The Lighthouse Tour

The Lighthouse Tour

I signed up for the lighthouse tour for 1 crucial reason: it fit my schedule.

On the other hand, I LOVE lighthouses. I have almost died in at least one lighthouse. So, there you go. (remind me to tell that story in some apropos manner later in this short story)

But I really, Really, wanted to go sailing on a historic tall ship like the Zodiac. A lifetime dream. Time to fulfill.

This section of my story is about the totality of the trip and the places we visited. The Lighthouses and how we got to them.

Our Course

The Zodiac is a strangely well timed tour vehicle. We boarded the boat pretty much on schedule, and Brandy docked the vessel right at 14:00 on Sunday, as per the advertisement. (Ok, the captain helped her, but HOW DID THEY DO THAT?) (different blog).

 

See, am Mountain !! 

We motored slowly out of our slip on a sunny thursday morning. Safety lecture give. Bunks and sailing stations assigned. Luggage stowed. We could unlimber our cameras and watch the Washington shore slip by.

I seemed to be the neophyte on board as far as the sights went.

“Is that Mt. Rainier?”

A number of strange looks, “No, that is Baker.”

“Oh, What is that?”

More strange looks, “That is Anacortes”. (that is a town, evidently).

The Bellingham bay is strangely calm and smooth. The ride of Zodiac is even and pleasant. Such a nice day. We negotiate a number a large islands and make our way toward a particular point. The cook comes on deck and talks to the captain, and he decides to have lunch. Better to have lunch before we visit our first lighthouse.

I liked how we did lunch. We just shut down the engine and drifted. And the sea was so calm that that was fine. The galley bell rang, we had a nice lunch, and you didn't even notice the natural motion of the ship.

After lunch we maneuvered in toward Burrows Island Lighthouse (see the kayaks in the google earth link?)  and put the 2 motor-powered inflatables in play. These little boats will hold 6 people each and the crew quickly put the passengers (Life Jackets On For Safety !!) on shore for a quick personal tour of the lighthouses. One of the crew members was on the team that was working to restore this particular lighthouse and he had the keys to the buildings and some good stories.

 

The Boat House. See the Crane for lower the rescue boat?

 

a little patch of wild onion.

 

 

Zodiac awaits us

This place seems like it would have been a pretty nice coast guard assignment. In addition to the lighthouse buidling itself, there was also a boat house (40 feet off the shore with a electric powered wench and crane to lower a rescue boat to the water) and a 2 family house. The house was pretty nice. 3 stories and a basement. A nice place for a garden out back. And all you had to do was to survive out there by yourself. Not sure what they did for electricity. Water was also a problem, each family had a water tank, not sure how it got filled.

But these digs were VERY plush for miltary housing. My dad was a Commander in the navy, and these places were much nicer than anything that the navy ever set us up with.

There were also some interesting flowers.

After a leisurely tour, the inflatables came back and picked us up and we went back to the Zodiac. I was happy to see that the Zodiac is very serious about not losing anyone. They checked us off as we left the boat and had us call out our names as we came back aboard and checked us back in.

And so we took off again. We were headed toward our first anchorage, and it was time to learn how to sail. The wind was very light, and this was perfect for a bunch of tourists who really didn't know what they were doing. The crew was very gentle. <link to raising the main>

We spent our first evening in Hughes bay. A very pretty little location on the south side of Lopez Island.

This particular evening was special as it was the summer equinox, the longest day of the year. So we had many hours of daylight left, and the as this was our first exciting day out, we wanted to spend them, not waste them. I think the captain was in a similar mood (or perhaps he has done this before...) he had the crew sway out the beautiful handmade rowing/sailing dinghy (that had a cute name that I forget, perhaps I can find it in a picture) and had the 2 person kayaks put over the side. Time for some fun. One of the crew wanted to take out the dinghy for a row, and I was right with him. We had a grand old time rowing around the bay. Gave me a good chance to take some pics of Zodiac from the water.

 

 

Later I went up on the bow and played Ukelele and sang some songs with the Zodiacs Intern crew. These two young men had signed up for the summer to work and learn Tall Sail seamanship on the Zodiac in exchange for a bunk and food. They were very excited about it all. They were also very serious in practicing their traditional sailing songs and uke playing. I brought my Uke up to play with them, but I am not good enough yet to play along with songs I don't know. So I sat on the deck and listened to them. After a while they were kind enough to ask me for a song or two and we passed it back and forth for awhile. Very pleasant young men. (more on them later).

The next morning the captain sat us down and told us that their was a small craft warning in the sound and we would not enjoy the crossing (he may have alluded to massive sea sickness and that not being ideal) and so we would not be going to visit new dungeness lighthouse, which was one of our big planned stops. He didn't ask us if that was ok with us. He just told us where we were going to go. I really like that about him. He was protecting our safety, happiness, and his boat. And I didn't have to make any decisions. Besides, I was only on this tour because it fit my schedule. I am pretty sure that was true about the other passengers.

So, we motored out of the harbor and around the south-west side of the island and headed toward Friday Harbor. It was a gray day.

The captain pointed out over the starboard bow. “Is that Mac?” he asked.

OH MY GOD THERE WAS A.....oh, well, a soccer ball off to starboard. Ha ha.

I went up to port and then heard the dreaded call, “Man Over Board”.

The whistle blew. The Loud Speaker came one “All hands, Man Overboard. Man Overboard. This is a Drill. The Captain and First Mate have been washed overboard, all crew move up 2 stations.”

Holy Moly. I have done some sailing. I used to have a small boat captains certificate. I know what to do on a man overboard drill. We needed to head up. Tack around. Come back under the “man” and head up until we could put him under our lee and bring him aboard. That was going to be hard.

It turns out, you don't do that on a boat the size of the Zodiac. What you do is you head up, slow down, and put your stop inflatable, “fast attack”, into the sea to recover your lost Captain and First Mate. Both represented, in this drill, by the Zodiac Life Ring that the captain had hurled into the ocean at the start of the drill. Calen, the captains son, was heading the rescue operation, he zipped out a few hundred yards in fast attack and came back very quickly. With the Soccer Ball. OH MY GOD, we have lost the captain. He was sent back for the life buoy. And we got back on our way.

The Captain, safely rescued. Or perhaps that is the first mate. It is unclear.

And now the wind was blowing a little, so we raised the sails. God I love it when we do that.

And to top things off, it was my turn at the helm.

I got to sail the California once for a half our. It is a topsail schooner. Of similar size to the Zodiac. Zodiac is just as fun. The captain was steering me for Friday Harbor. We tacked once. I liked that because the captain told me to put the well hard over. Then I got to run up and help with the topping lifts, and then I came back and took the wheel. And now it started to rain. Who cares, having TOO MUCH FUN.

 

The Mate was a mighty Sailing man.

Tj 

We dropped sails (I got to stay at my helm station, thank you very much) and we motored into Friday Harbor. Time for our land adventure. The first mate put us all into life jackets and we went over the side into the inflatables and went into the docks at Friday Harbor.

What a nice place. LOTS OF MONEY floating around there. 

We walked the half mile of docks into the shore where we caught a couple of taxi vans to take us to our next lighthouse at Lime Kiln.

I took some pictures, but this lighthouse wasn't such a big deal. A nice point though. And there had been Orca there “just a few minutes ago”. We stood around in the rain for awhile. Enough of this. Ha.

 

Anyway, back into the Taxis and around the island to Roche Harbor, where we stopped for a visit at San Juan Distillery. Here is a fun place to visit. We were not expected, but the Zodiac is a known customer and we were welcomed by the proprietors, and retired pair of professors who “really like a cocktail” and are happily making hard cider, gin, and other interesting beverages from their own orchard apples and using their own little still. We did a tasting, it was good stuff.

I Want One !!

She just gets up in the morning and says: "Today, perhaps a Gin"

Later we walked the half mile back to the actual harbor in the light rain. The Zodiac had motored around the island to us and picked us up. The rain was falling more heavily now. My foulies were working well and I was neither wet nor cold. In fact, I was enjoying this entire event. But I was tired. I went below deck, hung up my gear to dry, and had very pleasant evening below with my fellow passengers which the Zodiac motored to our anchorage in a protected bay at Stuart Island. (this bay has a name, but I can't find it)(Help me out, Zodiac Crew).

 

 

Lovely rock and expensive homes all around.

Come the morning and it was still raining. Though it was letting up.

Once again we motored out, this time West and North to the see the lighthouse at Turn Point, on the North West corner of Stuart Island. This lighthouse is up on some high rocks on the cliff. 

Gratuitous Cat Picture

 

Damn Cat kept jumping in front of my camera

 

No Trespassing, Dammit !!

 

 

The Skipper checks out the shore for a landing.

I think the Captain wanted to put us ashore, but couldn't find a place that looked easy and safe. And we had places to go and lighthouses to see. So we continued on up the US/CANADA border.

We had a nice little cruise, and then ate lunch off of the coast of Patos Island.

We were put ashore there and had a rather nice half mile hike through the woods to the Patos Light House. This installation was a pretty huge deal back in 1956. A family lived hear year round and raised children and gardens. It was interesting to think that my dad could have had this assignment. He as Navy chief in Seattle in 1952. Pretty much the same sort of guy that got stationed to a place like this.

There was a woman at the lighthouse who was camping out there with the permission of the state as a docent of the lighthouse museum. She had literature and such.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My big find, however, was the nicest little stand of wild tiger lilly that I have ever seen. So beautiful. And I share it with you thusly.

 

While we were doing this exploring, Zodiac was out in the bay, doing circles, posing, and looking picturesque. So I took her picture a few times. She was begging for it.

 

We go back to the ship. “ARRRR Me Hearties. Prepare to be Boarded.” I call from the Fast Attack as we approach.

The first mate doesn't even pause to think “All Hands, prepare to repell boarders”.

Ha, “Arrrr. We be already Repellent”. Much laughter.

He head out. The breeze is freshening. The captain orders sailing stations and we raise sails. This was our most exciting sail of the trip. Short but brisk. Detailed here <sailing>.

Afterward we found ourselves in the very pleasant and geologically interesting anchorage of Echo Bay. Look at the little round island in the pictures here.

So nicely lit by the setting sun. Now look at the google earth link <GE LINK>. It isn't a little round island at all, it is a very long thin island. A mountain ridge sticking up out of the sea. So cool.

That night we had one of those life time experience sun sets. And a great Paella dinner cooked on the grill on the deck of the Zodiac.

 

The morning dawned dry and bright on the last day of our journey on the Zodiac. We did our morning chores, salted down the deck with sea water, and took of for a nice sail. We raised the main, set the jib, and once again it was my turn at the helm. Oh what a glorious day.

Brandy left her post to take this picture. Don't tell the Mate.

We crossed the channel and then tacked up the channel between Lummi and Orcas to our final destination at our dock in Bellingham bay.

I did a lot of work, and there was rain and wind and snoring. But it was one of the best few days of my life and a experience I will treasure forever.

Hey, Thanks Zodiac Crew. I am the guy that left you the Origami Cranes on the Chart Table. Cheers.