Tuesday August 20, 2013…ONE KEY    

One key - today we’re leaving with only one key on our keychain!!  The thick wad of clanging metal keys to house, garage, marina gates, office, car and woodworking shop are all gone!  Other necessary keys for our land life are with Debbie as we take on our new life at sea.  One key to our boat companionway is all we need to carry as we start our latest adventure.  We loved the waters of BC and Alaska but wanted to see what living in warm tropics would hold for us.  After years of preparation to Falcon VII and ourselves we finally left Sidney at 4:00 on Tuesday, August 20th .  It was  an enormous effort to tick as much off the ‘to do’ list as possible.  We were sent off with cards and chocolates, hugs, waves and even bubbles as we motored away from North Saanich Marina, eager to begin our voyage.  Too tired to consider going far, we opted for anchoring at our old favourite, Russell Island off the southern tip of Salt Spring Island.  The weather was spectacular, the anchorage uncrowded and the cockpit cushions beckoned for us to rest…something unheard of all summer! Though we needed to finish installing the watermaker, we gave ourselves a bit of leisure time to watch the sun set and the bright yellow full moon rise over Mount Baker.

By Friday morning we had finished the watermaker wiring and worked on our inventory of items squirreled away in obscure lockers.  We pulled up anchor and headed towards Victoria, Juan de Fuca Strait and Port Angeles.   We plunged through wave after wave while Jim anxiously worked the breakers and valves to initiate our watermaker – our own onboard desalination plant.  And it worked!  We both breathed a sigh of relief as we headed into Cadbora Bay for the night.  We didn’t need to rush and the idea of slamming into 20 knot winds on the nose was not the way we wanted to start our trip!  The next morning we motored to Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula to clear into US customs and provision. We were delighted to see a major harbour rejuvenation underway, a farmer’s market and public art everywhere.  Two days later we were on our way again to Neah Bay, the last community at the southwest end of Juan de Fuca Strait.  Neah Bay is a small dry aboriginal community with inexpensive fuel and very friendly locals.  It’s also the best place to wait for a weather window before heading around Cape Flattery and then sailing south down the Washington coast.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013 – This is Mom’s 88th birthday and the first of many family celebrations we’ll unfortunately miss while travelling.  Being ‘free’ to travel means connecting with loved ones through phone and internet for months at a time but it is far easier to stay in touch than it was for sailors a couple of decades ago.  We called Mom from Neah Bay to pass on our best wishes and thanked her again for supporting our unusual choice of lifestyle.  All of our family and friends have been terrific and excited for us – and we’ll be home in early January when our son, Brendan marries Char. January in Vancouver!  Just after we’ve adjusted to the heat!  

Anyway, we’ll be in Neah Bay until very early Saturday morning when the next weather window is forecast to open for us to make the 100 mile leg to Westport, Washington.  Already we have met other cruisers also waiting for the weather to change.   In the cruising community it is not that unusual to have dinner with complete strangers who share a common love of life on the water.  Personal stories are swapped around during potlucks and appies in the cockpit.   So we had our first of many amazing and sumptuous potluck dinners onboard Falcon VII with two other couples, Randall and Alison, heading south to who knows where and Phil and Megan, bound for the South Pacific to New Zealand.   Over the last couple of days we relaxed, read, walked and explored the area.  Dense fog in the strait obscured visibility; the trees and hills surrounding the circular bay were hazy through a gauze of gray clouds and rain, something we didn’t see all summer in BC.