Living on the Hard - is HARD!

After leaving Port Townsend, we sailed west to Port Angeles, WA to check it out.  They had recently had a sand sculpturing contest.  This one was obviously the winner as all the others were gone!

Next stop Astoria, Oregon.

From Wikipedia:

The Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1805–1806 at Fort Clatsop, a small log structure south and west of modern-day Astoria. The expedition had hoped a ship would come by to take them back east, but instead endured a torturous winter of rain and cold, then returned east the way they came. Today the fort has been recreated and is now a historical park.
In 1810, John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company sent the Astor Expedition that founded Fort Astoria as its primary fur-trading post in the Northwest, and in fact the first permanent U.S. settlement on the Pacific coast. It was an extremely important post for American exploration of the continent and was influential in establishing American claims to the land. Fort Astoria was constructed in 1811.

 New headsail - working like a charm.

 Astoria has served as a port of entry for over a century and remains the trading center for the lower Columbia basin, although it has long since been eclipsed by Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, as an economic hub on the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Astoria's economy centered on fishing, fish processing, and lumber. In 1945, about 30 canneries could be found along the Columbia; however, in 1974 Bumblebee Seafood moved its headquarters out of Astoria, and gradually reduced its presence until 1980 when the company closed its last Astoria cannery. The timber industry likewise declined; Astoria Plywood Mill, the city's largest employer, closed in 1989, and the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway discontinued service in 1996.


The Astoria post office is the oldest west of the rockies. It opened in March 1847.  Marble walls, floors and columns.  Stunning.

Astoria-Megler Bridge crosses the Columbia River to Washington state.

 There she is - out of the water.  First time since Guatemala in 2012.

Le Chat Beaute' is coming out of the water for bottom cleaning and a paint job.  For you landlubbers- keeping a fresh coat of copper-loaded paint on the bottom helps to keep the critters from attaching and growing there.  Like barnacles and other creatures that can bore into your boat.  This paint has a sloughing effect to avoid those problems.  A good paint job lasts about 2 years.  After the boat is raised over land, a good pressure washer is used to get rid of the goo.

Hull sander extraordinaire!  Yes, that is a vacuum cleaner over my shoulder.  Who knew that all those years of carrying a heavy shoulder purse would prepare me for this job.

 Okay, here's one of those stories.  The boat below is a 47' Tayana sailing vessel.  During the previous evening he had anchored in a supposedly safe anchorage when at 5:30 a.m. a shrimp boat was going by.  Shrimp boats have those outriggers that stretch out over the sides for quite a ways.  The fishing boat didn't see him, hit his mast with an outrigger, throwing the mast off and totaling his boat.  The guy was single-handing from Alaska.

Cap. Paddy grinding and repairing a hull.

The before and after.  Now she's all pretty with red paint!  And new strips.








We had the boat hauled on the 15th of Sept. and back in the water 1 week and 1 day later.  I know because it was hard living on "the Hard".  So we were living on the boat, out of the water in the middle of a working boatyard.  We had electricity but no water nor toilet usage.  Paddy did hook up a hose from the galley sink to a bucket so we could wash and brush our teeth.  Otherwise we were 3 blocks from the marina restrooms and showers.  Not fun!  All day long you could hear the drills, sanders, grinders, welding and smell all the scents plus paint.  We were overjoyed when launched back in the water and we celebrated with champagne!  What else?

Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend

It was always a dream of mine to attend the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend.  I made it.

Sept. 5 - 7, 2014

 First of all, Port Townsend is a charming little town that's not easy to get to.  Located on a peninsula, you can either drive the LONG route, arrive via the ferry system, or come on your own boat!

Wooden boats have been made in this town for over a hundred years.  These craftsmen take great pride in the restoration of older boat as well as building a new one.

Here's a cute little houseboat with the Lady Washington in the background offering tours.

Looks very festive, right?

This beauty was even showing off a trophy cup from the past.

My favorite picture.

Love this little pirate ship.

This entrance is to a modern condo converted from the Clam Cannery built in 1885.

Great looking Chris Craft sharing the name of my German sheppard.

Packing them in..................

Making paella in this huge metal pan right over the fire.  

This guy cracked me up!  He's sitting Indian style in the smallest row boat I've ever seen.

On the last day of the event, they have a "Sail Around".  Here they come towards our stern.

We enjoyed our time in Port Townsend - we saw every boat, I'm sure.  

Vacation with the Thomases

Vancouver......here they come!  Jill and Ray joined us for 2 weeks!

Granville Island Public Market.....................fruits, veggies, meats, fish and .......................

DESSERTS!

We anchored in False Creek between Granville Island and Vancouver, specifically Yaletown - very yuppie!  It's all condo towers, restaurants, bars, coffee shops and organic markets.

BC was celebrating British Canada Day.  The place was packed but we did get to see fireworks. 

 And I love fireworks.

Oh yea, it was also Gay Pride Weekend.  

We arrived just in time for the parade which was a hoot as you can imagine.

Then off to Snug Cove on Bowen Island which is very popular for the Vancouvians (sp?) as it isn't far at all.  Here is a cute floating house with overflowing flower boxes.

Cocktails................oh yea.

One of our stops was Garden Bay in Pender Harbor.  

Jill and Ray are crossing the bridge to John Henry's for ice cream.

One mission for Le Chat Beaute' was to venture up Jervis Inlet to see Chatterbox Falls at the Princess Louisa Marine Park.  At the river opening is Malibu Rapids -  a narrow part of the river which requires synchronizing our arrival with the tide so we're not going against the current which can be as much as 11 knots.  At Malibu Rapids there is a camp - a Young Life Camp!  It was great to know they are still around since I belonged to Young Life while in high school.  It brought back many great memories for me.

Going up into Jervis Inlet. There were several waterfalls - I can't imagine how many there must be in the spring with the snow runoff.

Chatterbox Falls

Jill's dinner at the Frog Bistro in Powell River. A little piggery going on, but we're on vacation!

Ok Ray, what is it?  a Cabazon????  Whatever, it made a tasty dinner.

Last stop Nanaimo.  A charming town with lots of European flavor.  Here's the gang at the Dinghy Dock Pub.....where else?  Like the umbrella says, "it's good to be here".

View of the anchorage from Newcastle Island which is a stunningly beautiful park.

Paddy FINALLY found some licorice ice cream...........................boy, was he happy!

Jill and Ray took a float plane back to Vancouver airport.  It was only a 20 minute flight, but as I understand it, the flight was exciting.  They made it home safely,  We enjoyed their company and assisting them with the wine consumption!!!!!!  

Anacortes, Washington

Latitude 48 degrees 30'48"  Longitude 122 degrees 36'18" 

Our view of Mt. Baker, Washington from James Island.

Love, love, love this beach art! 

 Our friends Dennis and June, s/v Shamaness, are traveling on land this summer.  They stopped to visit in Anacortes on their way to the Queen Charlotte Island, BC.  Dennis and Paddy went to drop the crab trap.

 Shelly and Larry were up from Palm Springs so off we go for a few days on Le Chat Beaute'.  Visited Sucia Island and Rosario.  Unfortunately it rained one day and we were cabin bound!

 The Rosario Hotel is another resort with a lot of history.  Doesn't this pool look inviting?

Had a minor tear in the headsail.  Capt. Paddy on the deck to repair.  Good thing he is so handy.

Because of the location of Anacortes, it's history is about various Indian tribes, the Samish and Swinomish  Indians.  Coast Salish peoples thrived on the rich natural resources here on Fidalgo Island for 10,000 years before Spanish explorers started mapping the area in the 1790's.  For many years this city was a bustling fishing, canning, logging and mill town.  Since the natural resources have diminished, the area now has an oil refinery and busy shipyards, and tourism.  

The Cap Sante Marina is home to a few tall ships.  One is The Adventuress:  133 feet, launched in Booth Bay, Maine in 1913 and is a National historic landmark.

Below is the Lady Washington which was launched March 1989 and built in Aberdeen, WA.  She is a full scale reproduction of the original.  In 1787 she was prepared for a trading voyage around Cape Horn.  In 1899, she became the first American vessel to make landfall on the coast of North America.  A pioneer in Pan-Pacific trade,  she was the first American ship to visit Honolulu,  Hong Kong and Japan.

 Hawaiian Chieftain:  104 feet long, built in Lahaina, Maui in 1988 (a contemporary interpretation of a traditional design).  Both of these ships are now owned by the Gray Harbor Historical Seafarer's Society and are used for training for high school students, sea scouts, etc.

The terrain in this area requires creative placement of homes.  Now here are some stairs that can get your heart pumping!  

Gotta have champagne!

The cook preparing a spinach omelet - it was a wonderful breakfast.

See how the color of the water is changing?  The river meets the sea..............

On our way to Vancouver BC to pick up Jill and Ray!  (Aug. 1, 2014)