So my trip,
Patty, I absolutely agree about the rush. It Is exactly what you said. A sense of freedom that I can go anywhere I want with out someone telling me “where are you going?” or turn left, get closer to shore, or what are you doing?...and I don’t mean to make them sound like bullies because they are not. But it is what you say we (us girls) are conditioned to letting the guys lead.
AND I definitely write this with humility hearing Robbi say “of course you could do it. I knew that.” As a matter of fact Robbi was on my mind the whole time I was out there, like a kindred spirit.
So it started out with deciding where to start my trip. I have never been worried about towing the boat. My dad had me hooking up and backing travel trailers up since I got my license. And I had a little ski boat that I would tow and launch by myself for a few years in the sierras. But lakes are one thing the ocean as different. So I was leery about going through deception by myself and I didn’t want to be restricted on getting there at slack because is wanted to sleep in. I get up at 4:30 am to drive to Seattle for work and cherish sleep. So I had Camp Santini sling launch for me. Pulling away from the Dock with my dog, cyper was that unbelievable rush, I was talking about. I could pick any dumb channel to go up I wanted!!!!!!! GPS on, radar on, kicker up, motor down, trim tabs adjusted… then FULL THROTTEL.
Main goal…. Orca pictures. So I listened to 79 long enough until someone slipped up their location. North of Roche harbor. So thru Thatcher’s pass, past upright head, and threw the wasp island to Roche.
I needed to let the dog off to pee. However Roche was inhospitable. I should have known. I was warned about Roche on the 4th of july. I was told there was no room at the guest dock, that they could not accommodate me. I asked for ten minutes at the fuel dock as I saw plenty of room at that dock. I was told I could not as they had a long line of guest waiting for fuel. I then asked if I could stop if I bought 5 gallons of gasoline. I was told no and asked to leave their marina. So I did. I had to dodge all the big boats anchored out in the bay and all their teenagers racing in the respective dingys.
So I taught cyper to pee in the bilge pump sump after setting the example. ( yes I heard the groans) Had to do something. I was a little unnerved by the racing teenagers to find a beach.
Now off to find the whales. Which was in just a few minutes. I got lots of photos. I was visted by sound watch and their handout on how to watch the whales properly. I followed the rules for about an hour when they left and the whales left. So I turned on the boat and motored at a good clip to catch up. That is when I got in trouble because I pissed off a small charter boat, for waking him and going to fast. They didn’t realize I was listening to then slander me on the radio. So when they threatened to turn me I apologized. And then stayed behind them to continue watching.
I did have the whales go right under the boat but at one point in time, but the computer lost the GPS signal so I lost a where the boat was on the map. It got stuck on cursor. And then I spent the next hour and a half completely ignoring that the whales that were under the boat. Note engine was off because I was afraid to move without GPS and depth. And I had been in so many menu screens and the manual without success that I was shaking too badly to hold the camera steady. I was out of cell phone reach so I couldn’t call any one for help with the software. Tech support being tom. It was 4pm and I was afraid of the wind coming up and not being able to know where I was in relation to salmon bank. And getting stuck out there. Fortunately, like every computer if you reboot enough times things should return the setting you had them on last. So that worked after three times and I was able to follow the whale boats again before heading to Lopez resort.
Lesson learned… yes it was a clear day… yes I could see shore.... yes I could have followed the small charter boat if I had to. If i had to I would have made it back by going slow. I guess it was less of a big deal than it was. So don’t rely on the electronic as a must have or die. Captain cook didn’t have any.
The rest of the trip I kept loosing the GPS signal for some reason but I just keep rebooting. Panic gone. Then cell phone rang and tom said that bill, el and patty were at Blakely so off I motored.
No wind so docking was a piece of cake. And Gigi and family were still there. I talked their ears off until they were ready to sit down to dinner. Now cooking dinner by myself, in my boat, with my dog with the food I brought. This was equal to the first night that I moved out of my parents house and was in my own apartment. You know I Love ya dearly Tom, but I still wasn’t missing you as I was having too much fun. Played frisbee with the dog on the lawn. And fell asleep in my lawn chair in the back of the boat.
Next day more socializing with Carl and his wife. Paid for more moorage for the next night. Waved to Gigi and crew as they went for a cruze. shower, dog walk, Then motored out my self, got gas and went for a drive. (here I am talking to the girls about girl power and boating and I can’t remember carl’s wife name. I have no social skills at all. Sorry !!!!!)
Second mistake. I heard that the whales were off of jones island so I headed west out of blakely. Or what I though was west. When the GPS said I was off of the west shore of Decatur I realized my mistake. I was zoomed in too far and missed my turn north. I had gone south. Lesson learned I need a big paper map open to see the big picture and the GPS to zoom in for reefs, shoals ect.
So I abandoned the whales to pick up tom at Washington park. I decided to head south and drop anchor by James island until 5 pm when I motored to pick up tom. Again no wind so docking was easy. I had pulled up behind some one at the boat ramp with their boat cockeyed. They had pulled out and their boat came off their trailer and hit the ramp destroying their out board. So at least I had not broken the boat and theses big burly guys had. Guys make mistakes too.
So the rest of the trip tom was on board and had a fabulous time. Saved a deer we found swimming mid channel and was trying to get in the boat. Tom threw rope around its belly and we slowly towed it to shore. It was too cold to walk on its own so tom has to pick it up and carry it to shore. We motored away and watched,… it didn’t look good, foaming at the nose and still couldn’t stand. We beached again and tom carried the deer to way above the tide line, in the sun to get warm and set it in a position that gravity would help it get in its legs. And left…. we assume that it made it as we went back two days latter and no dead deer on the beach. I don’t believe there are bears or coyotes but who knows. We were certain that it was going to drown as It was freaking out when we motored to it out in the channel. And it was trying to get into the boat. I am sure some will say what we did was wrong but oh well.
We ran into the whales and turned the motor off for about an hour. We saw the mother and baby whales go by and saw the males breach 6 times. Fireworks were at semiahmoo. Just like pat described surrounded by personal firework displays on the beaches. And then accompanied his parents to Matia for another evening.
Third lesson learned. If Tom can’t go to the islands because of work. I still CAN so see you girls out there!!!!!! And I want a c-dory merit badge like in girl scouts.
Ps sorry for the long post. I just never had anything to write before. and i down loaded pics of whales on our c dory album
http://www.c-brats.com/modules.php?set_ ... _album.php
. It might be easier if a female eases her into the idea of handling the boat on her own.
