El Bucanero is back home

El Bucanero arrived in San Diego last night. She spent the night on Wave Maker's trailer, near Driscoll's Boatyard in Mission Bay. This morning (Fri) she was launched and is now back at her home port slip at MBYC (Mission Bay Yacht Club).

Our focus is now on cleanup of our adventure. We also have many wonderful memories that we will treasure forever, along with insights to help plan future trips.

We are planning to have a slide show presentation on our adventure at MBYC in Jan' 08, where we can share our insights on cruising the PNW. If you are interested in joining us, please let us know and we'll ensure you are aware of the final date & timing.

Homeward Bound!

We spent last night of our trip on El Bucanero, in the Cap Sante Marina,in Anacortes, WA. We were located where the travel lift is. While this was a unique place to spend the night, we did have a great sunset. And, we had a better night's sleep as we didn't have to worry about moving the boat very early this morning. For the most part, everything was secured last night, but we did have quite a few things in the cockpit area, which we couldn't move inside until this morning. It made things tight for Brad to BBQ last night, but it worked better than if we had remain in our original slip in Cap Sante Marina.

Here is a photo of our very dirty, but beloved boat being hauled out.













Jimmy, from WaveMaker is tranporting our boat back to San Diego. And Jimmy has a new four legged friend to keep him company on his journey. His two four legged children, which accompanied him on the ride to get is from San Diego to Anacortes, are now back home keeping Jimmy's wife company.

















It will take us almost 3 days to get back to San Diego. We're spending the night in Grants Pass, Oregon, which is a beautiful place that we'd love to come back to explore. Looks like a great place to hike, kayak and simply explore a beautiful town!

Having fun in Anacortes,WA

While we were doing some work, to prepare our boat for transport, a cute harbor seal decided to sun itself on a nearby finger of the dock. Usually the PNW seals are so allusive I'm not fast enough to snap a picture, but while this cute guy let me take a picture, he was still quite shy...and jumped into the water shortly after this shot.

We also had fun watching a harbor seal swim on his back, tummy up to the sunshine, looking like he wanted to be a sea otter. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough with a camera for that pose.

It was another perfectly sunny day in Anacortes today. Clear skies and sunshine from the start of the day till the end, with a few pink clouds at sunset. {and no rain all day}.

PNW Journey has ended

We completed our last leg of our cruise, on the water, when we tied up at the Cap Santa Marina in Anacortes. Our arrival was at 9:45am, which gave us plenty of time to start preparing the boat for truck transportation back to

Our current position is: 48 30.803N 122 36.300W

While I hope to get back online by Monday evening, to upload some photos, here is a short insight on what we've been up to since my last posting.



September lst - Lyall Harbor to Prevost Harbor, Stuart Island, San Juan Islands (9.3 nm)

A photo taken during our our morning cruise.













Prevost Harbor















September 2nd - Prevost Harbor to Roche Harbor, San Juan Island (6.9 nm)
While on our morning cruise, when we left Prevost Harbor we pass by Johns Island. There is a large collection of teepees, which we passed. I recall seeing a smaller number of these teepees in 2005. I'm curious as to what is going on. Is this a kids' camp? Can anyone come? Is there an indian tribe that is growing? If anyone knows what is going on here, please let me know. Curious minds want to know. I counted about 75+ teepees, but not certain how many are actually there.















A thistle in the flower gardens of Roche Harbor. Does this prove this is a flower vs a weed? I've always loved the thistle, which we do not see in So. Cal. But I know many of my PNW friends view the thistle as an invasive weed.

















We enjoyed our walk to the Mausoleum. We saw a large fox, while we were on our walk. And upon our arrival, there was a young deer eating grass next to the Mausoleum.
















September 3rd - Roche Harbor to Garrison Harbor, San Juan Island (2.2 nm)
Garrison Harbor is the site where the English had a camp in the mid-1800s. An American Camp was set up on another side of the island. The two military forces were involved in a political war, each claiming ownership over the island. Aka "Pig Wars". While it is now an historic site, it is a great place for boaters to visit by water (and you can also visit by car). There is a lovely hiking trail, to the top of the mountain, which gives you a nice view to Victoria, Vancouver Island and to other others in the San Juans and Gulf Islands. It is one of our favorite hikes in the San Juans!

























There is also a beautiful flower garden at Garrison Bay.















This photo doesn't really capture the beauty of the area, which can be viewed by taking the hike to the top of the mountain. It is definitely worth the hike!















September 4th - Garrison Harbor to Jones Island (7.7 nm)





















































September 5th - Jones Island to Blind Bay, Shaw Island (6.1 nm)


September 6th - Blind Bay to Anacortes, Fidalgo Island (16.5 nm)

Update from Lyall Harbor, Saturna Island

August 31st - Ganges Harbor to Lyall Harbor, Saturna Island (15.7 nm)
Before anchoring in Lyall Harbor we made a stop in Breezy Bay, slightly south from Lyall. Saturna Winery provides buoys and a small dock, just a short walk from their winery. We enjoyed the walk, which takes us past some of their vineyards. We enjoyed sampling the lovely wines from Saturna Winery, and we definitely enjoyed a delightful lunch with a nice glass of Merlot.

A view of a part of Saturna Island Winery's vineyards, as we walk to their winery.























After our stop in Breezy Bay we proceeded on a short distance where we anchored in Lyall Harbor, which is one of our favorite anchorages in the Gulf Islands.



















We departed Ganges Harbor, Salt Spring Island,this morning for a 15.7 nm cruise to Lyall Harbor. But first, we stopped in Breezy Bay. Our visit to Breezy Bay was to visit Saturna Island Winery, one of our favorite stops in the Gulf Islands.

After a short walk to the winery, we enjoyed the wine tasting and then a delightful lunch with a tasty glass of Merlot. All, while overlooking the vineyard and the water. The sun was out and a few boats were "sailing" by.

After lunch we cruised a short distance to Lyall Harbor where we set anchor. We'll stay here one night (Sunday) before crossing back into the US.


Here is some insight on what we've been up to since our last update:August 29th - Maple Bay, Vancouver Island (MBYC) to Ganges Harbor, Salt Spring Island (22.8 nm)

While we tend to start cruising early in the morning, we do not always get moving as the sun is rising. But sunrises in BC are spectacular!














An early morning view, taken from inside our cabin (where we are quite warm).













I love the morning clouds that linger around the mountains and the waterline in the early morning. I just wish my camera could capture their true beauty.













This beautiful island is an area of Salt Spring Island, before we enter Ganges Harbor. I love how the clouds have lifted so quickly. Amazing how the weather can change in a 5-10 minute window, in the PNW.














There are several commercial float plane companies that service the Gulf Islands, but Salt Spring Air is definitely a popular airlines for flights that visit Ganges.

I still haven't lost my excitement to watch a float plane land or take off and I truly love to see how they manuever around boats, that are underway or on anchor. The pilots of commercial float planes are really great pilots! If I didn't have such a fear of heights, we'd go up in one!














We enjoyed visiting the Hastings House in Ganges. This is a beautiful hotel, with lovely cottages, a fantastic flower garden, delightful artwork, a great view of the bay, and much, much more. They also have a fantastic restaurant, which you can enjoy without being a guest of their hotel.





















The Ganges Mermaid