A Week With Grandpa

If you dig deep down in your memory, you may remember that back in May I mentioned that Grandpa was supposed to join us for the beginning of our trip but he threw out his back and had to cancel last minute. Luckily the stars aligned and he was able to fly into Sidney to join us for the last week our trip instead.

Our first day was spent crossing Haro Strait and returning to the U.S. after three months away. After a quick check-in at the border station in Roche Harbor we weaved our way through the nooks and crannies of San Juan Island to anchor in what is one of our favorite anchorages of all time, Garrison Bay. I never get tired of picturesque English Camp perched in this little protected bay along with the always-fun hike up Young Hill. We arrived in time to squeeze in a quick sunset hike. I can't tell you how glorious this hike felt. After months of cool, rainy, wet weather this mid-July evening was the very first time it had felt like summer. We spent the next day hiking and basking in the warm summer sunshine. After the hike, the boys and I headed back to the boat while Jason and Grandpa sought out the off-the-beaten-path and hard-to-find oyster shop tucked away close by. They came back with rave reviews.

We arrived at Watmough Bay on Lopez Island with enough time to hike out to Colville Point. Our final morning on anchor greeted us with blissful sun-soaked fog magic. Fingers of God-light stretched through the fog and occasionally danced across our dewy decks. Eventually we pulled up anchor and headed back out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca for the the trip to Port Townsend where we spent a lovely afternoon and evening.

The following day we enjoyed a sweet sail back down to Seattle. It was the perfect way to end the trip. At one point a large container ship crossed in front of us so isaac ran forward to ride the bow over the huge waves. The monstrous waves swallowed the front of the boat and isaac emerged soaked up to his waist. I'm happy to say I have it on video. We sailed all the way to Seattle to find ourselves in the middle of a weeknight sailboat race which made dropping the sail very interesting to say the least. As we motored into the marina, Isaac triumphantly assumed his grumpy sea captain pose as we passed by the beloved sea serpent and skeleton pirate sculptures on the breakwater. With a mixture of relief and sadness we tied up in our slip before breaking open a cold beer to celebrate our second circumnavigation of Vancouver Island.

Click here for photos and video.