Canyonwren Travels: On the Water

Sunday, August 06, 2017

On the Water

Mt. Baker from Bellingham Bay.

We woke to a flurry of activity on the docks around us. Tivoli was comfortable! Linda and I had the V-berth, Holly and Ryan were in the starboard stern berth and Anika and Zane were in the port stern berth. There was a head off the galley and also one in the V-berth area. Our captain would be staying in the main cabin area, where the table would collapse into a bunk.

Captain Bob and Ryan chat about the next few days.

At 9:00 AM sharp Captain Bob arrived and introduced himself. We went over some safety items and talked about our expectations and then we readied the boat and Ryan took the helm as we backed out of the moorage and out into open water. Within an hour we were sailing and motoring down and out of Bellingham Bay toward our first anchorage.

We spent our time learning about the boat and getting a feel for how it sailed. When the wind died down we motor sailed as much as possible. Our first leg was was about 26.2 miles with the end destination being Echo Bay in the fingers of Sucia Island.

Always teaching, Bob explains some of the instrumentation.

In this bay we had three options for anchoring. We could dig out the anchor and drop it to the bottom, tie off to a mooring buoy or we could take advantage of the horizontal tie buoys that were available. We chose the horizontal tie system and made our boat secure.

Once we got settled, Ryan and the kids set out the crab traps. They had purchased fish heads for bait and they filled the trap cage with a big smelly one. When the trap was down, everyone got into the boat and headed to shore. I stayed on board to fish and keep an eye on the crab trap.

On shore, Holly and Linda took a short hike recommended by Bob while Ryan and the kids played on shore. On the boat I jigged for fish and took a nap. Once everyone returned, the crab trap was checked several times by Zane and Anika. They caught a couple of keepers and then placed them in a big pot that worked as a temporary live well. Hopes were high that we would get a couple more and we could have a crab feast the next night. We fixed a spaghetti dinner, cleaned up and ate some cookies. The next hour was spent charting our course for the next day and then everyone went to bed.