Finally, after months of planning, packing and provisioning, we are leaving Seattle for a five month adventure directly to Alaska and returning leisurely through the islands of British Columbia. We are so full of supplies the boat feels like it's sinking. There is a 5 month supply of cat litter, kitty food - canned and dry - dog food - dry and moist, dog biscuits, dog chews, and Zippy's coats. By the time we finished with all the pet supplies there was hardly any room left for our stuff. Still, I managed to cram 5 months and 3 seasons worth of clothing into the boat - I actually emptied my entire closet. These are the times I appreciate Jim's simplicity of wardrobe - he only brought 2 small duffel bags. I also emptied the contents of our refrigerator and cupboards. We have hard-to-find grocery items, extra boat parts and enough medications to make a pharmaceutical rep envious. Only days later do we realize Jim forgot a coat and I am sockless.
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| Zippy's Loo-Liner |
This year we have a new boat aboard our boat - a 6' homely, orange plastic work barge intended to serve as Zippy's water taxi for potty duty. We needed a dinghy that didn't require a crane to launch it and could be rammed up on a rocky shore without fear of damage.
We leave at 7AM for Roche Harbor in San Juan Island, a favorite place of ours and our jumping off point for Canada. Our passenger for this leg of the trip is an old friend, Brian. He actually sold us our Selene. In fact, he uses us as an example of how long it can take to buy a boat - 10 years. I think other boaters might be more decisive.
We are going to a three day Selene Rendezvous - 27 boats make the gathering and about 3 of them have cruised to Alaska. I pump these veteran cruisers for tips on traveling through the Seymour Narrows, traversing Johnstone Straits and making the reputedly dangerous Queen Charlotte crossing. They might as well have been frightening me with stories of dodging pirates and armed rebels off the coast of Somalia - I was gripped with fear.
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| Blue Heron Guarding the Blue Boat |
The event was fun and felt like a big send-off party as everyone was excited about our adventure and eager to hear our cruising stories. On Sunday April 29th we left Roche Harbor and headed due west all of .5 nautical miles to the Seattle Yacht Club outstation on Henry Island to catch our breath and relax a few days before our official departure. We were the only boat there so we enjoyed some quiet nature watching - a red fox scouring the shore, a blue heron and nine deer grazing the grounds.
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| Yes, just what you think |
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