"Eagle Lady" Spotting

[Nehalennia]

Mo and I had Friday night off without the kids. We went to dinner in Silver lake and stuffed our faces with a great "All you can eat" Sushi joint(Sushi Ring)".
Anyways after that it was such a nice night we headed down to Anthony's in Everett and saw "Eagle Lady" there on the guest dock. We walked down and said hello to Lorraine and she said Garry was up scrubbin' the filth off of himself in the shower.
Anyway they had a slow crawl back from The San Juans and were taking their time getting home.

After Garry came back he and Lorraine headed up to walk the dog, and we chatted for a few, while Mo and I had a drink at Anthony's Deck, about their new favorite spot(Blakely Island) and the crabbing they did.

It was good to see you guys and hopefully next time all our boats are running the proper temp, not leaking and the Radios work.

[jwishart]

[QUOTE=Nehalennia;28974]Mo and I had Friday night off without the kids. We went to dinner in Silver lake and stuffed our faces with a great "All you can eat" Sushi joint(Sushi Ring)". /[QUOTE]

Is chef Elvis still working there?

[SomeSailor]

... headed down to Anthony's in Everett and saw "Eagle Lady" there on the guest dock.

We were coming in from an afternoon of crabbing and spotted them on the Everett docks also. Sounds like their trip went well despite the slow cruising.

But think about all the fuel they saved... :)

Sure glad they were able to salvage their trip and had a good time.

[Nehalennia]

Mo and I had Friday night off without the kids. We went to dinner in Silver lake and stuffed our faces with a great "All you can eat" Sushi joint(Sushi Ring)".

Is chef Elvis still working there?
Yep, He owns the joint. What a great deal that place is.


We were coming in from an afternoon of crabbing and spotted them on the Everett docks also. Sounds like their trip went well despite the slow cruising.

But think about all the fuel they saved... :)

Sure glad they were able to salvage their trip and had a good time.
Yeah I'm glad too.

[oh_wells]

I'm glad they are back safely, too. I would have told Jeff to turn the boat around and go home. But you have to take vacation when you can get them so I'm glad they went and had a nice time.

[Nehalennia]

I'm glad they are back safely, too. I would have told Jeff to turn the boat around and go home. But you have to take vacation when you can get them so I'm glad they went and had a nice time.

Well I hope everything's ok. I haven't seen them online since we saw them. I'm sure it is, but hopefully we get a good update soon.

[Eagle Lady]

Mo and I had Friday night off without the kids. ....we headed down to Anthony's in Everett and saw "Eagle Lady" there on the guest dock. We walked down and said hello to Lorraine and she said Garry was up scrubbin' the filth off of himself in the shower.
Anyway they had a slow crawl back from The San Juans and were taking their time getting home.

After Garry came back he and Lorraine headed up to walk the dog, and we chatted for a few, while Mo and I had a drink at Anthony's Deck, about their new favorite spot(Blakely Island) and the crabbing they did.

It was good to see you guys and hopefully next time all our boats are running the proper temp, not leaking and the Radios work.

Thanks Todd, it was nice to see you again too and finally meet 'Mo'. We hope your boat is fixed now or they let you take one off the showroom in place of for the trip to Desolation!

This was a fabulous trip I'm glad we took. I've tried to reduce the size here but to get it all in this is the best I could do.. hope it works and makes sense.

We returned safely or should that say slowly? We had a wonderful time in the Juan’s even with the alarm during the floaty times. I used a bandaid over the hole. That didn't quiet it completely & made me nervous because we couldn't hear it as well. Hmm, that annoying eh-eh-eh-eh-e-e-eh-eh-eh makes you crazy but not hearing it when you know you should makes you even crazier! But we were determined to get on our way; we have VA, VHF-DSC, GPS & used the “stop and go” travel method.

We’d plane 20 minutes but the ((annoying alarm)) would go off, we’d slow to 6-7k another 10 minutes then back to plane again... The animals appreciated the speed bump interruption & so did our wallet. It reminded me of a road trip we took some years ago after filling the car’s gas tank with bad gas; stop go stop go stop go.

1st night: Kingston -- 20 minutes in ((annoying alarm)) we settled on the docks looking for advice from a repair center. All were too busy…
2nd night: Everett Marina, “SomeSailor Mike” met us to help with a stat change, unfortunately that ((annoying alarm)) was still with us. We now have a new 140* stat installed tho & a back up. Rewards for good deeds are not always understandable compensated - after helping us and giving dockhand assistance to a gorgeous old Coast Guard boat docking nearby Mike had the rope literally pulled out from underneath him. The dock line slacked, he fell chest high into the water. It was hot so I s’pose it wasn’t all that bad, except for pride and the 2 phones he had in his pocket.

Ok, that evening made us realize ‘what the heck, we have the LaConner navigation information’, maps, food etc…we can just go slow when we need to - we really want to see the San Juan’s. Next a.m. we moved on.

Crossed Skagit Bay into the south entrance toward LaConner, ((annoying alarm)). We were going slowly enough & did bump sand at one point but not because we weren’t watching the markers but because there didn’t seem to be enough of them on that side. We backed off & all was good. As we approached the channel, the locals & crabbing boats whirred by but more importantly we were able to photograph beautiful adult & immature eagles perched on pilings like statues through the channel…kind of like our own personal escorts.

The entire vacation was “plane awhile, ((annoying alarm)), slow for 10 minutes & repeat”. Everything was too beautiful to pass by going planing speed anyway. I’m so glad we continued on even with the overheating, determination paid off. The views in every direction were breathtaking.

There are many “adventurous opportunities” to talk about…hope you’re not all bored – we figure you’ve gone through them already but this was our 1st time and in this writing we’re repeating our great vacation.

3rd night: LaConner. We searched for Randy & Mary aka IBNW’s StrayCat aka “Halcyona”. No luck, we discovered later we didn’t have the DSC configured correctly. The water flow through the channel near the marina was swift as a river. Large boater’s manned sterns to push off logs catching on swim platforms as they floated by. The next morning we crossed Rosario Strait past Cypress, Guemes, Decatur, Blakely then Lopez, Orcas & Shaw Islands, missed a couple I’m sure. Next AM heard that fog covered the water in Anacortes so it was nice to follow the “Froya” through & past the Railroad Bridge and on to the islands. They headed for Roche, we were going to Friday Harbor but the escort was a blessing! Once arriving at FH, we were placed on a waiting list. Four hours later we shared a slip for the night then back to the list scenario at 9:30am the next day. Most people are considerate VHF users; others not so much & we must applaud the marina VHF operators. They were calm, cool & collected making sure everyone was situated. We were set near the pump out…yikes!! Not the dreaded PUMP OUT! <thoughts of Play-N-Hookie’s dock experience swirled in my head>.

Later we heard the “Halcyona” aka Randy & Mary calling for a slip. By that time FH was packed like sardines so we called out to have them raft to us. We spent a wonderful 4th watching fireworks from their flybridge. The next day surprise visitors again. Ken & Lorie aka 3788sam aka “Alrighty Then”. Unfortunately Randy & Mary had already left.

For those of you that don’t know, Ken & Lorie installed a fireplace on their boat but pictures don’t do it justice! During the visit we met Bob & Pam too, aka WebJammin aka “Just Relax”. Ok stop dreaming; a fireplace won’t fit on a 2452…Hardly room for us let alone a fireplace!

07/06 - On to Deer Harbor & no problem finding space, the marina was only &#189; full. ICE CREAM! Hot showers, laundry room & a beach for walking Barky Von Schnauzer. And wouldn’t you know it, we were greeted in the afternoon by Tally aka “Wickus”. It’s great to put faces to names! Next morning our intentions were Fisherman’s Bay at Lopez but found fog again. We have GPS but no radar so we turned into Friday Harbor for the night.

Next day a change of plans…Blakely Island instead of Lopez. We were happy to have changed the plans, after an hour we decided Blakely deserved a 2-night stay (9th, 10th day). The little hideaway was calm, serene, beautiful scenery, sunrise & sunsets, beautiful ambiance in the old fashnd store, pet friendly, not crowded. Definite must-see if you need a day or 2 to relax. More great ice cream too! And more IBNW’ers! Very nice couple Karen and Mike aka “Five C’s” docked across the way. The crabbing at Blakely was terrific!

Our final night was spent at POE where we were pleasantly surprised yet again by a happenstance meeting with Mike aka "SomeSailor" aka "Miss Diane" as he was passing by after crabbing with his son Dane(?), and another HUGE thank you for your help on our way up north, then later on Todd and Mo aka “Nehalennia”. The two of them were enjoying an evening without kiddoes, saw us docked & stopped to visit. So sad to hear of Nehalennia’s engine problems but glad it was discovered now… hopefully repairs will go quick & smoothly, a trip to Desolation Sound is planned in a few days (where we hope to join you the next trip btw!).

Sadly our trip is finally at an end. The weather has been perfect; sunny, warm, and the water great too; not too choppy, calm & even the overheat issue is quiet. The mess cost us 2 days off in front and 2 days at the end but everything turned out. No need for VA or CG assistance. We’ve visited many of these ports before but never by water, the north end areas I feared most turned out to be some of the most beautiful and the past 12 days have been a wonderful adventure that I’m glad we experienced. We'll post pictures soon.

OK, now for the last… I mustn’t forget the final ending to these lovely travels. I know if I don’t mention it Garry most likely will. We arrived @ homeport Des Moines on 7/12 also our 12th day. As usual stopped to pumpout like every ending to a trip. Found they have installed brand new pump out system, new hoses, the works but you’ll never guess what happened to this Admiral? Anyone recall Play-N-Hookie’s pump out story? Yuck, it happened here too but to me not unsuspecting dock lurkers.

Apparently being in a bit of a hurry will work against you more often than not. What’s the phrase? Haste makes waste? In more ways than one I'd say. (Hmm, that must be where that came from?) :rolleyes: Anyway I pulled the hose off the outlet a wee bit too soon & found myself spritz'd with a lovely “au de toilet” bouquet. So much for the new gloves from WM at POE. Garry laughed his arse off and 'kindly' handed me a boat towel…thbbb!! (Haha, your turn will come honey ;)) And thank goodness we’d done laundry the day before so I would have a clean towel to dry off with.

BTW, we had words with the repair shop that was suppose to correct the overheat issue before we left, they didn't like the idea of having their name out there for this but we didn't like having to cut our vacation by 4 days either....maybe it'll be repaired correctly after this. We'll see.

[Stray Cat]

:mrgreen:

Excellent trip report!
It was so nice to meet up with you four (can't forget Kitty) in FH for the fireworks.

So glad that you took what could have been a bad situation and turned into a fun and relaxing trip. I'm afraid I would have been overheating the whole time if that had happened to me.

[SomeSailor]

I'm so glad you guys pressed on and got a good dose of the San Juans and a chance to meet a few of the faces behind the names on here.

It's fun seeing someone meet so many of the group in person. This place is just a dot on the Internet, but there a LOT of really good folks here. I've been fortunate to have known most all of this bunch for sometime and look forward to seeing you both up in this neck of the woods again.

Give us a shout next time you're up this way (Dagmars would realy let you hit the Islands more often... hint...)

[Eagle Lady]

I'm so glad you guys pressed on and got a good dose of the San Juans and a chance to meet a few of the faces behind the names on here.


And we are too on all accounts!



This place is just a dot on the Internet, but there a LOT of really good folks here. I've been fortunate to have known most all of this bunch for sometime and look forward to seeing you both up in this neck of the woods again.

Give us a shout next time you're up this way (Dagmars would realy let you hit the Islands more often... hint...)

Will do. :) And you're right about Dagmar's, it would be nice to be that close getting to the islands but way too far if we had to work on the boat - takes an hour or two to get there from here, spoiled I guess having it just 20 minutes away at DM. Car gas$ VS Boat gas$ Hmmm...it's a thought but after 13+ years commuting that every day it would be difficult to get excited about doing it again.

I will probably be adding more info to the trip report as I recall it or as it let's me (like now)... It had over 17000 characters when I started.. had to cut it to 10000. Always talk too much :lol:

[Eagle Lady]

:mrgreen:

Excellent trip report!
It was so nice to meet up with you four (can't forget Kitty) in FH for the fireworks.

So glad that you took what could have been a bad situation and turned into a fun and relaxing trip. I'm afraid I would have been overheating the whole time if that had happened to me.

Thank you! Surprisingly Sammy seemed to enjoy this trip more than others in the past... but then she slept 23/7 too... and didn't seem to be so weirded out this time either. I got a few good pic's of her investigating the bow through the hatch opening I'll post. She's a sweet cat.

See ya soon!

[Nehalennia]

.......... Always talk too much :lol:

Not on this site.
Glad to hear you made it and you had a great time regardless of the issues.

Thanks for the well wishes as we disembark tomorrow. I'll post, blog or whatever as much as possible(as I'm the early riser in our group)

I'm really glad you guys enjoyed the SJI's but you probably already know there is so much more to explore.

See you soon

[Play N Hookie II]

[QUOTE=Eagle Lady;29174]

Apparently being in a bit of a hurry will work against you more often than not. What’s the phrase? Haste makes waste? In more ways than one I'd say. (Hmm, that must be where that came from?) :rolleyes: Anyway I pulled the hose off the outlet a wee bit too soon & found myself spritz'd with a lovely “au de toilet” bouquet. So much for the new gloves from WM at POE. Garry laughed his arse off and 'kindly' handed me a boat towel…thbbb!! (Haha, your turn will come honey ;)) And thank goodness we’d done laundry the day before so I would have a clean towel to dry off with.

QUOTE]

I am glad to hear you made it back safely. I am also glad to hear about the pumpout experience. Not that you had to go through it but at least it validates that I am not the only one capable of it:D I look forward to meeting you on the water sometime as well. We are taking our first trip (by water anyway) to Roche in a couple weeks.

[oh_wells]

Thanks for the trip report. I've been hoping all was safe and sound with you. Hope you brought a camera.

As for the repair shop...well, if you put out shoddy work, you get a bad name for yourself in a hurry. Don't let them get under your skin!

[Eagle Lady]

Hope you brought a camera.

As for the repair shop...well, if you put out shoddy work, you get a bad name for yourself in a hurry. Don't let them get under your skin!

Yup, I take a camera everywhere I go it seems.. in fact the phrase "Oh mom, YOU and THAT camera!" is what I hear most often at family get-togethers...that's ok I don't care. With technology these days you can delete those you don't want anyway so I take pictures everywhere of everything all the time. Our other camera is more advanced but I like to use the Sony Mavica, the pictures it takes are beautiful and for me easy to download one or ten.

[Eagle Lady]

I am glad to hear you made it back safely. I am also glad to hear about the pumpout experience. Not that you had to go through it but at least it validates that I am not the only one capable of it:D I look forward to meeting you on the water sometime as well. We are taking our first trip (by water anyway) to Roche in a couple weeks.

Yes, we need to make badges for those in that club don't ya think? So far 2 that I know of.. :lol: jkidding. Funnier yet was that we had just been talking about that experience and how horrible it must have been then turned around and did it myself! :lol: again!

You'll enjoy Roche. A nice mercantile for supplies, handful of restaurants, espresso & ice cream and several vendor kiosks with artsy stuff. Beautiful rose gardens and grounds at the top of the docks for a restful sit or meditation. Photos courtesy of RocheHarbor.com

http://www.rocheharbor.com/images/gardensce6.jpg

Be sure to take a jaunt up behind McMillins Restaurant to walk through the Sculpture Park & a little further up to see the Mausoleum or "AfterGlow Vista".

http://www.rocheharbor.com/images/newmausoleum1.jpg

There’s a unique story about this “table and chairs”. Something about the McMillin children and their love for telling ghost stories sitting around a table. They wanted to be memorialized and entombed here and to allow other towns people and visitors to tell their ghost stories around this table as they did. I don't know if that is an accurate account but I understand Hotel De Haro has a brochure on it. We did the walk thinking the white picketed fenced areas were part of the mausoleum but they aren’t - keep walking following the “M” on the signposts for maybe 20 minutes. The sculpture park is a unique sight, pleasant walkthru and the mausoleum is too, all worth it if you like that sort of history thing..

http://www.rocheharbor.com/images/RestaurantFall_000.jpg

McMillins Restaurant is very nice, the food is terrific. Our reservation was at 8pm so our window table allowed us to watch the "Colors Ceremony” starting 10 minutes before sunset. Here's a link for that schedule http://www.rocheharbor.com/documents/COLORS-2008SUNSETTIMES2_001.pdf

We noticed several dinghys & kayaks with "front row seating" which would have been nice too but our view was great. McMillins is a little spendy so be prepared, there's another excellent restaurant below "The Lime Kiln Cafe" where seating is available around the sundeck and (I think it’s called) "The Madrona Grill” on the docks opposite end of the store. I know there is still so much more to see up here but Roche Harbor was and is now a favorite, it will be one of yours too I’m sure.

Actually this was more for the Admiral, I'm sure you were looking for the floaty part of the trip.. (I'm) not experienced enough to post that sort of info but it looks like others that are, have posted lots of great pointers. I read through some of that too and found a book I'd like to purchase, the one with or about tides randygh posted. Personally I'd go the more protected way but then I'm a big chicken...bawk bawk bawk! :)

[SomeSailor]

Glad you made the walk up to see the mausoleum. Very cool story behind that and a nice walk to stretch your boat legs a bit.

I like Roche a lot. Neat scenery.