Finego Fall Travels 2013

We are Kathy & Al Felker and live aboard our boat, Finego, in La Conner, WA. I have a store in La Conner, CleverKathy Designs Embroidery and do all types of embroidery and heat press garments for businesses, events, individuals and boaters. Al is a marine electronics expert and works on all types of boats providing repairs, new or used installations and lots of specialized education. So with both of us being busy with our work during the summer months, it is hard to get away during the prime cruising season. So we look forward to the time when the streets are less busy with tourists and we can close the shop for a few weeks. Yesterday was the day!

We took off from our berth adjacent Hellams Vineyard at the Limedock Building around 9am with a planned stop at Skyline Marina in Anacortes. It had been quite a while since we hauled out and needed to fix a broken trim tab as well as replace zincs. The bottom was filthy! I was glad that we had recently won that haul out, generously donated by Skyline Marina to the recent La Conner Rotary Silent Auction. So 2 hours later we were back in the water and on our way.

We were blessed with whispy clouds and sunny skies all day. Driving from the fly bridge was a pleasure and the trip across Rosario Strait, through the San Juans and into Canadian waters was smooth and uneventful. The weather was predicted to change the next day so we wanted to be safely moored in one of our favorite places, Sidney Harbor before nightfall. Sidney is one of the most expensive marinas but is so nice and we love to visit some favorite spots in town. So we decided we could afford one night here, $77 for our 45 foot boat. It is best to call ahead if arriving after 5pm. They take your payment info over the phone and leave an envelope taped to the outside of their office window with a key card for you. We met other travelers who were not so prepared. Without the key card you cannot get back into the marina if you go outside the big sliding doors after 5pm. We also have Nexus passes so checking in with Canadian Customs is done over the phone, using our AT&T cell phone service before we left the San Juan Islands. Customs officials always direct us to stop at the Customs Dock and if no one is there, we are allowed to proceed ahead to our assigned slip. So we do a touch and go with no official looking people in sight and dock at our assigned slip a couple of fairways down on D dock.

This morning I am writing this entry sitting at our favorite coffee shop in Sidney, Serious Coffee. It is a bit of a walk from the marina, but worth the effort. They have comfortable, uncrowded seating, good coffee and food as well as reliable free wifi. The rain began in the night and continues this morning though it is just light rain so far. Our plan is to do a little shopping (my favorite thrift stores and Al’s favorite used marine store) and then head out towards Ganges this afternoon. Ganges is our favorite place to pick up our fresh produce, especially if we can get a spot on the government dock adjacent the sea plane dock. The store is just a short distance from there. We just made our plan to meet in an hour so I’d better get out of here.