Butchart Gardens, BC

On the way South, we stopped in at
Butchart Gardens. There is a inlet that goes in behind the gardens called Tod Inlet where you can anchor out and take your dingy ashore to visit them. It's been over 25 years since we have been here.
Tonight we are tied up in Skyline Marina in Anacortes. We stopped in to look a slip that is available for lease for this winter. It's a nice place and only a hour drive from Marysville. It would certainly we alot quieter than Everett. We traveled over 2200 miles this summer going to Alaska and back, and we saw only a fraction of the country. Seeing all the wildlife was really great.
We will be back in the Everett area this coming week. See you all then.

Chemainus, BC

Last spent last night at a small marina at the town of Chemainus. It's about a hours drive north of Victoria , on Vancouver Island. More than 30 of the towns buildings have large well done murals painted on their sides, depicting the distant past as an Indian campground and it's history of mining and logging.

Today we will head out for Todd Inlet which is in behind Butchart Gardens. There is a place we can anchor out and take the skiff a-shore . We haven't been there for over 20 years. Maybe we can take a bus into Victoria for the day. We will probably cross back into the US later this week. See you guys soon,

I"ve got dinner skipper !!

Greeting to everyone. As you can see Pat caught a really nice salmon the other day. This is the third one this size we have caught so we have been eating alot of fish lately. Tonight we are tied up at Campbell River. We got all the chores done and tomorrow will head out again. The boat has been working fine. Today the weather as changed and we got a little rain, first we've had in about a month.
Really not much more to report. We spent so much time getting the boat fixed that we couldn't do much of anything else. Will report in later,
Russ, Pat, and Maddie

Nice Salmon Skipper !!!

Finally caught a salmon yesterday morning. It weighed about 15 pounds. We have lots of fish in the freezer now. We are still waiting for the repairs to be finished on the engine. Hopefully it will be done by Friday and we can be on our way again. This has been a nice little marina to stay in. We are within walking distance of all the stores in town. Every night there is a new group of boats here. The weather has been nice so I have been doing some painting and varnishing. That will be a never ending task since this is a wood boat. Can't believe it's been almost four months since we left Everett. It's gone by very fast. Hope all is well with you guys,
Russ, Pat, Maddie

You can come back two more feet skipper

Hi Everyone;
We are at Port McNeill, which is on the north end of Vancouver Island. We developed a problem with the starboard engine and it looks like we are going to need to remove the cylinder head and do a valve job. Not a good thing! I found a good mechanic that has a shop here in town and has been fixing diesel engines for many years. He is trying to work me up a ballpark price right now. The alternative is to run back home on one engine and then fix it there. We're still a long way from home so I guess we'll get it fixed here.
We came across the Queen Charlotte Straits a few days ago. It was foggy all the way so we steered by our GPS navigation system and kept our eye on the radar looking out for other boats. The swells come in from the Pacific there and it was a little rough, but we made it OK. It was about a 5 hour trip.
We have good Internet here and phone service. Most likely will be here most of the week. Regards, Russ, Pat, Maddie

Dawsons Landing, Rivers Inlet, BC

This is the area that Pat's mom and step-dad lived and ran a fishing resort. We made a trip up here in about 1980 and Pat caught a 65 pound salmon.

Yesterday we saw about 30 humpback whales. They even jumped out of the water but we weren't close enough to get a picture. Also had some dolphins riding our bow wake. We're looking for a place to do some salmon fishing now. The weather has turned nice again. Sun is out today, about 65 degrees. This past week we've seen several black bears. At one place there was a mother with two grown cubs, one of which was brown. At another place there was a black bear that was brown on the sides and black down the middle of it's back. It was so big I thought it was a grizzly.

We will slowly continue heading south but don't plan on being back in Puget Sound until Sept. Hope everyone is well. Russ, Pat, Maddie

Meyers Chuck, Alaska

Hi Everyone,
We have been out of touch for a couple of weeks. Alaska has been beautiful and we've seen lots of wildlife. This morning we left and headed back to Canada, arriving back in Prince Rupert just a few
minutes ago. As soon as we crossed the border it was sunshining and much warmer. We will take our time coming south and do some fishing. The fish should been here by now. Hope everything is OK with everyone. Almost forgot, the two girls we met that were taking their kayaks to Alaska, we saw them again yesterday. They came aboard and we fixed them some pizza. They are still headed north. Regards, Russ, Pat, Maddie

Misty Fiords National Monument, Alaska

Hi everyone;
This has been a really amazing week. We left Ketchikan on Tuesday of last week a cruised up Behm Canal which goes all the way around Revillagigedo Island,which is the island that Ketchikan is located on. The first night we stopped at Neets Bay and spent two days there. We saw a black bear on the beach one night. On the morning we left we saw two killer whales up real close. Our next stop was Fitzgibbon Cove where we went fishing and I caught a halibut of about 30 pounds. We also saw a black bear here. From there we pulled into a bay where the Chickamin River dumps in and saw a mother grizzly and two cubs. We could not get very close because of the shallow water so was not able to get any pictures. That night we stayed at Rudyerd Bay at a place called Punchbowl Cove. Never before have we seen scenery like this. The cliffs go straight up 3000 feet with water falls everywhere. While eating lunch the second day,one of the rocks on the beach moved. It turned out to be a grizzly. We watched him about an hour and he got fairly close to us. What a treat. Tonight we are back in Ketchikan to pick up some mail and get more supplies. Tomorrow we will head out to Wrangle,taking about a week to get there. It has rained the past two days but tonight the sun came out.
The salmon fishing still has not started around here yet, about 3-4 weeks away. So we've had to settle for crab, shrimp, and halibut. What a drag!
I probably won't have Internet or phone service for another week. Will leave here tomorrow,mid-morning if anyone need to call us. Hope all is well at home. Russ, Pat, Maddie

We're in Alaska !!!

Yesterday we entered Alaska waters,and tonight we are tied up in Ketchihan at one of the marinas. This is a very busy place. There were four big cruise ships here today and there are float planes coming and going all day every few minutes. Lots of commerical fish boats tied up in here too. Clearing customs was a breeze.
Tomorrow we will head out but stay fairly close to Ketchikan as my mother is going o send us some mail so we will come back in about 10 days to pick it up. We have not seen any mail since we left in April. I bought some more bottom fishing tackle today and we will need to get Alaska fishing license's also. The salmon are just starting to show up here. Alaska does not go on daylight savings time and its now 10:45pm your time and it's still not dark out. They average 17:49 hours of daylight here this time of the year. See you guys, Russ, Pat, Maddie

Get out of the " BIG GUYS " way!!!!!!!!

'We passed this BC Ferry today as we were heading north. This is why we have our radar on all the time because you never know what might sneak up behind you. This actually is kinda small compared to the cruise ships that travel these waters.
Today we are in Prince Rupert,about as far north as you can get without actually being in Alaska. Sorry I haven't posted anything for a few days but we have really been out in the boon docks. Saw several more black bears,one in the harbor we stayed in last night. Once again there are three other boats here we have spent time with at some other place in the past few weeks.
We can't believe how nice the weather has been. Two nights ago it was 85 in the boat at 7:30pm. We are seeing some really awesome scenery. The channels are sometimes very narrow and the sides go straight up 3000 feet, and the water is 1700 feet deep. We traveled one and half days without seeing another boat.
Most of the boats here tonight will be going to Alaska in the next few days. This is kind of the jumping off place. Monday morning if the weather report is good, we will head out too. The first day we will go to a place called Foggy Bay, then on to Ketchikan the following day to clear customs back into the USA. This is the last of the open water crossing we have going north. Of course we will need to cross them all again coming back. Keep in touch you guys. Just click on post a comment at the end of these and say hi! Hope everyone is well, Russ, Pat, Maddie

Ocean Falls

Ocean Falls, at the head of Cousins Inlet, is pretty much a gost town. Until it closed a quarter century ago, the Crown Zellerback mill was the

second largest mill on the coast. Today there is a fish farm where they raise salmon smolts for the many fish farms we have seen on this trip, a few business's left, a dam that supplies power to Bella Bella and Shearwater, and a small marina. But as dreary as that sounds, it's really pretty here. The mountins go straight up from the water, there are crab, shrimp, and fish to catch, and the sun is out today and it must have been close to 75 here today. There is power on the dock and the water is very good, which is not the case at alot of the places we've been. Reguards from the Aye Aye Sir!

Are we still in Canada?

Yes,this picture may look like something in the South Pacific ,but it really is Canada. These beaches were created over thousands of years by the Indians that lived in these waters. Clams and other shellfish were a major part of there diet,and they would just throw the shells on the beach. Over the years they would break up into small pieces and create these neat shell beaches. Some of them have been found to be over ten feet deep and more. We have seen alot of them up here. They are called a shell midden. So when we see one we know that the Indians used that beach as a camp. So much for the history lesson.
Tonight we are tied up to the dock at a place called Shearwater Marine Resort, still heading north. We have been out of internet and phone reception for several days. We crossed Queen Charlotte Strait on Wednesday,the 27th. Had a good crossing. No wind,just a low westerly swell coming in from the Pacific. Those swells probably came all the way from Japan. After crossing we spent the night in Fury Cove,where this picture was taken. The next morning we went to Green Point Cove,located in Fish Egg Inlet. The next night we stayed at Codville Lagoon. We are still seeing the same boats as we go along. Tonight there are five other boats at this dock that we have spent the night with at some other place in the past few weeks. Most are American boats,but a few Canadian too.
Yesterday was my birthday so Pat made a cake and we invited the folks from the three other boats in the cove over for cake and ice cream.
The weather has been good for the most part except for yesterday it rained hard. We had our first fog this morning but it burned off early and the sun has been out all day. The forcast is for fourty mile per hour winds tomorrow so we might just stay here for a few days. The Eagles are getting bolder too. Today they were throwing herring out on the dock and they would come down and pick it up. Hope everyone is well, Russ,Pat,Maddie

Port Hardy Eagles

This morning we are tied to the dock at Port Hardy,on the north end of Vancouver Island. We have been out of range of Internet service for several days. As I look out the windows,is make no difference which direction I look,I can see a eagle. They are just everywhere. There is a large fleet of commercial fishing vessels here and a river that empties into the bay so I guess that is why they are all here. We can't let the dog off the leash here.
This is the jumping off port for Queen Charlotte Strait. There are several boats here waiting for a good weather report. Today is not to bad but tomorrow is suppose to be better. It will be about 40 miles to the other side of the Strait,so about a five hour trip for our slow boat. After this we are back in protected waters until we cross over into Alaska.
We have been this far once before back in about 1980 but don't remember much.Everything looks different. Have not been shrimp fishing again but did catch a nice batch of crabs. Still have not been fishing. The weather keeps getting colder the further north we get and the days are much longer. Even here you could read a book outdoors at 10 o'clock at night. I guess it stays light really late up in Alaska.
That's about it for now. I will post the locations we have been the past few days on our google maps. Please feel free to respond to any of these posts. Would love to here from you guys.
Until later, Russ,Pat,Maddie

Kwatsi Bay

This morning we cruised further north and east to a place called Kwatsi Bay. There is not much here in the way of amenities but the views are spectacular. Lots of water falls falling into the bay that start thousands of feet up the mountains. We can here them at the dock we are tied up to. I put the crab pots out . Maybe fresh crab tomorrow. Tonight we are having a pot luck on the dock with the one other boat that's here and the resort owner Max. This bay must a nursery for herring as there are large schools of them swimming under the boats and docks.

There are bears in the area but have not seen any lately. No killer whales either as there are no salmon this early in the year and that's what they feed on. Still getting TV reception as long as we have a clear view of the southern sky. No phone service here. We keep seeing the same boats every few days as we must all be heading in the same general direction. One other thing. The nights are really, really, really dark out here. Especially if the sky is over cast. See ya, Russ, Pat, Maddie

PS: You guys can send us a email or just comment on the blog if you want. Would love to hear from you.

A leisurely four month paddle

Sorry I haven't posted anything for a few days as we have not had Internet service the past 3 days.We spent two days at Blind Channel Resort. We needed to fill our water tanks and drop off some garbage and this was a good spot for this. We met two young girls ,Christine and Angela who are from British Columbia and are on a four month kayak trip to Alaska. And we think we are roughing it!! These two girls left Gabriola Island which is down by Nanaimo two weeks ago.Both girls guide kayak trips when they aren't doing this. We wish them well. They have a blog if you want to check them out at crossingbordersexpedition.blogspot.com
Today we are on our way to the Broughtons Islands which are on the south end of Queen Charlotte Sound. Will spend some time in this area before going further north. Saw our first bear yesterday,a black bear on the beach looking for something to eat. Will see both black and brown bear in the coming weeks. Hope all is well. Russ,Pat,Maddie

Shrimp Country WOW!!!!!

I hope this picture can do this place justice. It is absolutely beautiful here. We have moved to another small bay close to where we were. It's called Prideaux Haven. In the summer months this place is one of the most crowded anchorages in the north west. Today we have the whole place to ourselves. We have caught enough large prawns for a couple of dinners. The sun came out today and it warmed up nice. I heard on last nights news it was raining at home. Today we saw mother nature in action. It was a lesson in team work. While eating lunch we noticed an eagle making a dive for something in the water but when he got to it,it dove under. We guessed it was some type of duck but it could not stay under very long. The eagle kept swooping down but it kept diving under. Soon another eagle joined in and both were diving down at it keeping it under water for longer periods of time. Suddenly one eagle dove in the water,grabbed the duck and held it under water until it drowned. All this time the eagle was treading water.The duck was to heavy to lift off with and the eagles feathers were all wet so he had to swim to shore while holding onto his catch. One less duck,one full eagle. This kind of thing goes on every day.
Well I need to go start the barbecue and cook some prawns. Until next time; Russ,Pat,Maddie
PS: Notice there is a link on the left side of the page you can click on that will take you to Google Maps where you can see where we are at. Don at Carquest set this up for us.Thankyou Don!!!

What a find!!

Went exploring today and came across this great little fixer upper. A new log under the foundation,a few new shingles on the roof, and a new door and she should be ready. I think I could rent it out. Summer is coming. Who wants to be the first guests?
We are still in Grace Harbor. Really pretty here. Rained hard all night but the sun came out this afternoon and really cheered things up. Probably will move tomorrow as I want to be closer to some deep water and put out my shrimp pots.(275 feet will do)
We have not been fishing yet either. This area is closed to bottom fishing for rock cod which is one of our favorites to eat. Will have to go further north I guess. A little to early for salmon. All the beaches are posted with red tide warnings so we can't dig clams or pick oysters either. So with nothing else to to today I sanded some more to get ready to varnish. Our TV works great up here. We still get all the local Seattle stations so haven't missed any of our favorite shows. We have been using our water maker to keep our tanks full. It's really nice to be able to use all the water we want.
That's about it for tonight. PS> If you double click on the pictures I send they will enlarge to full size! See yah, Russ, Pat, Maddie

North of Vancouver

Today we crossed the Straits of Georgia. We turned back on our first attempt as it was a little rough and we told ourselves that now that we have time we would not go if the the weather was not good. That was at 6:00 this morning. This afternoon the wind let up some about 3:00 so we left.It was a good crossing and by the time we were accross it was calm water. Took about 4 hours as we went a little further than we planned. Tonight we are anchored in Garden Bay inPender Harbor. What a great place. There will be lots to explore in our skiff tomorrow. Might spend a few days here as there is another weather system blowing in and this bay is very protected.

Pat's new glasses fell apart yesterday so I had to superglue them back together. Need to be ready for anything. Enjoyed Nanaimo alot. There is lots of stuff to watch. Seaplanes taking off every 15 minutes;water taxi's scooting accross the bay;tugs pushing barges loaded with a cement truck;mother geese taking her little ones for a swim;sailboats tacking accross the channel where the sea plane wants to land. We had a great view of all this from atop the boat.Hope everyone is well. Russ,Pat,Maddie

Very Small Anchorage

Wednesday morning we crossed over into Canada,clearing customs at Bedwell Harbor. After tying up,you walk up to the head of the dock and pick up a phone.After talking to a customs agent,they give you a clearence number to post on your boat and send you on your way.It took about 10 minutes. From there we cruised to Prevost Island and spent the night in a very small bay called Selby Cove. We were the only boat there so it was no problem. Thursday we left at 11:30am and crusied up to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. Here we can get some provisions before we go further north. We are anchored at a small island accross the bay from Nanaimo called New Castle Island. Fron here we can see the Strait of Georgia. This is the first of three large bodies of open water we need to cross. It's about 25 miles across so will take about 4 hours to do. But tomorrow we'll go to town. Everything is still working fine. We saw a small pod of killer whales today. See ya! Russ,Pat,Maddie

Heading for the dock

Saturday we cruised to Prevost Harbor on Stewart Island. We are about two miles from Canada.We took Maddie for a long walk today as there are lots of nice trails here and no wild animals. Tonight she can hardly keep her eyes open. There are only three boats here tonight. It's the off season. If it were summer there would be nearly a hundred boats here. We are going to Friday Harbor in a few days as our boat tabs expire in June and we'll pick some up there. Then we'll head north. The weather is a mixed bag of sun,wind,rain.Hope everyone is OK.Russ,Pat,Maddie