Fall Cruising 2007
We return to Canada in mid-September for a few weeks of fall cruising in the San Juan and Gulf Islands. Avante is patiently waiting for us in the Canoe Cove Marina, and we spend a few days in the marina doing the usual provisioning, maintenance and preparing Avante to go sailing. On September 18, we depart the marina and sail down to Friday Harbor to meet friends.
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Wednesday, September 19th – Our friends, Marilyn and Tom Fleming, take the ferry over from their home in Seattle to join us for a 2-day cruise. Leaving Friday Harbor with them, we motor between islands before going through Obstruction Pass into Rosario Strait. We then raise sails and head northwest toward Sucia Island.
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It is a brisk sail, as we tack our way into the wind. The First Mate just barely holds her seasickness at bay, but poor dear Marilyn is not a boater, and she does not. How The First Mate empathizes with her! After anchoring in Echo Bay on Sucia Island, we all insist that Marilyn get off the boat with us to walk the island. “You honestly will feel right back to normal if you do,” we tell her. The First Mate understands. When one is feeling that bad, it is hard to believe walking anywhere will help, but it does. There is a nice path that runs around this island, and Marilyn finds she enjoys exploring the island much more than the sailing. There is little wind the next day, which is good, as we want to take it easy on our way back to Friday Harbor with them.
Saturday, September 22nd – After a rainy day and a half, The Captain and First Mate depart Friday Harbor and head out for several days cruising. We explore the sounds of Orcas Island, spending the night in a lovely spot with an unsettling name, Massacre Bay. We then head north to the Canadian islands, anchoring for the night in Bedwell Harbor, before going back to the marina at Canoe Cove on Monday. As is often the case here, winds are light, and we mostly motor.
Wednesday, September 26th – Last spring, the Telluride Medical Center held a charity dinner and auction. We offered a week on Avante, and Sally Puff-Courtney won the auction. With her sister’s birthday approaching, she planned to share the trip with her sister as a present. What a great idea! Sally and Barbara flew into Victoria the previous evening, and, in the morning, we set off to cruise the nearby islands.
Planning a tour for the gals through these islands is fun. We are familiar with the territory, and each stop is like visiting an old friend, but with the gals along, we now take time to take in sights and adventures we had not done on earlier trips. On Salt Springs Island in Ganges Harbor, we do a little land touring and enjoy a stop at a local pub.
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Leaving Ganges Harbor, winds are up giving us some fantastic sailing. Skies are grey, and it’s cold, but the sailing is exhilarating!
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By habit, the Crab Trap deployment and retrieval drill is done almost every evening and morning, and as usual, we come up empty. We even leave the trap for two straight nights in one bay. This yields two crabs, both too small.
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We stop at popular Roche Harbor and set off to walk around the area. The Hotel De Haro commands a prominent spot overlooking the harbor with its pristine white facade.
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In the 1800’s, the McMillan family ran a limestone mining operation on the island and for a time was the largest employer in the area. We hike out to view the Afterglow Vista Mausoleum, the final resting place built by father McMillan for himself and his family. What a strange place! In the middle of the forest stands a circle of columns. Within the circle is a large stone dining table surrounded by chairs with the names of a family member edged onto each back. All kinds of questions arise. Why and what for? Answers are long ago buried with its creator.
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Tied to the dock, the late afternoon sun bathes Avante in a golden glow.
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Tuesday, October 2nd – The week passes quickly, and all too soon, we are returning to Victoria. Entering the harbor, we pass the colorful harbor houses along the channel.
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To everyone’s delight, we are given a berth below The Empress Hotel, right in the heart of the waterfront. Victoria is a great little city, and we enjoy a final dinner with Sally and Barbara at one of our favorite restaurants.
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Friday, October 5th – As we enter Canoe Cove Marina at the end of our fall cruising in the Pacific Northwest, we each are thinking of the immediate tasks ahead to clean, store and secure Avante for the winter. Avante will be pulled out of the water and stored on land until next May. Home to Telluride for the winter is where we are going.