Odds and Ends

We made the five-hour trip south across the Strait of Juan de Fuca today in almost ideal conditions. More experienced boaters may treat the crossing casually, but we don’t. Because our route is north-south and the wind generally blows west-east off the ocean, bad things can happen if you find yourself in open water with howling wind and waves rocking your boat.

But not today. We left Roche Harbor on San Juan Island at 8:00 and were settled in Port Townsend by 12:30. We’ll be home tomorrow afternoon.

Bedwell Harbour on Pender Island was our last stop in Canada. We took the Zephyr to Medicine Beach where we found a short walk and a coffee shop.

That’s the faithful Zephyr waiting for us far below.

They say that owls fly silently. This one flew past us and landed in a nearby tree. It’s uncanny. You don’t hear a thing.

Pender Island was turned into a pair of islands when this cut was made in the narrowest part. Boaters use the small channel as a shortcut.

At the opposite end of Bedwell Harbor lies this semi-posh resort. We tied the Zephyr up at their dock and took a steep hike to a nearby lake.

This warning sign would have been better-placed at the start of the rocky section rather than at the end.

We left Bedwell Harbor and Canada the next morning bound for the comforting embrace of Roche Harbor. After a month of anchoring and docking at more basic marinas, Roche is a bit of a culture shock. Every arriving boat is met by a pair of friendly dockhanda ready to take lines, attach power cord, tote garbage, or whatever. One friendly guy took my empty propane tank away and filled it.