WHAT A YEAR! ...2016 in pictures... 1st 6 months

Remember, you can enlarge the pictures by clicking on them and scrolling through, 

but the captions will not be visible. Hope you enjoy the recap!

July through December 2016 coming soon...

Getting the boat ready at Salpare Bay Marina, Hayden Island, Portland, OR.
 Lots to do for the 2016, 7 month cruise, through the Inside Passage of Canada.

Setting up the Bon Voyage Party at home in Las Vegas. (February 2016)

Some of the best girl friends at the party!
Sherry, Cindy, Charlene, Tracey, Gwynith, Shelby & Julie
(Thanks Vickie for taking the picture)

View from my gardens. What a great party!

Best friends Kandi and Clark... die hards closing the evening!
Love you always, no shit! 

Heading for the Columbia Bar crossing April 1st, 2016.

From the pilothouse.

Arrive LaPush, WA  4/1/16

First gray whale sighting. 

Arrived Port Angeles, WA  4/4/16

This giant mural is amazingly life like.

At anchor in the San Juan islands.

John trying out the kayack.

Taking a ride in the dingy searching for wifi.

Spending the night at anchor off Shaw Island.

Making our way into Roche Harbor, WA.

Attending 2016 Selene Owners Rendezvous.

I took the trail to the McMillin Mausoluem Family Memorial.

At anchor of Stuart Island with Jerry & Jennie on Forever Young.

Turnpoint Light Station, where the orcas greeted the 4 of us, at noon.

Cleared customs on May 2nd, at Poet's Cove Marina, Bedwell Harbor, Pender Island, Canada.

Another beautiful sunset on the Strait of Georgia. 

Navionics plotted our course to False Creek, Grandville Island, Vancouver.

Making our way to the moorage at the marina.

Love the way these fuel tanks are painted!

We spent a week exploring Vancouver, B.C.

We toted the wagon for miles, all over the place...

...provisioned at the Granville Market.

Went out for lunch for Mother's Day, May 10th.

Headed north to Halfmoon Bay on the Schelt Peninsula.

Hung out here waiting to join up with friends who are heading to Alaska.

           

Here they come to our new location at Maderia Park. 

The Hale Kai, Nordhavn 43'.

Bidding Larry, Marcia and Sandy, the wonder dog fair well for now.

Making our way to Princess Louisa Inlet from the flybridge.  

Timing the Malibu Rapids for slack tide is necessary to get through.

The camera has a hard time capturing the scale of this massive view of the waterfalls
 which comprise the Princess Louisa Inlet Provincial Park.

Pairadice is right at home here, at Chatter Box Falls, with a port side tie.

As I explore....

and document the event with photos,

 ...John meets the neighbors. (May 14th day 47)

Nita and Tom on their Ocean Alexander made their trip from Seattle.

We enjoyed our new friends so much, we caught up with them later at
the Seattle Yacht Club digs on Cortez Island in Desolation Sound.

We started limiting out crabbing the islands right away.
And believe me, it takes a while to turn this crab into great meals. 

This area is called Prideaux Haven in Homfray Channel.

Homfray Lodge after the fishing derby weekend.

...and more crabbing.

Day trip to the waterfall in Toba Inlet...

On to Octopus Islands Provincial Park, June 1st.  

Kenaire seaplane delivering guests to Shoal Bay, Strait of Johnson.

View of the moorage from the pub at Shoal Bay.

A beautiful day to continue north to Blind Bay and repair the anchor pulpit.

Blind Channel Resort, Johnstone Strait.

Does he look like MacGuyver to you?

After the repair we hiked through the forest...

....to the 800 year old cedar tree, 16' in diameter.
Later that day we ran across friends, Bill & Wendy from the Selene Rendezvous.

We decided to travel north with them for a bit, as they travel to Prince Rupert.
That brought us to Port Harvey Marina, East Cracorft Island.

Wendy and Bill, our friends from Victoria, B.C. onboard their Selene, Sea Badger.

Next stop Lagoon Cove.

The library and workshop os waiting for the mariners to meet for happy hour.

That's a lot of yacht club flags.

Fuel tanks hidden in the forest among the hiking trails of Lagoon Cove.

Totem made from old "stuff" located near the burn barrel. 

Exercise station #3. Help yourself :-)

Sea Badger at anchor in Lagoon Cove.

Ms. Jean hosted happy hour and told stories of acquiring the property many years ago.

This tug boat is towing a log "pannie" on our way to Port McNeill.
The logging industry is very interesting up here.

Sea Badger and Pairadice reflecting the setting sun!
(June 10th... day 73)

And what to our wandering eyes should appear....
John's friends from trawler forum, were assigned the slip right behind us!
What are the odds... we became fast friends.. forever!
Tom and Kay on Alaskan Sea-Duction.

This young eagle has found a nice perch to observe the beautiful skies.

And we found a great pub for hot sandwiches.
Tracey, John, Tom, Kay, Bill, Wendy

Port McNeill sunset....

Tom and John maintaining control on Tom's boat?

Passing by another lighthouse... continuing to head north.

We kept running into this pink sailboat, Darwind.
Young crew, very impressive!

Making our way north by way of Pruth Bay.

More heading north in the AM.

A nice pod of Orca's joined us for brunch.

 Captain John hard at work piloting the boat? NOT!

Set anchor in the rain at Bottleneck Inlet.
Wendy and Bill wasted no time to feel the weather.
Those Canadians are looney, I tell you!

We watched as the Nordhavn foatilla came in and set their anchors.
They are heading to the the Nordhavn Rendezvous in Alaska.

John bringing in the crab pots in during the morning fog. He's happy!!!

Wendy took this awesome picture of Pairadice in Bottleneck. We will definitely return here next year!

Sea Badger off Sarah Island as we continue to head north in Graham Reach, destination, Khutze Inlet.

Left to right... Pairadice - Sea Badger - Alaskan Sea-Duction. (That's Wendy in the foreground.)
Khutze Inlet, crabbing, June 16th day 79

Today's catch ready for the crab boil :-)

Arrived at Hartley Bay, home of the Gitga'at Band (First Nation People)

Salmon smokehouse by the fish hatchery.

The village of Hartley Bay uses ATV"s to get around the boardwalks.
Population appx. 300, there is no pavement, cars or stores.
All household and personal items are brought in by boat.

Marina at Kitamaat, Canada. This is as far north as we got.

John caught up with his friend Murray, from trawler forum,
who reported "Not many people make the turn east and visit Kitamaat".
He was kind enough to take us into town (5 mile walk) for provisioning.

Moored on the outside was a bit windy and rough.

After Kitamaat, we went back to Hartley Bay to do some salmon fishing.
We took this hiking trail to a lake at the head.

Hartley Bay Village

Now that's a salmon!

They kept 3, 2 Kings & a CoHo
George showed John the "proper"
way to filet them.

Sealed for freezing by midnight.

Friday June 24th (day 87) heading to Butedale where
we catch up with Sea Badger and head south around Cape Caution.

We were excited to be greeted by these Gray Whales.

I'm pretty proud of this picture.

Butedale has a restoration project going on. It is an abandoned cannery.

We shared a dinner meal and spent the night here.

There is actually a tree growing from the roof.

The caretaker cautioned us, only one person on the bridge at a time please.

That morning as we explored the ruins, we were blessed with a rare sighting of this Spirit Bear!!!
It is rumored the seeing one will give you good luck the rest of your life.

As the tide went out, she came out of the berry patch to forage for crab.

We made our way back to Khutze for the night and more crab! Just love this bay!

Bill was thrilled with his catch! Those crab love his cat food.

Duncanby Lodge heading south...
waiting for the weather window to cross the open ocean of Cape Caution.

Sea Badger in the morning mist heading toward Cape Caution.....