Best Summer Ever

So many fabulous sunsets this summer!

We are back in Anacortes after a great summer cruising on the Beach House. It truly was the best summer ever in that we had unlimited time on the boat, we had lots of friends come visit, we made some new boating friends and ran into some boating friends that we haven’t seen in years, we caught LOTS of crabs, the weather was spectacular, the Beach House ran well with no mechanical issue (that’s a blessing on a boat!), there were amazing sunsets, we didn’t run out of wine (another blessing), Sucia and Bentley did great on the boat…really it was the best summer ever.

Exploring on Saturna Island, BC

Now that we are back on land, the work has begun to get Beach House ready for her winter layover and get Road House ready to roll to warmer climates. The Captain has a list of maintenance chores for both, and I will be doing the cleaning and packing. Our plan is to be cranking up Willie’s On the Road Again when the Road House rolls on October 15th.

Sucia loves being on the boat…not sure she is really excited about moving back on to the Road House

All work and no play makes the for a cranky crew so we have been enjoying seeing friends in Anacortes, taking hikes and walks in the community forest lands, Washington Park or the Tommy Thompson Waterfront Trail. While Anacortes is a small town, there is never a shortage of fun events going on especially in the summer and fall. The Oyster Run was crazy town with 20,000 bikes roaring into Anacortes for a free day long event. Tattoos, leather and oysters are the general theme. The Seattle Cossacks put on an amazing stunt show and the Whidbey Island Roller Girls were quite a hit. We are also looking forward to the upcoming Beir on the Pier Cider and Beer Festival. It is a short walk from the marina so we can stumble home after tasting at 35 different breweries.

It was such a great summer that we are already looking forward to the next season on the Beach House. This summer we visited some favorite anchorages as well as some new destinations in the Canadian Gulf Island but I am ready to head further north next summer. I would love to go as far as SE Alaska but the Captain hasn’t committed to going beyond the Broughton Islands Archipelago.

This would be the furthest we have cruised in our own boat and while it is not Alaska, my sense of wanderlust will be totally satisfied. The Broughton Archipelago was named by Captain Vancouver for the commander of one of his ship’s during the famous exploration of 1792 when many of the now familiar English names were bestowed on the complicated waterways and over 240,000 islands along the vast coastline of British Columbia.

SO much wildlife!

The Broughton’s are a remote group of 200-plus islands that are squeezed between the northern British Columbia Coast and the north end of Vancouver Island. To give some perspective of what I mean by remote, it’s important to understand the distances involved. British Columbia is larger than any state in the U.S except Alaska. As the crow flies, the length of its coastline is 600 miles. The distance from Anacortes, Washington, a popular jumping-off spot for cruisers in the San Juans, to the Broughtons is 236 miles. Not far in a car if you could just drive there, but there are no roads to get you there. In a boat it would take the the better part of a week to cover this much water, some of which is difficult navigation due to currents and tide anomalies. Because of this, the only recreational boaters that venture as far north as the Broughtons are those on the way to Alaska and those who are passionate boaters who make summertime adventures on these coastal waters a top priority.

For those of you with a sense of adventure, get your calendars out and make plans to join us on the Beach House next summer! You will likely have to drive, ferry and/or fly into find us. But the remote, beautiful scenery, the amazing fishing and our extraordinary company (ok that’s a stretch) will be well worth the effort.