Cruising on the MV Lillian Belle: Nov. 2nd and 3rd, 2013 Bellingham, WA

Photo of Bellingham on Saturday morning courtesy of Geoff.

Bellingham, Washington

November 2nd and 3^rd 2013

David and our friend, Geoff, have been on the boat for a week in British Columbia working on various projects while I played Nana at home. My flight into Bellingham to meet up with them was definitely a nail biter… rough and uncomfortable to say the least. The plane was shaking so much I could not read my book. David was expecting high winds and stormy weather to greet me, and it turned out to be a mighty big “Hello” from Mother Nature!

I definitely noticed the 40 degree temperature as I deplaned on a slippery ramp outside the terminal in the pouring rain. This morning we heard on the radio that over 150,000 people in the Olympia area were without power due to strong winds.

I took a taxi from the airport to the Bellwether Hotel next to the Squalicum Harbor where the Lillian Belle was docked. After a very pleasant chat over an Irish coffee, David and I strolled down the ramp to our vintage vessel.

David and Geoff had made sure the boat was shipshape upon my arrival as well as cozy warm which was greatly appreciated. What a luxury to arrive and discover the Lillian Belle ready for cruising! Thanks, guys.

They had a special surprise for me provided by our friend, Ron, in New West…a crab feast! Chilled Chardonnay, fresh crab and two handsome fellow explorers as dinner companions…what a welcoming!

I really needed some down time and the weather was suppose to improve on Monday, so we decided to stick around Bellingham for one more day. We outlined our cruising itinerary being sure to leave room for alternative adventures just in case the opportunity presented itself. We enjoy being spontaneous if the “weather gods” permit. Our goal is to make our way to Olympia arriving around the 12^th where Geoff will leave us and head back home to Medford, Oregon. We plan to arrive back in BC on the 23^rd.

We took a walk the next day toward downtown Bellingham in search of groceries. We each had an empty pack to fill but only returned with a quart of milk. The closest store was a Chevron Food Mart…pretty sad pickings so decided to do major shopping in Oak Harbor tomorrow.

We discovered the Chuckanut Brewery where we stopped for a wonderful German Kolsch beer and pizza. I had never had a pizza combination of bacon, blue cheese and walnuts before but now I can say I have. It was actually pretty tasty…how can you go wrong with Blue Cheese?

David had to make a stop at the Marine Salvage store to find a few parts and pieces and was lucky with two out of three items. My husband could have spent the day rummaging through the bins and shelves overflowing with boat paraphernalia. Parts old and new are mixed together in the most haphazard manner…nirvana for my husband…a veritable treasure hunt!

Roast chicken’s on the menu tonight (gotta love that slow cooking diesel oven) and then early to bed. We need to shove off around 6 a.m. in order to reach Deception Pass at just the right time. We want to avoid repeating our first experience through the pass which was poorly timed and provided an unforgettable scary ride. We are wiser now.