1 June - 10June

27 June - 9 July

Tuesday June 11, 2002

Clear, No wind

0500 All hands up ready for the departure. The bay is like glass, no wind.
0525 Departed the dock and headed out of Bodega bay again.
0600 As we approached the last turn in the channel before leaving the harbor, we hugged the left side because we had gotten pushed sideways by the current the day before. This time we ran aground and was stuck for about 15 minutes while the captain skillfully worked the engines and thruster. It appears the skipper is good at getting the boat unstuck from sand bars. It needs to be noted that 5 ships passed us on their way out of that channel, and none offered their assistance.
0615 We are clear from Bodega bay harbor and the seas look great. 2-3 foot rolling waves.
1155 We were audio witness to a tragic event. A crab fisher about 30 miles to our north had a man fall overboard and in less than 2 minutes he reported the man as sinking and unable to be found. He was wearing yellow rain gear and boots. We listen throughout the day as the coast guard and civilian boats tried to search for him to no avail.
1530 The sea is full, 5-6 ft swells, but the wind is very low, so we are running well.
1640 Waves have increased to 8 ft wind out of the north at about 6-10 MPH; we are still making 7-8 knots.
Dinner tonight varied at times and varieties for the crew tonight with some eating various blends of hot pockets or burritos.
For the better part of the day Donnie has had his head in the bilge and engine room. Covered head to toe in bilge oil, and yuck. He is a real trooper and all are thankful he's on board.

Wednesday June 12, 2002

Foggy at times, not much wind
0100 The electrical cabinet caught on fire again. No water this time. A ground wire is shorting out to an electrical box. The generator was shut off, and then slim cut the offending ground wire. When the generator was turned back on, the instrument panel in the wheelhouse blew. All of the gauges are now not working.
0800 The smell of electrical fire causes us to wake Slim up. He reports that the electrical cabinet is dry and the source of the smell is unknown and there is nothing to be done about it at this time. The Coast Guard is still looking for that Man Overboard.
0815 The seas were nice with 4-6 ft swells and the wind is at our back keeping the decks dry. We are now making 9 knots. And should cross the California/Oregon boarder at about 1300. There go our fishing licenses. We had big birds flying all around us. They appear to be goony birds (Albatrosses maybe). They have been around us for 2 days.
1200 The instrument panel turns out worse than we thought. It seems that somehow 110 AC arced to the DC ground and burned up every gauge and lighting. Tacs, oil pressure, temp gauges etc. are all cooked. Donnie and Slim spend the majority of the afternoon trying to fix or replace what they could.
1800 Six different types of birds are circling around the boat as we near Coos Bay, 45 miles to our north.
1900 Pilot whales are spotted off the starboard side of the boat.
2120 The distance has been calculated from Long beach to Cocquille Pt 641 Nautical miles. 319 to Cape Flattery for a total of 960 NM.
Slim and Donnie were able to get the shift lights and tachs working again.
2200 Before the 8-12 watch we had our evening electrical smoke again. We could not trace the source. We are making good time 8.5+ knots and though we had two very bad rolls the sea is calming and we are auto steering towards Cape Flattery, 295 nm to go.

Thursday July 13, 2002

Overcast, light winds

0800 The 1200-0400 shift the "DD" Boys (Don and Donnie) had its first uneventful shift observing only one ship at around 0400. Only 28+ hours until we reach Cape Flattery. The seas are relatively calm and it has been overcast and lightly windy since we left "Blowdega Bay."
1150 Electrical problems again. We turned on the 12k generator to give the 5k a break and BAM we blew out the tachs, lights, and radar again.
1215 A whale was jumping and breaching at our starboard. (Orca)
1600 Slim and Donnie are pumping aft fuel to the forward tanks. The engines are loosing RPMs. The little generator is not running well, and the big generator will not start. It has been determined that the starter was bad; so Donnie swapped it out with a spare we had aboard. Once they got both generators operational again, they decided to change the oil in them. Mistakenly, Slim pumped the oil out of the big generator when he was trying to pump out the small one. The big one was running at the time. Needless to say, it quit working and w lost 110 AC. So for about an hour while they sorted it all out we had no stabilizers or AC power.
1700 Two loan porpoises joined us and frolicked in the bow wave for a while.

Friday June 14, 2002

Overcast, Light winds.

0800 The late night shift, the DD Boys, had another uneventful evening though they did have to thread through several fishing boats as we neared Cape Flattery. We were thankful the radars had been repaired and we could see them on our screens.
0900 We just passed Cape Flattery and are rounding the corner close in to shore observing a lighthouse and several private fishing boats. Richard finally contacted THE captain of the research vessel Independence relaying salutations and speaking of a mutual friend. (He has tried to have this same conversation with every research vessel we have encountered all the way up the coast.)
1000 The seas are light. The best we have had since Santa Barbara, but it is overcast with an occasional raindrop.
1100 The hills are various shades of green, trees and tan beaches. Though Gales and high seas were predicted for the U.S. side of the Straight of Juan De Fuco, so far the wind is only 13 MPH and small 1-3 foot following seas.
1200 We are about 6 hours out of Port Townsend were we will refuel and spend the night before heading to Bell St on Sat. Dinner is scheduled for 8 PM at a local Saloon. As we rounded Cape Flattery, it was 86 NM to Port Townsend, however, our headway was reduced because of an outgoing tide, which ran up to 3.5 knots. At times with a following sea although rough for this boat, we made up to 11 knots. In a following sea the boat rocks/is pushed from side to side from 15-45 degrees. Looking out the portholes is like looking into an aquarium. On one such roll Donnie was working on the rudder angle indicator in the stern lazarette. The water rolled in over the stern deck and dumped about 40 gallons of fresh cold seawater down into the hole on top of him.
1600 The Deerleap set a new speed record of 13.7 knots assisted of course by a large following wave.
1630 The sun is out and the crew is on the bow by choice since before Bodega Bay.
1900 We arrived at Port Townsend and were met by friends of the Deerleap Doug and Rayma, "Island Runner", local residents, and Carolyn and Lynn. We unloaded the truck that Carolyn and Lynn drove up, the liquor first of course, had a few cocktails and then went to dinner at the Belmont Restaurant/Hotel/Saloon. Goldie (the bird) was very happy to see Slim biting him twice before we left to eat. Anyone want a bird cheap?
2200 The crew now including the animals and the girls, hit the bunks in anticipation for an early start for Bell St in the morning.

Saturday June 16, 2002

Sunny, little to no wind

0530 We departed Port Townsend for Bell St. The water is a millpond such as the majority of the crew has not experienced outside of a harbor. The only hazard is the crab pots and drift wood.
0930 We arrived at Bell St with a warm welcome from the Pacific Northwest Fleet with all the bells whistles. We had only a brief moment of panic when trying to pull into the very narrow channel and very large Foss tug was backing up next to the dock, and created a current that almost pushed us into the dock are selves, but we made it in with only a little excitement due to the skilled maneuvering of the Captain.
1000 The Crew spent the majority of the day organizing the boat and relaxing, taking the opportunity to meet and enjoy the magnificent boats displayed here. Wally had to depart to catch his flight back to southern California.
1830 The crew attended the CYA potluck dinner. It was a wonderful gathering of the owners, family and crew of the magnificent vessels of the Classic Yacht Associations Pacific North West Fleet. Slim was given a warm welcome and was presented with a Boating guide to the pacific northwest.
2030 The majority of the crew retired to the boat to relax and socialize. Slim went to plan his next few months of cruising. The "DD" Boys with the assistance of Yuki "CLE ILLAHEE" not only acquired directions to a local quick mart, but also walked with us the 4 blocks to obtain a 6 pack of beer. If you ask Don, it was 6 miles up hill both ways though.
2300 The majority of the crew retires to their bunks to prepare for another exciting day at the Bell Street Rendezvous.

Sunday, June 17

Rainy, Chilly

0900 Left Bell Street, heading for Port Townsend. Rough water.
1330 Arrived in Port Townsend. Doug and Reyma Mery, along with Noel on the dock to meet us. Took on 1,142 gals of fuel, which took over 2 hours.
1700 Had a peaceful dinner and worked on returning the salon to normal.

Monday, June 18

Rainy, Chilly

0900 Restocked galley at Costco
1000 Richard ordered new "Wings" gauges to replaced ruined 12v instruments. Installed new lights to indicated F-N-R at helm station.
1800 Doug and Reyma joined us for dinner.

Sunday, June 23

Sunny, Cool, Calm Seas

0600 Left Port Townsend. Waited in the channel for Doug and Reyma to join us with Island Runner.
1105 Arrived at Spencer Spit after a wonderful, smooth trip.

Left Port Townsend at 0720 hrs in overcast skies and calm water. We traveled ahead of Deerleap across the straits of Juan De Fuca, getting a push from the tide to start and then against it later, but not very strong currents. Only spotted one or two Dolphins, but many sea birds around, and not much boat traffic, two barges in tow and a navy ship. Went through Lopez pass and on to Spencer Spit arriving about 1105hrs, got the bait out and put the crab trap down.

June 24, 2002 - Day 2 - Reid Harbor

Awoke to a lovely sunny day. Heading for the post office in Blind Bay on Shaw Island, and of course we will take time to check out the local store there, run by nuns. Picked up a mooring at Blind Bay and after checking out the store we ate lunch and then dropped the mooring and went into West Sound, Orcas Island to show Deerleap the area, then on through Poll Pass and past Jones Island to Reid Harbor. Arriving at 1515hrs. Deerleap anchored and we tied alongside, and enjoyed their company for then evening starting with hors d oeuvre's and then pot luck dinner consisting of green beans, cauliflower, turnips, fried potatoes, French bread and kielbasa sausage. We finished the evening off with a Neil Diamond concert.

June 25, 2002 - Day 3 - Reid Harbor

Again awoke to a lovely sunny day. We are going to remain here in Reid Harbor today and get some varnishing done and I cleaned the whole boat, and stowed a few more things. Doug worked on the electrical cords as we could not get the full voltage from being plugged into Deerleap. We took Noel to shore and walked over to look into Prevost Harbor, about as many boats in there as in here. We enjoyed leftovers tonight.

June 26, 2002 - Day 4 - Prevost Harbor

Cloudy skies this morning, but burning off for the afternoon. Enjoyed a hot shower, washed hair and was going to dry it and then have a lovely piece of toast with honey, BUT the Deerleap had turned off the generator which we were plugged into. Soooo had to use our inverter and then start the engine so that I could get my hair dry. The toast came later, and was good with lovely Canadian honey. We left Reid Harbor and drifted around the entrance area and made phone calls to Schoonovers, Watts, Dunhams, and Herberts, the only live person I talked to was Susan Schoonover. We then cruised through Johns Pass to the other side of Stuart Island and into Prevost Harbor.

June 27, 2002 - Day 5 - Bedwell Harbor

Awoke to rain, heavy at times during the night, sure messed up the deck. We left Prevost Harbor about 1000hrs and proceeded to cross Boundary Pass, which was a little choppy and some current about 2 kts. Arrived at Bedwell Harbor to check into customs. Doug was going to help Deerleap dock and was told by a Customs agent to check in and return to his boat, he could not help. We checked in, no problems, they did not board our boat. We then moved to a regular slip to await Deerleap which was boarded. It took 3 hours for Deerleap to find out that they were not permitted to enter Canada with their Sulphur Crested Cockatoo, "Goldie". (What are we going to do without "Goldie"?) They had to leave and return to USA and in fact apparently (according to the Canadian Customs) were not supposed to ever take the bird out of the USA. When Slim came over to our boat to get help and suggestions on where he may be able to board the bird, the Customs Officer came down the dock and I got off the boat and met her while Slim was on the phone. She asked me if I was aware that Slim was breaking the law by boarding another boat, of course I said no, I was not aware. She then came to our boat and asked me to have Slim step outside. He did so and was told by her he had 30 seconds to complete his call and then she would escort him back to his boat, and she did so. The next thing we knew was that Slim called us on the radio and said that he had been told he had to leave the Dock. We said that we would communicate by radio, and give him the coordinates for Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, but we would not join him as we did not need to go through any problems checking in again tomorrow. As he was leaving the Canadian Customs Officer ran down the dock and apparently told him he could not go to Roach Harbor to check in with US Customs as that office was closed and that he had to go to Friday Harbor. He took off and we had a short discussion and sent him in the right direction. Well we decided to go to Port Browning for the night. It was so rough in there that we decided to come back to Bedwell - Beaumont Marine Park - for the night. We picked up a mooring and will be able to see Deerleap make a re entry, sometime in the future, hopefully tomorrow morning.

June 28, 2002 - Day 6 - Winter Cove

Rain again, does not look as heavy, but none the less still wet. Some gusts but not too strong yet. Deerleap arrived at the Customs dock at about 0945hrs for round two of the clear customs hassle. Apparently after about 3 hours again they finally cleared and were allowed to bring in the remaining bird on the boat, "Jake" is a small cockatiel. We proceeded to escort him to Winter Harbor where we anchored in about 12-13 feet of water at the lowest tide we will see during our stay here. We went aboard to hear all their horror stories of the customs fiasco. Apparently the US Customs were fine with the bird thing and did not get on his case about leaving the country without permission, but informed him he must fill out a certain form before leaving next time. They did manage to board "Goldie" for $5.00 a day, not so bad. They went out for dinner in Friday Harbor and so saved the Halibut which we were going to have last night. We enjoyed it together on Deerleap. We also watched two good movies that evening, so it was a fun day for the Deerleap after leaving the Customs. But boy oh boy did it rain and blow hard all afternoon and night.

June 29, 2002 - Day 7 - Winter Cove

Awoke to just a little wind and some drizzle, but not much, then it cleared up and was lovely and sunny for the afternoon. I made Kima for everyone and we ate over there. We just cleaned up and got our act together this day. We were watching the early arrivals for the Lamb B-B-Q., Not as many as we thought there would be seeing as it is a long weekend in Canada. Monday is "Canada Day"

June 30, 2002 - Day 8 - Winter Cove

A lovely sunny day with wispy clouds overhead and thunderheads in the distance over the mainland. Doug and I walked to the point with Noel, and sat for some time watching small boats go through Boat Pass, but the rapids were not running and it was a piece of cake. We walked back the long way and took a side trip to see how the preparations were coming along for the B.B.Q., we will go to tomorrow. Got a few light rain showers but nothing to bother us. We ate on board, enjoyed bangers then went aboard Deerleap and watched the fantastic Canadian Sunset, after which we played cards until way past midnight. It was fun. Then as we went back to the boat we saw some lightening in the far distance, but there were the most beautiful stars up above us, and so many of them.

July 1, 2002 - Day 9 - Lyall Harbor

Awoke to a sunny sky, which turned cloudy after we had eaten our cooked breakfast Doug made. We have our tickets to the lamb B.B.Q. and will go this afternoon. The boats are coming in hot and heavy now, and we will see if we get close to the ones which have just pulled in, time will tell. The Police boats are cruising through the anchorage, possibly showing their presence here. All of us except Lynn are going to the Lamb B.B.Q. We left the boat about 1340hrs and tied the dinghy to the dock as there were too many on the dock to get a spot. We walked to the ballpark where the B.B.Q. was and checked out the crafts, the games and kids playing and the volley ball and golf challenge, which was to hit a bull's-eye, or put the ball in a 44 gallon drum set up on an angle. Then we talked and waited for the Lamb. They called for a speech from the organizer and sang Oh Canada, then started the serving of the lamb dinner. Calling two hundred people at a time, we were in the third set with tickets over four hundred. It was as delicious meal, the lamb was the best. Everyone thought it was just to die for. We went back to the boats about 1550hrs and took Noel up to the beach for a run a little later, then watched the mass exodus as all the people that had to work the next day leave Winter Cove. We left at about 1900hrs to move to Lyall Harbor so that Deerleap could pick up their crew of four arriving on the ferry due in at 2230hrs. We got to the doc k to find a big boat in the middle and then the guy on the dock said he would move a small boat around to the inside and move the big boat to the end so that Deerleap could fit in and we tied alongside her. Government docks are now about 50 cents a foot. We visited a little with Dennis and Peter, Peter's sister, Freddie and her husband Bob, and of course Del, Lynn, Slim and Carolyn. All of a sudden someone said there is something at the door, it must be White Cap, then there was a quiet scratch, we opened the door and in bounded Noel. We could hardly believe that she jumped up onto Deerleap by herself, I was thankful that she did not slip and fall between the boats. We all turned in about 1200hrs.

July 2, 2002 - Day 10 - Montague Harbor

A lovely sunny morning with a slight breeze, and a few wispy clouds. Shorts weather again. We had to leave the dock by 0930 as it doubled as a fuel dock during the day. We cruised to Montague slowly and enjoyed the morning. After anchoring separately from Deerleap we went over with a few details about the bay and also some different things that could be done in the next few days. We took a quick trip to the government dock to let Noel take a quick potty trip. Then Doug and I went back to Island Runner and had lunch. The best part of the day was when we went to shore and looked in the gift shops, and then the grocery store which had Tiger Ice Cream. Boy oh boy was it good. We went back to Island Runner and Doug cleaned off the residue from Deerleap's generator and then took a nap. I read and watched boats. We went to Deerleap after they had finished their movie they were watching and visited and of course got Ice. We were then invited to dinner for "brisket" made by Del. It was very very good. We stayed and played Shanghais. We each put in 55 cents, and the person with the lowest score at the end wins the money. Of course I was last with the most score. We then took Noel to shore for her last trip and off to bed.

July 3, 2002 - Day 11 - Ganges Harbor

Awoke to partly cloudy and got underway about 1030hrs. We tried to get into the government dock first, but no room so ended up at Ganges Marina. Everyone was anxious to get to Ganges. It is a fun town. Plenty of stores to look at, lots of tourist things, plenty of good restaurants, and best of all Tiger Ice Cream. We took them all to town and found banks, stores, post offices, liquor stores, etc, etc, etc. Doug and I went back to the boat and had a lovely shower, then we were sitting having drink when Carolyn came to visit, then Slim came then Dennis and we chatted for a while and they decided to go for an early dinner at about 1800hrs. We opted for a later dinner. We could see them sitting on the patio of the Oystercatcher. It took forever for them to get served. We walked over later and they were still eating, we asked if it was good or not, we got two or three thumbs down, so we went back to the original restaurant we used to go to, but it had changed hands; and was now called "Anise". We had a very very nice dinner, it was not busy and we had a lovely quiet dinner. We will definitely go back it was good. We went back to the boat after dinner got Noel and then went on Deerleap and watched a movie called "The Heist" , not bad. Then back to our boat about 2230hrs.

July 4, 2002 - Day 12 - Todd Inlet, Butchart Gardens Cove

Awoke to cloudy conditions, then rain, light at first then heavy with sun breaks. We went to town and got our groceries, then went back for lunch in the "Anise" restaurant again. I felt something on my knee at lunch and touched my knee and immediately felt a sting or something like a pin prick that hurt then burned and has been aching all day since. I have a very small red spot just below my knee, so I am sure that it was some kind of bug, maybe it was one of Rebecca's "piders". We then tried to call Donna, but she is not at work today. Then we tried to get on the computer at the first computer store, but both the computers were busy, so we went to the other one in town, which were also busy, I finally got on one after three tries. I wrote a short e-mail to Donna. I just arrived back as Deerleap was making ready to depart. She left then we left and Deerleap stopped to pick up the crab pots, only one keeper. We then proceeded to Todd Inlet, and had some large waves, some heavy rain, and four ferry's passing us all in the same area, so were glad to arrive and see that we could pick up a mooring and prepare for a trip into Butchart Gardens tomorrow. Dinghy'd over to Deerleap to give them the scoop. We stayed for a cocktail, then left, turning down a dinner invite, as we have so much to eat aboard Island Runner. The rain left later in the afternoon and we had a lovely couple of hours of sun before it went down. It was lovely. We watched a movie later on our TV. Then Bed.

July 5, 2002 - Day 13 - Genoa Bay

Awoke to lovely sunny weather, then had a scone for breakfast, very good, Doug complained there were no raisins in his scone. I know there were I saw a couple. We took off to the Gardens about 1000hrs. We went as a group into the gardens and then we split for the lunch deals available. We had an ice cream and then went back to the boat for lunch. We left the cove about 1425hrs. A very pleasant trip to Genoa Bay. Calm water and only one small ferry boat to worry about. We arrived at Genoa about 1625. There was plenty of room for both boats; we were across the dock a little further in than Deerleap, but no problem. We visited aboard Deerleap and then six of them went to dinner at 1800hrs, leaving the other four of us to eat at 1930hrs. I ran up to phone Donna just before her shift at work ended at 1930hrs. I had a nice chat with her. We ended the evening pleasantly chatting and then bed.

July 6, 2002 - 14 - Maple Bay

Another lovely day and getting hotter than the last few days. We left about 1035hrs and were barely out of the harbor when Slim called to say they had a problem. Their dinghy was floating behind them upside down. Apparently when Peter and Dennis were trying to transfer the dinghy from alongside to the towing position it got caught somehow and injured Dennis's hand and put an ugly rope burn on Peter's let. It took about 45 mins to get the dinghy alongside and turn it over, then bail it and try to put it on the roof. The bridle broke, so they went really slow while Slim made a new bridle. Then they stopped once more and put it on the roof, where they pulled the engine apart and flushed it with fresh water, hoping to fix it. They were able to get it apart, empty the oil out, and restart it later on in the day. During our trip to Maple Bay the rapids, through Samsum Narrows were running at about 1.9 knots, Peter on the wheel of Deerleap saw us being pushed left and right and he yelled for Slim to come down off the roof and take the wheel, in case they had any problems. We tied up to Maple Bay Yacht Club, and went to find out about signing in, it was only open after 1300hrs, so we returned to our boat and talked to the Port Captain on the way, and he came down and saw Deerleap and informed them that boats over 60' cannot tie up there as their boat was too long, so they went off and anchored in the bay. We stayed for awhile, ran the dog, bought some ice, talked to the Port Captain and then decided to tie alongside Deerleap as I was cooking Chili for the whole crew, it would be easier to put the pot on their deck from our cockpit rather than put it in the dinghy and motor over to the end of the bay. Besides that the Yacht Clubs dock was facing the outer waterway and was very rocky most of the time. We had a lovely dinner, very casual, in bowls on our laps out in the cockpit. Then some of the crew on Deerleap went indoors and watched a movie, we were not ready and so went onto our boat and chatted before bed. Went to bed to read at about 1850hrs, the earliest for me this whole trip.

July 7, 2002 - Day 15 - Telegraph Harbor

It was decided that we would not rush to Telegraph Harbor this morning as it would be busy in Chemainus, on a Sunday. It was drizzling this morning and we had things to do and so we waited and left mid afternoon after a fun trip to Chamainus, where we took a horse drawn trip around town learning the history of the lovely murals. It was overcast, no sun anywhere in sight. The weather was great, sunny but not too hot. No problems on either boat so far today. Injuries are slowly improving but still very sore. My swelling in my knee is now all the way down to my ankle, but does not seem to be a as sore or as itchy today, so we will see how it is tomorrow. I am busy killing every little bug I can find and wiping away all spider (pider) webs; I do not want another spider bite like this one. No rough weather, and not many boats out even though it is Sunday.

July 8, 2002 - Day 16 - Ladysmith Harbor

Left Telegraph harbor later in the afternoon around 1500hrs, and found Stuart Channel to be very rough for us, so we headed straight to Vancouver Island side of the channel to get in the lee of the island and calmer water. The rest of the trip was much better and we checked out the harbor before anchoring in behind Dunsmuir Island on the north side of the harbor. So far the last few days crabbing have not been good, but Doug did get some oysters at low tide.

July 9, 2002 - Day 17 - Boat Harbour

Awoke to another lovely day and the Eagles were soaring high above the tall evergreen trees. We counted three pairs, two pairs of Bald Eagles and one other type of eagle, they were so lovely to watch, they would come down to the beach and sit on the rocks. We left late morning and had a pleasant trip to Boat Harbour where they changed around a few boats and made space at the docks for us. We enjoyed Julian and Linda's company for dinner and were able to go aboard Argonaut II for a tour. Argonaut II has an original Gardner diesel engine which he overhauled 30 years ago. It also has an organ on board, and many original heater radiators. It was a missionary boat at one time. The evening was very hot and lovely and calm.

July 10, 2002 - Day 18 - Boat Harbor

We elected to stay in Boat Harbor another day, as the weather was so beautiful and we were all having plenty of chores to catch up on and Deerleap had a couple of small wood pieces to get and fit one in the dinghy for a forward seat and one for a fish cleaning station. We took Noel for a walk in the woods, and over the hills for a swim at the small beach, but when we arrived the tide was out too far and it was very muddy and not deep enough to get her stomach wet, so we went back through the woods and over the hills to the harbor and let her swim and chase the ball and then we took her onto the dock and bathed her. During the bathing process Linda stopped by and asked to see the hose a minute, she then turned it on Doug and wet him through his T-shirt; the look on his face was priceless. Then he grabbed it and she ran down the dock with the stream of water following her. Fun, fun, fun. We had dinner aboard Deerleap, and then watched the movie of Dave Hutchhausen glass work, and then everyone turned in early except us. We went to our boat and watched a movie.

July 11, 2002 - Day 19 - Nanaimo

We left Boat Harbour in brilliant sunshine and to the shooting of the cannon on the bluff above the Harbour organized by Julian. We had an interesting trip through Dodd Narrows and on to Nanaimo. Peter came with us aboard Island Runner. We checked with Deerleap after docking and then had fish and chips on the dock for lunch, they were very good. We will be going out as a group I think for dinner tonight as all the crew will be leaving Deerleap tomorrow. We said goodbye to Lynn and Del as they will be leaving early tomorrow.

July 12, 2002 - Day 20 - Nanaimo

Awoke again to very hot sunny weather, cannot believe the luck with the weather for the Californians visiting on Deerleap, of course we have also enjoyed the sunny weather. We walked over to Deerleap with some sugar free Apple Strudel bought at the farmers market here and shared it with Carolyn and crew. We then said goodbye to everyone as they headed back to the USA. Then Carolyn and I went grocery shopping which took most of the afternoon. Doug and I then went back to Island Runner and relaxed for a couple of hours before returning to Deerleap for a visit then home to bed, after giving Noel a good run, she loved the green grass on shore, she ran around like crazy on it.

July 13, 2002 - Day 21 - Nanaimo

The day started off with a few light clouds and showers, then the showers became heavy enough to have to use an umbrella or rain jacket, although it was fairly muggy so shorts and T-shirts worked okay. Doug and Slim went to lunch on the pier for Fish and Chips, and Carolyn and I went to the Tearoom on the Quay for lunch, (English style food). Later in the afternoon it stopped raining, but still remained cloudy. We spent the day sending e-mails, shopping for souvenirs and food etc. Deerleap had previous owners Scott & Patricia Church arrive on board for a couple of days, we went over to meet them and visit for a short time delivering my muffin mix for their enjoyment and collecting our laundry. A pleasant day.

July 14, 2002 - Day 22 - Pender Harbor

Weather was a little on the windy side this morning so we put off our departure 2 hours, leaving Nanaimo at 1000hrs. One hour or so out in Georgia Strait it became a little choppy with a 10-15 knot wind, which was okay until the direction of the waves changed to side one, which causes us to roll. We changed direction more northerly than our destination which made it more comfortable and when we got behind large land masses we could then adjust our course for Pender Harbor. We stopped for gas and ice cream at the store and I was pleased they had "Tiger" ice cream. We then continued to Garden Bay and tied alongside Deerleap, where we visited and Doug enjoyed Chippino Soup.

July 15, 2002 - Day 23 - Thunder Bay

Slim and Scott went to town to buy fishing gear and also bought me some "Tiger" Ice Cream which I ate half of, for breakfast, mmm good. We left about 1030hrs and proceeded up Agamemnon Channel, then down Jervis Channel sightseeing arriving at Thunder Bay mid afternoon. Slim and Scott went out fishing on the point and got some Ling Cod, Doug cast off the boat and got nothing. Anyway we will have fish for dinner and I made Boat Bread to go with it. Mmmm good again. We had a late dinner and then watched the video of "Taconite" a lovely oldie from Vancouver, B.C. The bad thing about Thunder Bay was the mosquitoes, they were fierce, we are all bitten to pieces on our legs and arms particularly. Would only return to this bay as a safe haven from stormy weather.

July 16, 2002 - Day 24 - Prideaux Haven

An early start this morning to get Scott and Patricia Church to Westview at Power River to catch the noon ferry to Comox on Vancouver Island, to enable them to reach Seattle sometime today. We were going to wait for Deerleap to drop them off but there was no place to dock for them, so Doug took our dinghy and brought them aboard Island Runner and we took them into Westview. We walked up to the ferry dock with them and Noel had a short walk and then on the Prideaux. On the way we saw a lovely big bald eagle sitting on a rock by the waters edge, he suddenly flew into the water and caught a fish but it was so big that he could not fly with it and so he virtually swam with his wings until he gained some footing on the rock again and started to eat the fish. Apparently the eagles cannot let go once they have their claws in the fish, so if they cannot fly with the fish because it is too heavy they will drown. He really put up a fight to get that fish to shore, it was great to see nature at its best.

July 17, 2002 - Day 25 - Prideaux Haven

Decided to stay another day, the weather is rainy and what better to do than curl up with a good book and listen to the rain on the roof. Did a few chores, and watched a movie, and were surprised to sea Jane and Del on "Leprechaun" arrive. We did not expect to see them until our return trip going south. They came over and visited, and asked to see Deerleap later. We all enjoyed a couple of cocktails and some hors d' oeuvres and arranged to visit next morning before leaving.

July 18, 2002 - Day 26 - Squirrel Cove

We enjoyed a visit on "Leprechaun" taking some muffins with us. They showed and gave us some pictures Jane had taken that morning of the "Deerleap and Island Runner" rafted. They showed us their new business cards they had made with a picture of their boat and offered to take our picture on our way out of the bay and have business cards ready for us on our trip south, when we expect to catch up with them again in the Canadian Gulf Islands. Jane took 20 pictures of us and thinks she will find something she likes among them. We then took a very leisurely trip to Squirrel Cove. There was room at the government dock so we tied up and Doug went out to Deerleap and got Carolyn and we three went shopping, also Noel of course, but she did not get to choose any food, she had to stay outside the store, but she did enjoy the two runs she got there. We then went on in to the back bay and anchored, having Carolyn and Slim over for Lime Chicken later and then getting beaten by Slim at Shanghai.

July 19, 2002 - Day 27 - Frederick Arm

Left Squirrel in time to get slack water at Yuculta, Gilliard and Dent rapids on the way to Frederick Arm which we have never been up before. We took a few minutes to check out "Oleo's" Greek restaurant on the way in. Doug went over in the dinghy while I drifted around. It had very little space for docking and it was already crowded. We had heard that the food is very good, and is about $16.00 per plate. We told Deerleap to continue down to the end of Frederick Arm and pick a place to anchor. Apparently while looking at a "snake" in the water Deerleap ran aground. She was going so slow that it was a simple thing to back off the little shelf she nudged with her nose. After some time the two boats had checked several places to anchor, but most were very deep so we went into a little cove on the right hand side of the bay and anchored. It was a lovely bay except for the waves which came down Frederick Arm and straight into the bay, we named it "Little Descanso". We rolled all night long.

July 20, 2002 - Day 28 - Cordero Lodge

The weather is still holding except for some wind starting. We arrived at Cordero Lodge early afternoon, we were welcomed by "Kate" the Kellie replacement, she is a delight and was cheerful and efficient. Then we got hugs from Doris and Rheinhardt. It is fun to go back to places where we have such nice friends. We enjoyed the afternoon watching other boats arrive and getting some sun and getting acquainted with some boaters. We enjoyed dinner, as always. Carolyn and Slim went back to Deerleap with Noel and we sat and visited with Doris and Rheinhardt. When we went back to Deerleap to get Noel she would not come and ended up staying on Deerleap all night, and apparently slept next to Slim all night long. She was of course pleased to see us the next morning.

July 21, 2002 - Day 28 - Forward Harbour

We enjoyed the breakfast given to Doris by a grateful bunch who had been stopping at Cordero Lodge for some time, they invited everyone on the dock, it was a champagne brunch. That started the day off well. We sat around on the patio and visited with Doris and others, sharing photos of various things, and of course "Michael", Kellies new baby, 2.6 months old. It was great to be able to sit outdoors in the lovely warm sun and have so much time talking to Doris. We finally left at 1430hrs to catch the Greenpoint Rapids at slack water. We went on in a little choppier water due to the increasing winds, we turned into Wellbore Channel to find Whirlpool Rapids, going a little stronger than slack but doable. We arrived at Forward Harbour at about 1630hrs. We enjoyed a lovely sunny evening before listening to the weather, which appears to be blowing up.

July 22, 2002 - Day 29 - Forward Harbour

We decided to stay another day as the winds in Johnstone Strait was gale force, 35 - 45 knots. We listened on and off to the weather all day and it sounded as if we would possibly get out tomorrow. We took Noel ashore, I collected some rocks, which were small but pretty. Noel had quite a few swims after the ball and then it suddenly disappeared right before she could fetch it and she swam in several circles trying to find where it was. We promised her a new ball when we got back to the boat. We enjoyed the sun and retired early knowing we may have to get underway early next morning.

July 23, 2002 - Day 30 - Lagoon Cove

Arrived in Lagoon Cove about noon and was pleasantly surprised there was enough space for both boats. We took on fuel and then docked on the north side of the marina on the inside of the dock. We had a very pleasant day and it was hot and sunny all afternoon and evening, the marina supplies shrimp for an Hors d' oeuvre potluck which was great. I of course did not care for any.

July 24, 2002 - Day 31 - Lagoon Cove

Today started very foggy and windy and the predictions were not good for going on so we decided to stay for another night, and also talked about the possibility of leaving Island Runner here instead of Alert Bay. After some discussion we decided to leave our boat here for a couple of weeks and get onto Deerleap for a trip north to Seymour Inlet. We talked to the owner "Bill" and he gave a fair price and we suggested we would turn our boat around so only the stern was tied to the dock and he said he would give us a break on the price. We tied to the boat owned by his caretakers, and next to them our Port Townsend friends (from PTYC) Bill and Anne Mallino are docked and will take care of the boat for us, including watering "Waldo", (Dougs pineapple plant), so we feel fortunate to have a good safe place to leave her. The day was busy packing gear onto Deerleap and of course deciding what to take for the evening potluck. We watched "Prince of Tides" a good movie on Deerleap.

July 25, 2002 - Day 32 - Echo Bay

We got up and plugged in to power to get our batteries charged, as it is better to leave them fully charged. We also showed Bill Malino how to start and stop the engine in case of emergency. We packed all the remainder of clothes and other things we thought we would need for 2 weeks onto Deerleap and were ready to leave about noon. We finally got away at 1230 and had quite a nice trip and during a nice down wind leg Carolyn and I sat in the bow in the sun and enjoyed the warmth, but then the last hour or so was choppy with a cold wind. We arrived at Echo Bay about 1735hrs and Bob and Nancy were surprised to see us on Deerleap, but welcomed us and were saddened by the fact that Echo was no longer with us. Their new dog Meg welcomed Noel politely unless Noel was getting attention from Nancy or Bob, then she was a little jealous. The captain "Slim" was not feeling too well so did not participate in the fresh crab dinner. Doug cooked all the crabs and he and I sat out on the fantail and cracked crab until 2230hrs.

July 26, 2002 - Day 33 - Shawl Bay

Left Echo Bay in overcast weather and headed for Shawl Bay where we anchored after arriving and found it sunny with a slight breeze. We anchored in an area just around the corner from Shawl Bay Marina. I rowed the dinghy to shore with Noel on board for a potty trip while Doug napped and Slim went out to set the shrimp traps and then the crab traps. I got to a good looking rock that was the same height as the dinghy and rowed the bow to the rock and told Noel okay go ahead she jumped out and in the usual way kicked off from the dinghy but failed to get her back feet on the rock so she was hanging by her front paws with her body in the water up to her arm pits. She tried to get traction with her back feet but could not because the rock slopped under and there was nothing to hold on to with her lower body. I tried to get back to her but she would not turn around and try to get into the dinghy, then I tried to get beside her and make her swim to me and I could get her into the dinghy and try to go to shore again, but to no avail. She was holding on to that rock with her front feet for dear life and nothing I did or said would change her mind about that. I ended up having to go to another rock and get out of the dinghy and walk over to her and pull her up onto the rocks. She was very heavy to get up as once I got a hold on her neck she just stopped trying to help and became a dead weight. Finally all was well she was safe, but tramatised and would not go potty at all. We went around to the next little bay and found two sailboats rafted. Then looked at a float house for sale then back to Deerleap. We spent a pleasant evening on board, but no crab that evening in the trap, so left them out overnight. Noel had an accident on the deck as she did not potty on shore with me. We were not mad at her as she had had such a trama earlier in the day.

10 July - 26 July

27 July - 29 July

11 June - 26 July