As our adventure comes to and end we wanted to share with you a great Orca video The Captain took on his Iphone.  The best part is at the end!

We are currently in Puget Sound heading for Elliott Bay.

Thanks for sharing our adventure.

The Captain and First Mate of the True Love.

Dent Foreshadows Epic Orca Experience

I bet you are all wondering if the fishing excursion was a success.  It was!  After arriving at Dent Island Resort we supped on some lunch on the lovely view deck and then headed out with Herb.  Herb has lived in and around Dent most of his life.  He’s “Papa Bear” on the VHF radio and the winter caretaker for Dent Island.

It became very clear, very quickly why we were not catching any fish on our own.  We had no downrigger with a 10 lb weight so our lines were not going down deep enough — that of course and the years of knowledge and local experience catching fish in general and fish around here specifically.

Sunday afternoon was a beautiful day to be on the water and we headed out towards Johnstone Strait and then back to Fredrick Arm.  It was very quiet from a fishing

perspective.  The guides communicate via VHF and not much was happening.  As we passed other fishing boats, people were napping and dancing.  Not a good sign, Herb said.

But after about 2 hours at the head of Fredrick Arm, Herb saw an imperceptible wiggle of the line (that both the Captain and First Mate missed entirely) and he leaped into action, releasing the 10 lb weight from the line with a powerful yank.   Herb then handed the pole to the Captain and the First Mate grabbed her camera.  The fishing pole that snagged our fish was Mike Marshall’s pole.  From Billie’s fishing stories we think this is the biggest fish Mike’s pole has ever snagged.

After a good fight, the Captain reeled our 9 lb Chinook next to the boat where Herb scooped him up with a net.  A great success!

That evening we supped at the Tapas bar on Dent Island:  an intimate gourmet affair with a remarkable view of the rapids.  Two of the other 10 people sharing dinner were a couple we knew from our political circles in Seattle: Mike and Kay Lester of the M/Y Anaya.  It’s a small

world.  They spend a month up in Dent every year fishing and frolicking in North Desolation Sound.

Dinner prepared by Chef Pascal and his assistant Misty was scrumptious:  scallop seviche and chilled watermelon soup; dungeness crab ravioli with chives and scallions; duck comfit and wild mushroom risotto with truffle oil (the winner of the night!); grilled halibut tacos; steak asparagus and chive mashed potatoes (really not necessary, but yummy); and a dessert of grilled pineapple, sorbet and cashew crumble (the grilled pineapple was a fantastic idea).  Obviously we rolled ourselves out of there very, very full.

Monday: July 29^th:  Spectacular views, Orcas & Jellies

When we woke Monday morning we were still full from dinner and after an elixir and some coffee we headed to the cute little workout cabin to run on the treadmill there.  The workout cabin at Dent Island in on the water and has a spectacular north view up the channel and while running we were treated to our first view of Orcas!  Clearly we caught our fish just in time, because when the Orcas swim through, they don’t leave many fish for the humans to catch.  What we did not know is that this was a merely a foreshadowing of the “Epic Orca Experience” we would have later in the day.

After our run we soaked a bit in the hot tub before shoving off with the slack tide around 11.  We headed into Bute Inlet one of our favorite spots to enjoy the views and eat a light lunch while underway.  As we were cruising south out of Bute Inlet, past Sonora Island, we began to monitor “orca radio” on VHF channel 7.  Around Dent Island, there are a lot of orca tour boats, and they all share information on VHF channel 7 about where the beasties were last seen,  along with dolphin and bear sightings.  There was some talk about orcas in our general area so we brought out the binoculars and searched.

As we approached the mouth of Bute Inlet and turned south we spotted a pod of Orcas in the distance.  What we didn’t know then was that this was the beginning of a 2-hour Orca Odyssey.  A pod of five Orcas followed our path as we traveled towards south then east toward Toba Inlet and Pendrell Sound.  Our goal was to get to Pendrell Sound where the water is the warmest in Desolation Sound (mid-70’s) for some swimming.  We didn’t know we would be entertained by Orcas for almost half the trip.  And we had the Orcas all to ourselves – the tour boats never appeared.

The First Mate took over 1,000 photos and it took us over an hour after dinner to go through them to pick out some of the best.  It’s hard to explain in words the enchanting experience.  We were cruising slowly, listening to music, dancing in the sun and taking pictures of the orcas as the orcas swam along the shoreline on our port side.

At the intersection of Raza Passage and Ramsay Arm, just SE of Francis Bay, the Orcas began to frolic in the more open area.  We watched them jump and play and then they crossed right under the True Love before we said our goodbyes.  They headed back up north and we headed east down Pryce Channel to Waddington Channel before we turned into Pendrell Sound.

Note to Saul, Jasmine, David and Baby James:  we can’t wait to share this with you!

As we headed into Pendrell Sound we watched the temperature in the water rise.  It briefly hit 76 degrees.  We dropped the anchor and planned to go for a swim, but then stopped.  Why?  About 20 feet down in the crystal clear water were hundreds of huge jellyfish.  The First Mate was extremely concerned.  But, after we watched for quite a while and confirmed that not a single one was swimming up to the warm water at the surface, we decided to take a chance.  The First Mate was still uneasy (obviously a latent jelly fish phobia) so the Captain jumped in first and after awhile we pulled out the snorkels and goggles and floated while watching the “jelly-galaxies” float below us rewarding the crew of the True Love with another enchanting, magical experience.

After our swim we kayaked a bit and secured our shore tie with some team kayaking.  After a shower we grilled up our Chinook and said a special prayer of thanks.

Before collapsing in bed we took a look at the stars and were lucky enough to catch the space station passing overhead with its tell-tail speed and bright to fading reflection.  Life really does not get much better than this!

Tuesday July 30^st:

Our morning in Pendrell Sound began with a long kayak and then a swim before we raised anchor and headed south out of Desolation Sound.

We ended up in a wonderful little anchorage we found last year on the north side of Lasqueti Island in a quiet little gunkhole in the Fegen Islets.

The sounds of the wild entertained us as we watched a spectacular sunset.Eagles, herons and seagulls flew by as about 20 very vocal seals called out with strange guttural sounds and splashed in the water.

Tomorrow we will head further south past Nanaimo, through Dodd Narrows, and onto Poets Cove on South Pender Island.

Wednesday, July 31^st:

After a calm and uneventful cruise we are safely anchored in Poets Cove, having dinner and drinks and catching up on our email and blog posts!  The only fun wildlife we saw today was this mother and fawn deer just south of Dodd Narrows.  Our plan is to chill here for a couple of days and then possibly head out to Sydney to see some friends before traveling back to the USA on Saturday.

The Captain and First Mate of the True Love!

Through the Worm Hole:  From the Urban Jungle to the Secluded Marine Park

The last week has been remarkable, successful and eclectic.  I’m back to writing an update to the True Love Adventures on the south side of Octopus Islands, a small group of islands on the NE side of Quadra Island.   We are relaxed and rested.

Our vacation break in Seattle was busy.  Back at our Alpental home, the new brood of humming birds had hatched and were swarming around our feeders.  I was able to capture several good shots.

We began our “week back” with the very successful 60^th Anniversary Edmonds-area High School Dance on Friday, and ended our trip back on Wednesday, helping local music superstars Macklemore and Ryan Lewis record a music video for their “White Wall” song on the roof of the Dick’s Drive-In on Seattle’s Broadway Avenue.

Thanks to Saul’s tenacious outreach efforts, we finally got in contact with the correct people and the Macklemore music video shoot transformed from idea to reality.  It was touch and go right up until the actual event.  Although it was supposed to be a secret, it leaked out and the crowds we always expected arrived early.  Dick’s was the center of attention with stories in almost all of the Seattle print, radio and TV media.  Here are a couple of links to the Seattle Times, the PI and the Capitol Hill Blog.  We even made CNN!  Jim, Saul and I weren’t done working until after 1:30 AM.

We got to sleep about 2:30 AM, slept about 4 hours, got up, did some few last-minute chores and then boarded our seaplane at the north end of Lake Washington for the flight back to April Point.  This time we flew in the smaller “Beaver” seaplane vs the larger “Otter” seaplane we flew on our trip back to Seattle the previous week.  I must say I like the Otter better:  it’s faster and quieter than the Beaver.  But I still loved the seaplane experience.  When the seaplane landed back at on our dock at April Point and we stepped out into the fresh air and got back on the True Love, it truly felt like we had been transported gone through a magic portal to a completely different space and time.  It reminded us of the worm hole in “Star Trek:  Deep Space Nine.”

Needless to say we were pretty exhausted.  We only had enough energy to enjoy a light dinner at the April Point Resort before collapsing in bed.

Friday was a long transitional day.  It began with a ride on the only cab on Quadra Island to the little grocery store where we reprovisioned for the rest of our vacation.    By the time we were done and restocked it was noon.  Our goal was to reach Octopus Islands, but we weren’t sure all the tides, winds and currents would work out.  We fought a strong North-West wind all day.  It was even windy in Calm Channel usually true to it’s name, but not on Friday.  So we explored a little bay on the west side of Calm Channel.  The Captain decided to drop anchor so we could take a break while we waited for slack tide at the Hole-In-The-Wall rapids, which was our last chance to reach the Octopus Islands before dark.

It was very nice to get out of the wind and we spent a couple of hours there sunning, resting and watching two seals play “my tail makes a bigger splash than yours” in the bay.  It was a perfect break.  The strong winds were in our face again as we turned west towards the Hole-In-The-Wall channel between Maurelle and Sonora Islands.  But, we only had to travel about an hour for this leg of the trip.  It was still about an hour before slack so we were up against a pretty stiff current, but well down from the 9-knot peak.  Even so, we watched small whirpools form around us as we went through.

It was all worth it as we approached our favorite “gunk hole” (a small bay in which to drop anchor) just outside of Octopus Islands Marine Park.  The Captain and the first mate of the True Love prefer to anchor away from the crowds and even with a NW wind ranging from 20-35 knots, this little spot was perfect, with no waves and barely5 knots of wind.  An eagle greeted our arrival by flying overhead and we watched as she then carried a branch to her nest in the small rocky island just in front of our anchorage.

We settled in, lit the Sabbath candles and said a special prayer for all our blessings before we had some macaroni and cheese for dinner, showered and collapsed.  I really didn’t realize how exhausted we were until we woke up 12 hours later.

Saturday has been a perfect day of recuperation.  We had a very leisurely morning, drinking in the view all around us and bathed in the warmth of the sun while we enjoyed our protective little cove.   Before kayaking we splurged on some freshly made cherry ice cream topped with organic fresh cherries.  We love making homemade ice cream on the boat.

At low tide the animals come out to the shore to forage for food and we were entertained by lots of momma and baby raccoons eating at the shore as we kayaked around the islands that make up this Canadian marine park.  When we got back to the True Love we enjoyed a yummy steak “linner” with coleslaw.  During our meal we watched a pair of juvenile herons trying to fish while being taunted by a much more successful kingfisher.

We even fixed our water pressure device!  We brought a replacement pump with us and thanks to Ben Rhoades’ (our often mentioned boat guru) instructions and preparations we were able to swap it out with virtually no problems.  As I finish writing this entry the Captain is taking a shower and the new pump is working perfectly.

The soft pink in the setting sky is reflecting on the water as we end our day.  Tomorrow we head to Dent Island, an oasis of luxury in the wilderness near Big Bay.  It’s a short trip there.  We just need to leave around 9:00 AM to get through the series of rapids at slack tide, beginning with Hole-In-The-Wall.

We have scheduled a guided fishing excursion for Sunday afternoon.  The First Mate is really looking forward to a good fishing lesson and hopefully catching a big salmon or two!

Yesterday we had a wonderful morning in Lund. We woke to a couple of fathers and a gaggle of boys fishing off the dock next to the boat.  They were very successful and caught a couple of large  cod.  After enjoying our usual morning elixir we went in search of  Nancy’s Bakery, now a “must stop” in the future.  We visited the Art Gallery and bought a soap stone sculpture of the a seal that now is poking it’s head out of its display onboard the True Love.   In general, we moved slowly and cast off for Campbell River around noon.

After being in the mountains of Jervis Inlet and Princess Louisa Inlet the expansive waters here seemed so big.  We made it easily to Campbell River and procured some temporary moorage to get supplies for our pressurized water system and some other stuff at the Target.

We hoped to once and for all fix the problem with the water pressure system by replacing a leaking check valve.  No such luck.   So we left Campbell River, took the short cruise to the east side of  Johnstone Strait and docked at our moorage at April Point.  Eagle sounds welcomed us as we approached the dock.

We tinkered a little more with the water pressure system, taking the old water pressure pump offline.  That wasn’t the problem.  We finally gave up and went out to dinner.  The food at April Point isn’t that good but the view is spectacular.

This morning we did a lot of closing-down-the-boat chores.  We even were able find the number and use Skype to call the Jabsco water pressure system customer support people.  Turns out the problem  is a broken pressure relief switch.  Unfortunately, Jabsco was all out of them and would not have any more for 2-3 weeks.  Our guess is that this part is failing a lot, hence the fact that they are out of them.  So we plan to simply use our manual work around (turning the pump on and off at the circuit breaker) until we get back.  Although we were not able to repair it, we feel like we learned a lot and made a lot of progress.

Our Kenmore plane came to our dock to take us back to Seattle on Tuesday afternoon.  I was a little nervous about flying on the small seaplane.  But, oh my, what fun!  Of course it was a perfectly clear day and the views were magnificent.  Anyone who boats up in this area should take a seaplane flight.  We learned so much seeing the areas we had traveled by boat.  Beside the spectacular views we learned about great new places to anchor and gained interesting perspective on our travels.

Now we are back in Seattle for a week to help with some fun Dick’s Drive-In projects including our 60th Anniversary Edmonds High School Dance on Friday night.

Then we are off for Part 2 of the True Love Adventures 2013.  As we transition from vacation to work and back to vacation again, I’m reminded of a saying that was posted on the chalk board in the restaurant at Egmont.

“A master in the art of living draws no stark distinction between work & play; labor & leisure; mind & body; education & recreation.  He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing.  To himself he always appears to be doing both.”

The Quintessential Princess Louisa Inlet Day

 We woke and looked out of our boat to see the floating debris field far away, seals around the boat, fish jumping and a warm sunny morning.  We choose to stay another day and leave tomorrow (Sunday).

Because of our position on the east side of PLI we don’t get the sun until around 10 AM and because of the clear evening in was a bit cool.  So after our usual breakfast we decided to take the True Love tender on an adventure out of PLI through the rapids and into Queens Reach and the end of the inlet.  We trolled slowly out PLI soaking in all the beauty of the steep sides covered with so many shades of green sparkling in the sun.

I’ve been practicing with the video on my new Nikon so we took film of the rapids on our way out to Queens Reach, even setting up the tripod on the tender and we zoomed through.  Unfortunately, we were near slack tide and the rapids were extremely calm.  But I’m learning more about the intricacies of the D600.

The Captain having grown up playing in small boats around Lake Sammamish beamed with the confidence of a young man while maneuvering the tender.

We took some beautiful photos today, ate well, tanned ourselves in the warm sun, swam in the healing salt waters and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company.  Tomorrow we head out to Lund on our way to April Point on Monday.  That’s where we’ll reenter civilization with all it’s connections and trappings, including the internet connection needed to post this blog.

Enjoy the photos from our beautiful day in and around Princess Louisa Inlet!

Friday Morning

Our morning began with the Captain’s favorite breakfast – challah french toast.  The rest of the morning was spent relaxing, reading and writing.  The Captain played with a bottle of bubbles on he found onboard.

Around midday we went for a 3-hour kayak around PLI.

We stopped by the dock and chatted with Mike and Angie onboard the Sealestial.  They are from Flagstaff and have retired and now live on their boat that they keep moored in La Conner.

We also chatted with the Ausie couple onboard the Tuzi (pronounced “two-zee”).  They plan to take their beautiful Ocean Alexander boat back to Australia next year.  They’ve already sailed the world and have now switched to a 60’ powerboat.  Although we have no interest in “blue water” cruising, their stories and knowledge are fascinating.

We ended our day with more quiet repose, reading and napping while watching an afternoon storm pass us by but then circle back for and give us some brief, light rain.

Realizing it was Friday night we lit our candle, said our Sabbath prayers, and gave thanks for our time together in one of the most remarkably beautiful places on earth.

The fridge is definitely emptying, but we are still eating well.  I combined some heated up Trader Joe’s gnocchi in tomato sauce with pesto smoked turkey sausage and sautéed onions from the grill.  Pretty darn good!  The leftovers will make a yummy omelet tomorrow.

After dinner we were settling down to a game of chess when the Captain noticed that the debris field from a winter avalanche had dislodged and was slowly drifting towards the True Love.  Some of you might remember that last year we were woken at dawn by a large fallen tree entangled in our anchor chain.  So, to preempt a repeat of that situation we headed out with the tender and a water ski rope to wrangle and move the debris past us.  We were moderately successful moving the heavy tangle of timber about 100 yards past us. The tide should pull it away from us and out towards the entrance.  It will be interesting to see where it is tomorrow.

Trapper’s Cabin Hike!

This morning, I spent time reading the manual for my new Nikon D600, trying to master some of the intricacies.  I’ll see how I do on the next round of photography.  This afternoon we are contemplating hiking the trappers cabin trail for the first time.  We will see how far we get.  It sounds like a lot of work.

We did it!  The hike begins with a sign that says Caution don’t do this hike: it isn’t marked, it isn’t maintained, it can be slippery, blah, blah, blah.  We talked to the ranger, Craig, on the dock to let him know we were doing the hike (in case we didn’t come back).  Unfortunately, he had just put a nail into his foot and was taking his skiff to town to get x-rays and a tetanus shot.

But we had our portable VHF radio with us and he said our radio could reach Malibu Camp if we had a problem.  After the hike/scramble we learned he had asked the other boaters at the dock to keep an eye out for us in case we didn’t return in about 4 hours.

With our poles and hiking boots, Julie treats, water, flashlights and first aid kit we felt ready for the challenge. The weather was perfect with light overcast so it didn’t get too warm.  The dry conditions made the trail as easy as it gets.  It’s not that the trail was unhikeable; it is just that it’s very steep with lots of fallen timber and other debris so that you rarely get a break from “the next obstacle.”

Tree roots cascade down rock faces, creating great handholds for scrambling up and down the steeper places on the trail.  Fallen logs create many opportunities to test all the cross-fit training we have been doing.  The hike/scramble is in the woods and extremely vertical the entire two hours up until the last ten minutes when you finally plateau at a small space where the old trapper’s cabin is located that’s mentioned in the book Curve In Time.

Although it’s a beautiful spot, I can’t imagine schlepping stuff up there. We made the top in just under 2 hours.  The Captain and First mate felt very accomplished and strong.  We took about 20 minutes to take in the views of the waterfall and Princess Louisa Inlet far below us.

The hike down would be almost impossible wet, but it was very doable dry and we made it back to the docks in under an hour and 45 minutes.

Our fellow sea travelers at the dock greeted us with great enthusiasm.  They of course were beginning to get concerned that we hadn’t made it down yet and were contemplating how on earth they would launch a rescue.  But, no need.  We shared photos of the top and then headed off proudly on the True Love tender to our private, perfect anchorage.

Once on board we stretched on the bow and then enjoyed a well-earned supper.   I made a delicious summer salad with some smoked salmon, cheese, avocado, blueberries, sunflower seeds and a little bacon.  It all tasted so delicious. After dinner we enjoyed some homemade strawberry ice cream and a game of chess before bed.

Princess Louisa Inlet:

Every time I enter PLI I’m struck by a different sense.  The first time it was the overwhelming grandeur.  This time it was the pure, clean, fresh smell in the air. We entered the rapids at the end of a perfect cruise down Jervis Inlet.  When we approached our favorite anchorage it was clear of any other boats.  We arrived at high tide and anchored and attached our stern tie with ease.  From our anchorage we are graced with the sounds and site of two waterfalls with a perfect view of Chatterbox falls in the distance.

Yesterday was as perfect as it gets in Princess Louisa Inlet.  We slept well and woke up to a glorious sunny day.  We entered our day slowly listening to the stereo sounds of the waterfalls surrounding our anchorage, reading and enjoying our usual elixir breakfast.  The captain/barista made us wonderful coffee and he enjoyed his cinnamon role the First Mate had stocked for just this occasion.

I did my Gyro/Yoga stretches on the bow of the True Love listening to the soothing sounds of the waterfalls.  We spotted a mother seal and her pup about 100 feet off the bow of the boat.  The pup was very small and couldn’t have been more than a week old.

Then we went for a swim.  The water is cool, about 67 degrees, but healing.  We floated, played and swam until we were hungry for lunch.   I grilled some tofu and we enjoyed a beautiful fresh salad with Avocados, blueberries, radishes and sunflower seeds.

Then we went for a wonderful long kayak around the bay enjoying the views from the other side of our anchorage.  All that kayaking made us hungry again.  I grilled chicken, zucchini and mushrooms to toss in with rice noodles and spicy sauce.  Yum.

The evening brought some clouds and some unusual wind, but no rain.  We read our books until we couldn’t keep our eyes open and slept soundly once more.