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Alive and Well

Alive and Well

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After hearing the sad story of Port Harvey, I thought you might enjoy seeing a marina that is thriving.

Lagoon Cove, run by the Ryan family, features a communal “happy hour” at 5:00 every afternoon. They supply freshly caught prawns, guests supply everything else.

We are approaching the book

The Zombie Marina

The Zombie Marina

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We had to cheat a little on the “run rapids at slack” rule in order to get to the Broughtons today. We hit Green Point rapids about an hour before slack and ran with the flow. Nothing eventful and it was nice to get a push along our way. We
Getting close!

Getting close!

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We ran the Gillard and Dent rapids early and uneventfully, bound for Blind Channel marina. This will be our last stop before heading into the Johnstone Strait and making for the Broughton Island group. Until now, everything has been fairly familiar. But after Blind Channel, it’s all new to
A Story Problem

A Story Problem

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Did you have story problems when you were in school? Microsoft used to think that the ability to solve them was a good measure of programming ability. Some of their products argue otherwise

Here’s one for you…

Your goal is to transit the Yaculta rapids at slack, that is

Pender Harbor Layover

Pender Harbor Layover

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Another out-of-order post, sorry. While we waited out the weather in Pender Harbor, we used our “day off” to do a few boat chores, then took a walk around the area.

Here’s a nearby lake with a simple resort offering cabins and RV parking. Everyone seems to be having

The End of the Road

The End of the Road

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Unless a road is a loop, it has to end somewhere, right? Well, Highway 101 which runs from California to Oregon to Washington to British Columbia ends here, in Lund.

Want to drive further north along the BC coast? Tough luck. It’s all boating from here on.

We’ve

The Merits of Opportunism

The Merits of Opportunism

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If you try to plan a boat voyage like you plan most other trips, you will probably wind up very unhappy.

Like an early start? Too bad, you’ll be fighting the current for four hours. Like to sleep in? Too bad, the wind will be howling by 11:00.

Anchors Aweigh

Anchors Aweigh

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When I was a kid, I thought it was “anchors away”. It makes as much sense, don’t you agree?

We left Anacortes this morning in dead calm bound for Ganges on Salt Spring Island. Salt Spring is the main commercial center of the Gulf Islands. These, in turn, are

A Preview of Coming Attractions

A Preview of Coming Attractions

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Some time in early July – as soon as we can get ourselves organized for another trip – we’ll be heading north from Anacortes into the Salish Sea for about four weeks.

We plan to blow through the San Juan and Gulf Islands quickly as we head toward the Broughton Island

This and That

This and That

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Poof! Just like that, and a few tons of carbon in the atmosphere later, we’re back in Seattle. Since this blog exists primarily to share travel photos with friends and family, I’ll be going silent until our next trip begins some time in July.

But before then, I

Ponds, Pads and Paintings

Ponds, Pads and Paintings

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Monet was famous and going blind from cataracts when he came up with the idea of creating a set of huge paintings inspired by his “water garden”.

Monet Slept Here

Monet Slept Here

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I was going to title this post “Monet-land”, but decided that it sounded snarky. My point is that Giverny is a perfectly pleasant small village, but no one would visit if Claude Monet had not come here to paint. The aura of his presence, and the ability see the pond
Two Nights in a Brothel

Two Nights in a Brothel

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Here we are, at the end of our five week ramble through England, Germany and France. Before taking the Eurostar back to London to catch our flight home, we thought we’d spend a couple of days in Paris.

On previous visits, we’ve stayed in small, usually friendly, hotels

Io Amo Leonardo – Bien Sur

Io Amo Leonardo – Bien Sur

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Leonardo, a son of Tuscany. Proudly claimed by Vinci, his home town. “Leonardo da Vinci”, get it?

So how did Leonardo come to be buried in France? Why did he bring the Mona Lisa with him when he moved to Amboise a few years before his death?

Before answering those

Le Pont Canal

Le Pont Canal

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As you may know, France is criss-crossed by canals. These were originally used to transport goods, but are now mostly used by recreational boaters.

At the end of the 19th century, officials were unhappy with having the main north-south canal cross the flood-prone Loire, so they decided that a bridge