Cruising San Juans, Gulf Islands, & Desolation Sound

[DesertAlbin736]

La Dolce Vita is afloat in the San Juans after a 1,600 mile trailering road trip from Phoenix. Good time not to be in AZ! We escaped the 120 degree heat just in the nick of time. Currently we sit comfortably at anchor in Fossil Bay on Sucia Island. Had a great visit with WillieC (Rick &Heidi) when they drove all the way up to Bellingham from Hood Canal. You meet the best folks when you hang out with Albin owners!

Will post accounts of our adventures on the Cruising board from time to time when ever we can get a good signal, so stay tuned. We'll be in the San Juans thru the rest of the month before we head for Desolation Sound on or around July 1st. Sorry I won't be able to post pictures until we get back home since I don't have a way to resize them to below 2MB on my smart phone. Unless maybe I email them to Rick & he could post them for me?

[kerrye]

Glad your commute to your cruising grounds was uneventful. You can't make us wait for pictures, can you?

[WillieC]

First pic from Desert Albin Great Salish Sea Adventure, 2016 Fossil Bay, Sucia Island, I think. Now I have to break out a chart.

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[kerrye]

Nice. Glad we don't have to wait.

[WillieC]

This message with resized images is forwarded from Desert Albin. Rick (WillieC)

We are in Roche Harbor today, docked in guest slip. Rainy crossing this morning, but has cleared up some & quit raining except for showers off & on.

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[WillieC]

Fwd from Desert Albin:

We left Roche Harbor around 1:30 for short run over to Garrison Bay where we're anchored now. Our friends left this morning to sail down the West side of San Juan Island in hopes of seeing some Orcas & then through Cattleman Pass & on up to Fishermans Bay. We'll catch up with them in a day or two in Deer Harbor or Friday Harbor.

Last night we had a feast of fresh Dungeness crab, courtesy of our friend Ed & we all hung out on our boat.

Meanwhile a few more pictures.

1) La Dolce Vita & Panacea in Roche Harbor marina.
2) Selfie with Charles and Sally Harris (Panacea).
3) Ed Ladd, the other crew on Panacea.


There was a big Tolleycraft rendezvous going on in Roche Harbor. Those are cool boats too.

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[WillieC]

Latest from Desert Albin

We are anchored in Friday Harbor for tonight after staying at the public dock at Olga in East Sound on Orcas last night. No cell service there so we've been out of touch.
Spotted a nice looking A25 in a slip here in Friday Harbor. Pictures attached.

Also pictures of Olga dock.

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From Rick: Anybody recognize the motorsailer?

[DesertAlbin736]

Hi folks, greetings from Canada! We are in Port Sidney Marina after a morning crossing from our last port of call, Reid Harbor on Stuart Island. Tomorrow is Canada Day & tonight the city of Sidney is putting on a fireworks display. Will email some pictures to WillieC.

[WillieC]

AND, here they are!

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(Just a note. Could we upload photos a little easier? My draft shows 4 Different photos, but the missing fifth shows up in the post with a bonus repeat of the ferry.)

[DesertAlbin736]

Arrived in Nanaimo this evening after 31 mile run from Montague Harbour on Galiano Island BC, including a run through Dodd Narrows at turn-to-ebb slack tide. Have logged 217 NM on this cruise so far. We'll stay in Nanaimo tomorrow waiting on favorable weather conditions expected on Wednesday morning before attempting to cross Georgia Strait over to mainland BC coast.

[moses2015]

Just left maple bay for rivers inlet in a 27fc(sweetwater) Love this little cruiser! ENJOY YOUR TIME WITH US CANUCKS!,hope to meet u guys!ENJOY oh drag a HOOK!!!
Herman

[DesertAlbin736]

Change of plans: Water pump on the Yanmar 2GM20 engine of our cruise mate's O'Day 25 went out & will take until Thursday to get parts. So we'll be hanging out with them in Nanaimo until they get their engine fixed before we try crossing Georgia Strait.

[DesertAlbin736]

Thursday July 7: Still in Nanaimo. Weather rainy off and on. Parts for our friends' Yanmar water pump didn't come in today as promised, so we won't be able to leave for the Sunshine Coast until at least Saturday. If he can't get the pump fixed by Saturday we'll be marooned in Nanaimo until sometime next week. Engine in question is a raw water cooled 2GM20 saildrive.

[DesertAlbin736]

OMG, we were robbed!! Docked overnight at the Newcastle Island Marine Park dock in Nanaimo Harbour, awoke this morning to find zippers on our cockpit enclosure partially open & potato chip crumbs scattered all over the aft cabin top. My wife Helen had just bought 2 bags of chips & a package of Oreos yesterday & they were left in a 'snack bag' in the cockpit. Chips and cookies were GONE, packaging and all. The perps left little behind in the way of evidence, just the crumbs and a few little tracks. Prime suspects are the raccoons that inhabit the island. We sleep in the forward cabin with the door closed & didn't hear a thing. Our mates' pump part came in, so weather permitting we can get under way in the next day or two & cross Georgia Strait.

[DesertAlbin736]

Crossed Strait of Georgia yesterday. Woo hoo, wild ride! Winds built to SE 15 knots, seas 2 to 3 ft. Pulled into Smugglers Cove for the night. First chance to try out stern tie anchoring. Short run this morning to Pender Harbour where we are now, anchored for the night in Garden Bay section of Pender Harbour.

On to Lund tomorrow for fuel stop & overnight stay, then hopefully Desolation Sound by Tuesday,