05/11 - 05/14 - Friday Harbor 2023

Kevin, that's great you can make it again. It's always good to see Catch 22 and crew!

Meanwhile, let's use this unofficial thread to chatter about the cruise after the cruise--to Princess Louisa. The OFFICIAL Friday Harbor thread contains all the useful details and pertinent info that we need for May 12-14!
 
We are planning to leave Vancouver Island about a week before the gathering and spend a few days in the Gulf Islands and then tour the San Juan Islands. After the gathering we will make our way into the gulf islands again for a few days. We would enjoy meeting up with other boats for some of these travels before and after the gathering. If you are interested, please let us know.
 
Peter, it will be good to see you and Judy again. I plan to travel with the group to Princess Louisa Inlet after the gathering. Since I'm now also attending the Delta Cruise in California just before Friday Harbor, I won't be launching until a day before the gathering. I'll be launching at Cap Sante and depending upon what time that is, I'll either stay in the marina that night, or perhaps go catch a mooring ball in Eagle Cove. Colby Late note, I was just informed it's Eagle Harbor! On Cypress Island. :lol: Colby
 
We will be at Eagle Harbor on Wednesday May 10. The mooring balls are free to use in an effort to discourage anchoring and to help protect the eel grass. https://activecaptain.garmin.com/en-NZ/ ... 85/Reviews

For smaller boats, it is common courtesy to take the inner most and south mooring balls. Deep draft boats such as sailboats need the outermost balls on the north wall and outer area. The south and inner area has the shallower water which is good for our boats. Gary and Colleen
 
Kevin, that's great you can make it again. It's always good to see Catch 22 and crew!

Meanwhile, let's use this unofficial thread to chatter about the cruise after the cruise--to Princess Louisa. The OFFICIAL Friday Harbor thread contains all the useful details and pertinent info that we need for May 12-14!

Any idea how many days the group is planning for the trip to Princess Loisa Inlet?

Thanks
Steve and Jodi standaert
 
Ok Susan and I are considering joining the side trip to Princess Louise. We have not been since 2006? So what day are we leaving and what is the planned route? Not that the weather will determine that at that time far more then we do. really looking forward to heading up that way again.
 
We will be at Eagle Harbor on Wednesday May 10. The mooring balls are free to use in an effort to discourage anchoring and to help protect the eel grass. https://activecaptain.garmin.com/en-NZ/ ... 85/Reviews
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Gary, Colby

The suggestion of Eagle Harbour on May 10 sounds like it might be a good rendezvous point on May 10. Since we will be in the San Juan's for a few days in advance, this sounds like a good pre gathering rendezvous with a few other C-Brats. We will try to put this in our cruising plans. Hope to see you there.
 
Tom and Susan, that's great you're also interested in a jaunt to Princess Louisa.

So far we have 11 boats, counting Pat and Patti:
Dora~Jean/Steve
Surveyor 1/ Rob W.
Steve and Jodi Standas
MikeR/Big C
Harvey/Sleepy C
Tom and Susan
Jeff and Diane/36' GB
Brock/Songbird
Colby/C-Traveler
Steve and Joanie
And maybe Devin, from eastern Oregon. By the way, last year after we broke camp at Friday Harbor, Devin went for a little cruise--to Glacier Bay! I happened to have bumped into him March 15th at about 9 p.m. when we both happened to be walking the docks at Anacortes' Cap Santa marina.

I'm thinking that on Sunday 5/14 we head north and my plan is to check into Canadian customs at Bedwell. I'd like to fuel up at Nanaimo before crossing Strait of Georgia. We can dawdle on the way north if we choose, and we don't all have to do the same thing. But I do want to be ready at Nanaimo to blast across the strait when the weather dictates.

I think a good mainland destination would be Garden Bay to top off and determine a timeline for our push to PLI. Let's talk.
 
We are also planning to head north assuming I can get everything ready. We plan to do the Bay/Delta trip and then head up with Colby and Steve. Please add us to the list for the PLI after FH.

Steve and Karen.
 
Despite (or because of) having 2 feet of snow still on ground here in Alberta, we are getting Mistaya ready for the drive across the Rockies to Vancouver Island on Tuesday. We hope to cruise up to Princess Louisa Inlet the last week of April if weather and tides come together. We will be cruising in Desolation Sound prior to that. We are looking forward to the Friday Harbour gathering and hopefully we will be able to report that PLI is still there and worth visiting while at the gathering.
 
I think we should rename this thread to the Princess Louisa Inlet Cruise. 11 boats, wow. This will be a gathering in itself. For those not following closely, a new thread with only two pages now was opened as the official Friday Harbor gathering thread: http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t= ... sc&start=0

For Steve (SeaSpray) and Steve (Dora Jean), my plans are to join Pounder Jim and others for the brunch after we load our boats once back from the Delta Cruise. Then I'll drop Rosanne off at the Sacramento Airport, and start my drive north. I will be solo for the rest of the month. I run 65mph or speed limit if slower. Probably drive until around 5-6pm and start looking for a Cracker Barrel or other available place to park for the night and get supper. I usually stop every two hours for fuel or head break. (Sometimes sooner... :| ) Next day get back on the road by 8a at the latest and try to make 450-500 miles before stopping again somewhere that allows a decent supper and location to "boaterhome", Monday evening. Ideally hitting Seattle shortly after the noon hour on Tuesday to avoid most of rush hour traffic, and then getting to Cap Sante Marina at Anacortes so as to get slung launched before they close, which I believe is 6pm, but I'll check sometime this month. I'll also find out the current rates for parking at Cap Sante. I believe it was $5 or $6 a day. I've used that marina several times in the past, parking for several weeks and it's always worked out well. There are some fresh water hoses there, and in the past they've allowed me to use them. If not, there is a car wash before leaving the island. Following that schedule, means I'd be launching on Tuesday the 9th. This gives me an extra day for any (knock on wood) events slowing travel. My plans would still be to rendeveau with others at Eagle Harbor on Wednesday before the gathering. Most likely I would stay in a slip at Cap Sante that Tuesday night after launching. Or maybe go grab a buoy early at Eagle Harbor, and enjoy my Kayak the next day there.
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone both in California and in Washington. And for the north bound cruise after FH. I'm planning to be pull back out to be home the end of May (4 day drive), but my priority will be to cruise with the group all the way up to Chatterbox Falls. If it takes longer, guess I won't be back to drive school bus the last two weeks of June! :mrgreen: Colby
 
Colby, you are right. It is a bit confusing having two separate Friday Harbor threads, but I am OK with it. This thread, the first started, occurred long before we had reservation at Friday Harbor. The second thread is the "Official" Friday Harbor thread as it contains all the info to register, etc. I had to wait until January to officially promote the gathering because the Harbormaster would not confirm the dates until then.

I am very excited for the PL event afterward, even though we can't attend. This thread is a great place to discuss it.
 
I am sure there will be capable leaders taking the boats through the rapids at the entrance to Princess Louisa Inlet, but for anyone not joining the FH gathering and maybe wanting to do the PL Inlet solo and catch up with the others, here is some info that may help.
I have taken 2 cruise trips (with several boats) through the rapids, planning ahead is essentual. Travelling from the South or North, a good place to fuel up is Egmont, the slack tides for the rapids are posted on a board daily at the fuel dock. You can stay at the marina (with pub) overnight or anchor close by waiting for time & tide for the run tp PLI.
Arrive at the rapids one hour before slack. You will find bigger boats and yachts with keels circling around outside waiting for slack. The C-Dory's having no keel can enter the rapids before the big boats and make their way to the dock at the head of the Inlet and get the premium dock space before the big boys arrive.

Have fun, wish I was joining you.
Martin.
 
Hello experienced FH and PLI people. Thanks for the links and posts of past PLI visits, it really helps me get a feel for what to expect. Being a SoCal guy and having never been North of the San Francisco Bay in my boat, I have a question on whether or not to bring my raft (65 lbs) and dingy motor (35 lbs). I certainly don't need the extra weight to trailer or boat with, but if there's a chance it would be needed or beneficial, I'll bring it. If there's a good possibility of needing to anchor or moor for the night or waiting for a slack tide, and a need to get to town for supplies or whatever, I can see it.

Thanks in advance.
 
Steve,

Quite often the dock space fills up fast in the San Juans or on the Islands/Coastlands of Canada. When this happens, you will find yourself at anchor or on a mooring ball. At that time you will wish you had your dingy as a minimum to hike and explore the islands. We find that we use our dingy 50% of time because of this. At-least bring the dingy. Gary
 
In two weeks, Rosanne and I will be towing C-Traveler out to California for the Delta Cruise. Afterwards, Rosanne will have to fly back home for work, and I'll head north for the Friday Harbor gathering. For those that don't know, or have forgot, I hope you will indulge in my coloring book! I've already picked out some new pages to color at the Delta Cruise, the Friday Harbor gathering, and then for the Chatterbox Falls group. From the title page of my coloring book:

I won this book in a silent auction at the 2016 C-Brats St. Johns River gathering. While I’m not really into adult coloring, this seemed like a great opportunity to have something to remember the great times and new friendships made or old ones rekindled during various C-Brat gatherings, be they formal official gatherings, or informal meetings on the water (or land for that matter) at other times.
I ask that you take part in this endeavor by coloring in some detail of a picture, and adding your name and boat name to the item you colored in. If by chance you are joining in the gathering without a boat, please be a part of this anyway even if you don’t have a boat name to add.
Once you are finished, please pass it on to the boat or person next to you. Each gathering or event has a page/picture assigned to it below.
Thanks so much for your participation in this event and for coloring in the book. And BTW, no excuses about not being able to stay in the lines, lol. I can’t either…
Before the end of the gathering, please insure this book finds its way back to me. Thanks!
Sincerely,
Colby Smith / Midnight Flyer C-Traveler
 
Hey, 2023 Friday Harbor attendees, plans are being formed for a post-gathering flotilla to Princess Louisa Inlet!
Click to expand...

Judy and I sitting with our boat floating of her brother's dock in Sproat Lake near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. We are waiting for the weather to warm up, the rain to stop and the gale warnings to be lifted before setting out on our first cruise of the season. There is snow on the mountains here to a low level and they are plowing snow on the highway to Tofino today. We come out to the island almost every April and we feel that this has been the coldest April that we have experienced here in about 20 years. Our plan that keeps getting delayed was to cruise around in Desolation Sound and then around the end of April head into Princess Louisa Inlet when there was a good tide window and hopefully good weather. Based on the long term forecast, this is looking to be less likely to happen.

For this reason we are thinking that we might like to join the PLI cruise after attending the Friday Harbour gathering. I would appreciate details on a trip plan and dates so that we can prepare for this cruise.
 
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