Finally the time had come to say good-bye to Seattle and start our British Columbia cruising. On Thursday March 31st at 10:45a.m. we threw lines and made our way toward the Ballard Locks en route to Ballard Oil for fuel and then onto Port Madison our anchorage for the night. The day was cool and overcast and by this point we were both excited and ready to be full time cruising again. We both went through the gamut of emotions about leaving Seattle the city we both instantly fell in love with and felt more like home then almost any place either of us have been in quite some time. But today was the day the next adventure would begin. As we approached the lock the doors were closed so we tied up on the wall and waited for less then 10 minutes before we were given the green light and proceeded into the lock. We were the only boat and the process was swift. The fuel dock was right around the corner and as we rounded it we saw the Northwestern and the Wizard from the Deadliest Catch docked next door. Two years later we still get a kick out of seeing them in our city. Fueling went smoothly and 2,600 dollars later we were on our merry way back through the locks and onto Port Madison - a local anchorage only a short distance away on Bainbridge Island. We had the place to ourselves and settled in for a quiet night of reading, dinner and t.v. watching.
Provisions
Final Dinner Elliott Bay Marina
Leaving our Slip - G37-Elliott Bay Marina
Leaving Elliott Bay Marina
Cruising Towards Ballard
The Northwestern from Deadliest Catch
The Wizard - from Deadliest Catch
Fuel Bill- ouch
Leaving Ballard Locks
Getting Passed by This Guy
Heading to Port Madison
The next morning at 0700 we up-anchored and made the 4 hour cruise to Port Townsend. The last time we were here in August 2020 we didn't have the best experience. We went to a marina that didn't have adequate power for us and the employees were kids who really didn't care one way or the other. We ended up having to run our generator in the slip the whole time and it was really just a negative experience so we wanted to give it another try. This time we chose the other marina that was by the old town with ample 50 amp power. The cruise itself was uneventful - overcast and cool with some sun. We left Port Madison the same time as another boat from the marina called Bear who we cruised beside for several hours. En route we even heard him hailing and talking to M/V Freedom of Youtube fame. That was amusing to listen to.
The marina at Port Townsend was small and sweet and full of really nice wood sailboats which we enjoyed looking at. Shortly after getting tied up we hit the old downtown which was super charming and full of little mom and pop shops and restaurants. We even managed to find a cute restaurant for lunch called Tommyknockers which had a vegan crab cake sandwich for me and really good mac & cheese for Jeff. We were both happy. After lunch we strolled some more getting coffee and taking in the scene. On the way down the ramp to the boat we were met with a surprise - a river otter who had climbed into a wooden boat and was drinking rain water from its haul. Luckily he didn't care too much for us and kept his distance. We spend the rest of the later afternoon and evening playing rummy-cube, having dinner and watching shows.
Heading to Port Townsend
Approaching Port Townsend
Port Townsend Marina
View from our slip - Port Townsend
Port Townsend Marina
Downtown Port Townsend
Funky Car in Town
Downtown Port Townsend
Museum
Docked in Port Townsend
River Otter
Neighbor working on his Mast
Pretty Wood Sailboat
Eagle
The next morning we got up and walked to the farmers market and bought some bread and cheese to have for happy hour. Jeff got a pastry too. After stretching our legs and doing one last loop through town we headed out. Our next stop and one of my favorites was Anacortes. We've been here three times before and every time I love it. The marina is top notch, the town is right there and full of cute shops and restaurants. The supermarket is at the top of the marina ramp and couldn't be more conveniently located. It's just a great place. The 4 hour cruise was filled with sun and cool air and we couldn't get over how great it felt to be cruising again. Once settled in our slip we broke out the farmers market bread and cheese and opened some wine and celebrated being back in Anacortes again.
Deers on way to Farmers Market
View of Admiralty Inlet
Park by Marina
Downtown Port Townsend
Downtown Park
Leaving Port Townsend
Cruising to Anacortes
Cruising to Anacortes
Anacortes Marina - Cap Sante
Happy Hour
Otter on Neighbors Boat Eating Crab
We would end up spending three more days in Anacortes waiting out a small craft warning and a gale. It didn't bother us though we walked through town several times, had dinner at our favorite restaurant Nona Louisa's and hiked to lookout mountain. We were even there to celebrate our 23rd anniversary of non-marital bliss and had a nice lunch. It was the perfect place to be weathered in.
Walking to Lookout Mountain
Marina from Lookout Mountain
The Top Lookout Mountain
Watching the blow from the top
Chilln at the top
23rd Anniversary Lunch
Finally on April 6th the gale had died and we were ready to continue out journey north. Today was the small town of Blaine, Washington. For years I wanted to go here. It's a town that has a park that is half in Washington and half in Canada. I had recently watched a M/V Freedom video on Youtube where they spent a really nice time at Semiahmoo Marina which is part of a large resort where you could use the jacuzzi and pool and sauna and thought this sounded really nice for us. Prior to making our reservation at the marina I reached out to a couple we met at our DeFever rendezvous and really liked and kept their boat in Blaine. She wrote back and we had plan to have them over for happy hour. The 5 hour cruise was uneventful and it was nice to not have so much wind. When we arrived in Blaine we were asked to dock behind another boat that was already there. We noticed there was only one power pedestal forward of this boat and wondered how they expected us to plug in. When we called they said they would bring an extension cord down and we thought it was weird they only had one power box for the entire long finger. Needless to say their extension cords were the wrong type and we ended up having to connect two of our 50 foot cords to each other. It wasn't pretty but it worked. We quickly threw on our bathing suits and headed for the resort. When we got their we were told the jacuzzi and sauna were down for maintenance but the pool was still open. Full of loud kids we disappointingly left and headed to the marina store for coffee. I couldn't believe the spa was not up and running. That was 90% of the reason I wanted to come. We went back to the boat and sat outside reading and waiting for our DeFever friends (Joy & Jim) to come. They arrived punctually at 5pm and we had a great time caching up and talking. Then around 7pm Jeff invited them to leave because we had an early morning departure and couldn't stay up late. We said our goodbyes, made dinner and went to bed early.
Cruising to Blaine
Entering Blaine Harbor
Docked at Semiahmoo Marina - Blaine
View from Dock
Happy Hour with Joy & Jim
0700 we threw lines in Blaine and with giddy anticipate we set our 6.5 hour long course for Vancouver, British Columbia. It was a strange mix of emotions between groggy, excited and nervous. The 60 degree temperatures made it feel like spring and as we crossed the line between the United States and Canada we finally felt like we were getting somewhere. Jeff played the Canadian national anthem on his phone and laughed in excitement. We passed lots of tows and barges and as we entered Vancouver Harbour several freighters were anchored out waiting to unload. Dolphins met us on the way in to Coal Harbour Marina and we thought it good luck. As soon as I secured the lines I got back on board until we cleared customs. This process always makes me nervous as we don't know what to expect. When we went though Canada last year en route to Alaska we were boarded and asked to wait outside while the agents combed through the boat without us. Jeff called the customs number and I began to busy myself. I straightened up, did dishes and scurried around in anxious anticipation. After being on hold for over 15 minutes Jeff finally got an agent on the phone. He explained that we were Americans and had just entered the country and were at Coal Harbour Marina and needed to check in. I couldn't hear what the agents were asking but Jeff answered a serious of questions and hung up. He told me we were all clear and scribbled a number on a piece of paper and hung it in the window. I couldn't believe it! No 20 minute combing over the boat? No probing? No asking about our liquor? Wow! The dolphins really were good luck. We were so excited. We were in Canada! We were free! We quickly exited the boat and walked around to explore. I of course needed coffee and Jeff found a cannoli and we sat back and soaked in our new surroundings.
Heading into Canada
Vancouver Harbour
Vancouver Harbour
Vancouver Harbour
Stanley Park
Heading into Coal Harbour Marina
Docked at Coal Harbour Marina
Canadian Goose
Building Downtown Vancouver
Coal Harbour Marina
Stern View of Downtown Vancouver
The next morning we took our time and had a slow morning of coffee drinking and breakfast. We both did some research and made a list of all the things we wanted to do in Vancouver. Today we would hit the maritime museum and Grandville Island. We took an Uber to the museum in anticipation of walking back. When we arrived there was a school group in part of the museum and we started at the opposite end. Not exactly what either one of us expected, we looked at a canoe display and info about natives. The other side of the museum had an old ship in it you could walk through. I had thought the museum would be full of tales and remnants from Captain Vancouver's sailing days and full of history and information but this was not the case. There was one small section about Vancouver but not a lot. Fortunately Grandville Island was a short and pleasant walk from the museum and we set off. The island was cute and touristy and reminded me of seaport village in San Diego. We walked around the indoor market which was a much smaller version of Pike Place, full of food and vendors. We found some lunch and sat and ate at one of the indoor tables. We also found more good bread for happy hour and after a quick stroll around the rest of the island we made our way back to the marina. 14,000 steps later we were back and tired. We both napped then had happy hour and soaked up our beautiful view from the boat.
Maritime Museum
Maritime Museum
Totem en Route to Granville Island
Downtown Vancouver
Walking to Granville Island
Granville Island
Granville Island
Tug Boat Ride Back to Mainland
On Tugboat
Tugboat Ride
Downtown Vancouver
Seaplane Base
Stern View Coal Harbour Marina
The next morning we decided to see Stanly Park that is located right next to the marina. We lowered our bikes via crane and set out. When we got there we noticed a sign saying the perimeter route was closed due to maintenance on the seawall so we had to climb this big hill as a detour. This wasn't fun and at one point I got off my bike and walked it uphill. The park had lots of things to look at as you rode like totems, statues, bridge view and it kept your attention the entire ride. After our ride we returned to the boat for lunch and a rest. Not wanting to waste any time we headed out to Gastown which was known for it's old steam clock and for cute shops and bars and restaurants. We strolled around and looked at the clock which we never saw go off but enjoyed seeing anyway. We got a drink at a place called the Pourhouse then made our way back to the boat. Our second 14,000 step/ride day and we again were pooped.
Stanley Park
Riding to Stanley Park
Totems in Stanley Park
Stanley Park
Downtown Vancouver from Stanley Park
Riding Stanley Park
Viewpoint Stanley Park
Statue Stanley Park
Statue Stanley Park
Stanley Park
Bridge View from Stanley Park
Stanley Park
Gastown
Steam Clock - Gastown
Steam Clock- Gastown
04-10-22 was a Sunday and we decided to take it easy and have a slow morning after all of our touring around the few days. We made breakfast and stayed in p.j. and just enjoyed the view for awhile. After full bellies and getting dressed we set out walking towards Chinatown to find and walk through the Dr. Sun Yat Sen gardens. The walk started out fine just a bunch of downtown buildings and people but the closer we got to Chinatown things went from fine to not so nice. Chinatown it self was very seedy with lots of closed businesses full of graffiti, lots of homeless people and lots of bad smells. And then it started pouring on us. The walk was only about 30 minutes and we were glad to finally find the gardens. Unlike other gardens we have been to these had a covered overhead so you didn't get wet while viewing. The gardens did not disappoint. They were beautiful and still and peaceful and we took our time sipping tea from the tea room and sitting at all the viewing points and just taking in the gardens. Even Harold was there.
Walking to Chinatown
Sun Yat Sen Gardens
Enjoying the Gardens
After an hour or so at the gardens we decided to take a loop around the main street of Chinatown and see what else it had to offer. We saw several stores that sold all kinds of dried fish and unidentifiable items that of course we had to see. I quickly did a walk through the stores while Jeff talked to the merchants and even got talked into buying some ginger candy. It was an experience for sure.
On the walk back to the boat we came across an anti-vax protest stating that Bill Gates was the source of all evil and was poising us all with the vaccine. It was a bit scary. We looked on from afar and kept walking. Back at the boat we were so happy to be there away from the seedy Chinatown and the scary protesters. We would happily stay in for the rest of the night.
Dried Shrimp
Dried Fish
Space Needle in Vancouver
Anti-Vax Protest
Anti-Vax Protest
The next day was much more subdued compared to the day before. We slept in of course and then put on our walking shoes and set out for Robson Street. It a very long street full of shops, restaurants and fun things to see and do. Only a couple blocks from our marina the walk started out easy. We looked into stores and took note of restaurants we might want to try. I even found a nail salon pretty close by. The sun was shining and after almost completing the whole street by 11a.m. we decided to tack on a few more activities. We walked to another neighborhood called Yaletown which was really cute with just a few shops and restaurants, one of them being Meet in Yaletown an all vegan restaurant which offered poutine which I've always wanted to try. We made our way there and settled into a cute table outside. I was so happy to finally be at a vegan restaurant where I had free range. We decided to split the poutine and a mac & cheese burger both of which were great. Yaletown is right by the water so we went to look at the boats in the marina and then to get an afternoon coffee. The boats were large and impressive and the coffee shop had sweets for Jeff and a vegan dessert for me as well. Plus it was nice to rest our feet a bit. That day we got 17,000 steps. Finally we made our way back to the boat and we were pooped. We both napped and took it easy the rest of the evening.
Walking on Robson Street
Marina at Yaletown
Boats at Yaletown
Funky Building Downtown
April 12th was a rainy day which we were used to living in Seattle the last two years but for some reason it gave us the much needed excuse to stay in and slow down. We did a lot of chores around the boat. I cleaned and did laundry and Jeff watered the boat. We did some future trip planning and reading about where we wanted to go next and made some slip reservations. We were both so happy to have a slow moving day at home.
The 13th would be our final day in Vancouver after a week of being there. Having crossed just about everything off our list we hit the Whole Foods and did some light fresh foods provisioning. Jeff found a sushi restaurant on Robson he wanted to try for lunch. Unfortunately it was closed and we found another one. It was small and weird but fine. After lunch we split up. I went and got a mani/pedi and Jeff walked around and them went back to the boat. Jeff bbq'd dinner- fish for him, tofu for me and his famous zucchini. It was a very nice time in Vancouver.
