June 16 - June 18, 2019 La Conner to Clam Bay BC

It has been an easy trip so far.  Winds have been relatively light, the sun is shining, and the 4 of us are enjoying getting reacquainted.  Kevin and Paulo are having a lot of fun; we are hearing lots of laughter coming from the salon where they are hanging out.  Alex and I are also having a great time sharing stories of our lives since we last saw each other.

We spent our first night in Echo Bay on Sucia Island.  Then off to Bedwell Harbor and Canadian customs.  Customs was an unexpectedly easy event.  There was nobody in the customs building which means you have to phone in your information.  There are a bank of phone on the side of the customs building that connect you directly to a central customs office, somewhere in Canada.  I simply gave them all of our information such as passports numbers, birth dates, a list of food and alcohol items, etc.  5 minutes later we had our clearance number and were free to go.  We expected a long ordeal since Alex and Paulo are citizens of Brazil with US Green Cards.  In addition, Alex and I were each bringing our minor children across the border without the other parent.  We were ready with ample documentation to allow this, but it was not an issue.  We also have two cats on-board, and there is paperwork required for bringing them across the border.  Again, not an issue.

The Canadian customs dock in Bedwell Harbor

While anchored and relaxing in the salon.  Zappa, our cat, came running into the salon from the cockpit.  He was soaking wet, with salt water.  He has somehow fallen off the boat and managed to get back on the swimstep on his own.  We don't really know what happened.  But, it was scary to think he could have been lost on day two.  In our two year Mexico trip he fell in just once, but we were there and saw it happen.  This time it's a mystery.

Zappa, drying off after falling in the water.  Poor kitty.

There has not been much to report yet, as we are mostly motoring through the Gulf Islands so we can catch some forecasted calm weather Thursday and Friday in the Straight of Georgia.

The BC ferries are great.  So much nicer than the WA State ferries.

Sunbathing seals.

We have a drone for this trip.  When the winds are light we will be using it for a new perspective on boating;  The view from above.

Kevin flying the drone.

Adagio, as seen from above

Anchored in Clam Bay, BC.  This was a great anchorage.  We had almost no wind
overnight yet it was blowing 20 knots just past that little island on the left overnight
and the next day.

We snagged a full bull kelp on the starboard stabilizer.  It got stuck there and made a terrible racket that sounded like angry woodpeckers attacking our hull.  It took a few minutes to figure what was happening.  Alex was able to snag the kelp with a boat hook and then cut the end off it it.  It then slipped right off the stabilizer shaft and we were on our way.

Alex cuts the end off the bull kelp.  No more woodpeckers attacking the hull.

In an unbelievable twist of fate, we are going to be meeting Deborah and Phil from s/v Coastal Drifter in Nanaimo tomorrow.  We last saw them in Mexico while we were cruising 3 years ago.  Alex and Paulo also last saw them in Mexico, even though both boats spent the next few years exploring the South Pacific.  Phil and Deborah are only here 2 weeks and then return to their boat in the South Pacific for another few years of cruising.