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Hi hi hi! “1^st mate Chance here, with a full report on our sailing trip thru the San Juan Islands. I got to go with Mommy and Diddy and Captain Nate because Bichon’s (that’s what they think I am) used to be sailing dogs and were often kept on sailboats for companionship. They were also used for bartering purposes, but Mommy promised not to trade me for anything!

Kismet and Roxy didn’t get to go, so they went to a swell place in Bellingham, WA called See Spot Run. They had a fun time, except kizzy got a boo-boo (more on that in the next post).

Mommy and Diddy were getting certified to be able to charter their own sailboats and navigate and stuff, so they booked a week-long trip in the San Juan’s off the coast of Washington. They chartered through Sail Northwest Charters in Bellingham. A great company and wonderful owners, Judy and Griff, as well!

The trip started out cold and rainy the first day, but cleared out after that, although I still got cold sometimes. The instructor, chef, and tour guide extraordinaire Nate Harmon, was sooo funny, and a real good cook, too! Mommy say’s says TOO good- lots of yummy food! Captain Nate had never had a dog on board before, and now he knows what he’s missing. He didn’t want to let me go. (I have that effect on everybody).

Not to overload you with details, i’ll just say that the islands are beautiful! Very lush with good hiking trails and quaint little ports. Usually we anchored out, twice we tied up at docks, which was better for me to go ashore and go potty. I never once had an “accident” on the boat! Diddy had a tough time with the dinghy the first 2 days- we named her ‘Dinghy Darlin’ and were real nice to her, so she eventually had a change of heart.

Nate and Diddy  set out crab traps and caught hundreds of thousands of Dungeness and Rock crabs! (well…..) A baby shark got caught in the trap and the crabbies chewed him up pretty good, so we sacrificed his body to catch MORE crabs! One of the crabs was so big and had such an attitude! He had the nerve to reach over and pull my hair, so I challenged him to an arm wrestling contest. I quickly retracted the challenge when I saw his paw–PINCHERS!!!! I could take him in a minute, but I’m not sacrificing my beautiful, fluffy paws for any old crabbie! Forget about it!  So then we gave thanks for all their lives and ate them. I ate that nasty crab’s paw and it was oh so yummy. burp!

Speaking of crabs…..(and don’t tell Mommy i told you this….shhhhhh….), before the trip, Mommy knew it would get cold, so she went to a real cute consignment store in Port townsend, where she bought a beautiful cashmere turtleneck sweater for $8.00. She was soooo excited!!! Well, anyway, she wore that sweater one night, and besides itching a little, it did the trick and kept her warm. Then…..hahahahahhahaha…..the next morning she had bites all over her neck and chest! Itchy bumps! Made worse by endless scratching! I tried to tell her that’s what she gets for being cheap frugal! Just sayin’…..

Anyway, on the 3rd day of our sail, we were listening to the VHF radio and hearing about someone whose steering had gone out in gale-force winds, one person had fallen overboard. It was very exciting! Nate was down below doing his business, and when he came back up, well, he looked a little green.  As we sailed toward open water, those same winds started pounding us hard! We were sailing in 30+ knot winds when we decided to stay in the calmer waters. Even the Greenpeace boat turned back!

The next day was equally exciting, as we spotted multiple pods of orcas- killer whales.   We saw so many, at one point we were surrounded. It was neat being on a sailboat, because we didn’t have a big loud engine. Mommy was sitting on the bow of the boat and could’ve hit one with a rock, which she would never do, but she could have!

Fisherman’s Bay was my favorite stop. We got to go have oysters and beer and watch the ferries come in. It had a hip (according to Mommy) vibe. She really liked Rosario,  because we got to use the jacuzzi for free, with nice clean showers, too!

After a week of instruction, tests and lots of fun times, (and crabs), Mommy and Diddy are now officially certified, and I am an official 1st mate!  Arf!