From Cruising to Couch Surfing
It was time for something completely different. My mom turned 91 in April and I wanted to spend some quality time with her. Especially since summer was fast approaching, and it was time we would be at our lake house together. So Peter and I decided to take a break from cruising to continue our adventure on land for a while.
After many long days of hard work getting Salacia ready to store, we got on a plane and headed to the East Coast. Doylestown, Pennsylvania is where Peter’s parents and my mom live. We are super lucky to have them living in the same town! I grew up in Doylestown and Peter’s parents and family grew up nearby. Peter and I met in Philadelphia so it was a nice discovery.
Our time with my mom was spent at Crystal Lake where my mom grew up in the summers. Her father bought the house in the early 40s and turned it into a cottage they used in the summertime. My mom absolutely loves the lake and made sure all six of her children got to enjoy the beauty and surrounding community too.
Peter’s parents invited us to spend time with them in a private villa in Jamaica. We flew down there the third week in May and had a wonderful time hanging out in a beautiful part of Jamaica. After all the hard work of storing Salacia for the summer, we were excited to get some downtime with Fran and Lou. We enjoyed quality time together while the staff cooked and served us three meals a day!
We spent a majority of our time on the East Coast visiting our parents. We also took a trip out to Sag Harbor to meet up with Peter’s Uncle Ed who still lives in the house he had with his late partner Uncle Jack (Fran’s oldest brother) on Morris Cove. We had a lovely visit with Ed reminiscing about good times spent with Jack and Ed in Sag Harbor.
After Sag Harbor we went back to the Lake for a couple more weeks with my mom and the rest of my family. The time was spent walking around the lake with my sister Jen and her two dogs and hanging out with my mom and my brother Jack and his family. Plus time with all of our friends including Lou and Carol, Adam and Kate, Julie, Nuri and Gabby, Molly, Helen and Jack, Patty, Judy and Dan. I treasure the time we all shared at the lake this summer and especially the time with my mom.
It was time to move on and we hopped on a plane to Atlanta, Georgia to meet up with Peter’s brother John and his wife Lara and their two sons, Jack and Freddie. Jack’s nickname is Teddy (since his middle name Theodore) and Peter used to call them “The Eddies.” We celebrated a warm and festive July 4th weekend together. There were fireworks in the neighborhood and pork ribs, venison and beef that John was smoking all day with all the fixings of a proper Southern dinner. It was good to be spending time with them again!
Our next stop was Green Cove Springs, Florida where we have a mailing address. To become official residents, we needed to get our drivers licenses and register to vote. After that we drove up to Savannah, Georgia to visit with Aunt Marie (Fran’s sister) and Uncle Joe. We had a lovely visit with them, sitting in their living room overlooking a beautiful pond where we watched deer stopping by for a drink of water. Our visit was short but very sweet. We were so glad to see them again in their new home.
That marked the end of our visit on the East Coast as we were scheduled to leave the next morning to fly to Seattle, Washington. Our cruising buddies, Patty and Tom on Triæna, invited us to stay with them for as long as we wanted in their beautiful home overlooking Puget Sound. Their house is in Tulelip, just north of Seattle. The house is the one she grew up in and it’s on an Indian Reservation.
Patty and Tom did an amazing job remodeling the house. Unlike on a boat, the kitchen is huge, so we spent a lot of time making yummy desserts from the gallons of fresh raspberries we picked from their garden, as well as making many dinners together. We loved our time there so we stayed for over two weeks! They not only have a killer view but they also have two sailing dinghy’s we took out with them to sail in the lagoon behind their house. Another plus was their friends who lived down the street had a pickle ball court. We played every morning with Patty and Tom and got hooked!
Patty and Tom were so kind to introduce us to their close group of friends. We all got together at the farm house that Robin and Steve inherited from Steve’s family who own a tree farm. It is nestled right next to a river and we went for long walks taking in all the beautiful views of the river from every direction.
On our way out of Washington we stayed with our friend Tracy who recently bought a new home in Seattle. He lives there with his girlfriend Daniella who is doing her medical residency close by. We stayed a few days with them and really enjoyed cooking together and going on long walks in the warm balmy summer evenings!
It just so happened that our friends Stacy and Jade were also visiting Tracy and Daniela on their way north. They started traveling in their van which they completely remodeled to live in full time. We were delighted to get to see them again and the bonus was a tour of the SASSVAN!
The next day we flew to Anchorage Alaska where another set of our cruising friends, John and Marcy, invited us to cruise with them on their boat Tlingit, which they keep in Alaska. They were so kind to open up their beautiful home to us for a few days while they were sailing with their daughter. It was perfect place for Peter and I to spend some alone time after so much time traveling. We stayed for a few days before John picked us up and drove us to Seward Alaska where they keep their boat.
Not only did they open their house to us but they gave us the clothes we needed to wear in Alaska. Their motto is “There’s no bad weather, only bad gear.” We especially needed layers and gear for protecting us in cooler weather and mostly from the rain. We were traveling from dry and dusty Mexico and it was warmer in the other places we visited in the US, so we weren’t prepared for colder weather. We ended up with exactly what we needed including boots for the wet hikes we were about to experience!
Seward is a quaint seaside town with lots of tourists visiting every summer. We got a tour of the Seward yacht club before we carried all the food onto the boat. We moved on board Tlingit, stowed our clothes and got the information we needed on how their boat worked. The next morning we were off sailing! It was incredibly picturesque from the start!
I was a little nervous about sailing outside the protected waters of Resurrection Bay but the weather was in our favor while we were on the open waters and we got to our first destination fairly quickly! It took us most of the morning and afternoon but we got there with plenty of sunlight, which is expected this time of year in Alaska.
The waters of Hogg Bay were very calm and it allowed for a very deep night sleep aboard Tglinit. One thing we noticed right off that bat was how relaxed Peter and I felt being in the very trustworthy hands of John and Marcy who have been sailing in Alaska for over 30 years, but also because we weren’t ultimately responsible the way we have to be on our own boat. It was a very different experience for us, and with the sound of the rain on the decks above our bunk we were lulled to sleep peacefully.
Another thing that is very different than sailing in Mexico is that we were able to stop for some free ice cubes on our way to our next anchorage. The ice was for the beers and other drinks John and Marcy stored inside a pretty big cooler.
The next day we had some wind and Peter couldn’t wait to sail and get a feel for a different boat. It was a perfect sail and we always welcome the opportunities to sail over motoring. First we get to go faster and second we hear only the sounds of the water and the wind. We enjoyed our sailing day while it lasted, which was most of the afternoon.
Having Stormy on board was fun. She really loves being able to frolic around freely with all the earthy green, dirt and animal smells. She also has fierce instincts for protecting us from the bears that roam freely in Alaska. In fact she did protect John and the family once from a momma bear and her cubs when they were all hiking. John told us that story while we were in Mexico together, and I knew that whenever we went for a hike, in addition to the bear spray we were armed with, we were safe with Stormy. She is a great watch dog. We just wished she didn’t bark at all the sea creatures we wanted to see! But she’s so cute, and it’s hard to get mad at her! She’s just doing what she thinks is her purpose in life!
Our days included going for hikes to explore the beauty that surrounded us whether it was sunny or rainy. It really didn’t matter and that’s one of the things we absolutely love about sailing. Going to remote places while experiencing all the elements as long as we have the right clothing and jackets to protect us.
Our time in Alaska reminded us of all the backpacking we did in the Sierras and the Trinity Alps when we lived in California. We slept in bivy sacks under the stars and lived outside for three weeks hiking on the John Muir Trail (JMT). We loved the contact we had with the wildness of nature. Our time in Alaska was very wet. It seemed I only took out my camera during dryer weather. In the heavier rain, we hiked and took in all the clean smells from the rain. We also stayed aboard the boat in the rain and played games, read books and made meals together.
There was a heavy rain storm forecast to last for a few days so we headed for Long Bay in Prince William Sound which was fully protected. When we first arrived we experienced such still waters that reflected everything with exquisite detail.
After we left Long Bay we continued our journey towards Valdez and we got closer to the Glaciers and icebergs. The air and water felt much colder. The views were breath taking.
There are many more pictures of our journey in Prince William Sound. We had an amazing time with John and Marcy who have taught us so much about cruising. They are true explorers and they wake up early to watch the sun rise, make coffee and breakfast and take Stormy out for a quick walk. Then we’re all off exploring in their dinghy to discover a great spot for a nice long hike up to beautiful vistas. We always find something interesting along the way. One day we ran across a load of blueberry bushes. We picked as many as our water bottles and hats could hold so Peter could make us all a blueberry tart and blueberry pancakes. One of my favorite parts of our journey was the lake we hiked to and skinny dipped in to take a bath. It was a great way to wash off all the dirt from the past couple of days while also enjoying swimming in the crystal clear water.
Our time together was coming to an end as we closed in on Valdez. Yes, Valdez is the place where the famous ExxonValdez oil tanker which was bound for Long Beach California had spilled over 10 million gallons of oil after striking a reef near Tatitlek Alaska in 1989. After experiencing the beautiful nature of this area, my heart ached for all the wildlife and pristine waters and shores of the Valdez fjord.
When we finally arrived in Valdez, the sky opened up and and the rain poured down on us heavily. We were suppose to get on a plane to fly back to Anchorage the next day and the flight was cancelled. We rescheduled it for the following day but we were pretty hopeless about being able to fly out. Our friends Joanne and Scott from Fundango (another buddy boat in Mexico) were due to arrive in Valdez that evening to sail back to Seward, but their flight was cancelled too. They were staying at John and Marcy’s house in Anchorage and when we talked we realized they could drive John and Marcy’s car to Valdez and give us the car to drive back to Anchorage. So that was what we did so we could make our flight out of Anchorage to San Francisco that night and so they could sail the boat back to Seward with John and Marcy. What an amazing adventure from beginning to end! Driving out of Valdez we experienced incredible scenery.
Our final stop was San Francisco and we got to stay with our friends and fellow crew mates from the Baja Ha Ha, Lynn and Sue. They have an apartment on the ground level of their house in Noe Valley. It was so great to see them again and we enjoyed catching up.
We also got to sail with them on their boat to a “cruise out” the club we belong to was hosting in Sausalito. They have a 27 foot Catalina and we were sailing in some high wind along the stretch of water that reaches across the length of the Golden Gate Bridge and out past Alcatraz. It’s known as the “slot” and it’s famous for being an area of heavy winds and higher seas. It was very different being on a smaller boat going across the slot as we did, but it surprisingly handled really well. We got to see our friends from the club including Lynda, Alan and Patty, made some new friends, and toured the Bay Model which is a wonderful way to learn how the currents and tides affect the entire San Francisco Bay basin.
After about two weeks, we spent another two weeks at our friends Elinor and Andrews place in the Buena Vista neighborhood of San Francisco while they vacationed in Iceland. Before they left, Elinor and Andrew and Roxy (our god-dog) threw us a welcome back party so we could visit with our friends in one place over tacos and margaritas. This is the same group of friends (for the most part) who came to visit us in the Loreto area around the new year.
Also during our time in San Francisco, we got to do the Jazz Cup, a sailboat race from Berkeley to Benicia. After the race on Vitamin Sea, Risa and Steve invited us to stay at their place in Benicia, along with another couple on the crew, Sam and Keegan before sailing back to Berkeley the next morning. We all had a wonder time time sailing together again, and the entire crew enjoyed a Burmese dinner in Benicia.
For our final week in San Francisco we stayed with our friend Carrie who lives in Bernal Heights. Carrie visited us on Salacia last March, and it was nice to see her again in her own surroundings. She also threw us a party to catch up with friends and we really appreciated it.
As we left the Bay area, we drove down to Santa Cruz to stay with Nancy and Bryan who we met during our sailing travels in the Sea of Cortez. They have K2, a trimaran birthed in the Santa Cruz Harbor. Nancy is also a psychotherapist and Bryan is an architect of houses and has a passion for sailing. We went for a long walk to and from the harbor to see K2 and it was fun hearing all the stories of living and sailing in Santa Cruz. We love Santa Cruz as our boat was built there and we spent a good amount of time at the harbor getting work done on her. So not only did we feel a connection with Nancy and Bryan but we felt connected to the harbor. We really enjoyed hanging out in Santa Cruz together.
At the end of our stay with Nancy and Bryan we took off down the coast, this time by car, and our first stop was Encinitas California just North of San Diego. We had mailed some packages, including our rebuilt motor for our winch and engine parts to our friends Safy and Marina’s place. They were generous to receive and hold these really important packages for us. Plus it was a great excuse to see Marina and Daniel again! Safy unfortunately was traveling for work, but hopefully our paths will cross in the not so distant future.
Our final stop was Tuscon, Arizona where we returned our rental car and caught a ride with a Mexican driver to San Carlos/Guaymas where we reserved a hotel room not too far from where our boat was stored. We were fortunate to have found him so we did not have to drive the rental car back to Tucson (6 hour drive) after dropping off all of our stuff, and then having to catch a bus back from Tuscon. Rental cars from the US could not be left in Mexico. Another plus was we got through the border and customs without being charged taxes on all the things we were bringing down with us. What a relief.
Our summer adventure was officially over. Our motivation for this break was to spend quality time with our parents and our friends and family again. We didn’t realize how much this would entail being guests in other people’s homes. We feel grateful for the amazing amount of generosity of so many in our community. We are blessed to have such wonderful family and friends and we enjoyed seeing everyone and every place we visited. By the end, I started to feel a little bit homeless. I was looking very much forward to moving back onto our floating home to start another season of cruising. Stay tuned!
Donna,
I enjoyed so much your voyage and especially the picture of your dear sweet Mom, Vilma. I had just asked Ed Robinson if he could find a number that I could reach her. Would love to know more about your family and what you all are doing. Enjoy the wonderful life you and Peter are living on your boat. Love, Diane Dykema
The pictures of AK are amazing! JT grew up in Valdez. That pup looks like a white version of Roxy!