Another Update From the Blogmaster

Cheryl emailed posts for July 13 to 23, 2005 and they have been posted using the date she wrote them, rather than the day they were actually posted (i.e., July 29, 2005). Read, enjoy, and leave your comments.

Cheryl Just Called from Tofino, British Columbia - An Update from the Blogmaster

Cheryl just telephone from Tofino, British Columbia. It's the first time in several weeks she's been able to make contact. She and Bob are continuing their Selene owners cruise around Vancouver Island. She's been writing blog entries, but hasn't had any Internet access. She thinks she may be able to have Internet access on or about August 7th. We'll do our best to get them posted as soon as possible. They'll also be accompanied by more photos. So check back in a week or so -- and in the meantime, register so you can leave comments for her on the blog.

Moma Bear and Two Cubs Eating Clams Along the Shore

Photo Taken 7/23/2005
Camera Model: E775

Fulfilling Our Long Time Dream of Cruising Has Changed All Our Lives -- Especially My Mother's

As I mentioned, my mom stayed most of the trip with our daughter, Kim. My mom was not comfortable on the boat. I think she really wanted to be with her great granddaughter, Madilyn. Mom was recovering from knee surgery and had a setback with extreme hip pain. Her time with Madilyn seemed to lift her spirits. Madilyn had not seen NANA since November and we didn’t think she’d remember her -- but within a day she climbed up on her lap with her books for NANA to read. Mom had been with Madilyn every week since she was just over a month old because we kept her when Kim worked. A little two year-old did more for mom than the doctors and medication.

Our long time dream of cruising has changed our comfortable life but also that of our children, grandchildren, my mom, my sisters, and brother. Mom felt it best to relocate back to Madison when we moved aboard. She had been with us for six years in Denver and was there for the birth of Cambry, our first grandchild and her first great grandchild. My brother Tim and his family were in the Denver area also. We really miss mom -- especially Bob, since she cleaned up after him when he cooked. Those years were precious to us and that is the only downside to our decision. We see Scott, Kim, and Madilyn more often, because they live in Tacoma, but miss Chris, Kree, and Cambry. They visited us in March and stayed on the boat a few nights and then at Kim’s new house. We will see them the end of August (and our new baby granddaughter born July 6). My sisters have taken over watching over mom, which they had been doing for years before she lived with us. She is living in a beautiful retirement apartment building on Madison’s east side. We are so very fortunate that mom is so healthy mentally and physically. She will be 82 in September.

Reflecting on What Happened in June - Part 2

Mom, my sister Betty and niece Lindy were here about 10 days. We met them in Seattle and Betty and Lindy stayed aboard Kasekuchen and mom stayed at Kim’s house in Tacoma. We did touristy stuff around Puget Sound and then took Betty & Lindy on our return trip to Friday Harbor. We had a fabulous trip through the sound and stopped for a night in LaConnor, Washington, a picturesque small town that is famous for its Tulip Festival. in March. We went this year with Bonnie & John Jaquet (Seattle natives who we met in 1974 in Vail). Betty, Lindy and I went window shopping but didn’t have time to spend much money.

We all flew back to Seattle from Friday Harbor on a float plane that we picked up about 100 feet from our boat on our dock. These float planes and ferries are the most convenient forms of transportation from the islands. They are a very fast way to Seattle-three hours by ferry or ½ hour by plane.

Reflecting on What Happened in June - Part 1

June was a busy month with my mom, niece, and sister Betty coming from Madison. As I mentioned earlier, my sister Patti had visited us around Memorial Day and we had cruised with her and my daughter Kim and granddaughter Madilyn to Victoria, British Columbia. As a side note, Kim’s husband Scott took a position in Tacoma, Washington in November, so Kim’s family just moved into their house in March. We enjoyed the first really warm weather since being here in the Northwest that weekend.

Victoria is an absolutely beautiful city with its stately parliamentary buildings and of course the majestic Empress Hotel on the waterfront.


At night the buildings on the waterfront were lit with tiny white lights, which gave it a Disneyland appearance. Butchart Gardens are the most spectacular gardens we’ve ever seen but we did not make it there this trip. We plan on going there when with our next group of friends visit us.

In June I also participated in Landmark Forum. It was an amazing educational weekend that I highly recommend for anyone. They have forum weekends all over the world and I was amazed at the cross section of participants. Major corporations like Nike send their employees. This would have really helped me in my business, I have a much greater understanding of what’s important in life.

Kwatsi Cove

Sunflower Starfish Photo

Photo taken 6/26/2005 at 8:09 a.m.
Camera Model: E775

I Really Haven't Figured Out How to Send Photos

I am leaving at 4 a.m. tomorrow for our trip around the cape. Sent one picture but really haven't figured out how to send them. Will try but must get to sleep.


Note from the [interim] blogmaster:

Some of the photos Cheryl tried to send before she left were too large to post. One arrived as an audio file. None had particularly detailed captions. Be patient: The learning curve may be steep, but she's working hard.

Sailing Around Vancouver Island

We had intended to travel to Alaska this summer, but when we heard about a group of Selene owners who were planning to go around Vancouver Island, we jumped at the change to be with other boats of our kind on a major shakedown cruise. Some of the most beautiful and well-traveled cruising areas are Desolation Sound, the Gulf Islands and the Broughtons east of Vancouver Island. We were enticed by the stories we heard about the wild ride around Cape Scott and the open passages of the Northern Pacific. The west coast of Vancouver Island is very sparsely populated and mostly wilderness, with a reputation for some nasty seas. It is not a popular cruising area because of the rough waters and isolation. It can be a real challenge—but the rewards can be some of the most pristine cruising in the world.

I was a little nervous about the trip in the open waters of the Pacific Ocean because we lacked stabilizers, which reduce the motion aboard significantly. I was really anxious to see if I would be seasick. It seems I was sick constantly when where were sailing aboard our sailboat. I hadn't felt sick at all on our shorter trips from Seattle to Friday Harbor, so I felt quite confident.

We started our trip with two other Selene owners who have become good friends. We cleared customs Bedwell Harbour on South Pender Island in British Columbia, Canada on June 23 and we were on our way for a 6-8 week shakedown cruise.


For a more detailed description of what this sailing trip from the United States to Bedwell Harbour may have been like, click on the following link to the United States Sailing Association's Online Sailing School description of a trip from San Juan Harbor to Bedwell Harbour: LINK

Sailing to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

We left Seattle at the end of April and cruised about 70 miles to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island. We stayed there for about a month where the island life seduced us. We had no need for our car as our boat was docked right next to town. Friday Harbor is a resort area and has great boutiques and restaurants. It even boasts a movie theater that has run continuously since 1935. It has a great local theater with tremendous local talent. We didn’t drive for that month and loved it. We were just a few miles from Victoria, B.C. and cruised there when my sister, Patti, visited us in May.

I'll Probably Be Out of Touch for A While

Just got to Port McNeil and have internet access. Will be out of touch after tomorrow for another 2-3 weeks unless there is an unexpected WIFI on western Vancouver Island.

Leading a Charmed Life on a Boat in Seattle

We spent from March 5 to April 28, 2005 at the commissioning yard in Lake Union. Commissioning is the process of installing electronics, safety equipment, furnishings, and gadgets you can’t live without... Our view was of the Seattle skyline, the Space Needle and the beautiful St. Mark’s church. We were a few hundred yards from the “Sleepless in Seattle” house,and kayaked in that neighborhood of “floating homes” often. We would walk to Fremont in the mornings to pick up our mail or to go to breakfast. We could shop in downtown Seattle at night and take in a movie or have dinner one of the great restaurants. We loved to get our vegetables at Pike Place Market. We felt we were living a charmed life.

Downsizing

So many people ask how we could get rid of so much stuff and downsize to a boat. The incredible thing is that I really miss very few things. I do miss the hot tub and if we could figure out a viable way to install one, we would. I love living on this beautiful work of art that I call home and that moves with us at our whim.

The Saga Begins

In August 2004, my husband Bob sold his shares of his business to his partners and I sold my fundraising business. We started planning a new phase of our lives on our new Selene 53 Trawler. We sold our house in Colorado, disposed of most of our 37 years of stuff we’ve accumulated and packed what we couldn’t live without into a 12 foot U-Haul and set out for Seattle.

I'm Still Not Sure I Know What a Blog Is...

To all our family and friends who are wondering where the heck we are—this blog is for you. Still really don’t know what a blog is—but all the tech guys we run into are quite impressed that we have one. I owe that to my long time-friend Nadine in Madison, Wisconsin who set it up for me.