Nanaimo Bars

Cross from Atop Local Church
Balanced Rocks

Port of Nanaimo

Nanaimo bars (chocolate and cream) are only one delight in the harbor of Nanaimo. Ice cream on the boardwalk, ferry rides to Protection and Newcastle Islands, bookstores aplenty, shopping in the old town are all there for a short walk. Ferries leave from here to Vancouver on the mainland. Seaplanes (Harbor Air, or "HA!") land and take off constantly. And, most boaters stop here at the Port of Nanaimo marina before or after transiting Dodd Narrows just south of here at slack tide. The Strait of Georgia is just beyond Protection Island.

We stayed two nights, seeing Frenchie again, a First Nations carver from whom we bought two hummingbirds last year. Buskers played music on the waterfront. There is also a large fishing fleet. The spotted prawn season has just closed. Every day at noon the English cannon at the harbor is fired and on Thursday we were lucky to see a piper and the Brigadoon dance school perform Scottish dances ending with the Highland Fling.

Telegraph Harbour, Thetis Island and Chemainus

Murals and summer stock plays a short ferry ride away in Chemainus

Weathervane on a restored house in Chemainus

Thetis Island Heron

Where were you on 9/11? We were here at Telegraph Harbour when a fellow sailor rapped on the side of our boat about 7am and told us how sorry he was for the trouble in New York, did we know about that yet? We will remember the concern and sympathy of the Canadian people for us on that day. We will also remember the strangeness of returning to the USA: no ferries running, no airplanes, few other boats. When we called in to Customs, we anticipated difficulty, but there was no problem, only "Welcome home." I guess US customs and immigration agencies knew us even then.

This morning before leaving Ganges, we talked again with dock neighbors who also have a Newport 30. Their lilting Scottish accents and good humor kept us there longer than we intended, but they certainly started our day with laughter all around. They finally walked up the ramp to the French patisserie. We had our sweet and savory tartes, bought yesterday afternoon, on the boat with coffee and juice. The French (French Canadian?) baker and his wife were speaking French to their customers.

It is a beautiful day, but no wind for our 25-mile trip to Thetis Island. No current to speak of either. Just lazy noisy motoring. There's no water on the dock here. Water is precious. They don't want people to wash boats with the water processed in their desalination system.

Time to Fly the Mapleleaf Flag

Ganges Harbor on a Hot Summer Afternoon

Talented Accordianist at Ganges Saturday Fair

Sculpture in Ganges

Saturday morning early, Henry pulls the anchor in hand over hand, first line, then chain. We have no windlass; it's his most demanding exercise. We take our time crossing to Bedwell, hoping that there will not be much competition for dock space at Canadian Customs. When we duck inside the harbor, there is a large white yacht, maybe 75 feet just ahead of us jockeying for position. Henry hails it on the VHF radio to ask what its intentions are. Fortunately, it's going for the far side of the dock and a space for our Jules has opened up on the near side. A kind gentleman from another sailboat helps us land just behind the seaplane spot. We never refuse help in these situations. Customs by phone there is perfunctory, with only a few questions. Their computers must know us by now. Since there is no space at the Poet's Cove Marina, we leave for Ganges.

We had vowed not to return to Ganges, with its crab pots all over the inlet. We caught a crab pot last year. That resulted in some heroic sailing by Henry and a virtuoso landing under sail. Then Vessel Assist dived the boat to get the offending lines and floats away from our shaft and propeller. So this year we navigated straight to Ganges under power. Only when we got close in did we encounter myriads of boats, all sizes and shapes, anchored off Money Maker Rock. We docked at Salt Spring Marina in time to walk to town for the Saturday fair. On Sunday, the forecast gale winds arrived late morning, and some of those boats in the harbor dragged their anchors. Last night we had halibut and listened to a jazz combo at Moby's. The wind howled until about 11pm and finally died down. The winds are back today, though not as extreme. We took a little hike up the forested hill close by, looking for a view. Tomorrow we sail north to Telegraph Harbor.

Stuart Island, Another Time

Pacific Madrone trees, with red bark that peels to green, and glossy green leaves grow on rocks over the water

Prevost Harbor, Canada Beyond

Speiden (Safari) Island

We were in Friday Harbor for two nights, far out on H (Hotel) dock. From there it is a long way to the restrooms and showers, but the view east toward Mt. Baker compensates.

Friday morning we were able to sail north in San Juan channel way past Speiden Channel and Speiden Island. In the early 1970's, Speiden Island was renamed temporarily Safari Island. It was stocked with exotic wildlife and promoted as a place to hunt. The venture doesn't seem to have been successful, though from time to time, one can see through binoculars wildlife on shore, but no one hunts there now. The island is bordered by Speiden channel on the south, where rapid currents run to and from the Haro Strait creating strong rip tides. It's a rather direct passage to Sidney, BC, though.

Stuart Island is north of Speiden. It's our favorite place to be in the San Juans. Two beautiful harbors on the north and south sides are separated by a narrow isthmus, where there is a state park. One can only get to Stuart Island by boat or small plane. Its few full-time inhabitants lead self-sufficient lives. There is a one-room school on a country road, a swing from a tree along the quiet road, a cemetery, and the Turn Point lighthouse at the far northwest corner. Out in the Haro Strait and Boundary Pass beyond is the US-Canada border. Bedwell Harbor is only four miles away. We spend the night at anchor in Prevost Harbor on the north side of Stuart. It was a silent night, no wind, no rain.

Under the Docks at Friday Harbor

Dungeness Crabs in Tank

Jellyfish by Jules

Friday Harbor is a busy place, the largest town in the San Juan Islands. The ferry docks here and there is a very large marina including customs and immigration for boats arriving from Canada. We had supper at the local pub and enjoyed an evening of sing-along with two brothers playing guitar and mandolin. We always buy fresh king salmon from Eric, a fisherman who has a shop on the main dock. He also has fresh Dungeness crab and spotted prawns.

Part of the fun of Friday Harbor is to see the children with their small nets exploring the world beneath their feet, under the docks. On this trip, there are prawns, jellyfish, crab, and myriad kinds of monster seaweed, and at low tide one can see to the bottom.

Olga, Orcas Island

Quiet Olga, a very small community with a general store and a post office. We were here at 9am, but the store didn't open until 10am. So, we walk around a bit and then cast off for Friday Harbor. Olga is a very pleasant place to be, though, even if we didn't manage to get breakfast there. We had breakfast after we were on our way.

Anacortes and Blakely Island

Poppy-like flower, Rosario


Very red dragonfly, Rosario


Annie Curtis, pioneer woman and namesake of Anacortes. Notice the orca across her breast and the ship sailing across her skirt.

Here we are again at Blakely Island, the mostly private island just inside Peavine Pass. Blakely Island was our very first stop in the San Juans many years ago. There are small recreational fishing boats here and when we landed about 1 pm, a man was cleaning a large salmon at the head of the dock. This is the place where our R20 boating group has gathered for the beginning of several cruises. Last year we bought salmon at Friday Harbor and had lots of help grilling it in the picnic shelter here for our sailing friends. The sunset view into the San Juans from here is to die for. However, today it rained before, during, and after our arrival and there is no cruise to meet, so we have spent the afternoon reading and planning ahead.

For the last two nights we were in Anacortes. We checked out their West Marine store, read email at the public library, bought some fresh fruit and vegetables, and walked around town. I ate an excellent lamb burger with chutney at the Brown Lantern brew pub. One can reliably find delicious strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries sold by a farmer on the sidewalk across the street from the Safeway; we bought four pints for breakfasts. We didn't mean to stay here long, but the wind came around from the south and blew pretty hard all day yesterday, so we didn't venture out. This morning the winds were calm.

Anacortes was historically a commercial center with numerous salmon canneries employing many Chinese immigrants and also lumber mills. Nowadays, its major industry is the port and refineries for Alaskan crude oil. The town is proud of its history and there are numerous life-size murals on buildings depicting its pioneer leaders. One is Annie Curtis, after whom the town was named (with a Spanish twist). She came to the area when it was a wilderness in 1870. There is a sculpture at the marina in her honor.

We'll leave Blakely early, before low tide prevents our departure and go to Olga for breakfast. From there we hope to sail to Friday Harbor.