Day 10: This morning we hear a Mayday over the VHF. It is a sailboat just a few miles north reporting smoke in their engine room. Fortunately a Coast Guard Cutter is only half a mile away and is there within 10 minutes. A short time later, the Coast Guard reports all 4 people and […]
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Inside Passage to Alaska 2023: Part 2
Our next big hurdle is to cross Cape Caution, a 50 mile open Pacific water passage at the tip of Vancouver Island. The weather doesn’t look good for the next few days so we are taking our time to explore the Broughton Islands. The Broughton Archipelago is a destination itself with a maze of islands and […]
Inside Passage to Alaska 2023: Part One
With all of our boat projects finished, it’s time to push away from the docks and point the bow North towards Alaska. But before doing so, we must clear out of Canada on our work order and re-enter under a cruising permit. This is called “Turning the Flag” and is a relatively easy process with the […]
April in Sidney
A few weeks turned into almost a month as we waited on Spring to arrive in Sidney. We needed just a few days of good weather to repair some small gel coat cracks but it has been cold and raining almost non stop. April usually sees some good weather here in Sidney but not this year. Now […]
Floating In Our New Home
We have hauled Idyll Time out of the water many times over the years but it still creates a knot in our stomach each time she is hauled or launched. Boats are supposed to be in the water not on land. We have great confidence in Alex our lift master. He has launched Idyll Time […]
Back Aboard
It was a beautiful flight across country and we are now back aboard Idyll Time in Sidney, BC. We were very happy to find everything in excellent condition aboard Idyll Time. She is just as we left her last year. Philbrooks completed several projects over the winter including new bottom paint, stabilizer seals replacement, bow […]
Year End
For the past month, we have been in Sidney,BC at Philbrooks Boat Yard. Idyll Time had a list of maintenance items to attend to. She takes good care of us during our travels so we must also take good care of her. Philbrooks is a great yard for having work done and Sidney is a […]
Back to Canada
We have a short 14 mile trip from Roche Harbor to Sidney,B.C. We head directly to the customs dock at Van Isle Marina. We are entering Canada under a “Work Order”. We have accumulated a long list of maintenance items for Philbrooks Boat Yard to address. After clearing customs, we must go directly to Philbrooks which is located right […]
San Juan Islands
Just after pulling anchor in Bedwell Harbor, we do one last food check. No eggs, no apples, no fruit with seeds or pits. In just a few miles, we will be crossing Boundary Pass and entering the United States. Since leaving Petersburg, Alaska we have traveled 1012 miles in the past 36 days. We are so thankful for […]
Desolation Sound and The Gulf Islands
Our departure from Waiatt Bay is dictated by slack tide at “Hole in the Wall” rapids. This is another rapid that must be transited only at slack. Maximum current for this rapid is up to 12 knots and slack last for only a few minutes. This will be our first time transiting this rapid. We arrive 20 minutes early […]
