Ahoy from Glen Farr

I wanted to provide you with an update on our cruise aboard Ellie K. We began from Anacortes, with Paul aboard to show us the ropes, so-to-speak. Don Chesnut jumped aboard as well, albeit we had to pry him away from his beloved French canal boat in order to join our adventure.

We began our voyage with the Waggoner Flotilla by making the hop to the Canadian Gulf Islands to clear customs, and then we clicked off some beautiful daily passages as we continued northbound through desolation sound. We continued onward through the Broughton’s with a provisioning stop at Port McNeill. In Port McNeill, we dropped off Paul to join Becky in their van and then continued northbound beyond Cape Caution to Fury Cove.

The passage around Cape Caution became quite sporty. We were fortunate to have a very little wind, but swells were large enough that we lost sight of the the superstructures of the very tall trawlers in our flotilla. One trawler, with about a 25 foot air draft was completely out of sight in between swells.

It’s easy to have a love affair with Ellie K. She is what I call a regionally appropriate boat. That’s what lobster boats are to Maine. That’s what deadrise crab boats are to the Chesapeake. In the Pacific Northwest, the regionally appropriate boats are trawlers and trollers, especially if they are constructed in wood. The Cherry-on-Top with Ellie K is that she is also a stunningly beautiful boat, a real eye catcher. It’s fun to hear the favorable comments of other boaters or dock walkers who are certainly attracted to her good looks.

There once was a boat named Ellie K
She’s so pretty that you couldn’t look away
From the sketch pad of Sam
My eyeballs scream “hot damn”
I can’t stop admiring her all day

So, with more than half the distance to Ketchikan in our wake, we ride aboard beauty while surrounded by beauty. Thank you for the opportunity to enjoy Ellie K. We are mesmerized with each passing minute.

Glen, Don and Paul, aboard Ellie K, onward to Alaska.