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
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. |
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.