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HA R B OR S
The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine CONTACT 3214 45th Ave SW Seattle, WA 98116
E: info@harborsmagazine.com W: www.harborsmagazine.com
PUBLISHER / EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Katherine S. McKelvey BUSINESS MANAGER George V. Bivoino EDITOR Russ Young editor@harborsmagazine.com ART DIRECTOR Anika Colvin COPY EDITING Biff Burns ADVERTISING SALES ads@harborsmagazine.com CONTRIBUTORS Pat Awmack Sue Frause Sean Griffin Brian Riddell PHOTO CREDITS Alaska Marine Highway, pgs. 14-18,20-21 Sue Frause, pg. 19 AJ Hunt, pgs. 22-26 Jim Howard, pg. 26 Will DuGuid, pgs.28-31 Emmett McLaulin, pgs. 40, 42-45 Point Roberts Marina, pg. 48
Terry W. Sheely Tom Tripp Russ Young
Pat Awmack, pgs. 49-52 AJ Hunt, pgs. 54-58 Sean Griffin, pgs. 60-64 Tom Tripp, pg. 69-70 New York Hotel, pg. 72 Alaska Marine Highway, pg. 73 Sue Frause, pg. 73 Wickaninnish Inn, pgs. 74-75 Woodmark Hotel, pgs. 76-77
HARBORS Magazine is a proud sponsor of: Pacific Salmon Foundation of Canada Long Live the Kings of Washington State The Seattle Center for Wooden Boats Mahogany and Merlot, Land, Sea and Air Event HARBORS Magazine is a proud member of: British Columbia Floatplane Association Northwest Marine Trade Association Northwest Yacht Brokers Association Washington State Seaplane Pilots Association PUBLISHED BY HARBORS Magazine is printed on recycled paper. Š 2015 by All Ports Media Group
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All rights reserved. Partial or whole reproduction is prohibited. The publisher will not be held responsible for errors in advertising beyond the cost of the space of the ad. No changes may be made or cancellation accepted after the publication deadline date. Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this magazine.
HAR B O R S
Welcome to HARBORS The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
A Note from the Publisher
Harbor Lights Greetings, Welcome to the May/June issue of HARBORS Magazine –now that the trees and flowers are in full bloom, the boats and seaplanes have begun coming out of hibernation. Fisheries start opening and before you know it, everyone’s out on the water again. Yahoo! This is the time of year everyone is getting excited about the season, and busily planning their adventures for the rest of spring and summer. Not only are boaters and travelers gearing up, but all the innkeepers, lodge owners, marinas and resorts are in the final stages of getting ready for the season: hiring, upgrading, stocking and preparing for their guests. While you are out on the water this season, take lots of photos and send them to us by email, or post them on HARBORS’ Facebook page – we would love to hear from you. And please don’t forget to stop and visit some of our advertisers ... and thank them for helping make HARBORS Magazine possible. We have many great articles and stories coming up – from the south of Puget Sound to the north of Alaska’s Inside Passage – that you will not want to miss, so if you haven’t already subscribed, go online and have HARBORS magazine sent directly to your home or office. Have a great spring season, and in the spirit of the Pacific Northwest, safe travels!
Katherine S. McKelvey Publisher
The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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2015 May/June
14
Features Alaska Marine Highway
Take the “Blue Canoe” from Bellingham to Alaska
22
Seaplane Pilot Profile
28
Juvenile Chinook Derby
34
Travel Maps
40
On the Waterfront
48
Point Roberts Marina
Pilot and Entrepreneur, Jim Howard Anglers to Become Researchers Pacific Northwest Coastal Waterways
Edmonds, WA
US/Canada Border
(photo by Sean Griffin)
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Westland Distillery
Cover Photo: Dan Wheeler’s Never Never Land on Anderson Island’s Oro Bay.
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Ferry Tales: Island Living
68
Gear Guide
72
Seaplane & Boating Destinations
78
Who’s Who in the Pacific Northwest
A Sense of Taste, A Sense of Place Anderson Island, WA Jump-Start Batteries Ketchikan, AK • Tofino, BC • Kirkland, WA
Meet the Faces of HARBORS Destinations
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Notes From Our Readers Port of Skagit likes La Conner Marina story HARBORS: I should have done this sooner, but I want to thank you for the great coverage of our marina and La Conner in the November/December issue. Sue Frause did a nice job on the story, and it was fun to see my photos published so large. Cheers, Carl Molesworth Community Outreach Administrator Port of Skagit, WA Faithful reader shares HARBORS globally Dear HARBORS: Thanks so much for producing such a gorgeous magazine. It is filled with wonderful, informative articles and gorgeous photography. I have shared your magazine with friends from all over the globe and just sent one to friends who will be visiting from Germany. Keep up the good work and we will continue to share our beautiful Pacific Northwest with others through HARBORS Magazine! A faithful reader, Joella Stettinius Tacoma, WA
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Cabela’s customer discovers HARBORS Magazine I saw your magazine for the first time while sitting in front of the fireplace at Cabela’s in Tulalip, WA. Can’t believe I haven’t seen it before! This is a very nice publication and I would like to subscribe. Jenny P. Marysville, WA
San Juan Island realtor is HARBORS fan Just wanted to send you a note. I loved the features on both Oak Bay and Crane Island in the March-April 2015 issue of HARBORS. Nice work. Greg King, Broker Windermere Real Estate Friday Harbor, WA
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Alaska Marine Highway Take the “Blue Canoe” from Bellingham to Alaska By Sue Frause
A
lthough I’ve visited the 50th U.S. state numerous times, traveling via the Alaska Marine Highway (Alaska State Ferry) had eluded me. Referred to as the “Blue Canoe” by locals, the Alaska Marine Highway celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013. With Alaska boasting more coastline than the rest of the U.S. combined (and more than half of its coastal cities unreachable by conventional road), Alaskans approved a bond issue in 1960 to initiate a stateowned marine highway system to connect their communities. Starting out with one small vessel, the ferry system operated from northern terminals at Skagway and Haines, with a southern terminal at Prince Rupert. Today, 11 vessels make up the fleet, serving 35 port communities along a 3,500-mile route. Unlike cruise ships, which operate in Alaska from May to October, the ferry is year-round. The original southern terminus was located in Seattle, but in 1989 relocated to the Bellingham Cruise Terminal in Fairhaven. That’s where I boarded the M/V Malaspina on an unseasonably sunny Friday afternoon in November for my ferry adventure, with overnight stays in Haines and Juneau. The 408-foot Malaspina was built in 1963. It was named after Alaska’s
largest glacier, which honors Italian navigator Alessandro Malaspina, who explored the northwest coast of North America in 1791. The ship has a capacity of 700 passengers and 120 vehicles, which include RVs, cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles and even kayaks. I was booked into one of 73 staterooms onboard. It was a simple outside cabin, with two sets of bunk beds, sink and separate toilet with a shower. And most importantly, a window with a view of the 595 nautical miles we’d travel to get to our first port of call in Ketchikan.
For passengers who opt to save a few dollars and travel without a cabin, the recliner lounges serve as popular sleeping areas, with space to roll out a sleeping bag. Covered solariums on the upper decks of each vessel are also popular for adventurous travelers – and tents are allowed on the upper decks if you prefer to sleep under the stars. As far as food, there’s a cafeteriastyle restaurant onboard the Malaspina serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Prices are reasonable (a breakfast of eggs/bacon/toast is $6.50), and all
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Barrow
Prudhoe Bay
Kotzebue
ALASKA
Nome
Unalakleet
Fairbanks
Eagle Chicken
Delta Junction
Dawson City
2
Tok
Mt. McKinley (Denali) elev. 20,320 3
McGrath Aniak Bethel
Talkeetna Wasilla Twin Lakes
Kenai Soldotna
Homer
Dillingham Naknek
Seldovia
Port Lions
Chignik
Ouzinkie
False Pass
Dutch Harbor
Sand Point
Glennallen
Carmacks
Whitehorse
Haines Junction
Yakutat
Haines
Gustavus Kodiak
Old Harbor
Cold Bay King Cove
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Palmer
Valdez 1 Whittier Tatitlek Chenega Bay Cordova Seward
Anchorage
Pelican Hoonah Tenakee
Alaska Highway
Watson Lake
Skagway 97 Alaska Highway
CANADA
Juneau Cassiar Highway
Angoon
Sitka Kake Petersburg
Dawson Creek
Wrangell
Grande Prairie Hyder
Akutan
Ketchikan
Smithers
Metlakatla
Nikolski
Prince George TRANS-CANADA TRANS-CANADA
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Prince Rupert
16
Terrace
97
Williams Lake
SEE MORE OF ALASKA ON THE
ALASKA MARINE HIGHWAY
97
Vancouver
Bellingham Victoria
5
Seattle
that fresh air and walking the decks can result in a big appetite. It’s also okay to bring your own provisions in coolers, as many of the locals do. There are microwaves and coin-operated ice machines on board. A cocktail lounge is open into the late evening and there’s a movie theater showing Alaska travelogues and documentaries, along with second-run films. For most passengers, it’s all about the scenery, whether bundled up outside armed with binoculars and camera, or soaking it in from one of the comfortable chairs in the observation lounges. Many people keep a log of sightings, from the numerous lighthouses to bald eagles and whales, plus all the marine traffic. And then there are the sunrises and sunsets, which are a show in themselves. It’s no surprise that the Alaska Marine Highway has been designated an All-American 16
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Road and one of America’s National Scenic Byways. We arrived in Ketchikan at 8 a.m. Sunday, greeted by a light dusting of snow and near-freezing temperatures. I disembarked with a number of other passengers, and opted to have breakfast ashore at The Best Western Plus Landing Hotel. I stopped at the A+P (Alaskan and Proud) Market to pick up some items for lunch, plus fruit and water for my cabin. After 37 hours, it was good to stretch out my sea legs and be a landlubber for a while. Later that evening, I sipped an Alaska Summer Ale in the bar with my new Alaska friends, and took a small pizza from the cafeteria back to my room to enjoy with a good book. It was Sunday evening, a nice way to wrap up my weekend at sea. Haines The Adventure Capital of Alaska We arrived in Juneau at 4:40 a.m. on Monday, a bit too dark and early for a morning walkabout, even though we were in port for two hours. After breakfast, I did a deck walk – four laps equal 1/2 mile – while the weather turned a bit cloudy and windy. The Malaspina arrived in Haines at 10:15 a.m., and I checked into the Captain’s Choice Motel for my one-night stay. I had list of things that I wanted to see and do; this was my first visit to Haines. Haines is in the heart of the Chilkat Valley, the historic capital of Tlingit Indian culture and art. Within a few blocks of the motel is the Sheldon Museum & Cultural Center, which has a collection of rare Chilkat weavings, pioneer history exhibits and art by Haines residents. The American Bald Eagle Foundation is a natural history museum, and includes 200 specimens of fish and wildlife in a lifesized diorama. There are also two live raptors on display. I visited Haines at the tail end of the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival, and
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spotted numerous eagles at the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. Located outside of town via the Haines Highway, the 48,000 acres are a sanctuary for the Northern bald eagle. During fall and winter, 3,500 bald eagles gather on these “council grounds.” This year’s festival will be November 9-15, 2015. A good spot for breakfast or lunch is the Mountain Market & Cafe. In 2002, the owners started roasting their own coffee, so order one from the espresso bar and/or pick up some Ripinsky Roasters beans to take home. The Port Chilkoot Distillery is housed in a former 1902 bakery in the historic Port Chilkoot area of Haines. The husband-wife team of Sean Copeland and Heather Shade are the owners of Southeast Alaska’s first distillery. Their products include 50 Fathoms Gin, Icy Strait Vodka and 12 Volts Moonshine. Their first batch of bourbon went into barrels in 2013 and should be released this
Heather Shade of Port Chilkoot Distillery in Haines mixes up a specialty cocktail.
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year. The distillery has a tasting bar that includes samples and a number of specialty cocktails. Haines Brewing Company, owned by Paul and Jeanne Wheeler, opened in 1991 in Dalton City at the Southeast Alaska State Fairgrounds. (Dalton City is a portion of the set from Walt Disney’s White Fang, filmed in Haines in 1990.) Do some tasting or fill up a growler. The Great Alaska Craft Beer and Home Brew Festival is May 22-23, 2015 at the fairgrounds. Another local entrepreneur, Dave Pahl, opened the Hammer Museum in downtown Haines 14 years ago. Pahl (who describes himself as a selfsufficient pioneer) has 2,100 hammers in the museum (plus another 4,500 in storage). The collection ranges from an Egyptian hammer used for construction of the Great Pyramids to one autographed by Tim Allen from the TV show Home Improvement. Juneau Alaska’s State Capital My overnight visit to Haines was at an end, and I boarded the 12:30 p.m. ferry to Juneau. Arriving after dark at 5 p.m., I met friends downtown at The Rookery Cafe and checked into The Jorgenson House. Built in 1915, the family-owned B&B is elegant, yet easygoing, in style. Its four rooms all feature private baths and WiFi, and a sumptuous breakfast is included. After breakfast at The Jorgenson House, I took a hardhat tour of the Walter Soboleff Center, located in downtown Juneau. Under construction since 2013, it’s a project of the Sealaska Heritage Institute, and a monument to Northwest Native artists. The Center will feature space for art demonstrations and exhibits, retail sales and venues for ceremonies and presentations. It will also house a research facility, climate-controlled collections storage and work areas. A grand opening celebration is planned for May 15, 2015. 20
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Pilot Jim Howard A Man of Many Talents By Russ Young
O
ne of the true joys of flying on a seaplane is the opportunity to sit in the righthand seat, with a control column and rudder pedals in front of you, enjoying a spectacular view and watching the pilot sitting to your left. If you get the chance to sit up front, or even if you’re in the back two rows of a de Havilland Beaver, you’re still likely to find yourself wondering, who is this guy (or woman) who is flying our airplane? How and why did she (or he) become a pilot? It’s hard to interview someone who is busy at work, ensuring that passengers take off, fly and land safely. So HARBORS thought it best to get to know a seaplane pilot while he was on ground, even if he was multi-tasking, assembling “Kitty Cots” (we’ll explain later). So meet Jim Howard, chief pilot for Renton, Washington’s Northwest Sea-
planes. He’s also a carpenter ... a webmaster ... owner of a growing business ... and a storyteller extraordinaire. If you think that most of the Pacific Northwest’s seaplane captains are natives of Washington, British Columbia or Alaska, you may be right. But not Jim – he was born in Evanston, Illinois and spent many of his formative years in Binghamton, New York. He also lived in Florida and Colorado before moving to the Seattle area in 1997. However, it was his time in the Adirondack Mountains – Long Lake, New York, to be exact – that set him on the path to become a pilot, particularly one that flies seaplanes. It was there, while spending summers at his family’s cabin, often sailing on the lake, that he became aware of, and enamored of, the planes that took off and landed on the water. They were owned and operated by Helms Aero Service, who he would eventually fly for.
But it wasn’t until returning to Long Lake after working as a carpenter in Colorado that the urge to fly really took hold. In 1977 he began working at the local lumberyard, where one of the owner’s sons encouraged Jim to go flying with him after work. That coworker was Scott Spengler, who would eventually move to Seattle, and fly seaplanes for Kenmore Air and Lake Union Air. It didn’t take long for Jim to get hooked – “I was dying to be a seaplane pilot,” he says -- although he didn’t complete his formal instruction to get a private pilot’s license until 1986. He came to Seattle in 1987, where he earned his seaplane rating, but then it was back to Long Lake and Helms Aero Service for another 10 years. He was so enthusiastic about piloting that he offered to fly free, but owner Herb Helms insisted on paying him $5 per hour.
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Jim Howard with Clyde Carlson, owner of Hakai Lodge and Northwest Seaplanes Like so many pilots, Jim – or “Jimmy,” as many call him – can pull out his log books and give you the specific details of where, when and how many hours he’s flown. But while he is assembling “Kitty Cots” (we’ll get to that ...) he’s equally inclined to use expressions like “tons of flying” or “flying the pants off those airplanes.” In case you’re wondering, he’s flown more than 11,000 hours, including 9,500+ 24
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in de Havilland Beaver seaplanes. That’s more than 15 months aloft; it that doesn’t sound like a lot, ask the next pilot you meet. In nearly 18 years of flying for Northwest Seaplanes, he hasn’t apparently lost any of that enthusiasm for taking off and landing on the water. You may meet him flying in or out of Northwest Seaplane’s Lake Washington base, or at points all over and
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around Vancouver Island and British Columbia. During summers he pilots the airline’s distinctive yellowand-orange Beavers to Hakai Lodge, a wonderful fly-in fishing lodge near BC’s Hakai Pass. (He doesn’t get to overnight there very often, but he is said to be a great storyteller over a dinner of freshly caught salmon. And he knows where the fish are.) Jim has found some unique ways to
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tell stories, though. Nearly 30 years ago, he was encouraged to videotape himself building rustic furniture, which he then shared via something that was incredibly rare at the time: a website. As an “early adopter,” Jim found that websites were a source of supplemental income, so he began spending some of his time developing a number of sites. He’s also a frequent contributor to YouTube; you’ll find that he has posted more than 4,500 videos to his own channel -“too many,” in his opinion. Several have been viewed more than 100,000 times, with subjects ranging from high-tech cow milking and how to use a radial-arm saw to (most appropriately) how to start a de Havilland Beaver seaplane. And, at long last, there are the “Kitty Cots.” While shopping at a lumberyard one day, he spotted a rudimentary window-mounted sleeping perch for a cat. He began experimenting with PVC pipe, Textilene fabric and suction cups, then offered up the early design to his wife’s cats ... who didn’t go near it for almost three months. When they did, he decided to turn it into a small business. The name emerged while flying (as a passenger, that is) between Seattle and Maui on a vacation trip. Jim has now sold more than 4,300 Kitty Cots, which are available via Amazon.com. HARBORS can attest to the fact that he can assemble a Kitty Cot while telling stories about his upbringing and how he became a pilot. He estimates he can put together about 60 of the cots a day. And while he won’t do that while flying a seaplane, Jim Howard is an example of the fascinating people you’ll find in the left-hand seat. www.jimmyhoward.com One of Jim’s furniture pieces sold at a gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. A “Kitty Cot” in action.
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Juvenile Chinook Derby: Anglers to Become Researchers By Brian Riddell
M
any anglers talk about the epic search for monster Chinook. This summer the Pacific Salmon Foundation is flipping the script with a derby focused on baby Chinook, and we’re inviting BC anglers to participate. You might ask, “Now why I would do that?” Our answer: for salmon conservation and science, of course! Many readers may be aware of the Foundation’s major research program – the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project – developed in partnership with the Seattle-based group Long Live the Kings. The goal of this project is to understand what is limiting production of salmon in local marine waters, with Canadian efforts focused on the Strait of Georgia. One of the key questions is: where and when does most of the mortality occur? The prevailing idea is that mortality is highest early in the first year of life within marine waters such as the Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound. But to be honest, this remains a critical hypothesis that still needs to be tested and validated. That’s why we’re reaching out to BC anglers to help us definitively answer this question. If it’s true, then it will help pinpoint what is causing the losses, and
help focus mitigation efforts so we can restore production and sustainable fisheries to the Strait. Thanks to University of Victoria PhD student Will Duguid, a new technique coined as “micro-trolling” could provide an important new tool in understanding the production
of Chinook salmon in the Strait of Georgia. Tiny gear for tiny salmon Why on earth would we need small boats to troll for salmon? Well, we don’t -- but we do have an idea for using a much smaller version of the
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Top and Bottom: Careful handling of a juvenile Chinook, preparing to PIT tag in Cowichan Bay for the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project Middle: Some juvenile Chinook that have been captured for tagging in Cowichan Bay for Salish Sea Marine Survival Project gear used by commercial and recreational fishers when trolling. Will wanted to capture juvenile Chinook salmon just months after entering the sea, to study their feeding along tidal fronts or mixing areas. Large net-gears typically wouldn’t capture the precise data needed for the location and depth that he required. But he was able to capture that information by using hook-and-line gear with light gear and small hooks (i.e., micro-trolling). A simple idea to build on with your help! Now, add to his innovation the use of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags that can be injected into small salmon in the marine waters. These tags are uniquely coded for identification and are the smallest tags available because they do not have a battery. These tags are read by passing over an antenna that charges the tag and instantly allows the code to be read by the antenna’s receivers. Work by Will and the BC Conservation Foundation during 2014 has proven that the handling, tagging, and release of small Chinook is possible. If the vast majority of juvenile Chinook are lost within the first couple of months after they enter coastal waters, then tags are applied to different groups. We believe that the mortality of juvenile salmon is very high immediately after entry into seawater and the rate of mortality decreases as the juveniles adjust to the marine environment. But in most tagging programs, 30
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we release a known number of tagged fish (Day 0) and we recover the tagged fish that survived much later (usually mature adults). The only information we actually have is the number of fish at Day 0 and the number estimated at Day 90. We cannot really assess our belief because a straight line from Day 1 to Day 90 is the simplest explanation based on the observed information, and implies an equal rate of mortality per day. But using micro-trolling and applying PIT tags allows us to create new tagged groups of fish (say at 25 days and 50 days at sea). Now we can use the estimated mortality rates for the different time periods (Day 0 to Day 90, Day 25 to Day 90, and Day 50 to Day 90) to better test our belief. If our belief is correct, then we can design statistical models to differentiate the rates between the different groups created. Such studies are critical to determine where critical periods of mortality occur in the early life of juvenile
salmon at sea and to direct our mitigation efforts. This is where the Salish Sea Marine Survival Program and the Pacific Salmon Foundation need your help. To apply sufficient PIT tags to small Chinook requires the capture of a large number of fish over a short period of time. Who better to collaborate with than BC’s recreational fishers - through a juvenile Chinook derby funded by the Pacific Salmon Foundation? So, watch for our ads and
save the dates (mid-June to mid-July 2015), as we are going to try this! I want to recognize and thank Will Duguid (University of Victoria) and Kevin Pellet (BC Conservation Foundation) for their efforts and insights during 2014 to bring this opportunity forward. The Pacific Salmon Foundation will fund these derbies as part of the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project. www.marinesurvivalproject.com
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Ketchikan to Skagway
Alaska
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Inl
et
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* seaplane service available at all destinations by charter.
broughton islands desolation sound discovery islands Nanaimo North vancouver island sunshine Coast west vancouver island
bC seaplane service*
Cortes island denman island Hornby island Galiano island mayne island Pender island Powell river Quadra island salt spring island saturna island sunshine Coast southern Gulf islands vancouver victoria
bC Ferries service
toba wildernest
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Lake
The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine riol
a I.
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Galiano I.
Silva Bay
I Narrows
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el
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suNsHiNe Coast
bowen island
GibsoNs
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PeNder Harbour Garden bay madeira Park
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Cape Flattery
Neah Bay
Tatoosh I.
Bamfield
False Bay
Lopez Airport
Friday Harbor
Clallam Bay
Sekiu
SAN JUAN ISLANDS
Lime Kiln Pt.
Roche Harbor Airport
Speiden I.
LOPEZ ISLAND
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VICTORIA
Butchart Gardens
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James I.
Sidney
Lopez I.
Shaw I.
I
Decatur I.
Blakely I.
Str
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Guemes I.
Birch Bay
Samish Bay
Portage I.
Lake Samish
BELLINGHAM Lake Whatcom
Bellingham International Airport
Abbotsford
an Indi
White Rock
Blaine
Bellingham Bay
Sandy Pt. Lummi Bay Lummi I.
Sinclair I.
Cypress I.
Boundary Bay
Boundary Bay Airport
Richmond
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Sucia I.
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Pt. Doughty
Waldron I. l anne nt Ch e Presid
Speiden I.
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Cattle Pt.
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Lyall Harbour
Point Roberts
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BEDWELL HARBOUR
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Griffin Bay
San Juan Island
Henry I.
Gibsons
Vancouver International Airport/ Fraser River
Mayne I.
Miner’s Bay
GULF ISLANDS
Stuart I.
Moresby I.
Port Washington
Sechelt
Strait of Georgia
Galiano I.
Telegraph Harbour
Thetis I.
Silva Bay
MONTAGUE HARBOUR
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VICTORIA INTERNATIONAL N. & S. AIRPORT/PATRICIA BAY Pender Is.
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VANCOUVER ISLAND
Allan I.
Burrows I.
Sperry Peninsula
Decatur I.
Blakely I.
ISLAND
ORCAS
Camp Orkila
West Sound
Fisherman Bay
Shaw I.
Jones I. SAN JUAN Deer Harbor ISLAND
Roche Harbor
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s I.
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INS NTA Arm
38 U MO
Haro Strait
Nanaimo to Olympia
Puget Sound
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Bellingham Gulf Islands Nanaimo Puget Sound Salt Spring Island San Juan Islands Seattle Vancouver Island Victoria
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OLYMPIA
Olympia Regional Airport
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The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine American Lake
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Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
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o Kirkland n gt shi Bellevue
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Kenmore Air Harbor
Lake Union
SEATTLE
Edmonds
S ion
Hat I.
Langley
Port Susan
Paine Field
ss sse Po
Clinton
Possession Pt.
Scatchet Pt.
Double Bluff Useless Bay Pt. No Point
Freeland
Port Gamble
Elliott Bay
Boeing Field
Blake I.
Ba
id br
ge
Poulsbo
Bangor
Keystone
Cove
Oak Harbor
Pt. Wilson
Bush Pt.
Hood Canal Br.
Port Ludlow
Di Port Hadlock
Deception Pass
Decatur I.
NAS Whidbey Island
Smith I.
Iceberg Pt.
Coupeville Penn
Port Townsend
Protection I.
Kiana Lodge
TACOMA
Tacoma Narrows Br.
n ho s Va
Bremerton
Seabeck
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Da
y
a bB
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Sequim Bay
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Tacoma Narrows Airport M cN eil
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Guemes I.
Cypress I.
alg LaConner
Everett
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Lake Samish
Mount Vernon
Samish Bay
Lake Stevens
Lake Goodwin
Skagit Bay
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Freshwater Bay Angeles Pt.
Lake Wa rcer I.
assage
BC Ferries Service
Harts tin
Indian I. Marro wston e I.
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t Whi d b ey Isl an
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On the Waterfront Waterfront Living in the Pacific Northwest
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Forty Years of Bold Waterfront Living Edmonds, WA Waterfront Home By Russ Young
If there is a single word that best describes the Edmonds, Washington home of Dorothy and Bill Robinson, that word is likely to be “bold.” That’s because their four-bedroom, four-bath waterfront house is a veritable showcase of boldness: bold colors and shapes; bold textures and patterns. Completed in 1975, the layout and design of the Robinson’s home is at least in part a product of their collective ideas: “We kinda designed it ourselves,” says Bill. “Then we gave the drawings to a friend who made some suggestions, then we turned it over to an architect so we could actually get the plans approved and permitted.” However, the decor and details are an unmistakable reflection of the Robinson’s casual, comfortable, somewhat whimsical – and definitely bold – collective personality. The house sits on a full acre of waterfront property, which seemed toThe Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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tally out of reach to a young couple in the 1970s. But Dorothy was determined to own that large a lot, and as she points out with a smile, “I’ve always held the checkbook.” (Bill smiles and agrees, saying that she did a great job managing the finances of their family plumbing business.) One reminder of the family business is the hammered-copper-pipe railings on the spiral staircases and elevator, and surrounding the “lookout area” that looms over the living room. “You just heat the pipe up and beat the heck out of it,” says Bill, with another grin. “But you need to have some real anger issues to do that much pounding.” Despite their location along the edge of Puget Sound, the Robinsons are not boaters, opting for another form of transportation: they are both pilots, and have owned a Pilatus PC12, among other airplanes. (The Robinson’s description of exploring 42
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the Australian outback in a barely airworthy Cessna adds a whole new dimension to their boldness.) That’s not to say that there’s not some nautical or oceanic themes in their decor ... not by a longshot. There are cast, painted and carved sea creatures and birds found throughout the house, including the sealife in an overhead mural above the oak, steel and glass dining-room table that seats up to 14 and features a huge Lazy-Susan in the middle. And the extensive use of wood throughout the house pays tribute to the Pacific Northwest; there are siding and ceilings done up in gorgeous cedar, as well as peeled-cedar posts that frame the master suite, the “great room” and the large windows that maximize the view of Puget Sound. Blonde burls from Oregon are used as shelving here and there, although a section of oak flooring is covered in a decidedly nonThe Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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traditional bright-red acrylic finish. In front of the house, there is also a beautiful cedar tree that the Robinsons shaped their driveway around, refusing to cut it down. The upstairs master suite also has magnificent oak cabinetry with unique hideaway doors – think of a rolltop desk turned on its side. But it’s the shower that is likely to leave visitors speechless: it has thirteen heads and a high-volume “indoor water feature” that makes it like bathing under a heated waterfall. The kitchen is sized large enough to hold plenty of guests during a party – isn’t it always the case that’s where partygoers will congregate? Two fire-engine-red sinks boldly punctuate birdseye maple cabinets, granite counterparts and stone-andcoral backsplashes. The admonition “Thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator.” adorns its stainlesssteel doors. An indoor grill and Wolf rangehood adorn the center island; “You don’t always want to go outside to barbeque,” explains Dorothy. However, going outside to grill means a visit to the substantial deck and its views of Picnic Point, the south end of Whidbey Island, and up Puget Sound toward the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas. There are a series of skylights that reveal what sits below: an indoor pool, big enough so that all eight of the Dorothy and Bill’s grandchildren learned to swim in it. There is one constant that comes with all waterfront property on Puget Sound’s eastern shore between Seattle’s Shilshole Bay and the town of Everett: railroad tracks – and trains – that run between the houses and the water. However, the Robinson’s triple-pane windows deal with that, along with their characterization of the trains as “entertaining – when we actually notice them.” Dorothy and Bill have put their longtime home up for sale, but perhaps the best endorsement of its lo44
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cation is in where they intend to live going forward: the house next door. They already own it, and will be moving there as a means of downsizing. They’ll be doing some updating and remodeling, and it’s probably not too much of a stretch to say that the result will be bold. The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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San Juan Island
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A Journey Back in Time:
Point Roberts Marina By Pat Awmack
P
oint Roberts, Washington is less than an hour’s drive from Vancouver, British Columbia, and yet the short jaunt across the Canada/ U.S. border is a journey decades back in time. Enter this U.S. enclave and it’s as if you’ve stepped back to the 1960s—to a seaside resort town, frozen in a time when life was quieter and simpler. Here, hearty sea grasses rustle in the ocean breezes, driftwood logs are piled higgledy piggledy on pebble beaches and quirky nautical-themed cottages aren’t an unusual sight. In 1846, when Great Britain and the U.S. were determining the international boundary between the British territory (Canada) and the U.S., it was determined that anything south of the 49th parallel would become part of the U.S. So, although Point Roberts was discovered and named by a British captain, George Vancouver, this lessthan 5 square-mile area was forfeited by the British and became one of a few enclaves belonging to the U.S. “The Point,” as it’s often referred to, is part of the United States but isn’t physically connected to it; thus travelers wishing to visit from the rest of Washington state must enter Canada at the Blaine border crossing, drive about 30 minutes and then re-cross the border at Tsawwassen to arrive in Point Roberts.
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Marina channel to the Pacific. While land access is challenging, there is easy access for boaters. Situated at the end of the Tsawwassen Peninsula, it is surrounded on three sides by the ocean and there is a wonderful marina offering moorage. Although I knew the marina was popular with Canadian boaters, I hadn’t realized quite how popular. When I chatted with marina manager Jacquelyne Everett, I discovered that 95 percent of the marina’s 900+ slips are rented by Canadians, mainly from
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British Columbia and Alberta. When I quizzed her on the reasoning behind this she gave two reasons which make perfect sense. Located 30 miles north of Bellingham, WA and 22 miles south of Vancouver, mooring your boat here offers speedy access to not only Semiahmoo and the American San Juan Islands, but also to the Canadian Gulf Islands, Victoria and Vancouver. For example, sailing between Point Roberts and Friday Harbor in the
The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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“The Barge” fishing lodge Lighthouse Park Boat undergoing work at the marina San Juan Islands takes approximately three and a half hours while the journey from Vancouver takes over eight hours. If your boat is in Point Roberts, you’d likely leave on a Friday after work and arrive that night; leaving from Vancouver you’d probably wait until Saturday morning to depart. And then there’s the price; even considering the exchange rate between Canadian and U.S. dollars, the savings here are substantial. A 30-foot slip runs about $2,600 annually, while the same moorage at a public marina in Vancouver costs more than $4,000. Yes, it’s a drive from Vancouver, but those who frequently cross the border can apply for a NEXUS card, which allows use of an express lane at border security,. Oh – and the price of gas at Point Roberts compared to that in Canada? That alone makes it worthwhile keeping your boat south of the border. Although Jacquelyne is a sailor and is sad that many boaters are making the switch from sailing to power boating, the marina is still home to many yachts and is home to the Point Roberts Yacht Club, whose origins date back to 1980. The Yacht Club shares facilities with the Point Roberts Marina Club, offering both educational events and social functions. Although the marina doesn’t have a designated area for transient moorage, they can generally find space for boaters wishing to visit. The facilities are excellent, and include Wi-Fi, washrooms with laundry and showers, and a pump-out station, fuel dock and full marine maintenance services. There is a chandlery and a restaurant. The Pier restaurant boasts “The Best Grilled Cheese Ever,” and after taking a bite of my daughter’s sandwich, I 50
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might have to agree. The entire marina is man-made— because of Point Roberts’ location on the tip of a peninsula, it is exposed to the winds and tides of the open ocean—and the decision was made to build a breakwater, dredge a channel inland from the ocean and create a basin to house the marina. Dredging began in 1977 and was finished three years later. The breakwater and channel create protection from the ocean, yet boaters can be in open water within five minutes of casting their lines. Moored at the marina is The Barge, an old fishing lodge, brought in from Ganges on Salt Spring Island. Although not being used when I visited the marina, there are plans to turn this into a retail shop for the 2015 boating season, selling groceries and fishing supplies. The marina isn’t a destination marina like Friday Harbor or Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands, nor are there high-end boutiques, trendy The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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restaurants or art galleries. However it’s only a two-minute drive from the marina to the Point Roberts Golf and Country Club, ranked sixth in the U.S. among unique golf courses. The appeal of the area is definitely the great outdoors. Not far from the marina is Lily Point Marine Reserve, with its 200foot bluffs offering stunning views of the Fraser Valley, Mount Baker and Vancouver Island, as well as the San Juan and Gulf Islands. Walk the trails through the thickly forested park with its ancient trees and rare plants, watching for nesting bald eagles and other birdlife. Lighthouse Marine Park, located on the southwest corner of the peninsula, is one of my favorite spots.. Although there used to be a pier and a tower for bird-watching, today, only remnants of the pier exist, its pylons sticking above the surface of the water—a favorite roosting spot for gulls. It’s the perfect spot to bird-watch, spot the local pods of orcas, or merely sit and daydream as you stare out to sea. Dom Nasilowski moved to Point Roberts from Vancouver in the 1990s, and she recently reminisced about leaving a bustling, vibrant city for this sleepy town with one supermarket and no traffic light or high school. She spoke of an idyllic childhood where she had the freedom to roam at will. I could hear her fondness for the place in her voice as she described how she and her band of friends explored the area on ponies and bicycles, how they spent every waking minute outside and how fit they all were. Dom recalled how the population of 1,500 exploded to 5,000 in the summer and how the atmosphere changed, with the campgrounds and bed-and-breakfasts full, and a relaxed “holiday” air everywhere. This relaxed vibe is still prevalent today and those looking for peace and quiet and a break from their busy lives can count on finding it here at “The Point.”
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Westland Distillery: A Sense of Taste, A Sense of Place By Russ Young
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hen meeting Emerson Lamb, the founder and president of Seattle’s Westland Distillery, one might not expect him to explain his passion for making American single-malt whiskey by using a French word. That word is terroir, loosely translated as “a sense of place,” which is embodied in certain characteristics, or the sum of the effects, that a local environment has had on the production of the product. Emerson explains further: “Westland is about the place that we come from ... and what the place that we come from wants to make. “There’s no sugar cane in Washington state, so we don’t make rum. Instead, we’re in the eye of a “perfect storm’ for making single-malt whiskey. High-quality water is a constant here, and we have two world-class barleyproducing areas in the Skagit Valley and the Palouse. If this was Iowa or Kentucky, we’d probably make bourbon -- things made in different places should reflect the places they were made.” Single-malt whiskey (please don’t call it “Scotch” – see sidebar) is made of a very short list of ingredients: malted barley, water, yeast and oak (the barrels used for aging). But even
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to say the “devil’s in the details” would be a gross understatement of the energy, effort and expense Emerson and his associates have gone to in pursuit of making noteworthy distilled spirits. His sense of place regarding his home state can be explained in part by his family history. Emerson’s greatgrandfather came to Hoquiam, Washington – “the leading edge of the North American continent” – in 1869 and established the family’s pulp-andpaper business. That business was successful in part because of terroir: “Conifers grow faster, taller and better here than anywhere else in the world,” he said. However, when he was 9 years old his father showed him a computer – and said that the reduced need for paper would eventually mean that the family business could not always do what it had done. After graduating from high school, and a “misspent youth” in Massachusetts building boats and composite components for Formula One cars, he returned to the Seattle area and began the pursuit of what Emerson now refers to as being “possessed with a fervor.” “Growing up, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I knew I could do just about anything. I come from a family with a history of doing audacious things, and we are the custodians of all that we inherit,” he said. Joined by high-school pal Matt Hofmann – who dropped out of the University of Washington to pursue his dream of becoming a master distiller – Emerson began visiting distillers in the Europe and the U.S. One-hundred and thirty distillers, to be exact. Their first stops? Scotland, for a simple reason: “We were still under the drinking age in the U.S.,” he said. (He can’t remember how old he was when he first tasted whiskey, but Emerson allows that he “was young,” although he adds that he and his taste buds grew up.) The distillery visits continued for nearly two years, and upon their
return to Washington in 2009, Westland Distillery – named after the family home in Hoquiam – was born. Their first bottle of “American singlemalt whiskey” was sold on Oct. 27, 2013: Emerson’s birthday. (“That’s the only business-plan milestone we hit,” he says with a grin.) The business has grown, now encompassing a 13,000 square-foot distillery in Seattle’s SoDo district and two facilities in Hoquiam: a 50,000 square-foot warehouse for aging and an 11,000 square-foot bottling plant. Current production is about 3,000 casks of whiskey per year, to which Emerson provides a sense of scale by saying that’s about two days’ production at the Jack Daniels distillery in Tennessee. A walk through the SoDo distillery is a delight for the nose, the eyes and the ears. The smells of ground barley and hot wort mingle with the more subtle essences that make one think of chocolate, coffee, vanilla and caramel. Emerson often speaks poetically, using terms like “rich, malty sweetness,” even as he describes the chemistry of the distilling process. 58
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Although the early stages of the process take place in stainless-steel vessels, the culmination occurs in a pair of magnificent copper stills that hold 7,560 and 5,670 liters, respectively. The finished product – a clear liquid which is the “hearts” of the fluid, as opposed to the “heads” and the “tails” – goes into oak barrels, where over the next two or more years it will pick up its distinctive color and vanilla taste from the wood. Recycling is part of the routine here: the “heads” are used for sanitizing the distilling equipment; the “tails” are redistilled the following day. And about 20 tons of spent-grain “husk” goes to a ranch near Enumclaw, Washington, where it provides 800 head of cattle with a starchless, highprotein, high-fiber (and alcohol-free) diet. Emerson leads his guests to a small room that looks like a cross between a chemistry lab and a bar. This is the blending room, where he says “the science of the process meets some degree of art. If the distillery is the color factory, this is the artist’s workshop, where we paint a masterpiece from all the different colors.”
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The nearby tasting area is where visitors get the opportunity to sample those Westland “masterpieces,” of which there are currently three being bottled: American Single Malt, Peated and Sherry Wood Whiskies. (The American Single Malt Whiskey recently received 95 out of 100 points in Jim Murray’s 2015 “Whiskey Bible.”) Although the sheer joy of tasting his wares shows on Emerson’s face, he spends relatively little time at the distillery, traveling extensively and “preaching the gospel of American singlemalt.” His evangelism can be measured by the fact that Westland whiskies are now sold in 42 states, and should be available in the United Kingdom and France before the end of 2015. Although he encounters occasional skepticism about his age as he travels far and wide, offering sips and speaking of terroir, Emerson says, “Every day our whiskey gets older; the same is true with me. My age is less of a factor every year. “I hope that when I’m old and gray, people will look back and say, ‘He built this huge international business on where he was from.’”
What You My Not Know About Single-Malt Whiskey Q. Isn’t single-malt whiskey known as “Scotch?” A. “Scotch” is single-malt whisky, but not all single-malt whiskey is “Scotch.” (We’ll explain the spelling discrepancy shortly.) Scotland has a legendary history of making whiskey, but Emerson Lamb points to Japan, Taiwan and even Tasmania – in addition to the U.S. and Westland, of course – as the source of fine singlemalts. “Scotland’s running out of whiskey. We’ve got plenty – and it’s really good!” Q. There are five different kinds of malted barley in your single-malt whiskey. So why “single malt?” A. Emerson explains (patiently) that the term means the whiskey comes from a single distillery; it doesn’t mean that only one type of barley was used. Q. Okay – is it “whisky,” or “whiskey?” A. Actually, both are considered correct. (You can drive yourself crazy reading discrepant Google hits on the subject.) In Scotland and Canada, it’s “whisky.” The U.S. and Ireland spell it “whiskey.” Q. Do you put peat in your whiskey? A. Emerson, smiling, since the question comes up frequently, says “no.” The peat is used in roasting the barley for peated whiskey, giving it an unmistakably smoky taste. Q. How should you taste whiskey? A. Emerson says there is no wrong way, but “there might be a right way.” His advice is to: 1) Bring the glass to your nose slowly, very gently and gradually sniffing the whiskey; 2) Take a small sip and slowly distribute it throughout your mouth; 3)Then take another (and presumably more) sips to judge savor, and enjoy the taste.
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Ferry Tales: Island Living By Sean Griffin
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t’s one thing to visit an island. It’s quite another to live there, which is something I never set out to do. I was simply looking for a place to heal from heartbreak after the unexpected demise of a marriage that had brought considerable joy to my life. So I scanned the real-estate rental ads, using “water,” “waterfront,” “view” and “greenbelt” as search terms because they were qualities I associated with healing. One of those ads yielded a listing on Anderson Island, the southernmost – and perhaps the least known – island in Puget Sound. Population 1,000 in 60
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the cooler months; 4,000 during summer. Accessible by a 20-minute ferry ride (or 40 minutes, if there’s an additional stop to serve any of the 24 residents of tiny Ketron Island.) But did I really want to live on an island? Be a slave to a ferry schedule? Be confined to a place just 4.1 miles long and 2.5 miles wide? What would I do in an emergency, after the ferry retired for the night? Would my family and friends take the time and expense to come visit? And did I want to pay $14.24 any time I made a Costco run, took in a movie or headed to Mount Rainier? As newly arrived resident
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The author, kayaking between Anderson and Eagle Islands.
Dan Wheeler observed during a recent circumnavigation of the island aboard the Never Never Land, “The island is a wonderful place, but you have to accept it on its terms.” It took just one visit to realize island living was at least worth a try. I found a beautiful home on the water at the northern tip of the island with a commanding view of Eagle Island, a state marine park. There is a distinct quality to the air, a freshness that is so striking that even after two years I am startled by it every time I step outside. At Oro Bay I discovered one of the most beautiful vistas of Mount Rainier anywhere. Nearby, the newly opened Jacobs Point trail, featuring even more stunning views of the mountain rising above the Nisqually Aquatic Reserve. To the west, a trail led to Andrew Anderson Marine Park – a sunset-facing beach and lagoon that is breathtakingly beautiful, especially in the afternoon light, and almost always secluded. At the island’s center I came across the General Store and coffee shop, where locals recognized me as a newcomer and came up to introduce themselves. On the shore of Lake Josephine – one of the island’s two large freshwater lakes – I found the Riviera Lakeshore Restaurant, and an adjacent 9-hole golf course. On Lake Florence there is a public swimming hole, and motorized craft, including an occasional seaplane, ply the waters. Not far from my home I discovered Johnson Farm, established in 1896, and now the home of the Anderson Island Historical Society museum and gift shop, and the community garden. Island living appeared to be surprisingly affordable. Because most of the properties here are vacation properties, this was Washington’s hardest-hit ZIP code when the real-estate bubble burst in 2008, and it has been the slowest to recover. Those qualities attracted me to the island. But what keeps me here are the people, long-timers and newcomers alike. The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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There is a sense of interdependence here; a feeling of community far beyond what I’ve encountered elsewhere. Last time I checked, supermarkets don’t close because of a memorial service in the community. But Barbara Lake puts the “closed” sign on the door of the Anderson Island General Store, both out of respect for the deceased and to allow employees the opportunity to attend the service. After all, this is a place where everybody pretty much meets, greets and gets to know everybody else, and nobody minds the inconvenience. Once, when expecting company for lunch, I raced to to purchase chives – a garnish for the pea-soup recipe I was following. Kerry Larsen, the store clerk, apologized, saying the store didn’t carry chives. I was reminded of one of the islanders’ sayings: “If the general store doesn’t have it, you probably don’t need it,” so I resigned myself to a garnish-free soup. When I reached home 10 minutes later, I found a gallon container on my front 62
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Things To Do on Anderson Island:
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Join in the fun at the community festivals held year round, including the annual salmon bake in July, the Apple Squeeze in the fall, and the star-lighting and yacht parade in December.
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Visit Andrew Anderson Marine Park – known locally as Andy’s Marine Park – and hike the mile-long trail to Carlson Cove, a beautiful, sunset-facing beach and tidal estuary.
Visit the Anderson Island Historical Society Museum Take the plunge at Ol’ Swimmin’ Hole at Lowell and Gift Shop, and see what life was like on a farm Johnson Park. There are two swim areas – one for that produced milk, eggs, chickens and apples from 1896 kids and the other for grownups. into the 1970s. Most of the items for sale are by local artists and crafters. Take a walk along the island’s newest pathway – the Jacobs Point Trail. It passes by the remains of the Tacoma Yacht Club and Bremerton Yacht Club 1915-vintage Jacobs Homestead, and drops down to Oro both have outstations for their members located at Bay beaches with a spectacular view of Mount Rainier Oro Bay, next to the Oro Bay Yacht Club. The Riviera Lakeshore Restaurant is the full-menu Dine at Big Al’s Cafe: the island’s newest eating restaurant on the island, looking out on lovely Lake establishment. Limited fare, but oh-so-delicious Josephine. I’m partial to the chicken wings, fish and chips, – especially the barbecued-rib nights on Saturdays. Al taco salad and steak. They have live music about once and Christine Farrar also feature their own special coffee a month; the second Saturday of each month features blend. Karaoke with Kim.
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Tie your boat to one of three public mooring buoys off Eagle Island, a 10-acre state marine park – home to nesting bald eagles and an itinerant colony of Pacific Harbor Seals.
Drop by and introduce yourself. I’m in the green house near the end of Larson Road. The coffee pot’s always on, and there’s beer in the fridge. And who knows? I might even take you kayaking.
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porch, filled with live chives. When I’d left the store, Kerry called Pete Cammon – another of my neighbors, and an avid gardener – and asked if she’d grown any chives; that I needed some by noon. Pete had plenty to spare, took the pot to my porch, and assured me “You’ll never run out of chives again.” When I purchased a used washer and dryer from different people on the island, I posted on the islanders’ Facebook page that neither would fit in my two-seat Miata. Within 30 minutes I had three offers of help. Three hours later, I had a newly installed washer and dryer, as well as three new friends. In turn, I have helped islanders move, shoveled sheep and llama poop, volunteered time to support the parks and museum, and taken free family portraits upon learning a family member had been diagnosed with cancer. One incident astonished me at the time, but now makes perfect sense. Late on a Friday afternoon, with people anxious to get home and start their weekends, I locked myself out of my car - the frontmost car on the ferry’s port side, which meant that 30 others couldn’t disembark until I could open my car. It took 25 minutes to break into my car, which also put the ferry behind schedule. The astonishing thing? I had created a road-rage trigger if ever there was one. Yet no one honked. No one complained. No one offered a finger gesture, or complained on the islanders’ Facebook page about the idiot who locked his keys in the car. No one. Random acts of kindness on the mainland are exactly that: random. On our island, acts of kindness are routine. They happen every day. I don’t pretend to know why that is. Maybe it’s knowing we’re all in the same boat, or surrounded by the same moat, willing slaves to a ferry schedule. Maybe it’s the rhythms of the place to which we have to adapt. All I know is I wake up every morning feeling like I’m on vacation - one I don’t ever want to end.
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Peace of Mind In Your Pocket Weego Jump-Start Battery By Tom Tripp
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e’ve all been there. It’s the end of a long day on the water; now it’s time to pack up and head back to the ramp or the dock. The kids are sunburned, there are lots of fat fish in the cooler and the sun is starting to silhouette the Olympics. So you climb into the captain’s chair and turn the key and … nothing. Maybe the starter gave up one last click; maybe not. Either way, turning the key didn’t produce the magic of a smoothly started engine ... because your battery is dead. Was it the kids blasting tunes all afternoon? Was it the chartplotter and sounder and cellphone charger and anchor light and washdown pump you left running? Yeah, probably. So now what do you do? Well, since you’re a prudent mariner you undoubtedly have a tow-service under contract. But that’s going to take a while because you’re anchored securely, not in imminent danger and there may be seven boats ahead of you for service. A better option is to carry a spare battery to jump-start the engine. That used to be a ridiculous notion for most of us, given the weight, cost and size of a duplicate engine battery. but not any longer. Weego, a company dedicated to portable battery solutions, is now offering what it calls the Weego Jump Start Battery+ for the marine market. The words “compact” and “convenience” don’t even come close when you consider that you can carry one of these in your back pocket – and start most gasoline and diesel engines. The Weego Jump Starts come in three sizes. The smallest is the JS6 Standard, which will start gas engines up to 4.6L and diesel engines up to 2.4L. The JS12 Heavy Duty can easily start gas engines up to 6.4L, and diesel engines up to 3.2L. And the JS18 Professional can start most big gas engines, as well as diesels up to 4.8L. When you think about these engine sizes, you’re talking about starting everything from boats, to cars, trucks, motorcycles, all-ter-
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The Weego line of Jump Starter Battery+ is barely bigger than your smartphone but will start your boat’s engine.
rain vehicles, personal watercraft and more. They will also easily charge any smartphone, tablet, wireless speaker or other devices that use standard USB charging. When you’re ready to start your boat, you simply attach the included jumper cables to the terminals of the dead battery –- explicit instructions are printed on the unit itself for reference –- then connect the cable to the Jump Starter Battery+, turn the power on and start your engine. All the units include a built-in LED flashlight so you can see what you’re doing in the battery compartment, as well as a strobe with an SOS-flasher function if you need to draw attention. A 3-1 USB charging cord, 8 popularbrand laptop connectors, wall and car chargers, and a carrying case are included. Here is the best part: the price. The smallest unit has an MSRP of $100; the mid-size unit is $130 and the biggest charger is $190. They all have built-in circuitry protection, an autooff feature, and jumper cables with both a fuse and diode to ensure both user safety and protection for the unit. “Dead batteries at best ruin your day and at worst put you in a tight spot,” said Gerry Toscani, CEO of Weego. “Our small, high-powered Weego Jump Starters are perfect for boaters. Lithium-ion batteries only lose about 2 percent of their power per month, so you can throw it in a safety kit or locker and forget about it until it is needed.” The company website, www.myweego.com has some cool videos showing how the units are used. One of these is going on my boat, for sure. Tom Tripp is a marine journalist and editor of OceanLines.biz, a website dedicated to news about recreational boat cruising. He’s been at sea aboard everything from a 17-foot homemade wooden fishing boat to a 1,000-foot-long, 96,000-ton nuclear aircraft carrier. He’s finishing his first novel, a mysterythriller set in the San Juans.
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PUZZLE SOLUTION (complete puzzle on page 82)
H ARB ORS
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Destinations
Seaplane & Boating
The Inn at Creek Street & New York Hotel, Ketchikan, AK
Ketchikan is an island community located on the Inside Passage, about 700 miles northwest of Seattle. Nestled in the heart of the Tongass National Forest, it’s a popular destination in Southeast Alaska, whether arriving by sea or air. As a jumping-off spot for the Misty Fjords and well known for its sport fishing (it’s proclaimed the “Salmon Capital of the World”), arts and culture are also main attractions in this waterfront community of 8,200. The Inn at Creek Street & New York Hotel offers a variety of accommodations, from vacation rentals to hotel rooms. Located on Stedman Street overlooking the Thomas Basin and 72
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Inside Passage, the New York Hotel was built in 1925. Today, its eight upstairs rooms accommodate singles or doubles, and include antiques, quilts and tiled baths. On the main floor, adjacent to the hotel lobby, is the New York Cafe, the oldest operating cafe in Alaska. It originally opened on Ketchikan’s Dock Street in 1903, and relocated to its present site when the hotel opened two decades later. Now under the direction of Chef Raff Tavidagian, the New York Cafe features locally sourced fish and Alaska microbrews, and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. During the summer months, there’s outdoor dining on
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By Sue Frause
the boardwalk deck overlooking Ketchikan Creek. The New York Hotel is adjacent to Creek Street, the historic hub of Ketchikan. In the early 1900s during the Gold Rush, it was home to nearly two dozen “bawdy houses” and was the most infamous red-light district in the Territory of Alaska. That all stopped in the 1950s when prostitution was shut down. Today, the area is known as the Creek Street Historic District, formed to retain the area’s architectural heritage. Inn at Creek Street’s guests are welcome to stay in three of its oldest and most notorious “houses”: Preacher’s
House (1902); Star House (1903); and June’s Cafe (1904). Heritage signs describe the history of each building. Other accommodations include the Creekside units: three two-level lofts overlooking Ketchikan Creek. They feature outdoor decks, kitchens, jetted tubs and two queen beds. The Wharf accommodates up to seven guests, and features a full kitchen/ dining area and multiple flat-screen TVs. Harborview is a one-bedroom unit with a full kitchen, plus washer and dryer, located adjacent to the New York Cafe. There’s plenty to do on Creek Street, from Dolly’s House Museum (“Where both men and salmon came upstream to spawn”) to the unique works of Ketchikan artist Ray Troll at the Soho Coho Art Gallery. Ketchikan’s Carver at the Creek features the work of Tlingit carver Norman Jackson, while Alaska Eagle Arts is home to Marvin Oliver’s sculptures and prints.
The Inn at Creek Street & New York Hotel 207 Stedman Street, Ketchikan, AK 99901 866.225.0246 www.thenewyorkhotel.com The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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Wickaninnish Inn, Tofino, BC
On Chesterman Beach, one of a series of pristine sandy coves along the wild, west coast of Vancouver Island, lies the Wickaninnish Inn, a Relais & Chateau resort. The cove is bookended by craggy rock outcroppings and bordered by old-growth rainforest, with a location that lends itself to hours of beachcombing, bird-watching or simply sitting on a log, watching the surfers as they try their luck on the rollers of the open Pacific. “The Wick” is built on 100 waterfront acres, undisturbed by any close neighbors. The original building, “At the Pointe,” sits on a rocky point with an unobstructed view of the ocean. The “On the Beach” building, where my room was, faces the length of Chesterman Beach, allowing for views of guests in brightly colored 74
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rain gear and their dogs as they explore the shoreline. When the McDiarmid family was preparing to build the inn, their wish was to preserve the natural beauty of the site as much as possible, and they’ve done a wonderful job. In an effort to protect as much of the vegetation as possible, Managing Director Charles McDiarmid and his brother Bruce removed much of the underbrush by hand. The remaining native flora, and the cries of the resident bald eagles and seabrids, add to the wilderness atmosphere of the property. Charles says, “We describe the Inn as ‘rustic elegance on nature’s edge.’ There are three sub-themes of this: bringing the outside in—where we incorporate large windows and natu-
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By Pat Awmack
ral light throughout; elements from the land and sea—through the use of items such as candles filled with local sand and shower stalls featuring a starfish motif; and lastly, texture— which is obvious with the use of Red Cedar and Sitka Spruce trees which were removed from the property, taken away to be kiln dried and repurposed as textured walls and in the post-and-beam construction.” “At rhe Pointe” is home to the finedining restaurant, The Pointe, where Executive Chef Warren Barr, goes to great lengths to source BC-based seafood, game and produce. The extensive wine list, recognized by Wine Spectator magazine, spotlights BC and Pacific Northwest vintages while craft beers from local brewmasters— including the Tofino Brewing Com-
pany—are available. The dining room offers some of the best views on the west coast and is a perfect place to watch the sun set into the Pacific. My beef tenderloin was delicious, and my fries, accented with shavings of truffles and cheese, were truly sinful. The next morning found me at the lower-key Driftwood Café, where I had an incredible croissant, some fruit and a creamy café latte, while once again gazing out to the beach. The Inn is a year-round resort, with its winter storm-watching package available between November and February. Brave the wild winds and lashing rain on the beach (or snuggle up by the fire in your suite and watch the weather in all its wild glory). Each room is stocked with rain gear, a backpack and binoculars, so you needn’t pack your gum boots. There’s a drying room for wet gear on the ground floor of the Beach building. Although I was there during the storm season, the weather was surprisingly calm, and in fact, the February weekend ended up being a stunningly beautiful, sunny few days at the beach. There is a homey elegance about the Wick that made me feel instantly at ease, with its ocean-view soaker tubs, the cozy fireplace in each room and the quirky driftwood chairs. The Canopy Suite which encompasses the entire top floor, is, with its full kitchen, perfect for a family vacation. Next time I visit I’ll be sure to visit the beautiful Ancient Cedars Spa, where every treatment is further enhanced by the oceanfront views. I can’t wait to return!
Wickaninnish Inn 500 Osprey Lane Box 250 Tofino, BC V0R 2Z0 www.wickinn.com The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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Woodmark Hotel, Kirkland, WA
By Sue Frause
The Woodmark Hotel, Yacht Club & Spa is an urban lakeside getaway. Located across Lake Washington from Seattle in Kirkland, it’s the only hotel situated on the lake and makes for an ideal urban retreat. Long before the Woodmark Hotel opened in 1989, the site was home to a number of shipyards in the early 1900’s. Wooden boats and steel autoferries were built here, along with dozens of ships for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Today, the area is known as Carillon Point, a 31-acre site named after the specially designed carillon bells located in the main plaza adjacent to the Woodmark Hotel. Greeting guests in the lobby is Woody Meg, a black Labrador retriever. The Woodmark is pet friendly, and every third Monday between June and September, the Beach Cafe features a “Yappier Hour” for dog owners and their four-legged pals. The Beach Cafe is open for breakfast/lunch/dinner, with a daily happy hour from 3-6 p.m.. Also on site is 76
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bin on the lake, a dinner restaurant that features locally sourced ingredients and more than 40 wines by the glass. Happy hour here is from 4-6 p.m., and there is both indoor and outdoor dining. The Woodmark’s 100 guest rooms have been newly renovated, and feature luxury bedding, soaking tubs and rain showers. Standard amenities include oversized bath towels and robes, Molton Brown bath products, and upgraded linens and bedding. Woodmark Signature Amenities ($12 per night) are applied to all reservations, and they include Wi-Fi, a daily newspaper, coffee and tea, courtesyvan transportation within a fivemile radius and access to Fly Fitness. Guests are also invited to “Raid the Pantry” for complimentary late-night snacks and beverages between 10 p.m and 1 a.m.. A 15 percent discount on spa services and products at Still Spa at the Woodmark is offered to all hotel guests. From May through October, Woodmark Waterfront Adventures allows guests to venture onto Lake Washington via stand-up paddle board or jet ski (guests receive a discount). Single or double kayaks are an amenity for all hotel guests; there are also lake cruises aboard the Woodmark II, a 1956 28-ft. Chris Craft Sedan Express. Captain Rob, born and raised on Lake Washington, takes guests to local sites that include Yarrow Bay, Evergreen Point Floating Bridge, University of Washington, Montlake Cut, Portage Bay and the floating home made famous in the movie Sleepless in Seattle -- all the while surrounded by the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges. Reservations are necessary, and rates are $35 for the two-hour boat cruise. Guest moorage is available at Carillon Point Marina for those with their own boats, on a first-come, firstserve basis. The Woodmark provides complimentary beach-cruiser bicycles for
tooling into Kirkland or cruising along Lake Washington Boulevard. For something less physical, take a stroll through the Woodmark’s wellgroomed gardens, with their everchanging colors of the season. Enjoy the art sculptures along the pathways, and continue along Kirkland’s expansive waterfront promenade to visit the specialty shops and art galleries. Return back to the Woodmark in time to hear the carillon bells chime softly on the hour. Then it’s back to relaxing
amidst the Woodmark’s serene lakeside setting.
The Woodmark Hotel, Yacht Club & Spa 1200 Carillon Point Kirkland, WA 98033 888.992.0953 425.654.5233 thewoodmark.com
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Who’s Who in the Pacific NorthwesT Connecting People, Places, Adventure and Lifestyle… Meet some of the faces and characters of the Seaplane and Boating Destinations around the Pacific Northwest. If you ever run into them along your travels be sure to stop and say hello!
Deane hislop Occupation Freelance writer and avid
boater
Birthplace Seattle
SUe Frause Occupation Freelance writer and
photographer
Birthplace Arlington, WA Hometown Langley, WA Favorite PNW Destination British Columbia
Best Boating & Fishing Destination San Juan Islands (WA) / Gulf Islands (BC)
Favorite Eatery Le Pichet - Seattle Best Meal The Inn at Langley Whidbey Island
Favorite Read The Shipping News
by Annie Proulx
Hobbies Travel, hiking, entertaining, movies and theater, family and friends. Most memorable experience on the waters of the PNW Although
I’d never done any fishing outside of kid stuff, that all changed in the past decade. My big catch was a 40-lb. salmon I hauled in near Wrangell, Alaska with local fishing guide Jim Leslie of Alaska Waters. Several years later, I added to my fish tales when I reeled in an 18.5-lb. salmon while staying at BC’s Sonora Resort off Sonora Island. I went out with fishing guide Tommy Thompson, a former member of the Canadian Olympic ski-jump team. I definitely scored gold on both of those fishing adventures!
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Elayne Sun Occupation Communications Coor-
dinator, Pacific Salmon Foundation of Canada
Birthplace Richmond, BC Hometown Burnaby, BC
Hometown Anacortes, WA Favorite PNW Destination
Anacortes – that’s why we relocated here after retiring. It’s a wonderful small community with something always going on throughout the year and rich in maritime history. Oh yes – and the San Juan Islands are our neighbors.
Best Boating & Fishing Destination We really enjoy the
Favorite PNW Destination
Broughton Island area in British Columbia, The small rustic, family-operated marinas and the plethora of beautiful anchorages draws us back time and time again.
Best Boating & Fishing Destination Ucluelet
Favorite Eatery Although we have
Anywhere on Vancouver Island. Every summer I rent a cottage for a couple weeks with my family and just soak in all the great outdoors.
Favorite Eatery Swale Rock Café in
Port Alberni
Best Meal Oyster burger at Swale Rock Café
Favorite Read World Without End
by Ken Follett
Hobbies Jogging with my dogs, kettle
bells, reading and playing Legos with my son.
Most memorable experience on the waters of the PNW The
first-time my son saw a crab while digging for clams in Nanoose Bay. He tried to eat it and it pinched his tongue. Fortunately, it was just a baby so no damage was done. Levi cried and then called it a ‘bad dog.’ He was only 1.5 years at the time and had very few words. Amazingly, it didn’t turn him off of seafood.
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enjoyed many wonderful restaurants while cruising we really cherish meals aboard our boat Easy Goin’.
Best Meal Barbequed beef tenderloins and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon is right up there, but it takes a backseat to seafood we’ve caught or collected during our voyage.
Hobbies DIY boat projects, fishing,
upland bird and waterfowl hunting, vegetable gardening; but what occupies the majority of my time is boating and writing about our experiences for boating publications.
Most memorable experience on the waters of the PNW Our sum-
mer long cruises up the British Columbia coast. The scenery, wildlife, sunrises and sunsets, people we’ve met, navigation and anchoring experiences have all been lasting memories. As Arlene and I say, “It’s not a vacation, it’s a lifestyle.”
Who’s Who in the Pacific NorthwesT
PIERRE landry
Terry W. Sheely
Chad Wetsch
Occupation Marina owner, Pierre’s
Occupation Journalist, editor, book author
Occupation General manager, VP, Ground OperaAlaska tions –Seaplanes Harbour Air
Birthplace Montreal
Birthplace Lima, OH
Birthplace Silver Spring, Maryland New Westminster, BC
Hometown Verdun, Quebec
Hometown Black Diamond, WA
Hometown Juneau, Alaska North Vancouver, BC
Favorite PNW Destination
Favorite PNW Destination
Favorite PNW Destination
at Echo Bay
Echo Bay, BC
Best Boating & Fishing Destination The Broughtons Favorite Eatery
We don’t really have a favourite eatery as we have lived most of our lives in the wilderness. You can’t beat grilling up fish over a beach campfire with family and friends.
Favorite Read Mostly I read manu-
als, although I did enjoy reading Heart of the Rain Coast: A Life Story by Billy Proctor and Alexandra Morton.
Hobbies Construction projects at my Marina, and I’d like to spend more time fishing with my son and grandchildren. Most memorable experience on the waters of the PNW
As the school-boat operator, I picked up the kids along the coast and took them to the one-room school in Echo Bay. En route, it was always astounding to see orcas breach and spy hop in front of the school boat. By the same token, to see whales swim by your floating home never grows dull. In fact, one whale actually dove under our float home! Our sons would fish off the deck in Pierre’s Bay and toss their catch to the resident eagle. Unbeknownst to them, a heron was observing stoically, and the eagle and heron engaged in a showdown, with the eagle winning the fish by a feather.
ABC Islands and Icy Strait in Southeast Alaska - basing at Angoon, Gustavus and Elfin Cove
Best Boating & Fishing Destination Ocean west side of Haida Gwaii
Favorite Eatery
Calcutta Grill – Newport Hills, WA
Favorite Read Something of Value by Robert Ruark and the Hobbit Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien Hobbies My hobbies are also my vocation: fishing, hiking, hunting, boating, river running, adventure recreation, reading, writing, and playing chess and soccer with my grandgirl. Most memorable experience on the waters of the PNW
With two friends in my 17-foot center console, rising and falling over the ocean rollers surging into the Strait of Juan de Fuca at Neah Bay, WA. We thread our way south between sea stacks that break heaving waves into towers of blue turquoise and around monstrous black rocks hidden just under the surface, often invisible until the undertow recoils and creates whirling suck-holes that could re-route our day. With trout rods and heavy fly-rods we fish for swarms of black rockfish, predator ling cod and occasionally come tight against a halibut or king salmon that shreds our gear and leaves us laughing and breathless.
Hoonah, Alaska Sumas, WA
Best Boating & Fishing Destination Elfin Alaska Love Cove, heading out to
the mouth of the Oh Capilano River,
Favorite Eatery into Burrard Inlet
The Island Pub – Douglas, Alaska
Favorite Eatery Best oreganata from CactusMeal Club Prawns - Coal Harbour,
the Fiddlehead Cookbook – Juneau, Vancouver Alaska Best Meal Tuna Tataki Favorite Read Little Britches series by Ralph Moody Favorite Read I like to be scared – so anything by Stephen King. Hobbies Fishing, hunting, new experiences with family Hobbies Fishing, hockey, guitar, basketball, relaxing on the water (is Most memorable experience that a hobby?)
on the waters of the PNW
Fishing from a 16-foot experience skiff with famMost memorable ily 1990. We were trolling where oninthe waters of the PNW Icy and Lynn I’veStrait, had a Chatham few great Strait memories and Canal 15 miles as the crow they allmeet, startabout out with an early mornflies we and launched ing. from Grabwhere a coffee maybeataAuke Bay … of butBaileys. a two-hour, 30 boat mile geared trek on splash Get the the water. Everything up as the sun is rising was and spectacular: head out glassy calm water, 70start degrees from Deep Cove to the and day the out bite was on. I of think four at the mouth the we Ohcaught Capilano kings the 40+through pound range and River.inTrolling the morning, mixed in atodozen silvers. I wasa listening some nice music. Getting concerned about the weight on our few hits, landing a few ... losing more boat. Bubble than we land.feeding That’s ahumpbacks, good day in the porpoise and some orcas on the way Pacific Northwest! home – what a day!
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H A R B O R S CROSSWORD PUZZLE
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