Quijote Crew enjoyed a spectacular day of cruising through the San Juan Islands today. Light winds from 5 to 15 knots and sunshine. We even did some sailing.
We started the day off right by sleeping in, having a leisurely breakfast, and pulling the anchor around 9:30. That put us in San Juan Channel shortly before Turn to Flood (TTF). Had we left any earlier we'd have found ourselves battling an ebb tide and burning a lot of fuel.
We crossed the border around 3pm and cleared customs an hour or so later in Bedwell Harbour.
Last year at this point we were denied clearing in Bedwell Harbour because Covid had closed the station, a curious decision considering the last couple of times I stopped here, and this time, the station has been unmanned. Three telephone hand sets have replaced the humans who used to work here.
I picked one up. "Press one for English or two for French," it said. The hand set had no key pad, a dubious start. I waited patiently. When a woman came on the line ten minutes later I provided the boats documentation number and she asked if I was Matt. Huh? I guess Matt was listed first in last year's form. Several questions later we were cleared for entry.
I have a favorite anchorage spot in Bedwell Harbour well away from the press of other boats. It's mentioned in my Douglas guide, but I've never seen anyone there, which is a good thing, because it's only big enough for a single boat. It would be interesting to know how many boats anchor in it over the course of a year.
Another selling point for my favorite Bedwell H. anchorage is its close proximity to a hiking trail. It was 4 pm by the time we were ready to hike, so we rowed to shore, a few hundred feet from the boat, tied up the dinghy, and scrambled up to the trail paralleling the shoreline.
Dinner tonight was fresh Atlantic salmon cooked on the bbq by Chuck who did an excellent job of it. Two days in we are eating like kings. Chuck's bbq salmon and Tina's Jambalaya were both exceptional. I just hope I can keep the level of culinary excellence going tomorrow night 🤞
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