By Aaron
We left Port Townsend and crossed a glassy calm Strait of Juan de Fuca. We hit the tide flowing into Cattle Pass and wrestled the eddies and swirls boosting us north to Jones Island at 8-10 knots.
With SW winds forecasted to be in the 15-25 knot range over the next couple days and rain coming we decided to stay on Jones Island at the north cove and do some relaxing. There was only one other boat visiting the island even with the abundant sunshine on our first day. The island is known for it's tame deer which supposedly will eat out of your hand. We did see three deer on the island but they ran away as we approached, despite my displaying a baggie full of Fritos. So I’m not sure if I believe what they say about the deer. We did find, however, the slugs on this island are very tame and like most slug species in the Northwest they LOVE Fritos.
We had a great couple of days on Jones Island. The first day was sunny and beautiful, so we got to do a bunch of hiking and playing around on the beach. The second day was rainy so we relaxed, drank coffee and read books. It was a great beginning to the cruising life.
We left Jones Island at the crack of dawn and headed over to Sidney to clear Canadian Customs. We expected a bit more pomp and circumstance to our arrival. We just sailed to another country! We like navigated and stuff! No cannons? No band? After a call ahead to customs on the VHF for instructions we pulled up to an empty customs dock with a lonely phone on a pole to clear in. I picked up the receiver and talked to a curt customs officer for all of two minutes to complete the check in process.
We decided to go ahead and spend the night in Sidney since we had some electrical problems to sort out. Namely that our house loads were connected to the starting battery. Sidney has a convenient West Marine to get the necessary parts so we were able to get it fixed. But the moorage for the night was a whopping $71! The stay was worth it though, since we were able to provision at the liquor store.
The alcohol is crazy expensive here… I’m not sure why the prices don’t cause an outright civil uprising in these lands but with the help of a generous BC Liquor Stores gift card from our friends Deborah and Marty we were able to make it happen.
We’re moving northward again today. When we look out at the islands we can’t help but wonder what’s over the horizon and how good it’ll get.
I can't even tell you how I excited I am for you guys right now. We left your docklines hanging in the water. Seemed a fitting tribute.
ReplyDeleteGoodonya for making it happen.
(And what the hell is Aaron doing drinking beer out of a bottle? Canada is filled to the brim with bad beer in a can!)
It the price of those cans, not the actual content, that we have problems with up here. But remember, we've got all these WONDERFUL social services & care up here (cough, cough).
ReplyDeleteIf you ever wondered why Canadians are always lined up at the Duty Free in US airports... now you know. We pay a small fortune for booze up here.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best deals we've found recently was when we brought Syrah home from Seattle. We stocked up on groceries at Safeway in Ballard and found some GREAT prices on wine... in the grocery store!!!
PS: Are you really out cruising... your blog says you live on a sailboat in Seattle :)
hey there...good for you two! you got to Canada before we did! and we left a full ten days before you! We will be on our way to Bedwell probably on Monday or Tuesday. Have a great trip and we will be on the look out for you!!
ReplyDeleteTom & Jeanne
Ah but regardless of high prices, you can't get Woods Old Navy Rhum in the states, just sayin'...
ReplyDeleteDave C.
Last time I was on Vancouver Island, there were numerous do-it-yourself shops for brewing beer and making wine. I think that's how the locals deal with the high alcohol prices. You only have to be present for one step of the process for it to be legal; you can have the brew shop do most of it for you.
ReplyDelete