Tag Archives | Selene

 May 11, 2021 With the extra distance run yesterday, we were able to delay our departure from Codville Lagoon until 0700. The sun was shining and the reflections of the rock walls in the water made it look like totem poles laid on their side….

 Spirit Log Day 4

May 10, 2021

We planned a 0600 departure from Allison Harbour to cross Cape Caution before the afternoon westerlies piped up.  Arising at 0530, we were greeted by dense fog, but light winds.  Departing at slow speed with the automatic fog signal blowing every 2 minutes, we inched out the entrance.  The fog began to lift and we discovered clear skies over the Strait of Georgia.  The swell was running at 1.6 meters, or about 5 feet, with a 2 foot wind chop from the west.  We cleared Cape Caution at 0745 and passed behind Egg Island at 0835.  Not the best sea conditions, but far from the worst.

Making good time, especially as the seas calmed entering Fitz Hugh sound, we passed by our initial anchorage location, Green Island.  Proceeding up Fitz Hugh we entered Codville Lagoon and anchored under sunny skies at 1500, having covered another 73 NM today.

With the early arrival, we relaxed and enjoyed a movie night, watching “First Man” and snacking on popcorn.

 May 8, 2021

Spirit Log Day 2

As expected, the winds abated after sundown and shifted back to northwest.  About 0330 the winds died completely, but the residual low swell caused the fishing boat to start banging against the fenders, waking us up.  Seeing nothing amiss it was back to bed until about 0700.

Our day today takes us through Seymour Narrows to Thurston Bay.  We need to hit high slack current at Seymour Narrows, so the 48 NM run to the narrows allowed us to delay our departure until 0900, under overcast skies and almost no wind in Tribune Bay.  Rendezvous is following us about ½ mile astern.

Overnight our anchor light failed, so we will have to replace when we get to Ketchikan.  Turns out that even LED lights have finite lifespans.  The light is located at the top of the mast in a difficult location and we will have to wait until Ketchikan to replace it, since Patrick discovered that there was no spare on board.

The Strait of Georgia was calm with light winds as we headed further northwest to Campbell River, just this side of Seymour Narrows.  The last of the flood tide flowing south through Discovery Passage slowed us down to less than 4 knots at times.  Even so, we arrived at 1600, 37 minutes ahead of high slack, our target.  The current was very manageable so we proceeded through the narrows and entered Johnstone Strait headed for our evening destination, Thurston Bay.  There was virtually no marine traffic the entire day.

We anchored Spirit at 1840 in light rain and calm seas, after a voyage of 69 NM.  After a dinner of roasted pork tenderloin scalloped potatoes and salad, we all retired early for the 0600 departure for our next stop, Allison Harbour.  We have covered nearly 185 NM since leaving Anacortes on May 6.

Spirit Log Day 3

Dawn arrived all too early for a tired crew, but the calm water and gentle sound of rain on the decks provided a soothing environment for sleep.  Setting the alarm for 0530, we were underway at 0545, some 15 minutes behind Rendezvous.  Riding the ebb tide up a calm Johnstone Strait in rain, dodging barges also riding the ebb tide, we turned into Blackney Pass and into Blackfish Sound.  Alas, no Orca’s to be seen, just an adverse current of 4 knots for several miles until we entered Queen Charlotte Strait.  By this time, the afternoon westerlies began to build and the ebb current created some short steep seas as we crossed over to the British Columbia Mainland side of the straits.  Passing Numas Islands the wind increased to 20-25 knots, the sun came out and we put a lot of spray over Spirit.  Threading our way behind points and islands to minimize the waves we finally decided to explore a different approach into Allison Harbour.  We could see several small passenger boats anchored behind some islands at the entrance and were pleasantly surprised by a nice potential anchorage for future trips.  The anchor was set in Allison Harbor ¼ mile behind Rendezvous at 1755, having logged 102.93 NM today, for a trip total of 289 NM, essentially halfway to Ketchikan.

Spirit Log – Day 0 to 1

May 6, 2021

The first stage of our 2021 Alaska Journey was a positioning cruise to Roche Harbor in order to be close to the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) marine reporting terminal at Van Isle Marina, Sidney.  Arriving at Roche Harbor we met up with the Selene 55 Rendezvous who are also headed to Alaska.  The cruise provided a good opportunity to test out the towing bridle for the Johnson’s 18 foot aluminum fishing boat.  We departed Anacortes Marina for the fuel dock at 0745 and after taking on 460 gallons of fuel departed Cap Sante at 0830.  Underway we tested out the towing bridle and the procedures for deploying and retrieving the fishing boat.

The towing bride worked fine but was more effective when we shortened the overall length by about 20 feet to 130 feet.

Arriving at Roche Harbor Marina at 1145, after a short 27.5 NM journey, our assigned slip was Slip 1 on the main guest dock, close for Miriam to get up to McMillin’s Restaurant where we were scheduled for a sendoff dinner with the crew from Rendezvous.  Dinner and adult beverages were excellent, but the summer prices were a shock compared to just weeks ago during the Selene Owner’s Rendezvous.  Likewise, the moorage prices between winter and summer went from $88 to $203 for the same boat.

Later that evening Patrick finished scanning passports into the ArriveCan app, required for entry in Canada, along with our proposed quarantine plan for the mandatory 14 day period.  The app accepted the entries and we received a 0800 appointment at Van Isle Marina for the next morning.

May 7

Our departure from Roche Harbor was uneventful, but early, at 0545.  Heading the ten miles to Van Isle Marina we called in as we crossed the border and CBSA confirmed our time of 0800.  Arriving at the CBSA float we found a small sailboat with nobody aboard blocking most of the float.  There were also no CBSA officers.  We managed to place Spirit mostly on the dock, with about 20 feet of the stern hanging out into the fairway.  Fortunately there was little traffic, and the only way on and off was by climbing over the side rail.  The CBSA officers arrived about 0825, since they start work at 0800, but at the Victoria Airport.  The inspectors were courteous and professional and after a series of questions about alcohol, fruits and vegetables, cash, cannabis products and firearms, they performed a brief on-board inspection while we waited in the cockpit, leaving the boat neat.  By 0845, just twenty minutes later, we were on our way north, with the officers even helping with our lines.  Overall, this was a pleasant surprise after reading other crossing reports.

Since the process took less time than we expected, in consultation with the crew of Rendezvous, who were cleared shortly after us, we decided to try for slack water at Dodd Narrows, which shortened the distance to our first stop by a few miles.  We actually rode the last of the favorable current through the narrows, hitting speeds of 13 knots over the ground.

Entering the Straits of Georgia and threading our way between the bulk carriers waiting to load/unload east of Protection Island we found very favorable wind and sea conditions at we skirted the western boundary of the acoustic range WG (Whiskey Golf) which was not active this day.  Passing Ballenas Islands the normal brisk winds spilling over Vancouver Island near Qualicum Beach, reaching 33 knots and the associated beam seas for the last ten mile run into Tribune Bay on Hornby Island coated Spirit with salt.  As we approached the anchorage, the wind and seas abated and we anchored in 30 feet of water at 1844, having covered a total of 88 NM since leaving Roche Harbor.  Rendezvous anchored shortly after us.

The somewhat exhausted crew enjoyed Chicken Piccata prepared by Teri Johnson before retiring for the evening.

 Log of “Spirit”

May 2021

After no blog entries in several years, we are once again documenting our voyages.  Since our last posting in 2018, documenting our cruise from Iceland to Montreal on Seabourn Quest, following the route of the Vikings to Greenland and Newfoundland, we made another voyage around New Zealand on Seabourn Encore and then to SE Alaska in 2019.

In March of 2020, we headed to Buenos Aires to board Seabourn Quest for a 36 day expedition up the Amazon and ending up in Miami.  The Covid pandemic intervened and we barely escaped Buenos Aires before the airspace was closed.

Returning the Bellevue, we quarantined ourselves, and finally in June headed to Anacortes to spend time of Spirit, again isolating ourselves.  Summer 2020 was spent between Bellevue, Anacortes and a number of short cruises in the crowded San Juan Islands, since the Canada/USA border was closed to recreational traffic.  In late August Miriam suffered a major stroke and the next 8 months were spent in recovery and rehabilitation with the goal of transiting Canada to SE Alaska, an allowable activity.

The end of April marked the temporary end of rehab until we return to Bellevue in August.

Spirit will attempt to clear Canada customs the morning of May 7.