Sunday May 28th, Day 14, 470 miles north of Anacortes. Today we are anchored in Rescue Bay, a cove off of the main channel of Mathieson Inlet. it is low tide and we have been watching for bears, but none so far. The flotilla life is going smoothly and I am enjoying having destinations decided for me, arriving into them early enough to do some exploring, visiting with the great folks that are on this trip with us and doing boat projects. We have been side tying with the wonderful people who have the largest boat in the flotilla when we anchor.  It is pretty funny to see the two boats side by side.

We crossed Queen Charlotte Strait and Cape Caution on Thursday and the wait for calm winds and seas was worth it. Becky was dreading another rough crossing. We did 81 miles that day and ended in Purth Bay, where there is an Oceanographic Institute and a trail to a beach on the Pacific that we walked. 

We saw Humpback whales coming and going from Hecate Island and in Fitzhugh Sound. It is always exciting when there is a whale directly under the boat and you have to quickly take the engine out of gear. One actually blew 25 yards off of my STBD Beam and then again 45 seconds later off of the Port. 

The Ghost Town of Ocean Falls was our next destination, the site of a former pulp mill that has been idle since the 1980’s. We had a great potluck and encountered our first insects, so I spent the afternoon installing a magnetic closing insect screen on our door. One of our mates set out a crab pot and I broke out our steamer pot and the Butane Stove, so in return they set our pot out for us and brought back one keeper, but we cooked five for the potluck and I had my fill of those. 

Last night we stopped in Shearwater and were surprised by the quality of the food at the Pub. Great Chowder and Fish and Chips. Another great evening with folks for a meal. It is a great group we are traveling with and I am adjusting to shorter trips most days.

The boat continues to run well, we are happy onboard and I am enjoying my sister working on the fourth 1000 piece puzzle. Though I have to admit that I was run off of the last one. I was working on it late at night before Becky told me to turn off the lights and come to bed. Cell service and internet are spotty but our new friends are allowing us to use their starlink for this posting.

It’s been a great week and things are going very well. The boat has travelled 362 miles this week, since Olympia; we have met some really great, interesting people and it has been a pleasurable time being part of a flotilla.

About an hour after we cleared customs via cell phone we looked up to see a boat with a flashing blue light barreling up on our port side. We pulled over and 2 Canadian Mounties boarded our boat to verify our documentation. It was a bit startling since we have never been stopped in Canada before. They were very friendly which helped our fast beating hearts to calm down.

Even though we have traveled each day, there has been time enough to take hikes, explore the places that we have visited, do boat keeping, relax and visit with the folks on the flotilla. We are one of the smallest boats, therefore the slowest, except a smaller sailboat and a smaller but fast 30 foot Cutwater, planing hull boat. We are the first to leave and the last to arrive. But it is alright, Ellie K is one of the simplest and easiest to operate.

We were able to buy fresh prawns off the boats as they came in for the day. I sautéed them with a recipe from one of the other boats and we wished we had bought more. The next morning as we were preparing to leave, our boat neighbor handed us freshly baked cinnamon buns. They were even better then ones from a local bakery.

We spent a night in Prideaux Haven which is usually bumper to bumper boats anchored there. There was only one other boat when we arrived and a few showed up that evening. It was great to be able to spend a night there without a huge crowd.

Last night we had a fabulous dinner at Blind Channel Marina. I had only stopped there for a short visit to the store and I had dropped of Becky there to catch a water Taxi to Campbell River in 2010.

Today we are in Lagoon Cove in The Broughton Archipelago. It is fun revisiting places that we have been before, now under new owners and rebounding after Covid. We are some of the first of the season and definitely the first large group, so the marinas are practicing on us.

The weather has been outstanding! Warm and blue skies with a bit of breeze. Tomorrow looks like it may change a bit and get cooler. We are eating well and taking turns with chores. Having my sister, Sue on board has been great. She is the first person to put together a puzzle while underway.

We look forward to new amazing views and adventures as we continue to move North.

We apologize if the pictures take a while to publish. Becky is still figuring out the postings.

Both Paul and Becky are now retired and ready to head north again.

NOTE: View the Ellie K’s present position via Garmin tracker:

https://share.garmin.com/F2XD2

Some folks think that owning a boat is a liability. Yes it is; but it also gives me a focus a challenge and lets me practice boat yoga and stretch myself physically and mentally. 
Today, seeing the boat on the trailer and having the culmination of my labor end with the boat being back in Olympia was really special. Touching base with the folks that brought it together was a big deal for me. So many memories and now Becky and I return to The Puget Sound, British Columbia and Alaska without the time pressure of returning to work. 

So glad to have the work behind us and looking forward to just having planning routes to our next destination and cooking great meals as a work punch list. 

The next few days will be touching up paint and packing up the last of our supplies and then we will be heading north. 

Unlike last years when I solo boated. This time we joined a flotilla of ten other boats. The great part is all the decisions from watching weather and tides to deciding where to spend the night are made for you and I just have to drive. 

Becky and I are looking forward to our new adventures together!