Travel Log Archives | Page 2 of 5

Transient Orcas Attack!

It's been a whale kind of day. The last time we saw whales we were also at Sucia Island. Shane was the first to see the Orcas, getting a sneak attack on his paddleboard this morning. He was rounding Matia Island, Puffin Island, Puffin Island Reef, and Wiggins Reef. He was about to pass Rolfe Cove when a pod of Orcas were exiting right in front of him! He stopped and was able to grab some epic videos of his encounter. He said it was the best paddle of his life, seeing so much wildlife at once. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfw5qpivZBo/ Shane texted me sh[...]

Travel Log

I’m Jonesing for another sunny day!

We started off the day at Jones Island where we anchored and stern tied the day before. Shane had islands north of where we were at he wanted to paddle, so his day started at 5am. I waited in bed when he left as rain started to fall. It was a light rain and was over before the day began. He paddled Flat Top Island, Gull Rock, White Rocks, and Danger Rock circling around each of them on his SUP. We’ve had a mix bag of weather this week. It’s been filled with sweatshirts and pants, with the odd warm air and sunshine moments here and there. At times ra[...]

Travel Log

Full batteries, but running out of food!

Don’t worry, we still have food. However, by the end of the day we’re officially out of pre-made food items, which is not the worst state to be in. Kid (processed stuff) food is totally gone. Also not a bad thing. Fresh veggies are also gone, but I have canned items. Today we left Deer Harbor to go back on anchor for a couple of days. We had a loose plan of where we wanted to go, but kept it flexible. Moving during the “lunch hour” is not the best time to be trying to find open desirable spots around the San Juans. Fawn Island is a small in deer ha[...]

Travel Log

4th of July Fireworks at Roche Harbor

If we thought the anchorage was busy before, I don't know how to describe the Harbor the morning of the 4th. More boats were coming in to fill in the small gaps here and there. We left early to head to shore for the kids games hosted on the pool lawn. This was the first Fourth of July in 13 years that Shane and I would not be at Lake Marcel. We loved our small town parade and community parade that followed. The lake always had activities for the kids and an incredible fireworks display. Absolute small town Americana. This year, we were grateful to have a very[...]

Travel Log

Lightning and the Thunder

The boys have loved music by Imagine Dragons over the years. One of their songs they like to listen to in the car is Thunder. It’s from 2017 and hasn’t gotten old yet. There’s a line in it that goes… “I was lightning before the thunder.” This morning Shane and I awoke abruptly to the sounds of lighting and thunder overhead. Never a great sound when you’re on a sailboat. It passed shortly and we eventually got back into bed. Rainy morning onboard. It had been raining for a bit when Shane went out to lower the dinghy not long after th[...]

Travel Log

Paddleboarding 36 Miles Around San Juan Island

Shane's paddle aspirations landed him here at San Juan Island, anchored at Roche Harbor on a Saturday morning before 4th of July. We had a quiet morning, sleeping in a bit and relaxing in the sunshine of our pilot house. The air was chilly, compared to the previous days here. The plan was for him to leave at 10:30 when the current was, in theory, pushing him south towards Cattle Pass and then giving him a boost up the pass when he arrived. I made him an egg breakfast with sautéed kale and zucchini, and fried polenta. He had purchased cliff bars, nuts, and hi[...]

Travel Log

Sprouting Fails on Anchor

Day two of anchoring out in the busy 4th of July harbor found me with a mess on my hands. I had tried my new tray for sprouting and was less than pleased with the results. It was day six, and looked about time to place the trays in the sunlight to let photosynthesis do its thing. I purchased stainless steel trays, trying to get alway from glass mason jars and avoiding plastic. Troubles in sprout land! Unfortunately, after a couple hours in the sunlight I was worried that the stainless steel was cooking the spouts. I moved them back inside the cabin and[...]

Travel Log

We Tried to Get Away

Good morning Roche Harbor Marina! After a restful night with all of our gadgets plugged in, I awoke hours after Shane had already left to paddle. He had a few islands left to paddle around northern San Juan Island. Spieden Island, Centinel Island, Centinel Rock, Pearl Island, Barren Island and Cactus Islands were crossed off his list that morning. Shane circumnavigates each island, giving him in-depth knowledge of the shores and waterways of where he paddles. He started to focus on paddling around all of the islands in the Puget Sound at the end of 2020. Limit[...]

Travel Log

Living the Resort Life at Roche Harbor

Roche Harbor Marina was on the agenda for the day, so we left Stuart Island early in the morning after Shane finished paddling around the island (that was a very early wakeup call for him). We motored for approximately one hour through strong currents passing Spieden Island and it's channel to Roche Harbor. The boys and I had driven to Roche Harbor over the winter when we moored at Friday Harbor. It was a different vibe then. Few people and those that were there gave the impression that they lived in the development attached to the resort in retirement. The g[...]

Travel Log

Hot one day – cold the next.

While yesterday was sunny and almost too hot for comfort, today is not. It’s just weather, but was still able to alter the mood a bit onboard Coco Mar. After a quiet, overcast morning off Stuart Island, the kids got to work helping me take inventory of our "pantry" items. They had started yesterday, continuing with the lockers behind our salon seats. I also began creating labels for each locker, getting Shane's input as I went. Taking inventory of what we have left. Ideally, I'd like to use my card system to track items, but haven't decided what I w[...]