Weekend in the islands

Headed out early Saturday morning to meet up with Carey and his wife at Sucia Island in the San Juans.

1. We've seen barges and tugs and notch barges anchored in Bellingham Bay but this was the first time we've seen a full-size tanker and a bulk ship anchored here. Not sure of the reason but I hope it's a trend. It's neat to see real ships in the bay.

2. Heading up Hale Passage toward the Strait of Georgia.

3. Top of Hale Passage looking northwest into the Strait of Georgia. The BC Coast Range is visible in the distance on the right. That way likes the city of Vancouver.

4. The beach at Sucia. Looking toward Waldron and Stuart Island with the lower Gulf Islands and Vancouver Island in the distance.

5,6. Fossil Bay. These scenes are quite a contrast to that night when the wind was gusting up to 25 knots and boats were dragging their anchors, and over in Shallow Bay being driven ashore in one case.

Looks wonderful Marin.

We're headed that way in a few days. When you see me disappear from the forum we've left. We'll be going to some interesting places so. of Rupert and no. of Bella Bella. The route outside from Grenville passage. Principe Channel, Estevan Sound and Laredo Channel. Then through Meyers Passage to Fiordland. And other deviations from past travels.

Weather here is still cold and wet ......and breezy most of the time.

Beautiful pictures, makes me wish i was west not east

When are you leaving to head South? Are you planning a short stay in Rupert?

Ruthless said:

Beautiful pictures, makes me wish i was west not east

Click to expand...

Yes. I did not move here (from Hawaii) because of a job. I moved here because due to a long but perhaps interesting chain of events I and a good friend from college ended up riding the BC ferry Queen of Prince Rupert down the Inside Passage in August, 1977 after a six week Land Rover camping and fishing trip in the Yukon. I was headed (with the Land Rover the winch on which had made our ferry ride possible) back to Oakland to ship it back to Hawaii, and my friend would head from Seattle back to his job as a teacher (now professor) at Virginia Tech.

The ship left Prince Rupert in the fog. The fog burned off about mid-morning as the ship entered the uppermost of the two long, narrow channels that comprise the upper half of the Inside Passage in BC. When the fog burned off I was absolutely blown away. Mountains, waterfalls dropping straight into the water beside the ship, spectacular. All the life and dynamics of a salt water environment but inside away from the swells and big seas that can turn ocean boating into an ordeal. An ordeal I had experienced plenty growing up in Hawaii.

I made up my mind right there on the deck of the Queen that I was going to move here come hell or high water. It took me two more years and as it was I moved to Seattle without a job lined up. I just knew I had to live here (by "here" I mean Inside Passage country) and that the only way I was going to do it was to just do it.

Took me a month or so and I got on at Boeing and it's been an amazing ride ever since. Boeing has sent me all over the world (we're heading for China again next week) but while I have seen some really fantastic places, nothing I have seen to date even holds a candle to what's along the Passage in Washington, BC, and SE Alaska. My wife and I have looked down on it for years from a floatplane and now we're looking at it from water level, too. Either way, it's an always-changing marvel.

But don't come here. The weather sucks and the orcas will bite big holes in your boat.

Salty Bear ......in a week or less.....or more.