Sights

Some of the sights as are enjoying as we explore the Inside Passage:{expression! is she excited or what?}

I love the scenery as we motor through the final narrow reaches of Canada before reaching US waters. Cascading waters are falling into the ocean on both sides as we continue to motor up towards Ketchikan. There is no dishwasher on this boat, and the girls have found new favorite pastime: scrubbing dishes in the sudsy water! Jessa scrubs, Emeline perches on the stool nearby and splashes around, and Kate dries. I check in on them to thoroughly rinse and put away…I could get used to this!

{the girls scrubbing dishes together--the did a quality job!!}

A Girl and her Uncle

The girl:{I love this classic expression}

In which a girl gets to go on an adventure into the forbidden engine room:
starting the generator:

Uncle Brett finally took Jessa down into the restricted no-children allowed engine room. She was excited out of her mind and loved starting the circulation pump, a generator, the main engine, lights—basically pushing buttons galore. When Emeline saw the pictures of Jessa pushing buttons, she very sternly reprimanded, “No-no!”. Oh good! I can relax a little now that I know she does understand that we are not allowed to push buttons on the boat!

Uncle Brett is a homemade bread making monster. He loves to bake it, and then he loves to devour it! Friday (May 27^th) Brett and Jessa were kneading, patting, and rolling their way to four deliciouso loaves of bread! The next day we had the best grilled ham and cheese sandwiches ever!

In which a girl and her uncle bake homemade bread:
{a crazy team}


Yum. Yum. Yum. Learn girl, learn!

Canadian Customs

{this lighthouse is right on the US/Canadian border}

We cleared Canadian Customs at Bedwell Harbour and took a few minutes to check out the beach and get an ice cream since it was such a hot day. They have a swimming pool right there by the ocean, and the girls asked me why I didn't pack their swimsuits!... because I came to enjoy Alaska, not Canada!
{the crew, minus the photographer, stops for a snapshot on the beach at Bedwell Harbor}

San Juan Islands

{testing out one of the guest beds for comfort}
{my favorite "portrait" of Emeline so far this trip}

Grandma spent Wednesday evening at the Rocky Bay house on San Juan Island, so we motored as long as we could en route to pick her up before dropping a dead-tired anchor around midnight. Upon our arrival to Rocky Bay Thursday morning (May 28^th), we all took the skiff into grandpa’s dock to have a fun time at the house and make a trip into the town of Friday Harbor.

{taking the skiff into Grandpa's house dock}{the Rocky Bay house and dock on San Juan Island}

{bench at the house}

{this fox was on the paved road when we drove into Friday Harbor. he was not afraid of me one bit!}

Later that evening, after getting everyone aboard Debbie Sue, we cruised around to Roach Harbor to anchor in calm waters for the night. The next morning Uncle Brett, the girls, and I took a fun little trip ashore to check out some of the local history (mining lime) and play a dangerous game of Italian Bocce Ball on Friday before heading north (Jessa took a hard-core nose dive, and Uncle Brett caught footage of it on his I-phone!).{the girls having fun pretending to kayak}

F/V Debbie Sue

Dad sold Thunder last year (the pleasure yacht we came to AK on last year and has since been renamed the Sea Lion) and bought a new boat that he could put to work during the Alaskan fishing season. The girls still frequently say they miss "Lightning" AKA Thunder, but it is sure hard to beat all this deck space to play on! Meet Debbie Sue:
She is a 110 ft. US built Martinolich originally built for Alf (pronounced all-f) Sorvk for crab fishing in the Bearing Sea in 1972. She is powered by a V-12 Caterpillar D398 (850hp). It crabbed actively in the Bearing Sea as the “Rainer” until 2006. It was refit in 2010-2011 at Gardner Boat Repair in Seattle, Wa. Sidenote for you Deadliest Catch fans...in Ballard we tie up alongside the Wizard and Northwestern.

What's on the levels:

Belowdeck: 3 fish holds and a spacious engine room. [This is Uncle Brett's domain].

Deck level: Laundry, walk-in freezer, 3 living quarters (sleeping 8) and bathroom, large galley and dining area. {Most of our time is spent here and in the wheelhouse]

2^nd level: Captain’s quarters with office & private bath. [1st choice location for watching movies]

3^rd level: Wheelhouse. [Fabulous 360 scenery views out the 20 windows, not to mention is is where most of the excitement takes place]

This summer, the Debbie Sue has secured a contract tendering fish between Sitka and Craig for Silver Bay Seafoods.

{this pic gives a more accurate representation for the massive size of the back deck}

We're Back!... on our way to Alaska!

Ballard and the Locks:

We hit the docks running when we pulled into Ballard on Tuesday afternoon. There was cargo to stow below the deck, rooms to prep, and groceries to purchase. It was a late night, and Wednesday was an early morn with more preparations and final trips to the regional passport center and Seattle Marine. Grandpa finally arrived in the early evening, with a movie cameraman close behind, who shot some film of him for an upcoming movie that is going to use the boat, and apparently a little of grandpa as well!

{had to check out the cool bunks first thing!}

Later that evening I made my first trip through the locks, which lowered the boat down from the fresh water of the harbor, to the salty ocean water. I was both fascinated and nervous, never having been through the locks before, and having to manage the bow line on my first trip! I had only heard horror stories about how close the boats get packed in together, leaving little room for error while managing a line---too slack and we would hit the boat behind, and too tight would pull us up into the boat in front of us. Lucky for me though, it was not a heavy traffic trip, and we were blessed with more room between boats than might typically be the case. At least, that is what the lock dock worker told me as he coached me through the process. Ahhh…ocean at last!

Entering the locks:

Tied up at the high end:

Going down: {you can see from the algae growth where we started out}

And under the railroad bridge:

Got Cookies?....Girl Scouts.

Kate is a Daisy Girl Scout! When I was in elementary school, I LOVED being a girl scout. When I got older, I made a promise to myself that if I ever had daughters, I would make sure they had the opportunity to be one too. This year Kate is a 1st Year Daisy. She carried the flag at her Troop's Investiture Ceremony this fall: She also enjoys modeling her mom's old Girl Scout sashes: Brown=Brownie (I LOVED THESE YEARS) Green= Juniors; Blue=Cadettes. And guess what? It's COOKIE time! BUY YOURS HERE!