Puget Sound Loop Choices

[saltspring]

I'm really enjoying this thread, it has me thinking I want to do this trip or at least a segment or two of it. It would be nice if we had some way to share experiences and pictures with actual GPS data from the water. I have been putting my plotter output into Google Earth along with pictures and it has been a great way to share experiences. Maybe we should consider a space to share these Google Earth files.

Thanks for the information and the ideas, this spring I will certainly be doing a south sound trip.

[JamesTXSD]

There are probably very few here who have traversed water that no one else has seen before. When I first started our cruising thread, it wasn't on the Grand Adventures forum (Mike moved it there)... I don't think you have to travel far or remote to have a "grand" time; and adventure is a perception - what some think of as rough conditions may be mundane for others. Certainly we all have different perceptions of what is "roughing it."

A person could spend years cruising Puget Sound, discovering new things each day. The time we've spent around the Sound has always been an adventure... even the time spent in marinas. What you call it is less important than taking the first step out and going. Living in a small town, boating into the "big city" is a real adventure for us.

It's all in the point of view, eh? I enjoy reading about the Alaska trips and the river travels in Florida, the lake gatherings and the Gulf Stream crossings to the Bahamas... it's all good!

[Hunkydory]

Jim

I've never thought of the Wild Blue's adventures as any thing other than grand especially with retiring early and all the other risks associated with the variation of your travels on land and water, but I don't agree that a Grand Adventure is about having a "grand" time or that adventure is entirely a personal perception and most certainly not being about whether you are "roughing it" or not. What I feel it must contain to be described as an "adventure is some element of excitement due to a degree of danger or risk and "grand" is the stated elevation in time or degree of this risk or danger. Of course this doesn't mean that the adventure has to be a continuation of on going risk and danger, but somewhere these elements must exist. I believe my analyzes is backed up by this accepted difinition of the word.

"adventure >noun 1 an unusual, exciting, and daring experience. 2 excitement arising from or associated with danger or risk.."

I agree completely one does not have to cruise in the areas or the manner in which we prefer to qualify a cruise as being a Grand Adventure. We have met many couples on sailboats and even huge luxuries yachts who were cruising in high style, but all the risk and dangerous were obviously still there and though we were from totally opposite social-economic back grounds we thoroughly enjoyed our time spent together due to our recognition of being similar in soul. The following is how I described it in our cruise log this year while in Alaska.

"We were invited aboard the yacht, Rhapsody out of Seattle for coffee and cinnamon rolls. The owner’s Ron and Dianne were an enjoyable host and we spent 5 hours in pleasant interesting conversation sharing experience’s etc. He had retired from Boeing a few years before where he had worked as an engineer, high in there testing division. She a retired school teacher. They actually lived on this yacht 6 months out of the year and it was a beautiful second home. They gave us a complete tour of there vessel. Anyone who knows us would absolutely not believe the social gad abouts we have become on this trip. It’s amazing how a smile, wave and sharing similar experiences can cut through the social barriers of normal living. Out here whether the boats are tiny like ours or 50' plus we all are on our own and pushing our individual and equipment limits. This makes the sharing of our different back grounds, which has led us to these remote settings even more enjoyable"

While as I agree that what you call it is not as important as taking the first step toward doing it the difinition of a word describing the type of experience being undertaken and a place to share an exceptional experience or experiences is still important in how its perceived in sharing with others. There is a difference between a days outing, a weeks social cruise or a couple days gathering of C-Dory owner friends to a Gulf Stream crossing to the Bahamas, doing the Grand Loop or taking an Alaska or Canadian Inland Passage cruise and I believe the latter types are best defined and most deserving of inclusion in the forum Grand Adventures. These kind of exceptional out of the ordinary "grand" adventures were the reason I believe for starting this separate forum, so they could be easily accessed and read for present and future sharing. If there isn't some separation and recognition of the difference than the truly grand adventures will be lost in the clutter for future readers that don't want to bother doing a search. Again this doesn't mean I don't think the Wild Blue's adventures arn't in anyway grand enough to qualify. You go in style, are always having fun and seek excitement with willingness to accept the danger and risk of traveling in the many places you have shared with us all.

I too enjoy all the reading about the different adventures of our fellow C-Brats "grand" or not.

Jay

[JamesTXSD]

Jay, my friend, I agree with you regarding Grand Adventures vs a "grand" time. I just hope that anyone considering any adventure in their boat won't think their experience isn't enough of an adventure to share it with us here (somewhere on this site). If it's someone's first time out overnight on a boat, that could certainly be considered a risk for that experience level.

Shucks, if we could ever get our daughter to overnight on a boat, it wouldn't be an adventure, it would be a miracle! I've included some posts on our thread about having her onboard, because it is those little moments that build a foundation. I don't understand her fear of anything that moves in the air or on the water, but I appreciate her willingness to give it a try because she knows it's a big part of our lives.

I think the same reasoning applies to a lot of folks who have a spouse that doesn't appreciate the need some of us have to do new things and see new stuff... guys who singlehand because the wife won't go out on "that little thing." We've done "boat tours" with couples where you see "the look" in his eyes, and the utter horror in hers. Maybe if they started with something that feels more like a well-planned tour (with a bit of luxury tossed in) they could bring the reluctant one around? And, as you know, planning is part of the fun on any trip... especially if you can't be out there right now. You and I are fortunate that we have willing partners who are right there beside us when we say, "Hey, what do you think about this?"

I sure didn't mean to turn this into a discussion of semantics. I really admire what you two do. If someone is inspired by something they read here, it may encourage them to plan for their own boat travels. Some will know the fun we experience, some aren't going to enjoy it... but you gotta start somewhere.

Best wishes for lots of adventures in the new year,
Jim

[Pat Anderson]

Jay - not many are willing to run their C-Dory over an unknown rapids and perhaps end up stuck bow down at Ford's Terror forever! So you get the Grand Prize for Grand Adventure, defined by degree of risk! I too would not think of a trip around Puget Sound from marina to marina as a Grand Adventure - a heck of a lot of fun perhaps but not a Grand Adventure, since the biggest risk would be not finding a slip at the next marina! But risk can just be overcoming a personal challenge, it does not have to be something that everyone acknowledges as downright dangerous. Just my $0.02 worth...

[Robbi]

After 30 minutes of writing a response to the criticism of this topic being put into the "Grand Adventures Forum," I lost the post. Gurr. I may not be as reserved in this response! Because the Puget Sound Loop trip was included in the "Grand Adventures" forum in no way detracts for me the other grand adventures that are included in this forum, nor does it diminish the "grand adventures" that are written up in other forums. If someone wants to post their adventure in this forum, it doesn't bother me. Like Jim said, adventures are very personal. My boating adventures certainly are not someone elses. To me, an adventure is not "Grand" because it includes a high danger risk. That is just me.

May we all continue our own grand adventures.

Robbi

[Dene]

Three reasons I consider this trip an adventure.

1. Most of the destinations and waters are new to us.

2. It's on a boat....anything can and often will go wrong

3. My wife tolerates the porta-potty. 7 nights of use could exceed these limitations. When the boss ain't happy........

I do agree that this adventure is not on the scale of others....ones that we may do ourselves when we retire (Alaska, Great Loop)....but it's a nice warmup.

-Greg

[Hunkydory]

Think I've already said enough perhaps to much. I too do not want to be responsible for others not sharing their boating experiences due to thinking a certain standard must be met. There is already a shortage of cruises shared compared to cruises made And normally I'm pushing to have them shared though going through the photo albums sure helps.

Dene, I apologize if from my comments you think I was criticizing you for planning a non adventures advent. You gave three good reasons that makes it an adventure to you, but the main is simply there is a degree of risk and danger in just leaving the dock and these kind of trips should be made before heading off or considering one of the more grand types. What drew my attention to your thread and caused me to share my opinion on it was simply the priorities set at no over night anchoring and the must have shopping every night and that in the planning stages posted in a Forum that I personally felt should mainly be reserved for ones who have already gone through what you are planning and then worked them selves up to the Grand Adventure and the reporting sharing of it here. I enjoyed your thread but not knowing that area would have had nothing to add if it had been posted on any different forum. Knotty C started there thread about last summers cruise in the General Chat Forum and I made a request that it be moved to the Grand Adventures Forum because I didn't want it lost for future viewers to enjoy and learn from. And it was moved here.

I think a good example of what I've been trying to share is the write up I did on our first cruise in 2003 very shortly after purchasing our first and only real boat. I was totally new to this site and everything about it, when El and Bill proposed a future trip on the McKenzie River in the Northwest Territories and wanted to know about others interest, so instead of writing up our first cruise and sharing it where it could be viewed for the future and not be lost in the clutter of this site I shared it on the "C-Brat Cruises and Gatherings Forum" in the thread by El and Bill titled "Upper Yukon River" where it can only be accessed by serious searching or random luck today.

Many good views have been expressed on this subject and mine is I realize only one of them. To me hurt or hard feeling are not worth anything I expressed. So an apology to all where that might be the case.

Jay

[Rick from Maine]

Great timing for this question Greg! My daughter gave me the Cruising Guide to Puget sound for a XMAS present. Yesterday I read almost cover to cover, and then thought about a cruise itinerary if I ever towed Hunky Dory out there. I like your idea of a week in the South/central regions hitting the hi-lites. I’m anxious to see what you decide will be your itinerary after getting input from the experienced Puget Sound C-Brats.

Although I can’t provide any advice on destinations, anchorages and marinas, I can share some tips that we have found to increase my wife Carol’s enjoyment of C-Dory cruising. She also dislikes the C-Dory Porta-Potti, no head compartment (like our sailboat had) and lack of a shower.
1. Break the cruising day up with 2 stops each day, 1 for lunch and shore excursions (i.e. shopping & bathrooms) and the final destination each day which should include a restaurant and excursions.
2. Spend some nights in B&Bs. If this is your first extended cruise as a couple, spend most nights at a B&B.
3. Most important, cruise with some other C-Brat couples, or meet up with them on the cruise at some destinations. Now all I have to say to get Carol to agree to a cruise is the names of some other C-Brats that will also be coming.

For what it's worth, Rick from Maine

[El and Bill]

Greg --
Back to the original idea of your posting -- what to do in Puget Sound -- you might want to take a look at

http://www.geocities.com/bill_fiero/southsound.htm
http://www.geocities.com/bill_fiero/poulsbo.htm

And in our opinion: Life, itself, is daily a marvelous adventure offered for a relatively short time, to relatively few, and should be appreciated every minute of every day, regardless where or how it is spent.

[Dene]

Great tips. Love the idea about a B&B. That would be a nice surprise treat, especially in the middle of the cruise.

HunkyDory. No apology required. I wasn't remotely offended. I relish your's and other's perspectives and have always enjoyed your posts.

Someday....we'll have the whole summer to explore the Sound. Given that, I'm sure we will appreciate the quiet anchorages and exploring the parks, etc. in a larger boat, min. 25 footer. This particular trip is a highlight one. My wife loves the waterfronts she's experienced at LaConner, Friday Harbor, Bell Harbor, and Poulsbo. We just need to hit the remaining ones before we transcend to the more tranquil exploration.

-Greg

[Dene]

[bshillam]

Sounds like fun! My wife and I are planning on travelling a week in the Puget Sound this summer. Keep the good information coming brats!

I for one love the idea of solitude, protection, and great scenery. The shopping could probably be left to one or maybe two days.

[Pat Anderson]

Yes, you speak the truth here for sure, as usual (except for the "minimalist is better" stuff of course!). Today I learned the City Attorney of Bothell, a guy about my age, give or take a few years, died just before Christmas. A month or so ago, I was exchanging pleasantries with him at a conference in Chelan. It could as easily have been me, you never know.

[terraplane]

Here on the Chesapeake both the primitive-anchor out- no amenities trip and the cruise-in-to-a dock trip offer much. For me, it is sometimes just great to find a place to tie up, see what kind of village or town (or city) has grown up around the water, walk and explore other boats...etc...Here on The Bay a local waterman would not see the difference between an anchor out trip and a tie up trip...just what pleases you.