Washington and Oregon

In September we took two weeks off from our travels on Zendo to travel to Washington and Oregon. We joined a group of MTOA members to charter trawlers to cruise the San Juan Islands and afterwards we visited friends in Washington state and Portland.  We flew from Providence to Seattle on September 9 and joined our friends Liz and Steve Kemper with whom we shared a beautiful 46 foot Grand Banks trawler.  After going grocery shopping to provision the boat, we took off and began our cruise on September 10.  Our flotilla included 11 boats and 22 couples and we cruised the beautiful San Juan Islands for 6 days.

During most of the trip we had cool but comfortable temperatures and somewhat overcast skies.  We were able to see outlines of the mountains in the distance but not the clear mountain sights we might have hoped for.  

Our first stop was Sucia Island where we anchored in Echo Bay, a large anchorage that could accommodate 40-50 boats. 

We hosted two other couples on board for drinks and nibbles.  The following morning we dinghied up to the rocky shore and hiked the well-maintained trails in the state park there.

That afternoon we cruised 16 nautical miles on calm seas through gorgeous scenery to Reid Harbor on Stuart Island.  There we enjoyed docktails and appetizers with our fellow cruisers at the common dock.

This was another wonderful park for hiking. The next morning several us hiked a long trail at the end of which was a collection of Stuart Island shirts for sale.  Many styles and colors were available for sale on the honor system with elaborate instructions on how to pay for them.  It’s a mark of distinction for those who are hardy enough to hike the distance to get there. Another reward was seeing the historic library and schoolhouse both of which served the original island residents over the years. 

There was even a basketball court where the guys were able to shoot hoops!

The next morning started with the unique experience of operating a hand-propelled pump-out conveniently located on a raft in the bay.  A first for all of us, no doubt!  We’ve found some other interesting pump-out vessels on this journey too!

 We cruised that day to Deer Harbor taking the long way that brought us close to the Canadian border in search of orcas but to no avail! 

And we continued our hiking adventures in the state parks that were on almost every island.

Our visit to Roche Harbor was probably the most unique of all our destinations. Roche Harbor appears to be a lovely historic village but in fact it’s an amazing resort with cottages, shops and a small market.

We explored the whole area that included a huge 19 acre sculpture park with over 120 sculptures. 

That evening everyone got together for cocktails and a pot luck dinner.  Afterwards we had the opportunity to participate in Roche Harbor’s Colors Ceremony where just before sunset each night during the summer they retire the flags of Roche Harbor, Washington state, Great Britain, Canada and the United States. It was yet another interesting experience in a week that was full of them.

Friday Harbor was our next destination and we passed through some beautiful scenery and narrow passages to arrive at a marina there.  That evening we had a final celebratory dinner with everyone at an excellent restaurant called Downrigger’s.

Friday Harbor has a cute town center which we also had time to explore before leaving for the last night on board.

Many of the boats headed in different directions but we went to Anacortes where our charter company had comped us for a one night marina stay because we had had some issues with the boat early on.  Fortunately they were not real serious and our two captains, Steve and Jonny, were able to manage whatever workarounds were needed.

After returning to Bellingham the following morning and saying our goodbyes, we rented a car to start the next phase of our vacation.  We truly enjoyed cruising the San Juan Islands and would heartily recommend it to anyone!

Our next stop was Shelton, Washington where we visited our friends Brenda and Doug who live in a beautiful house on the point of an island on the Olympic peninsula.  What a gorgeous setting! Doug had built the house which has 270 degree views  of water and lush forests.  We spent two days hiking with them and enjoying their beautiful part of the world. Brenda cooked delicious dinners and one night we had steamed oysters from their very own oyster beds. It was a wonderful visit!

From there we drove south to Portland, Oregon where we were originally going to stay with our friends Mark and Nancy.  Mark is an old friend that I grew up with in Fairfield.  Unfortunately, Nancy was recovering from Covid so we stayed at a nearby hotel in the pretty town of Lake Oswego.  Mark had given us  great recommendations to visit the Columbia River Gorge, Basalt Rock, the salmon fish ladders and Multnomah Falls, all of which were just amazing!

The next day Mark had us to his home for breakfast and then showed us around Portland.  We visited the International Rose Test Garden with over 800 types of roses all in bloom! We had lunch at a local brew pub and hiked to a high point of the city to see more stupendous views.  It was a wonderful visit and we look forward to seeing him and Nancy at the end of October for our 50th +2 high school reunion in Connecticut (delayed twice due to Covid).

We then headed back to Seattle where Jonny’s cousin Danny had invited us for dinner at his home on Bainbridge Island.  There we visited with his wife Althea and their son, Jake, who was visiting from LA. Dan and Althea have created a beautiful homestead on lovely wooded Bainbridge Island and we were happy to be able to experience it after having heard so many good things about it.  I even had a chance to try my hand at Pickleball on the court they had on their grounds!  They served Dungeness crab which we were hoping to have on our trip but hadn’t encountered until then.

We made an early night of it since we were flying out very early the next morning.  After returning our car, we stayed at an airport hotel and set the clock for 3 a.m. to make our 6 a.m. flight. What a fabulous west coast adventure!  Now back to resume our Travels with Zendo down the east coast!

Falmouth, MA (return trip)

On Sunday, September 4, we awakened to a dramatic sunrise in Onset.

Jonny immediately pulled up the floor of the salon to see if he could find the water leak and immediately discovered the issue. One of the hoses to the water pump had come loose and needed to be re-installed.  Hooray, the easiest fix possible! 

We lingered in Onset because we planned to meet a college girlfriend of mine for brunch.  I hadn’t seen Sharon since we were at UConn, over 40 years ago though we had kept in touch annually with birthday and Christmas cards.  It was wonderful to visit with her in person and very easy to reconnect after all those years.  Of course, she and Jonny knew each other too because we were all at UConn at the same time.   Unfortunately, she is battling a very rare form of cancer so it was especially meaningful that she was feeling well enough to meet us.  We had a lovely brunch and after saying our goodbyes, we headed back to Zendo.

We left Onset at 2:30 for a three hour cruise to Falmouth where we’ll be staying on Joe and Pat’s mooring ball for 10 days. We arrived just as dusk was settling in.

We are all headed west to  join a group of MTOA members on a cruise of the San Juan Islands in Washington state.  Jonny and I are chartering a Grand Banks 46 Classic with our friends Liz and Steve Kemper.  Afterwards we are renting a car to see the Olympic peninsula and the Oregon coast near Portland.  We have two other groups of friends we will be visiting while there.  Little Archie won’t be joining us but he’ll be staying at a friend of Andy’s.  Gerhard was very generous to offer to take care of Archie while we are away.  He has a standard poodle who will welcome Archie’s company (hopefully)!  

The next couple of days were spent preparing for our upcoming trip and doing a number of boat chores. Of course, preparations were interspersed with some fun.  Jonny and Joe went crabbing and the next day Joe and Pat had us over for a delicious Portugese stew made with the clams and sausage.

The following night we took them to dinner at one of their favorite Italian restaurants in Sandwich.

On Thursday morning Jonny drove them to Logan Airport where they were flying out of. We are flying out of Providence the following day.  We’ll  drop Archie off at Gerhard’s and stay in an airport hotel because we have an early morning flight.  Joe and Pat kindly offered  us the use of their car to get to the airport. We’re so fortunate to have such wonderful friends!

This blogger will likely be on hiatus for the next couple of weeks.  When we return, we are looking forward to Stephanie joining us for several days.  We’re hoping to get to Martha’s Vineyard and some other adventures when she comes.  Until then!

Onset, MA

First thing in the morning on Saturday, September 3, we walked up to Cumberland Farms in Rockport to buy several gallons of water to tide us over for a few days since we lost our ability to use our water onboard. We then left our anchorage by 7:30 for a 9 hour cruise to Onset. We were originally going to go to Provincetown but the water situation caused us to want to get to Falmouth a day early to get the problem resolved.

We had a wonderfully smooth cruise crossing along the outside of Massachusetts Bay.  Jonny actually saw a whale and a sunfish but so briefly that I didn’t get to see them. But a bit later we were surrounded by a large pod of dolphins who swam along with us for over ten minutes. There must have been at least 30 of them! How cool!

The wind picked up towards the end of the day as we got to the Cape Cod Canal.  Fortunately that passage went smoothly as well. We picked up a mooring in Onset which is part of the town of Wareham and were surprised to see so few boats in the harbor there. There is a big anchorage nearby which we ordinarily would have used but chose not to because Jonny didn’t want to deal with a mud bottom and the lack of available water to hose down the anchor and chain.  So we grabbed a mooring in the town harbor and immediately dinghied in to town.

We walked around the town a bit before having dinner at the Stone Bridge Pub.  The town was fairly busy with families enjoying the beach and holiday weekend.

After dinner we went back to Zendo passing the, by now, empty beach.  Later on we were rewarded for our long day of cruising by an absolutely fabulous sunset!

Rockport, MA

Jonny took Archie in for a quick walk on Malaga Island on the morning of Friday, September 2. Smuttynose Island is next to it and because it was low tide, you could walk between the two in the shallow water. A man on Smuttynose was with a group of boys and called out to Jonny to warn him that the morning wake-up cannon was about to go off and he didn’t want to scare Archie. But Archie was oblivious and unfazed by the cannon fire and only wanted to run over to greet the man.  By the way, Smuttynose has that name due to all the bird droppings on it and there is more than one Smuttynose Island in Maine. Lots of islands here and lots of birds!

We left our mooring by 8:35 for a three hour cruise to Rockport, MA. It was a beautiful day with sunny skies, highs in the low 70’s and no wind to speak of.

We dropped anchor in an anchorage adjacent to Rockport’s mooring field across from a beach,  We took the dinghy around the point to Rockport Harbor and tied up at the dinghy dock there passing by Motif #1, the red boat house made famous by so many artists. The last time we were here, seven years ago, we were able to tie up to it.  This time there were three other boats already there.

We started to walk up one of the main streets bound for a restaurant that Jonny’s cousin Aviva had recommended to us. It was owned by a young woman she had met in Spain. But then Jonny realized we needed fuel for the dinghy and there are no marinas in Rockport.  He found a nearby Cumberland Farms and walked back to the dinghy to get the fuel can.  But unfortunately this Cumberland Farms had no fuel so we proceeded, fuel can in hand, to the The Whale’s Jaw for lunch.

What a cute restaurant! We met Kristin, the owner and Avi’s friend. who was very warm and gracious. She even loaned Jonny her car to drive to the gas station for fuel.  We had a very delicious lunch and enjoyed the performance of a local singer-guitarist who played lots of great songs from our era. Jonny made a quick trip to get fuel and drop it off at the dinghy so we didn’t have to lug a can of fuel around the streets of Rockport,   He was chagrined when he returned because the handle on the passenger door fell off when he tried to open it! But Kristin assured him that she knew about the problem and neglected to tell him.

After we left, we walked all around charming Rockport, a lovely and interesting town. It is very old and artsy with lots of cool shops and funky New England style cottages around every corner.

On the way back to the dinghy dock we met a woman who was walking her dog. She was very friendly and urged us to follow her so she could show us the walk along the headlands. What a beautiful rocky walk with panoramic views over Rockland Harbor! She was justified in being proud of this vista and her historic and quintessential New England town.

We headed back to Zendo after exploring a closer option for tying up the dinghy.

We had leftovers for dinner and while I was washing dishes afterwards, the water stopped flowing! What to do? Jonny ran around trying to discern the problem and decided that we had a leak in our fresh water system.  It was dark and late and there was no way to start looking for the source of the problem at 9 p.m. so he shut the system off.  Fortunately we had a couple of gallons of distilled water to tide us over for the evening,  It is also Labor Day weekend and we were bound for Provincetown the next day.  Finding help to fix the issue and even finding a marina to stay at was not at all feasible,  So we managed to clean the rest of the dishes and decided to go out early the next morning to that Cumberland Farms store to buy a bunch of water to tide us over until we could get to Falmouth and fix the problem.

Never a dull moment on the high seas!

Isles of Shoals, ME

On this first day of September we waited until the wind died down before leaving our mooring at York.  We dinghied in at low tide to use the WI-FI at the dockside restaurant because our coverage on the boat and even in town was practically non-existent.  Although the restaurant wasn’t open, a helpful employee gave us their WI-FI and I was able to load my blog.

A bit later we took Zendo in to fill our water tanks near this extensive array of dinghies.

After eating lunch onboard we left for the Isles of Shoals at 1 since the wind had abated quite a bit. The seas were amazinfgly calm and we had a very pleasant and short run to Isles of Shoals arriving at 2:35. We picked up a mooring between Star and Smuttynose Islands (2 of the five that make up the Isles of Shoals). Although the mooring was pretty rolly, this was the closest we could be to the one island that allowed dogs.  None of the others did!

Jonny took Archie in to walk him on the rocky outcroppings that line the shores of tiny Malaga Island. Archie was like a mountain goat hopping from rock to rock. And the water surrounding the island was amazingly clear!

Jonny then cruised around to the other side of the bay to see if anchoring there would be calmer than our current situation. The challenges in the new location were that there were big ocean swells, no moorings (not a problem for us), and a very long dinghy ride to take Archie to do his business.  We decided not to move.

Jonny and I then left Archie on board while we went in to Star Island, the biggest of the group, to explore. Unfortunately we didn’t get there until 4:50 and the dinghy dock closes and no visitors are allowed past 5!  It was disappointing but we managed to do a quick walk around and snap a few pictures.  There is a very large conference center and several outbuildings on the island.  Many church groups use it for retreats as it is owned by the Unitarian-Universalist Church. It was a stunning setting and  it appeared to be in use by one or two groups of people.

There was even a historic cemetery on the island. I couldn’t resist taking a photo of these sweet little row boats ready for action. We obediently, if reluctantly, returned to the dock at 5 as requested and went back to Zendo for dinner.

I had prepared a new recipe - a Greek chicken and cauliflower dish that turned out surprisingly good!  We ate it as we watched this beautiful sunset.

That evening we had a Zoom call with the group of Cité condo owners who have hired a lawyer to protest a decision made by our board of directors to sell development rights without informing us owners in advance. After that, I watched Biden speak to the nation from Philadelphia about his concern with the MAGA influence on our democracy. I thought it was a strong, well-delivered speech and clearly lots more needs to be done to turn the tide on the negative direction in which much of the country is headed.

On a bittersweet note, we have now ended our journey along the coast of Maine which has been most enjoyable. Here is a map of that craggy coastline. We saw many new places on this trip and revisited a few from a previous cruise. We are both convinced that we would like to come back and reach even further down east in the future, perhaps as far as New Brunswick!

York, ME

We took our time leaving perfect little Perkins Cove on the last day of August. It had rained during the night and Jonny waited for things to dry before taking Archie in for his morning walk. Eventually, they headed out and walked over a long footbridge to circumnavigate the cove.

We only had a one hour cruise to our next stop in York so we didn’t leave until 10:25. It was a stunningly beautiful day and a bit breezy with winds of 10 - 15 knots, but we had a very smooth and comfortable passage.  We passed many magnificent shoreline homes along this more populated part of southern Maine as well as the quintessential Nubble lighthouse off of Cape Neddick.

There was a raging current, which we had read about, as we entered York harbor.  But, of course, Jonny managed it masterfully.  We contacted the harbormaster by phone (he was not in that day) and he directed us to our mooring. Once we tied up, we had a leisurely lunch and then headed into shore to explore the area.  Archie is always happy to ride in the dinghy, one of his favorite things to do!

We walked across the Wriggly Bridge to a beautifully maintained nature preserve. Archie got to explore it off leash, another of his favorite things to do. It was a tranquil spot and provided us all with a wonderful walk in the woods. 

From there we hiked up into the historic town of York.  We had read that it was one of the prettiest towns around but we were a little disappointed. There were a few historic structures but the road through town was quite busy and this part of town had no commercial establishments nor did it have an accessible collection of historic residences.  There may be another part of town that had more of that but it was too far for us to walk.  

Instead we strolled for awhile along the Fisherman’s Walk which was a lovely walkway along the coast.

Cell phone and internet coverage aboard Zendo was basically non-existent even with our hot spot and quite spotty on shore as well.    We did manage to find a picnic table along the shore where we were able to call Jonny’s mom, Janice, and connect briefly to the internet.

That night we were unable to watch our favorite PBS New Hour but we coped! Jonny made us delicious Perfect Manhattans and I made sausage, pasta and salad for dinner and we had another cozy night together.