Eastwind Adventure: June 2011

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Anacortes Photos

Eastwind in the new slip

Waiting for the Beer Can races to start

Still waiting

Beer Can Races

We have moved!!!

Well after a couple of months of dealing with almost missing the ferry, missing the ferry, ferry prices, additional expenses, and general island life...we have moved!!!! :)

Our new slip is at the Flounder Bay Yacht Club in Anacortes. My parents moved the boat over a couple of weeks ago and got us all settled into our new slip. This marina is so much nicer than the last marina that we were at. The people here are very friendly, the shower is only 50 cents for 5 minutes (that's a bargain in the boating world), AND we are on the mainland!!!!

The first night that we were at our new marina they had a Sailing Beer Can race. It pretty much consisted of a few sailboats TRYING to sail against a strong current. We sat on shore and watched the beginning of the races, taking bets on which boats would hit each other first. It provided a really good laugh!

Everyone is so much happier in our new slip! My dad is close to West Marine, my mom is close to her friend Megan, Nick was able to get his Nintendo 3DS Zelda game on the day it came out, and I am happy that I can see my friends more often than I originally thought (haven't missed breakfast club yet!).

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Round 3 - Photos

Sailing to Semiahmoo

Nick Sailing to Semiahmoo

Mom & Dad Sailing to Semiahmoo

Semiahmoo

Boots & Roxy (Semiahmoo)

Roxy reading

Hanging at Semiahmoo. We bought a new patio table & chair set so we were testing them out.

Hanging at Semiahmoo

Roxy checking on me in my bunk

Two geese families coming by for breakfast at Fox Cove.

Yes, I am reading something other than US Wkly or People! (Fox Cove)

Path leading to the lighthouse at Patos Island

Nick on the path to the lighthouse (Patos Island)

Me & Mom on the path to Patos Lighthouse

Patos Lighthouse (no disappointments like Stuart Island)

Nick set the camera up to take a picture of all of us after our adventure at Patos Island

Eastwind at Patos Island

Had to break out the glasses to see the Dolphins better! Go Cougs!

Watching for Dolphins

Back at the Home Port - Boys drinking a Foster

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Round Three

Another successful sailing trip! This trip was our longest trip so far - 8 days! It wasn't too bad because we had a couple night stay at the Semiahmoo Marina, which broke the trip up a bit.

After Round Two (R2), mom and I worked really hard to get the boat ready to go out for Round Three (R3). There were a few lessons learned from R2 that we implemented for R3.

Lessons Learned from R2:

1. Too much Trash - We ended up getting overloaded with trash on R2 so we had to be more creative on R3. After going to the grocery store, we came back to the boat and broke down all of the packages/food. If it comes in a package, it gets broken down and put into a reusable plastic container. If it is lettuce, celery, etc... - it gets washed (to save water), and cut up to dispose of the trash while at dock.

2. Always Water Up! - We were on MAJOR water conserve on R2 because we hadn't filled the water tank right before departing. We did implement a rinse water system when doing dishes to help conserve the water. We continued this system on R3, and will continue throughout the trip.

3. Get Bait - For some reason my mom thought that we were going to have fresh fish on the trip. Well, apparently you need bait to catch fish and the fisherman wasn't remembering to get bait while at dock. We took care of that for R3, but it didn't matter as the fish weren't biting where we were at. :(

After a day and a half at dock we were all ready to go - laundry done, water tank filled, quick clean of the boat, grocery shopping completed, showers taken, and trash elimination process implemented!

We started our journey by heading to Sucia Island. We tried to sail, but there wasn't much wind. We tacked (aka: Coming About - the act of turning a sailboat across the eye of the wind), and tacked, and tacked, and tacked. Mom and I were working the Jib line (one of us on each side of the boat), with a little directional support from Nick when panic took over our brain functions. After fighting to find some wind we decided to motor the boat the remainder of the way to Sucia Island.

When we arrived at Sucia Island we decided to try a new area so we caught a mooring buoy in Shallow Bay. We got ourselves somewhat settled, and ready to row to shore to let the dogs out for a run and bathroom trip (they haven't figured out how to go to the bathroom on the boat yet). We weren't moving fast enough, so Roxy jumped into the dingy. In the Roxy blog I mentioned that she fell into the water - this is when she fell in! :) We spent the night at Shallow Bay and were looking forward to heading across the island to check out Fossil Bay the next day.

After breakfast mom was ready to make the hike to Fossil Bay, so I thought I'd join her. Since we started at the far end of Shallow Bay and hiked over to Fossil Bay, round trip it ended up being a 2 hour hike! The best part was that we found my dad and Nick at Echo Bay and Nick joined us for the hike over to Fossil Bay. It wasn't an easy hike as we didn't read the maps correctly, so I had to tease my mom quite a bit about what a great idea she had! :) After our morning hike we went back to the boat for lunch. Nick decided that the 59 degree water was just too tempting and dove off the boat! He had a great time diving into the cold water! Boots must have gotten a little jealous of Nick as she ended up falling into the water when she was coming back from a trip around the bay in the dingy. The evening ended with a little "Bay Drama". We were watching a boat trying to anchor (over and over and over again), and at the same time watching another guy hot rod his smaller dingy like boat. Never a dull moment!

The next day we decided to hang out in Shallow Bay for one more night as we were having so much fun. This time we took the easy route to Fossil Bay, walked around, and discovered another area we wanted to moor in the future - Fox Cove. In the evening we started to make plans on where to head next. My parents wanted to head up to Blaine to the Semiahmoo Marina to check out a slip to potentially lease. I was so excited to head to Semiahmoo as I have always wanted to stay at the resort. What a perfect opportunity to check it out!

The next day, while eating breakfast we were given a run down of the rules for our trip up to Semiahmoo. The weather report predicted some high winds and we were given safety instructions. We left with the tide, and as soon as we got out of Shallow Bay I could tell that we were in for a ride! Usually we let Roxy hang with us up on deck while we are sailing but this time we put her in a portable doggie crate to keep her down below while we were sailing. She did not like being in a crate, but we had to do it for safety concerns. We began our adventure and were really fighting the wind to go in the direction that we wanted to go in. The swells were large, the boat was keeling quite a bit, and Roxy was whining! I think it was more scary than fun while we fought the wind and dealt with Roxy's whining. After about an hour or so of listening to Roxy, and dealing with the wind and waves....we got a surprise visitor up on deck! Roxy managed to unzip the portable crate and join us on deck! She had the biggest smile on her face when she saw me! That's our Houdini! This isn't the first time she has escaped a contraption! The weather had died down a bit so it was ok for her to be up on deck. Now we need to figure out a new plan for Roxy when we get into windy weather again- Argh!

We continued our journey north and mom ended up getting slightly sea sick (nausea) after staying down under for too long. Lunch time was approaching and I knew someone had to make sandwiches for the crew. I decided to give it a shot! It was not an easy task as all of the stuff kept sliding from one side to the other side while I was trying to keep my balance. I tried so hard to focus and barely got all of the sandwiches put together before getting sea sick. I was successful! I finished just in time to only have a slight case of nausea! Of course after lunch the swells died down, we lost our wind, and it was smooth motoring the remainder of the way to Semiahmoo.

When we arrived at the Semiahmoo Marina we were all so excited to see that they had free showers! In the boating world this is pretty much unheard of! This meant that I could take a shower for as long as I wanted and use as much water as I wanted! What a luxury! So, after a couple Pacifico's on the patio we all showered and then headed to the resort for dinner. The food was fabulous! Everyone ordered something different, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal! We stayed the night at the marina as my folks planned to meet with the owners of the slip the following day.

The next morning we hung out in the Marina Cafe. They had internet so Nick and I were in heaven! I blogged a bit, caught up on emails, and the Bachelorette! :) My parents friends, Paul & Karen, came to visit with them and to see the boat. The owners of the slip made plans to come the next day, so we were able to have another amazing dinner at the Semiahmoo Resort! Later that night, Nick and I went back to the resort bar to watch the basketball game. Nick was so excited to be on land while a playoff game was on!

The following day, while my parents were waiting for the owners of the slip to come talk to them we did laundry. The remainder of our stay at Semiahmoo isn't worth writing about. Lets just say that my parents decided not to lease the slip and we headed out the next morning.

We made our way south again and decided to go back to Sucia Island to stay at Fox Cove or Patos Island. We went by Patos Island and the two morning buoys were taken so we headed to Fox Cove. We ended up catching a morning buoy at Fox Cove and had a low key day...ate lunch, took naps, went to shore and watched a movie. It was nice to relax a bit.

The next morning the weather wasn't all that great. It was overcast and everyone seemed to be tired. We were all reading and just hanging out. Finally we decided that we should either head back to Orcas or see if we could get a morning buoy at Patos Island. We decided to check out Patos and if there wasn't a buoy we would head back to Orcas. We lucked out and got a buoy! We had a ton of fun at Patos Island. We had the island to ourselves and walked out to the lighthouse. It was so cool to be the only people on the island! We had a blast hanging out at Patos!

We were only able to spend one night at Patos as my parents had made plans to meet up with an owner of a slip in Anacortes. So, the following morning we headed back to Orcas. It was the most awesome trip back to Orcas as the dolphins were out. We saw tons and tons of dolphins on the whole trip back to Orcas. It was so cool watching all of them!

Once we got back to Orcas, Nick and I decided to head home for a couple of days to give my parents a couple of days to run errands, and deal with the slip business on their own. As it turns out they signed a lease with the slip owner in Anacortes, so we will have a new Home Port! I am so happy as the ferry ride was getting old, and the prices on Orcas were getting out of control! I am so happy to have a home back on the mainland! We are home for a couple more days while my parents sail the boat from Orcas to Anacortes. Once they get to Anacortes we will meet up with them and head to Orcas one last time to pick up their vehicle.

So, for now we enjoying the comforts of home again!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Roxy & Boat Life

Just about everyone we know has asked how Roxy is doing on the boat, so I thought I'd give an update on her progress.

When we decided to take this trip we weren't going to leave our little girl at home, but realized that boat life might not work for a Chihuahua.

In the beginning we didn't know if it would work, but we were crossing our fingers that she would adjust. The first trip that we took with Roxy was rough! She had a REALLY hard time adjusting. She seemed to like being on the boat, but I could tell she was frustrated at some of the new things that boat life brings. She was afraid to get on and off the boat on her own, she couldn't get up the stairs to get outside, and she was continually hitting her head in our bunk.

Our first trip was in April so it was cold! Roxy doesn't have much fur to keep her warm, so we did our best to keep her warm.

After a few days, Roxy started to like having a pal to hang with, and going on hikes every day!

She enjoys lounging in the sun.

On the final day of our trip, Roxy had a little accident. We were at the dock (in Orcas) and Boots got a little excited and knocked Roxy off the dock. She fell between the boat and the dock and hurt her foot in the process. It's all better now.

Round Two has been a blast for Roxy! She has completely adjusted and most days I think she has adjusted a little too much! She now has no problem getting on and off the boat! Just the other day she fell off the boat because she jumped into the dingy to let us know she needed to go to shore. When she realized that no one was moving to take her to shore (or at least, moving at her pace) she then tried to jump back on the boat and fell into the water. We quickly fished her out and are now putting her life vest on more frequently since she has no more fear!

My most favorite thing that she has now discovered how to do is to look through the port holes. When we are down below and Roxy is up on deck she will walk around and peak her head through the port holes to say hello. It really is the cutest thing! I'll have to get a picture and post it.

So no need to worry about Roxy as she has adjusted to boat life! :) If something were to happen, Jonna, Kaitlin, and Ella are ready to take her for the summer.

Here is a funny clip of Roxy walking up a dock - just had to share! It provides a good laugh! (Hopefully the clip works when I post this! :))

Photo's Trip 3

This one is for Mom - Mt. Baker

Nick took a swim at Shallow Bay. Water was 59 degrees!

Rowing the doggies to shore! (Shallow Bay)

Catching some rays (Shallow Bay)

Roxy trying to take a nap

This one is for the woman who asked for more photo's! :)

We were eating breakfast and Roxy was looking in on us. Thought this was too cute!

At our Home Port - Movie night!

Things to be grateful for....

We are mid-trip right now, currently at the Semiahmoo Marina looking at a slip for my folks to potentially lease. I'll give a full update of our current trip at a later date, but wanted to write about some of the things that I am grateful for.

How this all started... Everyday, I am stating something that I am grateful for! Yesterday after a shower, my mom said "Now I know why Oprah started a gratitude journal!" So, I thought I'd jot down a few things that I am grateful for that I had previously taken advantage of! :) Some of this may be TMI (too much information), but I'm going to share because it is the truth!

In no particular order....

Things I'm Grateful For:

1. Showers!!!!! - At home, everyday and sometimes twice a day I took advantage of this luxury! I had no idea how important it was until I have had to go without! Most days I now shower via baby wipes! When we are at a marina I am so grateful to have the opportunity to get a "real" shower!

2. An unlimited supply of WATER! - Something that I only sort of thought about at home, having grown up in Southern CA. On the boat we only have a limited supply of water when we go out, so we have to be VERY careful how we use the water - hence the lack of real showers. :)

3. Toilet Seat Covers! - When you are a female and are frequenting public toilets/outhouses, when you get to a location that has toilet seat covers, it totally makes your day!

4. Ability to get food at any time - When on a trip, the only food you have is the food you remembered to bring. If you forgot something, you are out of luck....if you run out of something too bad!

5. Dumpsters - What you bring on the boat, stays on the boat. All of the trash that you make, goes along for the ride. We have to be VERY careful how much extra trash we produce on our excursions. Mom and I have found a way to reduce trash, but it is still a challenge!

6. Washing Machines - At home, anytime I want to wash something I do! On the boat, I can only wash clothes when we are at a town. Let's just say...I have gotten used to wearing my clothes for three days! Never thought that would happen! :)

7. Space - Oh, to have space! 4 people on a 44ft (living space) boat, isn't a lot of space! We have to be very creative when storing our stuff. Hence my gratefulness for washing machines.

8. My King size BED!!!! - Nick, Roxy, and I share the bow of the boat. A small triangular bunk that holds all of our shit and us!

9. My Bedroom - Because we are in a bunk at the bow of the boat, it is a small space that we literally crawl into. At night I have to get up to go to the bathroom at least two times, and let me tell you...crawling out and back into the bunk is no easy task! :)

10. Tying up to a dock - Roxy and Boots (my parents dog) are on the trip with us. Every time they have to go to the bathroom, we have to take them to shore. When we are tied up to a mooring buoy at a state park, we have to row to shore to take the dogs to go to the bathroom. Some mornings and some nights, it is that LAST thing I want to do!

Now don't read this the wrong way! I am so grateful for this opportunity! I will take all of the negatives any day to have this opportunity! I just thought I'd put this out there so that those who are thinking we are living a luxurious life, know that there are some sides of this lifestyle that aren't for everyone. It looks real good on the outside, but don't be fooled...we pay a small price to see the sun rise and set on the water everyday! :)