As the Snoop Dogg lyric goes, "If it a'int one thing it's a mother ****** nother." This goes for us boaters no matter where we are or what we're doing. While relaxing at Echo Bay we realized that the generator was puffing out white steam/smoke. I assumed it was just because the water here is so cold and it the warm generator mixed with the cold water caused the steam. Wrong! After diving the bottom and talking to our San Diego mechanic we realized we needed to go into Anacortes and figure it out. Another thought was due to all the eel grass in the water we might have some blocking our intake. Coincidently our fresh water pump also decided to stop working as well. Many calls later we managed to get a slip at Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes, diver to clean the bottom and mechanics to switch out the pump. 48 hours to turn it all around then head back out to the islands. Fortunately everything seemed to fall into place- the diver came and said the intakes were clear that it wasn't the problem of the generator. The pump got replaced and Jeff changed the impeller on the generator which fixed it. We ran to West Marine three times for various parts and I did a major re-provisioning. Fortunately everything is within a block of the marina so it all worked out well. We even managed to take a dingy ride and scope out all the beautiful boats here - Nordhavens, Marlows, Westports and even a Outer Reef. The next morning right before we were due to head out Jeff wheeled the pump out wagon over to the boat. While I don't know all of the details all I know is that I saw Jeff go running and then start swearing his head off. Apparently the pump out barrel was full and completely giasering all over the dock and all over the boat deck. Jeff describes it as a 20 foot tall shit storm. Oh the joys of boating. Seeing Jeff upset I decided to hit the market and give him some quiet time to cool down. Win win. After making my way through the packed market we reloaded the boat and got out.
Entering Cap Sante Marina
Anacortes
The cruise to Lopez Island was mello and we were happy to be on our way. We were heading to an anchorage called Spencer Spit. It's a smallish anchorage that you need to time correctly and follow the charts because during high tide the spit is under water and during low tide there is only a very narrow passage to get through. Once through we found a nice spot to drop the hook outside the moored boats and close enough to the spit to enjoy the view. As we entered we noticed a sailboat that was coming in at the same time. They anchored forward of us and a little while later we saw a man rowing towards us. He told Jeff he was checkout out our looper flag and wanted to see if that was in fact what it was. He told us him and his wife completed the loop in 2016 one year before we did. We were so thrilled to meet another looper. Since we've been back on the west coast (San Diego in particular) it seems like nobody has heard of the loop. Foreign concept out here. The nice man Mike said he would come back later with his wife and a boat card and we could swap Loop stories. True to his word right before sunset Mike rowed his wife over and we exchanged boat cards and talked for an hour comparing stories and experiences we had during the loop. It was so nice to talk with other Looper and experience some sort of social norm. Even though they stayed in they dingy and we on the boat it was very nice. They left the next day.
Gold Loopers - Mike & Sandy
Mike & Sandy's Boat - Chinook
We woke up to a small craft warning issued for the islands calling for 20-40knots of winds out of the northwest. Where we were positioned in the spit wasn't going to be good. We unanchored and moved around the corner tucked in against the land for some protection. Once settled in we did some projects - defrosted the fridge and I made some banana bread. Later we decided to dingy to shore to stretch our legs a bit. The shore was rough - full of logs and rocks and anchoring the dink and getting to land was a little tricky but we managed. After traversing over the logs we took a nice short walk through the campsites and through the woods.
The Girl
Getting to Shore
Deers on Lopez Island
View from Boat
Spencer Spit - Lopez Island
Spencer Spit
The next morning still waiting out the small craft I woke up excited cause it was cousin Patricks wedding day. He had arranged to have all the cousins and out of towers Zoom in to the ceremony in Lima, Ohio where I'm from. I even put on make up that day for the special occasion. Despite our Wifi not being very strong we managed to get into the Zoom and enjoyed watching and feeling like we participated in the ceremony and the congratulatory toast. Crazy times these days.
Zoomed In
Cousin Patrick & Gabi
Finally the nonexistent small craft warning was over and we were free to leave Spencer Spit and carry on. We would make our way for the first time to Orca Island or Oprah's Island (she has a huge mansion there with a guard on duty full time) to Olga. We dropped the hook on the southwest corner all alone. There are mooring balls that are privately owned and a small dock with no power. We took the dink to the dock and went exploring. The "town" is so small and quaint that deers just roam around the streets and on peoples lawns and don't mind people at all. We were amazed we could get so close and they didn't seem to notice or care. We walked the one street that had a closed down store, a pottery shop and a cafe. Locals drove by not smiling or seeming very happy to see us. The tourist walking greeted one another. We came across a little loop nature walk that was beautiful and gave us just the right amount of exercise.
Stream in Nature Walk
Deer Crossing the Road - Olga
Dock at Olga
Nature Walk
Anchored at Olga
Nature Walk
Our View at Anchor
Deer Chilin at Olga
The next morning we woke up to super intense fog. Fortunately we didn't plan on leaving so we settled in for a nice long p.j. day of reading and relaxing. Later that day it cleared up and we took a dink ride to nearby Blakely Island and scoped it out.
Fog Cleared
Dingy Ride
Early Morning Fog
The next morning it was time to move on. We scooted North 2 miles to Rosario Resort and Marina. We've been hearing about this place as a must stop since we planned our trip and were anxious to check it out. Along with a tiny marina the Rosario stop is also a resort. After tying up and settling in a bit we went exploring the property. On the resort there is the "mansion" which is really the resort lobby, restaurant, bar and a museum. There area also two other restaurants on property but only the outdoor cafe by the marina is open. Unfortunately the three pools were closed too. Nevertheless we were happy to be there.
Walking Around Rosario Resort
Tiding at Rosario
Entering Rosario
The Mansion
Rosario Marina
Pipe Organ at the Mansion
That night we had a Zoom happy hour with our friends Randal and Michelle and afterwards we were super brave and ate at the outdoor cafe. Even with several drinks in me I was still nervous. Baby steps.
Cafe at Rosario Resort
The next (and final) day at Rosario was uneventful. I finished up some laundry, FaceTimed my parents and we took another stroll around the property.
Pond at Rosario
Last Day
Pond at Rosario
Unfortunately as I mentioned at the beginning of this post that "if it ain't one thing it's a mother ****** nother." This time is was the fridge and freezer that weren't working. The freezer felt like the refrigerator not warm but nothing was frozen. And the fridge was barely cold at all. Along with that our wash down pump that we use to hose off the anchor when we raise it decided to stop working as well. Several difficult phone calls later from Rosario that has no cell service only a curtesy phone near the cafe Jeff lined up a series of refrigeration and mechanics back in Anacortes. And back we went. Ugh! We knew the cruise by heart - two hours from the islands. Easy straight shot and we were already in the system at the marina. Easy yet still incredibly frustrating and annoying. That was yesterday. Around 4pm the refrigeration man came and quickly diagnosed the problem - (controller went bad) and fixed it. This morning at 9:15 the pump guy came and replaced the wash down pump. Done and done. Now it's time to head back out to the islands and hopefully we won't be back in Anacortes for a very long time!
No comments:
Post a Comment