Danube River Cruise

We had a fantastic time on our week-long Danube River cruise aboard the AmaMagna. Stops along the way included Pecs in Hungary, Vukovar in Croatia, Novi Sad and Belgrade in Serbia, Vidin and Ruse in Bulgaria, and Bucharest in Romania. As with Budapest, these cities all date back to the Middle Ages and have suffered…

Budapest

The cities of Buda and Pest became one in 1849 with the construction of the famous Szechenyi Chain Bridge, the first permanent bridge across the Danube River (pictured above). Despite centuries of European conflict dating back to the Middle Ages, multiple occupations by conquering forces, and decades of Communist rule, both sides are full of…

Ketchikan to Port Townsend

On the morning of July 24, with fresh oil from a routine oil change coursing through Alpenglow’s Lugger engine, we headed out of Ketchikan. First stop was the fuel dock at the south end of town where we took on a little over 290 gallons of diesel. We probably could have made it back to Puget Sound without taking on fuel, but we like the extra ballast a ton of fuel provides when we go around Cape Caution.

We stopped just short of the AK-BC border at a small cove in Sitklan Passage, which allows us to arrive in Prince Rupert around noon the next day even with the time change from AKDT to PDT. The weather was settled and crossing Dixon Entrance was comfortable.

We moored at the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club (PRRYC) facility in Cow Bay for two days while we provisioned with the fresh produce that we couldn’t bring across the border. We also played with Drake several times, went for walks and probably bought more treats from the local Tim Horton’s than were healthy for us.

We squeezed our way out of the PRRYC marina (it required a 3-point 180° turn in the fairway) on July 27 and headed south out of Prince Rupert Harbor. Because of the timing of the currents in Grenville Channel, we elected to take the outer channels (Ogden Channel, Petrel Channel and Principe Channel) along the west shore of Pitt Island. Our anchorage for the night was the south end of Patterson Inlet.

The next day we continued south, crossing Estevan Sound, Laredo Channel and Laredo Sound then transited through Meyers Passage. We anchored on the west shore of Swindle Island at the elbow where Meyers Passage meets Tolmie Channel.

Often, we’ve travelled this section more slowly, covering shorter distances and stopping to fish, but with only 3-weeks before our haul out in Port Townsend we wanted to concentrate 2024-Cruise-181xour BC fishing time in the Fitz Hugh Sound area. We made one more stop, Fancy Cove in Lama Passage, before arriving at Goldstream Harbor on the NE corner of Hecate Island.

We spent 8 nights in Fitz Hugh Sound fishing in a variety of locations. We stayed four of the nights at Pruth Bay where the Hakai Institute generously provides shore and trail access to the spectacular beaches on the west shore of Calvert Island. Drake enjoys his time on the beach where he often meets the dogs from other boats.2024-Cruise-187X Our final night before heading south around Cape Caution was at Safety Cove on the east shore of Calvert Island.

This was our thirtieth crossing of Cape Caution (15 round trips) but we never take it for granted. We always carefully monitor the weather forecasts days ahead of when we want to do the crossing and choose the best day we can find. This year the weather gods were good to us, and we didn’t need to put our stabilizing fish in the water. We headed directly to Port McNeill on Vancouver Island rather than turning into the Broughton Islands on the mainland side of Queen Charlotte Strait.

Drake reminded us that we needed to spend two nights in Port McNeill so that he had ample shore time to play ball. Because of that, we didn’t depart until the morning of August 9. With a forecast of strong afternoon NW winds in Johnstone Strait and adverse currents in Johnstone Strait (it was mostly ebbing north during the middle of the day), we had to do a stutter step approach to getting around Seymour Narrows. Our first night was in Douglas Bay in Forward Harbour where we shared the anchorage with about ten other boats. From here we did a very early start and traveled first to Otter Cove, south of Chatham Point, on the dying flood current, anchored for a leisurely lunch during the building ebb current then fought the dying ebb current down Discovery Passage to transit Seymour Narrow at slack before stopping the night in Gowlland Harbour on Quadra Island.

The next day, August 11, we again started very early and made the long slog down the Strait of Georgia. We anchored that night in Boat Harbour south of Dodd Narrows which made for and easy next day to Montague Harbour on Galliano Island.

Our original plan was to spend two nights at Montague before crossing the border back into the US and the San Juan Islands. Unexpectedly, we added an extra day when we discovered that our anchor windlass had failed and would not haul the anchor up. After calling the US distributor for the windlass, we got some troubleshooting tips and determined that we weren’t going to be able to fix the windlass ourselves. Fortunately, the windlass can be operated by hand and the anchor raised.

On Thursday August 15, we got our anchor pulled up, crossed the border, and headed to Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes for the night. The next day, Friday, we continued to Port Townsend and began to prepare for our haul out the following Monday. The failed anchor windlass becomes another item on the work list for the Port Townsend Shipwrights Cooperative who will be doing the work.

Ketchikan to Port Townsend

On the morning of July 24, with fresh oil from a routine oil change coursing through Alpenglow’s Lugger engine, we headed out of Ketchikan. First stop was the fuel dock at the south end of town where we took on a little over 290 gallons of diesel. We probably could have made it back to Puget Sound without taking on fuel, but we like the extra ballast a ton of fuel provides when we go around Cape Caution.

We stopped just short of the AK-BC border at a small cove in Sitklan Passage, which allows us to arrive in Prince Rupert around noon the next day even with the time change from AKDT to PDT. The weather was settled and crossing Dixon Entrance was comfortable.

We moored at the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club (PRRYC) facility in Cow Bay for two days while we provisioned with the fresh produce that we couldn’t bring across the border. We also played with Drake several times, went for walks and probably bought more treats from the local Tim Horton’s than were healthy for us.

We squeezed our way out of the PRRYC marina (it required a 3-point 180° turn in the fairway) on July 27 and headed south out of Prince Rupert Harbor. Because of the timing of the currents in Grenville Channel, we elected to take the outer channels (Ogden Channel, Petrel Channel and Principe Channel) along the west shore of Pitt Island. Our anchorage for the night was the south end of Patterson Inlet.

The next day we continued south, crossing Estevan Sound, Laredo Channel and Laredo Sound then transited through Meyers Passage. We anchored on the west shore of Swindle Island at the elbow where Meyers Passage meets Tolmie Channel.

Often, we’ve travelled this section more slowly, covering shorter distances and stopping to fish, but with only 3-weeks before our haul out in Port Townsend we wanted to concentrate 2024-Cruise-181xour BC fishing time in the Fitz Hugh Sound area. We made one more stop, Fancy Cove in Lama Passage, before arriving at Goldstream Harbor on the NE corner of Hecate Island.

We spent 8 nights in Fitz Hugh Sound fishing in a variety of locations. We stayed four of the nights at Pruth Bay where the Hakai Institute generously provides shore and trail access to the spectacular beaches on the west shore of Calvert Island. Drake enjoys his time on the beach where he often meets the dogs from other boats.2024-Cruise-187X Our final night before heading south around Cape Caution was at Safety Cove on the east shore of Calvert Island.

This was our thirtieth crossing of Cape Caution (15 round trips) but we never take it for granted. We always carefully monitor the weather forecasts days ahead of when we want to do the crossing and choose the best day we can find. This year the weather gods were good to us, and we didn’t need to put our stabilizing fish in the water. We headed directly to Port McNeill on Vancouver Island rather than turning into the Broughton Islands on the mainland side of Queen Charlotte Strait.

Drake reminded us that we needed to spend two nights in Port McNeill so that he had ample shore time to play ball. Because of that, we didn’t depart until the morning of August 9. With a forecast of strong afternoon NW winds in Johnstone Strait and adverse currents in Johnstone Strait (it was mostly ebbing north during the middle of the day), we had to do a stutter step approach to getting around Seymour Narrows. Our first night was in Douglas Bay in Forward Harbour where we shared the anchorage with about ten other boats. From here we did a very early start and traveled first to Otter Cove, south of Chatham Point, on the dying flood current, anchored for a leisurely lunch during the building ebb current then fought the dying ebb current down Discovery Passage to transit Seymour Narrow at slack before stopping the night in Gowlland Harbour on Quadra Island.

The next day, August 11, we again started very early and made the long slog down the Strait of Georgia. We anchored that night in Boat Harbour south of Dodd Narrows which made for and easy next day to Montague Harbour on Galliano Island.

Our original plan was to spend two nights at Montague before crossing the border back into the US and the San Juan Islands. Unexpectedly, we added an extra day when we discovered that our anchor windlass had failed and would not haul the anchor up. After calling the US distributor for the windlass, we got some troubleshooting tips and determined that we weren’t going to be able to fix the windlass ourselves. Fortunately, the windlass can be operated by hand and the anchor raised.

On Thursday August 15, we got our anchor pulled up, crossed the border, and headed to Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes for the night. The next day, Friday, we continued to Port Townsend and began to prepare for our haul out the following Monday. The failed anchor windlass becomes another item on the work list for the Port Townsend Shipwrights Cooperative who will be doing the work.

Everett

The city of Everett, about 30 miles (48km) north of Seattle, evolved and prospered through transportation. The 1893 arrival of the Great Northern Railway transformed the small lumber town into a major lumber center that supported several large sawmills, including the self-proclaimed largest shingle mill in the world. Access to new timberland and other resources…

July 28 – Susquehanna Kayak Trip

“My sons are the best gift I have ever received. They are the sunshine in my day, the joy in my soul, and the love of my life.” -Author Unknown
Last week was Kyle’s birthday we celebrated by spending the day kayaking the Susquehanna River. The outfitters we used were located in Danville. We drove over from Bloomsburg to Danville, left our vehicle and they brought us back to Fishing Creek in Bloomsburg where we started our trip. We couldn’t have asked for a better day…clear blue skies, very little wind and temperatures in the low 70s when we began. What a great day for this adventure.

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Tacoma

The Puget Sound port city of Tacoma was founded in 1872 and experienced what author Rudyard Kipling described as “a boom of the boomiest” when the following year it was selected as the Pacific Northwest terminus of the transcontinental Northern Pacific Railway. After a brief downturn during the Panic of 1893, the city bounced back…

July 28 – Susquehanna Kayak Trip

“My sons are the best gift I have ever received. They are the sunshine in my day, the joy in my soul, and the love of my life.” -Author Unknown
Last week was Kyle’s birthday we celebrated by spending the day kayaking the Susquehanna River. The outfitters we used were located in Danville. We drove over from Bloomsburg to Danville, left our vehicle and they brought us back to Fishing Creek in Bloomsburg where we started our trip. We couldn’t have asked for a better day…clear blue skies, very little wind and temperatures in the low 70s when we began. What a great day for this adventure.

Fishing Creek runs behind Kyle’s house and we like playing there on warm days. We started a bit downstream from there at the Rupert Covered Bridge. From the bridge the creek dumps into the Susquehanna River and flows west. We paddled over 10 miles today. Everyone did amazing. Graham had his own kayak and the girls were great paddlers in the duel kayaks with their parents. We stopped a few times to swim, relax and eat a few snacks.

Getting ready to start. 

What a beautiful spot to kayak.

The scenery changed quite a bit as we paddled towards Danville.

We stopped twice along the way to swim and relax.

The water felt a little chilly…but oh so nice.

A fun day on the water.

Danville, Pennsylvania 

The last little section to the pull out was one of the prettiest spots.

Bainbridge Island

Bainbridge Island, across the Puget Sound from Seattle, has had a robust Japanese community since immigrants first arrived there in the late 1800s. Their world was shattered following the air attack on Pearl Harbor, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order for the nation-wide internment of over 125,000 US residents of Japanese descent,…

July 20-23 Cora’s Visit

“Granddaughters are like flowers; you never get tired of watching them grow.” -Anonymous

It was finally Cora’s turn to come to the boat. We picked her up Saturday afternoon and brought her to the house. We had a fun evening and were ready early on Sunday to head to the lake. Cora mastered riding her bike without training wheels in June and last week she got a new bike. So this visit was all about riding her bike. We have amazing bike trials around our marina, it’s a great safe place to ride. In three days Cora rode just over 27 miles.

In between rides we painted rocks, made beaded bracelets, did a little shopping, visited a few waterfalls and played games. She also earned a little money by cleaning the boat. The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful time. We truly love these visits.

This is the map of our last bike ride. It was 5.5 miles. Cora loves her bike.
Cora was watching the boats come and go on Sunday afternoon.
Cora loves to help out, she swept, dusted and even did the dishes.
We love to do crafts together.
One day we went to our favorite secret spot for lunch and a little fun in the water.
Looking down the creek from the waterfall.
Cora had fun catching the little fish in the creek.
And of course no summer vacation would be complete without ice cream.
We literally have 100s of waterfalls in our county…this is the most impressive, but Taughannock Falls didn’t have much water on this day.
This little falls is located on the Black Diamond Bike Trail.