Newport, OR, to Victoria, B.C.

Photos: 1 & 2: This is the Pacific Coast Highway Bridge over the harbor entrance to Newport, OR (Yaquina Harbor).
3. This is the lighthouse on Tatoosh Island at Cape Flattery. A bit hard to see through the ever-present haze and fog.

Hello Shamu! A killer whale passed us this morning as we were approaching Cape Flattery, which is the northwestern most tip of Washington State. The tall black fin (rounded back and size) was the unmistakable marking of Killer whale. He was alone and moving rapidly south. This area appears to be full of whales. We have seen several spouts this morning. I wish we had a “go fast boat” and could chase them for a better look. The Captain says chasing the whales is still illegal!

For our dedicated readers we shall give you a recap of the travels that took us to this exact point (Lat 48º25.2’N 124º45.7’W – for those who can Google Earth).

Emily arrived Friday night with Adam (the boyfriend) and Justine (the roommate). They came to pick up Ms. Grumpy (the 16 yr old Shih Tzu). They (Grumpy excluded) attended the Comedy Club on Friday and had plans to see the Narnia Exhibit.

Saturday – We buttoned up the house (gas OFF, shutters down, air set to 88, trash hauled out and dog’s bag packed). We left by Southwest airlines to Portland where we waited 2 hours for our pre-arranged shuttle to take us to Newport – THREE HOURS by shuttle van. ERFFF – a long and winding route up the mountains and down. However the last hour was quite lovely as it was along the coast. Newport is south and west of Portland.

The shuttle driver left us along side the road (authorized to dump people only at designated stops). We had to walk with all our stuff another mile to the Marina Office where we picked more “stuff” that we had shipped to ourselves. Then we walked another 0.25 mile with our additional burdens.

The boat was side tied to the guest dock. Apparently the %^$#* seagulls (dreaded rats with wings) had made a very untidy home of our boat. By this time, it was 5pm and we had too many things to do to worry about besides an unsightly dirty boat. (Note: %^$#* = gosh darned since this a PG site)

Jim busied himself with engine and systems checks – replacing filters etc..

Lara busied herself with unpacking and stowing. Our fresh food situation is grim. No eggs, no onions, no fresh lunch meats, no fresh fruit/veggies etc... In retrospect, I wish I had rallied up some energy and called a taxi to take me to the Safeway. Now, we will really need to hit up a grocery early on in this voyage.

We have plenty of the UV Milk and the frozen Egg beaters but it would have been nice to stock up on the fresh items. Meals become a real highlight (both the preparations and the eating) when one is onboard and underway for long periods of time.

Sunday 0500 – We woke to the sounds of a “Go Fast” 50 foot-ish, twin engine getting underway behind us. He was getting fuel (he burns diesel at 45 gal/hr compared to us at 5 gal/hr!). We untied from the dock and headed out with a 1 hour head start (since we weren’t getting fuel). All lines and fenders pulled in and stowed for the long trip. He passed us about 90 minutes after we started since he can travel at 20 kts (compared to us at 6.5-8 kts!)

Jim has developed a whole host of weather web sites that give him wind reports, wave reports, tidal activities and patterns. He examines these to gain a “picture” of what lies ahead. Weather is excellent for 24+ hours.

Setting out from Newport; while everything was relatively calm, we found ourselves in what we call “confused seas”. Our definition of confused seas is when there are waves coming at us in a random pattern. It creates an uncomfortable movement – like a washing machine.

Motion Sickness – The first days at sea are often marked with a general malaise distinct with sleepiness and a general far away feeling. While these “confused seas” don’t bother Jim one bit they are the worst movement for Lara. This movement situation coupled with weeks of non stop work and very little sleep resulted in a Lara napping in and out most of our first day at Sea.

Actually this napping has worked in our favor as Lara took the midnight to 0500 shift (Monday). We have now been at Sea for 34+ straight hours. After getting stuck by poor weather earlier in this trip, we have decided to really take advantage of weather windows offered and to JAM when we can. (Note from the Captain – “Jamming” in this particular boat means moving a pace equal to a slow run as opposed to the normal fast jog!).

We arrived with bags of electronics and electronic cables. We brought along three cell phones (Verizon and AT&T), two lap tops, an iPOD and a movie camera. We are busy hooking everything up and charging things this morning. Jim has re-established his “office” in the pilothouse so he can man the helm and work at the same time. This provides him with a great excuse to just bellow for food instead of walking three steps back to the galley to fetch it himself!

Anyway, we are now in the more protected waters of the Strait of San Juan de Fuca enroute to Victoria – where we will clear customs into Canada! I have to find our courtesy flags (we have to fly a miniature Canadian flag from the starboard spreader) sometime in the next few hours! It’s a pretty section with Vancouver Island off our port side and Washington State (Olympic Peninsula) to starboard.

Lara is most excited about the potential to go grocery shopping tomorrow!