in Petersburg, Alaska in the middle of May.  In both years we spent about 60% of our nights anchored and 40% on the docks. The miles covered were similar (3,091 in 2024 versus 3,025 in 2023).  The shortened trip was largely due to the 13 days in August for the haul out in Port Townsend.

Year # of Days At Anchor At a Dock On a Buoy Distance Traveled Engine Hours Gen. Hours Time Idling
2010 129 57 66 5 3,221 517.1 40.4  
2011 115 81 33   3,465 577.4 31.3  
2013 151 99 50 1 3,667 630.0 53.3  
2014 141 86 48 6 4,052 720.8 34.8 48.5
2015 104 67 31 5 3,580 629.2 28.7 42.4
2016 141 99 39 2 3,979 700.0 51.9 68.6
2017 140 91 46 2 3,817 656.5 62.2 51.1
2018 112 71 40   3,170 528.6 33.9 38.2
2019 118 82 35   3,816 649.5 16.3 56.6
2020 63 42 12 6 2,527 399.7 32.8 11.5
2021 110 81 26 2 3,317 554.0 66.0 27.5
2022 139 88 47 3 3,584 613.6 19.5 42.9
2023 139 84 54   3,024 510.4 36.0 33.7
2024 122 73 48   3,091 529.8 24.8 26.9
  1,724 1,101 575 32 48,310 8216.6 531.9 447.9

Below is a map of our stops in the 2024 cruising season. Clicking on one of the “dropped pins” will pull up some information about the stop. At the top right of the map is an icon which will open a separate window that may be easier to navigate.

The map below shows all of the places we have stopped overnight during all our cruises. It is similar in style to our yearly cruise maps except that when the marker for a particular spot is selected, the data for the spot is the total number of times we’ve stayed and in which years.

Wrapping up Alaska Cruise 2024

Our 2024 cruise bore a remarkable resemblance to 2023.  While we left a week later, we still managed to attend the Little Norway Festival in Petersburg, Alaska in the middle of May.  In both years we spent about 60% of our nights anchored and 40% on the docks. The miles covered were similar (3,091 in 2024 versus 3,025 in 2023).  The shortened trip was largely due to the 13 days in August for the haul out in Port Townsend.

Year # of Days At Anchor At a Dock On a Buoy Distance Traveled Engine Hours Gen. Hours Time Idling
2010 129 57 66 5 3,221 517.1 40.4  
2011 115 81 33   3,465 577.4 31.3  
2013 151 99 50 1 3,667 630.0 53.3  
2014 141 86 48 6 4,052 720.8 34.8 48.5
2015 104 67 31 5 3,580 629.2 28.7 42.4
2016 141 99 39 2 3,979 700.0 51.9 68.6
2017 140 91 46 2 3,817 656.5 62.2 51.1
2018 112 71 40   3,170 528.6 33.9 38.2
2019 118 82 35   3,816 649.5 16.3 56.6
2020 63 42 12 6 2,527 399.7 32.8 11.5
2021 110 81 26 2 3,317 554.0 66.0 27.5
2022 139 88 47 3 3,584 613.6 19.5 42.9
2023 139 84 54   3,024 510.4 36.0 33.7
2024 122 73 48   3,091 529.8 24.8 26.9
  1,724 1,101 575 32 48,310 8216.6 531.9 447.9

As a footnote to the table above, if you add up the nightly stops (at anchor, at a dock or on a buoy), the total, 1,708, is 16 short of the total number of days, 1,724. The difference is the 14 days at the end of the trip when I don’t count the night we return to our homeport and two days in 2020 during Covid when we did an overnight passage and did not stop.

Below is a map of our stops in the 2024 cruising season. Clicking on one of the “dropped pins” will pull up some information about the stop. At the top right of the map is an icon which will open a separate window that may be easier to navigate.

The map below shows all of the places we have stopped overnight during all our cruises through 2024. It is similar in style to our yearly cruise map except that when the marker for a particular spot is selected, the data for the spot is the total number of times we’ve stayed and in which years.

Port Townsend to Bainbridge Island (via San Juan Islands)

2023-04-006xGetting hauled out and having your boat worked on is always stressful. Since we have no land-based living accommodations in the area, we continue to “live” on the boat while it sits on stands in the boatyard. That means we can’t spill any water overboard, black (most certainly!) or even grey. We do have holding tanks for both kinds, but they are not so large that they can be used for much more than a week of “normal” use. Consequently, we try to put nothing in the holding tanks. That means no cooking beyond boiling water and using on shore toilet & shower facilities.

2024-Cruise-202xBoatyards are usually dusty because of the sanding and grinding, either on your boat or other boats in the yard. There can be lots of foot traffic from the coming and going of the workers doing the work. Each new foot brings a little more dust on board.

On our work list for the folks at the Port Townsend Shipwrights Coop (PTSC) were routine maintenance items (e.g., bottom paint, new sacrificial anodes), repairing failed/failing items (e.g., the anchor windlass), and upgrading components. We spent 11 days out of the water, being hauled out on Monday, 8/19 and launching on Thursday, 8/29. We spent the night after launching in Port Townsend before departing on Friday, 8/30.

The last several years we have spent 1 – 2 weeks at the end of our cruising season in the San Juans. While it is still crowded compared to SE Alaska, September, after Labor Day, isn’t quite as crowded as in July and August. Setting realistic expectations is the key. If you expect to share the anchorage with 40 other boats, you shouldn’t be upset if it turns to be true. And if there are only 35 boats, you’re ahead of the game.

2018-Cruise-391xThe nice thing about San Juan Islands is how compact they are. Twenty-five miles is probably the furthest you’d have to travel to get from any two anchorages on any of the islands. With good shore access at the many parks, it encourages a slow pace. As a result, Drake gets frequent walks and ball play when we visit. This year we stopped at Reid Harbor (Stuart Island), Garrison Bay (San Juan Islalnd), Griffin Bay (San Juan Island), Deer Harbor (Orcas Island), Fisherman’s Bay (Lopez Island) and, Echo Bay (Sucia Island). We used Hunter Bay (Lopez Island) as our last stop before crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca and slogging down Admiralty Inlet on the way to our home port in Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island.

We arrived Eagle Harbor in the early afternoon on Sunday, September 15. In total, we were gone 135 days but I am going to attribute13 days as time in the boatyard and not count them. Of the 121 nights out on the cruise, 73 were at anchor while 48 days were on docks. We put on 3,091 miles in 503 cruising hours (we had an additional 27 engine hours trolling or idling while fishing (mostly deploying or retrieving prawn pots).

Port Townsend to Bainbridge Island (via San Juan Islands)

2023-04-006xGetting hauled out and having your boat worked on is always stressful. Since we have no land-based living accommodations in the area, we continue to “live” on the boat while it sits on stands in the boatyard. That means we can’t spill any water overboard, black (most certainly!) or even grey. We do have holding tanks for both kinds, but they are not so large that they can be used for much more than a week of “normal” use. Consequently, we try to put nothing in the holding tanks. That means no cooking beyond boiling water and using on shore toilet & shower facilities.

2024-Cruise-202xBoatyards are usually dusty because of the sanding and grinding, either on your boat or other boats in the yard. There can be lots of foot traffic from the coming and going of the workers doing the work. Each new foot brings a little more dust on board.

On our work list for the folks at the Port Townsend Shipwrights Coop (PTSC) were routine maintenance items (e.g., bottom paint, new sacrificial anodes), repairing failed/failing items (e.g., the anchor windlass), and upgrading components. We spent 11 days out of the water, being hauled out on Monday, 8/19 and launching on Thursday, 8/29. We spent the night after launching in Port Townsend before departing on Friday, 8/30.

The last several years we have spent 1 – 2 weeks at the end of our cruising season in the San Juans. While it is still crowded compared to SE Alaska, September, after Labor Day, isn’t quite as crowded as in July and August. Setting realistic expectations is the key. If you expect to share the anchorage with 40 other boats, you shouldn’t be upset if it turns to be true. And if there are only 35 boats, you’re ahead of the game.

2018-Cruise-391xThe nice thing about San Juan Islands is how compact they are. Twenty-five miles is probably the furthest you’d have to travel to get from any two anchorages on any of the islands. With good shore access at the many parks, it encourages a slow pace. As a result, Drake gets frequent walks and ball play when we visit. This year we stopped at Reid Harbor (Stuart Island), Garrison Bay (San Juan Islalnd), Griffin Bay (San Juan Island), Deer Harbor (Orcas Island), Fisherman’s Bay (Lopez Island) and, Echo Bay (Sucia Island). We used Hunter Bay (Lopez Island) as our last stop before crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca and slogging down Admiralty Inlet on the way to our home port in Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island.

We arrived Eagle Harbor in the early afternoon on Sunday, September 15. In total, we were gone 135 days but I am going to attribute13 days as time in the boatyard and not count them. Of the 121 nights out on the cruise, 73 were at anchor while 48 days were on docks. We put on 3,091 miles in 503 cruising hours (we had an additional 27 engine hours trolling or idling while fishing (mostly deploying or retrieving prawn pots).

Ketchikan to Port Townsend

On the morning of July 24, with fresh oil from a routine oil change coursing through Alpenglow’s Lugger engine, we headed out of Ketchikan. First stop was the fuel dock at the south end of town where we took on a little over 290 gallons of diesel. We probably could have made it back to Puget Sound without taking on fuel, but we like the extra ballast a ton of fuel provides when we go around Cape Caution.

We stopped just short of the AK-BC border at a small cove in Sitklan Passage, which allows us to arrive in Prince Rupert around noon the next day even with the time change from AKDT to PDT. The weather was settled and crossing Dixon Entrance was comfortable.

We moored at the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club (PRRYC) facility in Cow Bay for two days while we provisioned with the fresh produce that we couldn’t bring across the border. We also played with Drake several times, went for walks and probably bought more treats from the local Tim Horton’s than were healthy for us.

We squeezed our way out of the PRRYC marina (it required a 3-point 180° turn in the fairway) on July 27 and headed south out of Prince Rupert Harbor. Because of the timing of the currents in Grenville Channel, we elected to take the outer channels (Ogden Channel, Petrel Channel and Principe Channel) along the west shore of Pitt Island. Our anchorage for the night was the south end of Patterson Inlet.

The next day we continued south, crossing Estevan Sound, Laredo Channel and Laredo Sound then transited through Meyers Passage. We anchored on the west shore of Swindle Island at the elbow where Meyers Passage meets Tolmie Channel.

Often, we’ve travelled this section more slowly, covering shorter distances and stopping to fish, but with only 3-weeks before our haul out in Port Townsend we wanted to concentrate 2024-Cruise-181xour BC fishing time in the Fitz Hugh Sound area. We made one more stop, Fancy Cove in Lama Passage, before arriving at Goldstream Harbor on the NE corner of Hecate Island.

We spent 8 nights in Fitz Hugh Sound fishing in a variety of locations. We stayed four of the nights at Pruth Bay where the Hakai Institute generously provides shore and trail access to the spectacular beaches on the west shore of Calvert Island. Drake enjoys his time on the beach where he often meets the dogs from other boats.2024-Cruise-187X Our final night before heading south around Cape Caution was at Safety Cove on the east shore of Calvert Island.

This was our thirtieth crossing of Cape Caution (15 round trips) but we never take it for granted. We always carefully monitor the weather forecasts days ahead of when we want to do the crossing and choose the best day we can find. This year the weather gods were good to us, and we didn’t need to put our stabilizing fish in the water. We headed directly to Port McNeill on Vancouver Island rather than turning into the Broughton Islands on the mainland side of Queen Charlotte Strait.

Drake reminded us that we needed to spend two nights in Port McNeill so that he had ample shore time to play ball. Because of that, we didn’t depart until the morning of August 9. With a forecast of strong afternoon NW winds in Johnstone Strait and adverse currents in Johnstone Strait (it was mostly ebbing north during the middle of the day), we had to do a stutter step approach to getting around Seymour Narrows. Our first night was in Douglas Bay in Forward Harbour where we shared the anchorage with about ten other boats. From here we did a very early start and traveled first to Otter Cove, south of Chatham Point, on the dying flood current, anchored for a leisurely lunch during the building ebb current then fought the dying ebb current down Discovery Passage to transit Seymour Narrow at slack before stopping the night in Gowlland Harbour on Quadra Island.

The next day, August 11, we again started very early and made the long slog down the Strait of Georgia. We anchored that night in Boat Harbour south of Dodd Narrows which made for and easy next day to Montague Harbour on Galliano Island.

Our original plan was to spend two nights at Montague before crossing the border back into the US and the San Juan Islands. Unexpectedly, we added an extra day when we discovered that our anchor windlass had failed and would not haul the anchor up. After calling the US distributor for the windlass, we got some troubleshooting tips and determined that we weren’t going to be able to fix the windlass ourselves. Fortunately, the windlass can be operated by hand and the anchor raised.

On Thursday August 15, we got our anchor pulled up, crossed the border, and headed to Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes for the night. The next day, Friday, we continued to Port Townsend and began to prepare for our haul out the following Monday. The failed anchor windlass becomes another item on the work list for the Port Townsend Shipwrights Cooperative who will be doing the work.

Ketchikan to Port Townsend

On the morning of July 24, with fresh oil from a routine oil change coursing through Alpenglow’s Lugger engine, we headed out of Ketchikan. First stop was the fuel dock at the south end of town where we took on a little over 290 gallons of diesel. We probably could have made it back to Puget Sound without taking on fuel, but we like the extra ballast a ton of fuel provides when we go around Cape Caution.

We stopped just short of the AK-BC border at a small cove in Sitklan Passage, which allows us to arrive in Prince Rupert around noon the next day even with the time change from AKDT to PDT. The weather was settled and crossing Dixon Entrance was comfortable.

We moored at the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club (PRRYC) facility in Cow Bay for two days while we provisioned with the fresh produce that we couldn’t bring across the border. We also played with Drake several times, went for walks and probably bought more treats from the local Tim Horton’s than were healthy for us.

We squeezed our way out of the PRRYC marina (it required a 3-point 180° turn in the fairway) on July 27 and headed south out of Prince Rupert Harbor. Because of the timing of the currents in Grenville Channel, we elected to take the outer channels (Ogden Channel, Petrel Channel and Principe Channel) along the west shore of Pitt Island. Our anchorage for the night was the south end of Patterson Inlet.

The next day we continued south, crossing Estevan Sound, Laredo Channel and Laredo Sound then transited through Meyers Passage. We anchored on the west shore of Swindle Island at the elbow where Meyers Passage meets Tolmie Channel.

Often, we’ve travelled this section more slowly, covering shorter distances and stopping to fish, but with only 3-weeks before our haul out in Port Townsend we wanted to concentrate 2024-Cruise-181xour BC fishing time in the Fitz Hugh Sound area. We made one more stop, Fancy Cove in Lama Passage, before arriving at Goldstream Harbor on the NE corner of Hecate Island.

We spent 8 nights in Fitz Hugh Sound fishing in a variety of locations. We stayed four of the nights at Pruth Bay where the Hakai Institute generously provides shore and trail access to the spectacular beaches on the west shore of Calvert Island. Drake enjoys his time on the beach where he often meets the dogs from other boats.2024-Cruise-187X Our final night before heading south around Cape Caution was at Safety Cove on the east shore of Calvert Island.

This was our thirtieth crossing of Cape Caution (15 round trips) but we never take it for granted. We always carefully monitor the weather forecasts days ahead of when we want to do the crossing and choose the best day we can find. This year the weather gods were good to us, and we didn’t need to put our stabilizing fish in the water. We headed directly to Port McNeill on Vancouver Island rather than turning into the Broughton Islands on the mainland side of Queen Charlotte Strait.

Drake reminded us that we needed to spend two nights in Port McNeill so that he had ample shore time to play ball. Because of that, we didn’t depart until the morning of August 9. With a forecast of strong afternoon NW winds in Johnstone Strait and adverse currents in Johnstone Strait (it was mostly ebbing north during the middle of the day), we had to do a stutter step approach to getting around Seymour Narrows. Our first night was in Douglas Bay in Forward Harbour where we shared the anchorage with about ten other boats. From here we did a very early start and traveled first to Otter Cove, south of Chatham Point, on the dying flood current, anchored for a leisurely lunch during the building ebb current then fought the dying ebb current down Discovery Passage to transit Seymour Narrow at slack before stopping the night in Gowlland Harbour on Quadra Island.

The next day, August 11, we again started very early and made the long slog down the Strait of Georgia. We anchored that night in Boat Harbour south of Dodd Narrows which made for and easy next day to Montague Harbour on Galliano Island.

Our original plan was to spend two nights at Montague before crossing the border back into the US and the San Juan Islands. Unexpectedly, we added an extra day when we discovered that our anchor windlass had failed and would not haul the anchor up. After calling the US distributor for the windlass, we got some troubleshooting tips and determined that we weren’t going to be able to fix the windlass ourselves. Fortunately, the windlass can be operated by hand and the anchor raised.

On Thursday August 15, we got our anchor pulled up, crossed the border, and headed to Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes for the night. The next day, Friday, we continued to Port Townsend and began to prepare for our haul out the following Monday. The failed anchor windlass becomes another item on the work list for the Port Townsend Shipwrights Cooperative who will be doing the work.