August 28 Kxgneal Inlet to Home

We had a 6:30 a.m. start for our final stretch home. We picked up our crab traps. In the first one, we got three keeper crabs and a sun star. In the second trap, we got a whole family of sun stars (Grandpa size.) This was a beautiful morning with little wind to sail. Throughout our trip home, we had to motor a lot as there was not enough wind. When there was some wind, we pulled out the sails and motor sailed. We fished a little over an hour around Humpback Bay where we caught a salmon on our first day down but this time we did not have any luck. The wind started to pick up and we set sail for home. For most of the way, we were on a port tack. It was very nice to be sailing after all the motoring that we had done coming home. We were happy to be home.

In some ways, we were also sad that our trip had come to an end. There were so many places we wanted to go to but had not had a chance to explore. We never had the time to really stop in one area and explore for a few days. It is hard to believe that with 58 days of travel, we ran out of time, but that means there will be more to see next time.

It was one of the best summers ever!

August 27 Bishop to Hartley Bay to Kxgneal Inlet

On August 27^th, we made our way to Hartley Bay, along Verney Passage. We saw a lot of humpback whales. At one point, we saw between 6-8 humpbacks feeding. This was the largest number we have seen in one area. Fascinating! Entering Hartley Bay was exciting especially for Mae as this was where she did her first year of teaching. After refueling, we tied up to their docks. We met a lot of people we knew from Prince Rupert. Mae and Marty have taught many people from Hartley Bay. We went up to the band office to make our NO TANKERS presentation. Then we went to Lynne and Ernie Hill’s home and caught up on a few stories.

We had to get underway quickly, as we wanted to get some distance up Grenville Channel. Marty’s idea of traveling along the eastern shore to take advantage of the back eddies helped us gain speed and distance. At first we intended to go into Lowe Inlet but we had time to go further. We got as far as Kxgneal Inlet. We dropped a couple of crab traps before we anchored ourselves. This is a very peaceful, scenic spot. We were surrounded with mountains.

The neat part about nearing the end of our voyage is creating meals with the remaining food from our provisions. We had rice and a Chinese five-spiced chicken stir fry for dinnerJ.

AUGUST 26 Bishop Bay

Dominik and Karolina left early in the morning and in their place on the docks was a large fishing boat – the crew came for a quick soak. It seems that a lot of people ignored the 30 feet or less limit for the docks. Unfortunately, this group of fishermen used the hot springs like a bathtub, using soap in the water. When we came up for our morning soak, the water was cloudy with soap scum that drifted into the outside tub. Marty and Mae spent the whole morning in the tub, as we were the only ones there.

We enjoyed watching some humpbacks in the bay. At certain times, we could hear them very close by but could not see them. Their blow sounds were really loud and clear in the bay.

The weather was warmer in the afternoon as the sun came out. More boats started to come as well. Yet again, people ignored the size limit for docking. As the tide floods into the bay, it created strong currents along with the breeze. Every boat that came in had a difficult time docking. Marty and Mae were kept busy grabbing lines and helping boaters secure to the dock. In between helping people dock, Marty read and Mae caught up with details in the boat’s logbook.

AUGUST 25 Klemtu to Bishop Bay

On August 25^th, we left Klemtu watching the skipper of Otter Bay and Peggy in discussion about the tow; (however, in the end we learned, the tow did not occur because Topola Bampo was not designed for towing. The boat would have ended up becoming a submarine.) We took advantage of the flood tide and averaged over 6 knots. We continued our hourly watches. The weather continued to improve as the number of showers diminished. There were many beautiful waterfalls.

When we arrived at Bishop Bay, we were able to tie up to the small dock. We were docked in the same spot as last year. There was another sailboat on the other side.

Marty and Mae had been looking forward to the hot springs since it was still raining. As soon as we had our boat settled, we immediately grabbed our swim gear and went to the hot tub. Halfway to the hot springs, we noticed there had been a fire which destroyed part of the walk way and a covered tent area. The walkway was roughly rebuilt with logs and cedar planks. Apparently, the fire occurred in April, due to some careless people on the platform. The hot springs hut had some winter renovations. The walls were removed and now we are able to see out into the bay.

When we returned from the hot springs, we met the young couple from the sailboat, Dominik and Karolina. Dominik, from Vancouver, has been sailing for a few years. He met Karolina on a trip to Poland. We invited them over for drinks after dinner. It was a great evening sharing sailing stories. One thing that Karolina really wanted was to catch some fresh fish. She really enjoyed our cheviche and admired our fishing tackle. They had not been successful in catching their own fish, as this was something new for Dominik. So, to help increase their chances of catching a fish, Mae rigged up a few options for them. They already had a spoon with a single hook but they did not have a flasher. We gave them a flasher along with a double hooked hoochie and double hooked artificial anchovy.

AUGUST 24 Shearwater to Klemtu

On August 24^th, we got underway around 9:00 a.m. It was another wet and foggy day but not as much as the previous day. Mae and Marty continued to take one hour watches. When we arrived at Klemtu, Marty spotted a familiar boat from Prince Rupert. It was Peggy Carl with SV Topola Bampo. She was making her way to Courtney. She was drying out as well. During her trip, a lot of her clothes and sleeping gear got soaked. Unfortunately, her bilge pump broke down again. When she discovered this, there was a lot of water in the bilge to hand pump out. We wish Peggy best of luck in her travels as she has a long distance to cover in her small boat.

Right away, Marty and Mae went to the Band Council Office to present another of our NO TANKERS flags. Many of the council members and elders were out of town. We gave the flag and explained our story to the only remaining councilor in the village.

That evening, we invited Peggy over to share dinner, (salmon loaf,) and caught up with news about her boat and new home. She brought her auto harp and played a few songs. During the evening, Peggy had a chance to talk to the Coast Guard on board ‘Otter Bay.” They offered to tow Peggy’s boat to Shearwater. Topola Bampo was a very old wooden sailboat with poor water drainage and a bilge pump that did not work. At the most, Topola Bampo can only go 4 knots under power.

AUGUST 23 Namu to Bella Bella to Shearwater

On August 23, we had planned a shorter trek; however, it was one of the wettest but yet rewarding ones. We left Namu after a short walk around the old fishing cannery. The caretakers had done a beautiful job of maintaining some of the outdoor landscapes.

The trip to Bella Bella was wet and foggy. On our approach to Lama Passage, we decided that it would be good to fish around the point into the passage, as Marty saw a fish jump there. Well, guess what? We caught that fish! We caught a beautiful 13 pound coho. He was well hooked because when he hit, he ripped out a lot of line.

As we made our way to Bella Bella, Mae cleaned the fish and got two very good-sized fillets. She saved the belly bits and one tail bit for ceviche… Yum! Yum! Yum!

On our way to Bella Bella, Marty spotted a humpback whale about 150 meters away. The whale was feeding. Marty was careful to steer the boat away from the whale. Mae was ready with her camera to take photos with the zoom at max. Suddenly, the whale popped up directly behind us with his mouth wide open to feed. This scared the living daylights out of us. Mae got some photos, which were a bit out of focus as this happened so quickly.

We arrived in Bella Bella in a downpour. We refueled and redocked our boat ahead of the fuel dock, so we could go visit Bella Bella’s Band office. We wanted to present one of the NO TANKERS flags. We gave them the information about the flags if they wish to get more.

We stopped into a grocery store for a few items before heading to Shearwater. We had initially decided to anchor in the bay at Shearwater but we were too wet and tired from being up late the night before. When we called into Shearwater for a dock space, the dock manager told us to go on standby so he assessed the space situation. It’s not a huge marina and the dock was getting full. After some maneuvering of a few boats, he called us with a spot. He was at the docks waiting to help us squeeze in. We were soaked. Our survival suits were saturated with rainwater.

After we hung our gear in the head to drip (can’t say dry), we had a late lunch. Marty got the laundry going. While we were waiting for the wash to complete, we heard a voice calling out, “Hey, anyone home?” It was Paul from “EOS.” Paul and Twyla had their boat in Prince Rupert for a bit. Twyla was not there, as she was visiting with her mom. Paul was cleaning the mast and getting the boat ready to sell, as they had purchased a new boat in eastern Canada. We invited him over for a fresh salmon dinner. We caught up with news of each other and traded many photos.

AUGUST 22 Port Hardy to Namu

On August 22^nd, we made one of our longest treks of 75 nautical miles leaving Port Hardy at 5:00 a.m. During this passage, we had to cross through Queen Charlotte Strait and around Cape Caution. We lucked out again and the crossing was very good. We arrived at Namu as the sun was nestling close behind the mountains.

The sunset over Namu was a beautiful sight. We had a late and tasty chicken dinner. Right beside us was a larger boat with three people on board. One couple was excited about their upcoming wedding and the lady was also celebrating her birthday that day. We decided to meet up with them in Namu’s special under cover area, where they had an amazing metal fire pit. It was well past 9:00 p.m. when Marty got the fire going. Soon after, the group joined us with a birthday cake. It was a late night for us. We didn’t get back to our boat until 1:00 a.m. We had been up since 4:45 a.m. the day before.

Namu's Special Undercover Area

AUGUST 21 Port Neville to Port Hardy

On August 21, we left Port Neville early in the morning, as we had over 60 nautical miles to travel to Port Hardy. Marty and Mae took turns on watch as it was raining. We switched every hour. We tried a bit of fishing but had no luck. Along the way, we came across a pod of 6 to 8 killer whales. They were scattered and feeding all around the boat.

A small boat called “Strait Watch” was also there monitoring the whales. Strait Watch is a stewardship-based marine mammal monitoring and education program operating around Vancouver Island. Some of their goals are to minimize the potential disturbance of vessel traffic on marine life; increase public awareness; and promote respect for marine environment.

We finally arrived in Port Hardy around 4:00 pm, tired, wet and cold. We picked up some very important provisions: Beer and scotch. Going to town was too far for our tired bodies. Since we stocked up on food provisions back in Campbell River, we did not need much.

AUGUST 20TH Knox Bay to Port Neville

On August 20^th, we went for a walk along the beach in the morning. While we were on the beach, a whale watching tour boat made a pit stop at the docks that we were tied to. Andrew, the operator, was thoroughly supportive of our boat banner. When we told him that we made flags, he immediately piped up that he wanted one. He had us explain the story around the banners and flags to his tour. His passengers all gave the thumbs up. Andrew planned to spread the word to all the whale watching tour operators.

Our trek into Port Neville got a bit rough, but we managed. Finding a place to drop anchor was challenging, as the area had a very weedy bottom. Eventually, Marty found a great spot to drop anchor. Marty always does a circle around an area to get a feel of the depth. He found a hole. He knew that dropping the anchor into a hole would allow the anchor to get a solid hook on bottom. It sure did, as the next morning, it was not easy pulling up the anchor. (Engine power was required to pull the anchor loose.)

AUGUST 19 Campbell River to Knox Bay

On August 19^th, we left Campbell River at 5:30 a.m. to catch the ebbing tide through Seymour Narrows. As we made our way north along Discovery Passage, the wind picked up on our nose. Then the tide switched and we were going against wind and tide. Our first choice for anchorage was not good as the wind and tide were beating into the bay. The wind continued to pick up and the seas were rough. We were only traveling around 2 to 3 knots. We docked around 12:30 pm. We ended up in the next bay, Knox Bay, which was perfect as it had a small dock just our size.

The next best time to get underway to our next destination was not until early in the afternoon the next day. Knox Bay was used as a forestry sight, which was not active due to the extreme dry conditions. Marty walked the trails to check out the area and did not see a lot of wildlife.

August 15 to 18 Tourists in Campbell River

We have been in Campbell River from August 15 to 18th because of the, "Gale force wind warning," along Johnstone Strait. There has been a developing "low system" bringing high winds. We hoped to leave Campbell River on an ebb tide heading north. We need to go through Seymour Narrows when the tide is going the same way as us as the current can be as fast as 9 knots. (Our boat does 6 knots under full power.) When we went through the narrows heading south, we traveled with the current to Campbell River at 14 knots, (the fastest our boat has ever gone.)

Our time in Campbell River has been fantastic. We have had a lot of great highlights.

1) We met up with Naomi Tabata who had just returned from their southern seas travels on their beautiful sailboat, Renova. We spent some time at her place and met her friends Brandi and Ron. We had a great time looking at her pictures and hearing about her and John's adventures. Marty picked her brains with a lot of the preparations of their trip and things they learned along the way.

2) We explored Campbell River's Maritime Heritage Museum. A fabulous place! The tour guide was a very knowledgeable man who knew all the history of the boats, machinery and tools used in times past. This museum is packed with so much history that we could have spent the whole day there. The cost was only $5. They rented out office space and the hall for special functions to help finance the upkeep.

3) We explored their local museum. Wow! Mae got a photo taken of the next big fish she is going to catch. The scary part is that we think the fish will be the one who will get her instead. Campbell River's museum is definitely a place to go again.

4) We met up with some former Rupert folks: Vanessa Bramhill-Woods and Peter Woods. They brought their daughter, Ginger - still a baby when we last saw her. We also met up with Chris O'Brien.

5) A Prince Rupert friend surprised us on August 16th. Wendy from Dodge Cove, came down on the ferry the night before. That morning, she figured that we were getting close to Campbell River based on our SPOT checks. So she took a stab in the dark and picked a marina and found us. Now she can find a needle in a hay stack with no problems.

Best of all, on August 18th, Marty and Mae celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. We had a fantastic day of visiting the museum, meeting up with Naomi for coffee, meeting up with friends such as Vanessa, Peter and Ginger and Chris O'Brien.

The day ended with a fantastic dinner cooked by Marty. Mmmmm.....Grilled t-bone steaks, baked potatoes and mixed vegetables. We ended the evening with drinks and dessert at Moxie's Grill.

August 14 Nanaimo to Hornby Island

On August 14^th, we set off to Tribune Bay on Hornby Island. The wind was on our nose and it was HOT. By the time we got to the bay and anchored, we were both getting fuzzy from the heat. Mae was down below when she heard a splash. Don't worry, Mae did not have to perform a, "Man Overboard drill"...Phew! Marty could not wait to go to the beach to go swimming so he jumped off the boat instead. Mae, feeling the same way, followed him into the cooling water. Marty enjoyed the swimming so much that he did not want to get out of the water. Tribune Bay is a favorite beach area for many people. People get to this beach by land, boat ferry and even by small float plane. We discovered this day that if you have a few extra bucks, you can get flown in and out.

After dinner, Marty went for another swim. The water was so warm. He swam from boat to boat and chatted for a bit with each owner. We had finally purchased a solar heated water shower. Fantastic! We're from Prince Rupert and we never thought of having a solar shower on our boat. (We probably won't use it again now that we are home.)

August 12 &13 Herring Bay to Nanaimo (New Castle Island)

On August 12, we slowly puttered over from Herring Bay to the back entrance to Pirates' Cove on the dinghy. We managed to fit all four of us on our dinghy. Before we left the boat, we put together a special, "Prince Rupert's Treasure Chest," to bring to Pirates' Cove. We placed a number of items, that we did not use on our boat, in the chest. The final touch was the "loonie" that Peter placed in the container. Mae wrote onto the container that it was a special portable treasure chest.

Then we had to get under way so we could make the slack tide through Dodds Narrows.

We enjoyed our time with Janet and Peter as we sailed back to Nanaimo on the 12^th. It was an awesome sail. This was when we really had some wind and did some serious sailing. Janet may have been a bit nervous but she picked up the sailing faster than when Mae started sailing. Way to go Janet! We had a good 20+ degree heel on the boat. We sailed right into Nanaimo Harbour and anchored near New Castle Island.

Janet and Peter took the dinghy over to check out the island and later we went swimming. On the evening of the 12^th, we went to the Dinghy Dock Pub and had a fabulous dinner. As you can see in the photo, Janet was having a tough time with the water.

On August 13^th, we said our good byes. It was great to have Peter and Janet come join us for a few days. The dinghy was packed with their many duffle bags as they were prepared for all weather. They had a good set of rain gear packed and it was great that they did not have to use it.

August 11 Silva Bay to Herring Bay

On August 11^th, we had a leisurely breakfast before pulling our anchor and heading out. Exiting Silva Bay can be done by at least three ways. Our boat needs at least two metres of water below us. The depth went as low as three metres going through our route.

Which T.V. character does Peter remind you of? Hint: the hat is a clue.

We went sailing before crossing through Gabriola Passage during slack tide as the rip tides through the passage can be quite strong. After crossing the Passage, we set sail to “Pirates’ Cove.” The wind died and we were faced with a few choices: 1) Start the motor & head to the Cove, 2) Keep on drifting about and hope for wind, or 3) Motor until we found wind and then sail again. Finally, Peter said, “Let’s sit with the sails out and wait and see if the wind comes up.” It was a beautiful sunny day and the tide was taking us in the right direction any way. The wind did pick up and we sailed beautifully. The sailing was so nice that we didn’t wanted it to end as Pirates Cove was close by, so we decided to go to another location. We tried to anchor behind Whalebone Island but there were already a few boats there and the space was limited. We continued around … and anchored in “Herring Bay.”

Pirates Cove was only a five minute dinghy ride over. Janet and Peter took the dinghy for a walk and swim at the Cove while Mae and Marty jumped off Wild Abandon for their swim. Marty used his snorkel and fins to check out the bottom side of the boat.

Fabulous time to spend with Friends!

August 10 Nanaimo to Silva Bay

On August 10^th, we left Nanaimo with Janet and Peter Northcott. We decided not to go to Campbell River. Instead, we sailed around the north end of Gabriola Island towards Silva Bay.

Once we left Nanaimo Harbour, we set sail for over two hours to Silva Bay. The engine was turned off at 10:55 and Janet took the helm at 11:00. She did a superb job for her first time. She felt a bit nervous but Mae assured her that this was normal as Mae felt the same way when she learned to sail. Peter took his turn at the helm and melded with the boat like one. After the two hour sail, the wind diminished and we motored to Silva Bay.

We anchored in the bay. Janet and Peter took the dinghy to explore around the bay. Then Mae and Marty went out for a bit of exploring as well. The sandstones were quite impressive. In fact, the shapes of the sandstones all along the Gulf Islands was amazing.

We ended the evening with a tasty marinated flank steak, Caesar salad and baked potatoes. The most challenging part of the evening was squeezing Peter and Janet into the aft cabin. One must get themselves small enough to scrunch themselves like a ball of wool, duck carefully so not to bang their heads and then slowly unravel. When exiting, one must carefully move out slowly so they do not bang their heads again. We know because we’ve done that a few times.

August 9 Thetis Island to Nanaimo

On Aug. 9^th, we woke up at 5:30 a.m. so we could make our way to Dodds Narrows. We were underway before 6:00 a.m. Sunrise was terrific and the water was so calm.

We made good time over to the Narrows but we were too early so we sailed long tacks back and forth. When it came close to going through, we started our motor and did circles around like many other boats. Finally, it was time to make our move through Dodds Narrows. Timing through Dodds Narrows using the tide and current book is important. When we started to make our move, a call on the radio stated that a tug under tow was coming through the narrows towards us. Marty immediately turned around as he didn’t want to approach Dodds with a tug coming through. Another sailboat ignored the call and proceeded in. The boat was greeted with a few loud blows of the tug’s horn and the boat immediately turned around!

We arrived at Port Nanaimo with a long long line up to get in as all the boats that went through the Narrows floored it to the marina ahead of us. While docked, we did our usual boat clean up and a few maintenance jobs that were due.

No matter where we are, we always meet people from Prince Rupert. When we were on a short walk, we came across Gord Rutherford. When we went to a marine store, Marty met one of his old students from over seven years back. On the way to do laundry, Marty ran into Jeanie and Merve from “Meridian Passage.” They came over for a visit. Merve, who has enough tools to build another boat, helped us fix our fuel filter which had a loose air bleeding bolt (which would not tighten). Thus the old boating saying, “Cruising is making boat repairs in multiple locations!” Later that evening, we met two teachers from Comox and they came for drinks. We talked boats - they had a C&C also. (We did very little teacher talk!)

August 8 Cabbage Island to Thetis Island

On Aug. 8^th, we got underway at 6:30 a.m. so we could make our way to catch the slack tide through Active Pass. It was foggy so we were careful.

We made our way to “Telegraph Harbour” on Thetis Island. Wendy, a friend and colleague, told us that if we do get to Thetis Island, we should call up her sister. So we did. We went over to Nancy and Mark’s summer palace on the waterfront of Thetis. They took us for a drive around Thetis Island before bringing us to their cottage/home. They worked hard over the past 16 years to turn a shack cabin into a very nice home.

When we returned to our boat, we met a young couple who were one third owners of a cute wooden sailboat. They had just arrived from a long trek across the Strait of Georgia. They scared themselves a bit as it was a rougher and longer crossing than they had anticipated. We brought them over for drinks and reassured them that everything they did on their trip over were good choices. They seemed happier when they left, but that could have been the drinks.

August 7 Sidney to Cabbage Island

On Aug. 7^th, we left Sidney in the rain…. Wow! RAIN! This was the first rain fall we have experienced since the second day of our trip on July 3^rd. Getting to Cabbage Island was wild, as we had to get around a huge rip tide. At one point, we were going backwards. We did however arrive at Cabbage Island, north of Saturna Island. This was a neat place and would have been even nicer if it was sunny. We had all our rain gear hanging and dripping in our boat.

We went ashore later in the evening, to explore Cabbage Island. It was so small that we walked completely around it. Mae had said, ”This island must be too small for a deer.” After we walked most of the way around, Marty stopped Mae on the track and turned her head towards a three year old buck. The buck had no fear of us and kept on munching.

There were also good oysters here. They even had pearls in them!

August 6 ~ Sidney, B.C.

On Aug. 6^th, we got underway to go anchor in Cordova Bay in front of Marty’s parent's place. It was a great start with the winds picking up and we were able to set sail. Unfortunately, after halfway, the winds began to build to 20 knot Southeasters which was not great for where we wanted to anchor. Cordova Bay has a sandy bottom. The southeaster would have caused us to drag anchor and run ashore. So, we made the decision to turn around. Fortunately, Port Sidney Marina was able to fit us in again. We didn’t want to take the chance to get to Cordova Bay and then have to turn right back and this would not have given us the time to have dinner at Marty’s parent's place. It was a good evening with his parents and, Cindy and Vicky too.

August 5 Stuart Island(San Juan Is) to Sidney, B.C.

On Aug. 5^th, we got underway by 7:00 a.m. to make our way back to Canada. Uhhhh! Home Sweet Home! We arrived at “Canoe Cove” where we first had our boat moored for six months, before bringing it home to Prince Rupert. Mae called Customs and they told me that I should use the direct phone line at the dock. No surprise, there was no Customs phone in sight and apparently there never has been one at that dock. Eventually, checking back in was easy.

Then we were underway and got a spot at Port Sidney Marina for the night. They gave us a great spot, at the front of the marina, for everyone to see our “Tankers Do Not Belong” banner. We got a lot of positive comments. One couple from Richmond bought a flag. They have been absolutely appalled with the Enbridge project.

That afternoon we got the boat cleaned up and did our shopping. That night we checked out Sydney's great Thursday street market and got few things.

August 4 Cypress Island to Stuart Island (San Juan Islands)

On Aug. 4^th, we took a walk along one of the trails on Cypress Island. The walk was very scenic and we were quite impressed with how a tree can grow on top of an old stump. We also took the dinghy out so we could capture a photo of the rock face that we were tied next to.

After our excursion, we got underway to Reid Harbour on Stuart Island. When we arrived, we did not want to anchor deep into Reid Harbour amongst over 60 vessels. We went with Waggoner’s advice and anchored behind a little island at the entrance of the harbour. We were by ourselvesJ.

The funniest part of this harbour was that this island had the only sand beach. The island was tiny and so was the sand beach. When we arrived, there was a group of kayakers on shore with a larger group waiting their turn to get on the island.

August 3 Port Townsend to Cypress Island

On Aug 3^rd, it was another foggy morning like many previous ones. Jim and Karen let us use their truck last night and we were able to go this morning to get our provisions for the next few days. Port Townsend has a great Organic Food Co-op where we did most of our shopping. We also drove to see their historic post office.

Bye Jim! We're going to miss you and Karen! We headed off to the San Juan Islands just after lunch. During our travels to Cypress Island, we traveled by one of the U.S. Military airports and saw a few of their planes practicing their take offs and landings.

We tied onto one of the free mooring cans next to a large rock face, in Eagle Harbour, on the east side of Cypress Island.

August 2 Port Townsend

On Aug 2^nd, we spent the day checking out the downtown area of Port Townsend. We toured the “Northwest Maritime Centre” and the “Jefferson Court Museum.” This museum was fabulous as it gave us a great insight into the history to present time of Port Townsend.

Unfortunately, we also witnessed a terrible boat fire. No one was hurt but it is always sad to see someone’s dream sail boat burn and sink. A propane tank was left beside the stove and caused the explosion.

Mae is pictured here in a boat that she can sail without getting lost ...without steering crooked ...without navigating into rocks etc. We wonder if Marty would feel safer with her on this boat?

In the afternoon, Mae went out shopping for some gifts. She went to a lots of shops, looking for something that was unique to Port Townsend. There were many shops selling things made in Poland, China, Thailand, Turkey etc. but she really wanted something local. She came across a gem of a store called "Gallery 9" which is an Artists' co-op. She found a great birthday present for Marty.

Pictured above is an artist named Sandra Smith-Poling who painted a picture of the "Battle of the Tallships." In May 2010, the ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftan participated in a mock battle. Sandra created a painting from one of the photos she had taken of the battle. The sale of 250 prints had just gotten onto the shelves. The first print was given to her grandmother. The second one did not print so well. The third print became Marty's thoughtful and wonderful birthday present. This print was autographed and will be hung in our nautical themed library at home.

In the evening, we went over to Karen and Jim’s beautiful home for a wonderful home cooked dinner. Karen and Jim surprised Marty with a “Happy Birthday" cake. Karen was worried about burning the house down with all the candles she had on the cake.

Since last year, Karen has been singing and writing a song about their experiences along our B.C. coast. We had the pleasure of listening to her updated version, which included their travels along the Western coast of Vancouver Island. Thank you Karen and Jim for sharing your beautiful song of your B.C. adventures.

August 1 New Dungeness Spit to Port Townsend

Along the way, Mae took the dinghy over to see Karen and Jim on Sockdolager. At that point, Jim and Mae decided to switch places and Jim surprised Marty when he returned in the dinghy. It was a good thing to leave the husbands on one boat and the wives on the other. Jim told Marty that never in his life had he considered leaving one sailboat and getting onto another while underway.

We motored for a bit and Mae tried steering Sockdolager, using the tiller but she had a hard time steering a straight course. Jim told Marty, on board Wild Abandon, that something was wrong with his boat as it was going funny. Without looking at their boat, Marty said right away that it was Mae’s steering. Mae has a hard time steering in a straight line. She tried steering with her foot at one point, hoping that would work better.

The wind picked up slightly and we put up our sails. Once again with Marty’s quote of, “When there are two sailboat on the water, it’s a race.” We will not write who won that race, but it is evident from the picture. We then switched back the crew. We docked at Point Hudson Marina while Sockdolager went to their permanent docks at Port Townsend Boat Haven. Once both boats cleaned up and got settled, we went to Karen and Jim’s favorite pub, “Sirens,” for dinner.