Return to the Pacific Northwest

From Toulouse France, we flew home via Frankfurt, Germany then on to Calgary, Canada to fly across the country to Vancouver B.C. and then drove our car across the border back home to Anacortes. It took several days for our bodies to adjust its internal clock and feel rested again. After taking care of business at home and repacking the boat, we were off for destinations northward in the Pacific Northwest, the best cruising ground in the world.

We departed Anacortes in the afternoon of July 11^th and stopped at Shoal Bay on the north end of Lopez Island. This large bay provides ample room for many boats, with a flat bottom consisting of depths ranging from 18-30 feet. A private marina is located in the bay and boaters will find a number of crab pots during the season.

We found it amusing that, despite all the room to anchor, a small boat came into the bay and anchored right in front of us; so close that we hoped they hadn’t dropped their anchor on top of our anchor. It's human nature to want to be near others, but some boaters tend to forget that the anchor is located a fair distance from the front of a boat. Boats also need room to swing if the wind comes up. Thankfully, we had no problem raising the anchor when we departed the following morning.