Cruising Alaska The Small Ship Experience
PART TWO
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The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine | volume 9 • issue 2
CONTACT 596 Dugualla Road Oak Harbor, WA 98277 360.821.1047 info@harborsmagazine.com www.harborsmagazine.com PUBLISHER Katherine S. McKelvey BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT George V. Bivoino EDITORIAL Kat McKelvey George Bivoino Vince Hagel Russ Young editor@harborsmagazine.com ART DIRECTOR Karen Johnson ADVERTISING SALES ads@harborsmagazine.com
Adventure & Lifestyle
PHOTO CREDITS Loiuse Wilkinson, pgs. 14, 15, 16 (bottom center), 18 (middle), 19 (left), 20 (bottom) Russ Young, pgs. 16 (except bottom center), 17, 18 (top), 19 (right), 20 (top and mIddle), 21 Terry W. Sheely, pgs. 23-27, 64-67 Deane Hislop, pgs. 28-29, 30 (top row and bottom right), 32 (middle), 33 (top left, bottom left, center top), 46 (top), 47 (bottom), 48 -51 Karen Johnson, pgs. 30 (bottom left), 31, 32 (top), 33 (top right, center bottom, bottom right), 46 (bottom), 47 (middle), 58 (bottom), 74 Kat McKelvey, pgs. 54-58 (top) Doug Wilson, pgs. 68, 70 (top) Gabe Miller, pg. 69 Deer Harbor Inn, pg. 75 Anacortes Ship Harbor Inn, pgs. 76-77 The Cove Lakeside Resort, pgs. 78-79 HARBORS Magazine is a proud sponsor of: Pacific Salmon Foundation of Canada Long Live the Kings of Washington State Friday Harbor Film Festival The Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival
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CONTRIBUTORS Pat Awmack George Bivoino Sue Frause Jean Groesbeck Deane Hislop AJ Hunt Terry W. Sheely Tom Tripp Russ Young
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A Note from the Publisher
Welcome to HARBORS The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
Harbor Lights Greetings, It has been a very hectic year so far for us at HARBORS. We had planned to move our home and office to Anacortes last year, but instead we found a beautiful home on North Whidbey Island, on Dugualla Bay, just minutes from Deception Pass and Anacortes. We have an awesome view of Mt. Baker and the Sound. We find ourselves mesmerized by the beauty of this region. This issue we bring you Part 2 of the Small Ship Cruise Experience in Alaska. If you have read Part 1, you know that this is a brilliant way to experience Alaska and make new friends. If you haven’t read Part 1, you can find it on the HARBORS website (www.harborsmagazine.com), January/February 2018 issue. Many of our readers have been asking for information on boating opportunities in South Puget Sound. We’ve been listening; in this issue we have an informative article on destinations in the Washington State Marine Park System. Don’t miss a boater’s view of Port Sidney Marina on Vancouver Island and a spectacular fishing adventure in Haida Gwaii. We also have information on fishing gear you may want to know before making purchases for the new season. If you like fishing, no doubt you still have some salmon left over from last year. A good way to make room in the freezer is to smoke up some of last year’s catch. Don’t know how to do it? No worries, we have a great article on smoking fresh Pacific Salmon that will make your mouth water. We had another successful exhibit at the 2018 Seattle Boat Show the end of January. It is always nice to see our valued subscribers and advertisers come by the booth and tell us how much they enjoy HARBORS, and show us on the maps in the magazine which destinations they have explored. It won’t be long before we all start getting our boats and seaplanes polished up for the 2018 season. We will be looking for you out on the water seeking adventure in the Pacific Northwest. Be safe, and remember to think about the environment and do your part to keep it clean. Cheers!
Katherine S. McKelvey
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features
HARBORS 2018 MARCH/APRIL
COVER PHOTO: Fishing at Hakai Lodge BC photo by Kat McKelvey
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Cruising Alaska
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Haida Gwaii
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Port of Sidney Marina
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Travel Maps
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Waterfront Living
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South Puget Sound Spring Break
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Smoking Pacific Northwest Salmon
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Throw the Chicken Coop at Coho
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Gear Guide
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Seaplane & Boating Destinations
PART 2
Northern Latitudes, Southern Hospitality The Last Best Place Well Run and Maintained
Pacific Northwest Coastal Waterways The New Real Estate Mantra? Location, Location, Risk ... Time to Lose Those Winter Blues Everything You Need to Know
Try Raiding the Hen House for Silver Magic Getting a LIne on Dinner
Deer Harbor, WA • Anacortes, WA • Kelowna, BC
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CRUISING ALASKA: PART 2
Northern Latitudes, Southern Hospitality Nine Days Aboard the M/V Island Spirit by Russ Young
Continued — Part 1 appearred in the January/February 2018 issue of HARBORS.
DAY FIVE We were blasted out of our bed by a ship’s horn, seemingly right outside our cabin! It was about 4 a.m., still dark, and the captain of one of the big cruise ships arriving for a day in Juneau sounded the horn while docking. Fortunately, we got
back to sleep quickly, and woke later to sunshine and warm (by Alaskan summer standards) air. After breakfast, our shipmates departed for a wide variety of activities: ziplining, sled-dog excursions, flightseeing over the Mendenhall Glacier, shopping and museum touring. My companion and I chose to visit Sealaska Heritage—featuring a Native
clan house and a fantastic collection of tribal masks—the Juneau City Museum and the famous Red Dog Saloon. (Toast your Alaska adventure with a “Duck Fart.” We did.) But this was a cruise, so we were back aboard Island Spirit in the early afternoon, headed for an overnight anchorage at Barlow Cove on Admiralty
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1-800-277-5421 Island. We were treated to sweeping views of snowcapped peaks and the Mendenhall Glacier; it was impossible not to be struck by the vastness of the Last Frontier. Most of us made comments like “So this is what Alaska really looks like ...” The sunshine invited the evening’s cocktails to be served on the aft deck; followed by an unforgettable dinner that featured an Asian peanut salad and curried halibut. (We asked chefs Shannon and Rob to come topside for
a standing ovation.) We entered Barlow Cove, reportedly named for a dog that resides in the area. It’s a narrow inlet that is several miles long, but there were no signs of canines or humans. What we did see was a remarkable sunset, enjoyed from the aft deck, followed by impromptu karaoke of old country songs. There was some dancing on the deck, too. And someone produced a box of wine. It’s unlikely that’s how the passengers on the big ships spent their evening, but
the consensus aboard our little ship was that we wouldn’t trade our experience for anything.
DAY SIX We set out early, heading north out of Barlow Cove, before turning south down the Chatham Strait. Our first destination was Pavlof Harbor, where we expected to meet our first brown bears. But along the way, we changed
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course because a group of nine humpbacks were bubble-net feeding. It was “all hands on deck” with cameras and binoculars, fascinated as the whales worked as a group: one creating a “net” of bubbles around a school of krill or herring, at which point the others swept up from below with mouths wide open. They repeated the process several times, drawing our rapt attention until were back on course and motoring toward our date with the bears. Along the way, we slowed down to watch more humpbacks performing the same activity. We saw another vigorously slapping its tail on the surface, which is a form of communication.
Upon arrival at the harbor, we immediately spotted a pair of bears on shore—and something even more amazing and dangerous. A single kayaker was just a few yards offshore from them, waving his paddle back and forth in an attempt to do ... what? Harass them? Get a closer picture? Feed them? He paddled away unharmed, but it was a good time for our captain and crew to remind us how seriously they took our safety. We boarded the Demaree Inflatable Boat (DIB) to view the bears from an 18
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appropriate distance. The sun was out, so after returning to the Island Spirit we took the opportunity to explore the shoreline via kayak. If you’re a novice kayaker, getting in and out of the boat can be somewhat terrifying. But Island Spirit carries something that makes it a breeze; it’s a U-shaped “kayak dock” that is lowered into the water. It holds the kayak steady and stable, with a crew member helping as the paddler steps in. All of our inexperienced kayakers agreed that it made for a pleasant experience.
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The bears had decided to retreat inland while we paddled the shoreline and up a stream to a fish ladder, where the bears feed on salmon during the autumn spawning season. After we had all returned to Island Spirit, the crew spotted more bears, so it was back in the DIB for more photos and memories. Then we were again under way, headed for Chicagof Island’s Basket Bay. After cocktails and a wonderful dinner of caprese salad, chicken marsala, mashed potatoes and asparagus,
we were back on the DIB for one more outing: a tour of a rock grotto along the shore, followed by an campfire with toasted marshmallows and wine. We were still in bear country, so naturalist Tony brought along a high-powered rifle. (Fortunately, it wasn’t needed.)
However, our party was interrupted by an uninvited guest; a small humpback surfaced within yards of our campfire, loudly exhaling. We jumped into the DIB and followed it, although it tired quickly of our company, dove deep and swam away.
DAY SEVEN The day’s plan was to go up the Chatham Strait to visit the village of Tenakee Springs. Island Spirit is the only cruise ship of any size that is
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invited to put in there, in part because Captain Jeff delivers supplies for the Party Time Bakery, the town’s social center. (The cinnamon rolls are legendary, although the berry tart is a great alternative.) Tenakee Springs is very small—the “main drag” is a dirt path for all-terrain vehicles and bicycles—and very friendly. The locals alternatively invited us to the annual hot-dog feed, which was held in someone’s front yard, and warned us to “look out for the bear.” Apparently a brown bear had been wandering in and out of town. Tony was armed again as we hiked through a rainforest and along the Indian River, but the only sign of the bear was some scat on the trail.
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We declined the invitation to eat hot dogs, and were rewarded back on board with a lunch of chicken-salad croissants, pasta salad and freshly baked peanut butter cookies. En route to our overnight anchorage at Schulze Cove on Baranof Island, our course took us through the ominously named Peril Strait and Deadman Reach, and past Poison Cove. Fortunately, the voyage was dangerous in name only. That night was our “captain’s dinner.” We were joined by Jeff, nattily attired in his white uniform shirt, rather than his usual jeans and hoodie. His skills as a storyteller were fully utilized. After dinner, we toasted the captain and crew, and gave the chefs another round of applause. Schulze Cove was another desolate, whisper-quiet spot to overnight; there was a single cabin onshore, but we didn’t see or hear another living thing.
DAY EIGHT It seemed as if everyone slept in late this misty morning; could it have been the prime rib, wine, and fruit tart and ice cream for dinner last night? Plus the quiet anchorage? We were fast approaching our journey’s end, with Sitka as our final destination. En route, we spotted an orca pod in the
Neva Strait, but, seeking privacy, they dove deep and evaded us. We saw some otters, but most of the trip was made through a heavy mist. Some of us stayed on the main salon’s leather couches; others bundled up and enjoyed the scenery from the upper deck. As we entered Sitka, we were struck by the bald eagles perched around the harbor, behaving more like pigeons or seagulls than the regal birds they are. Once ashore, there were more eagles—and hawks and owls—to be seen at the Alaska Raptor Center, especially within its Bald Eagle Flight Training Center, where injured or orphaned eagles are brought for rehabilitation and eventual release. As ubiquitous as they are around town, the opportunity to view them up close makes the Center a highly recommended destination. The same can be said for the Fortress of the Bear, which is home to orphaned brown and black bears. By state law, such orphans cannot be re-released into the wild, so a life in captivity is the only alternative to euthanasia. While not a circus act, the bears are fully aware of their human observers, and interact accordingly. And at feeding time, the bald eagles that gather in the surrounding trees swoop to try catching some of the salmon being thrown to the bears; it was a thrilling sight. For those who wanted to stay indoors,
Sitka’s Russian Orthodox Church and central shopping area provided excellent opportunities. There’s a nice variety of restaurants and bars, although we were all inclined to get back to the Island Spirit for one last dinner and a night’s sleep at a quiet dock.
DAY NINE All good things must come to an end, and our small-ship cruise was no exception. Unlike the big ships, we had not returned to our embarkation point. And completely unlike the passengers on the big cruise ships, we departed really knowing each other— and the crew members—by name, if not by experiences we shared. There’s much to be said for cruising Alaska on a large ship. But the smallship experience is more personal, memorable and engaging. We’ll never forget it ... and can’t wait to do it again.
FANTASY CRUISES P.O. Box 448 Pierson, FL 32810 800.234.3861 www.smallalaskaship.com
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Wild, Remote and First Class, Haida Gwaii is …
The Last Best Place by Terry W. Sheely
Y
ou’ve fished the home water so often it’s predictable, checked out most of the regional driveto salmon destinations, and finally admitted that you deserve that fishing trip of a lifetime. That’s when you strap into a Sikorsky S-76A, put your nose against the Plexiglas bubble, accept the engine vibration and stare entranced at
emerald mountains sliding past the whirling rotor blades, blue fjords below the pontoons, ragged rocks outlined in white wave froth, shuddering toward an upscale floating lodge somewhere in the wild coastal cliffs ahead, where a staff is paid to spoil you, and fishing can be so good you don’t dare brag about it. This is Haida Gwaii, 60 miles out to sea from BC’s rugged northern coast, 50
miles south of Alaska, a wedge of 150 islands packed into one of the wildest, most remote northern saltwater destinations on the continent. This is where hundreds of migrating ocean salmon run—kings, silvers, pinks and chums— first hit land, still feeding, still full of fight, aggressive, smokin’ hot, delicious! Where halibut move up and over the lip of the Continental Shelf into 100 to
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300 feet of water, where 30-pound ling cod, rockfish and succulent yelloweye are considered plentiful. Where whales breach and bubble-net, black bears and eagles squabble in the cedars, and hemlocks and orange-beaked puffins follow boat wakes like liberated sea-parrots. It’s a place so wild, so walloped by winter storms, that no one lives on the battered west side, the open ocean side; except in summer, May to September, when the weather tames, lodges open and fishing of a lifetime erupts. For me, Haida Gwaii is the last best place, an adventure so remarkable from start to finish that no one argues when 24
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Mel Terry steps out of the helicopter onto the roof of our floating lodge, shakes his head and says quietly, “that flight alone was worth the cost of the trip.” The off-shore archipelago is the historic home of Haida First Nations people, a wedge-shaped nest of mountains rising on the edge of the Continental Shelf. The few communities, all pinned to the island’s gentler east side, are steeped in Haida traditions: totems, carvings, cultural artifacts, art, weavers, longhouses, rainforest hikes, seafood gathering and village sites. Opposite from the north-end fishing lodges the
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entire south end of the archipelago is dominated by Moresby Island and protected as Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, and Haida and world heritage sites. Beyond the small communities and checkerboard logging shows, are rainforest areas unchanged from centuries ago. Guided trips, small-group tours and visitor planners can be arranged by calling Gwaii Haanas. For fishermen, priority locations are on the north and west, facing into the ocean where the islands catch nutrients upwelling from the nearby Japanese Current; micro-foods that feed stacks of
baitfish, shrimp and squid so thick they halt, albeit temporarily, the unstoppable migration of spawn-bound salmon working toward the mainland. It’s where fishing days can become legends, experiences are indelibly etched in lifelong memories and fishermen are spoiled rotten. Where Dominic Reale fights a surface-thrashing 18-pound silver, while behind a black rock on Hippa Island I hook and net a 44-pound king. Later, I photograph diminutive Laura Rossy dwarfed next to her 112-pound halibut; small compared to the 300-pounders in most lodge record books, but big
enough. Hippa Island is also where I spent an amazing Father’s Day with my son Brandon surrounded in daylong eruptions of breaching humpback whales, the two of us fighting more king salmon than I dared count. There are three significant sportfishing areas on Haida Gwaii, all on the northern end of the archipelago’s Graham Island. East-side waters are shallower, less productive and fished exclusively out of the protected and permanent communities of Masset, Sandspit and Queen Charlotte City. A few town-based charter operators will make long run day-trips from east to
west through Skidegate Channel to fish more productive west-side water. North-end lodges are the prime fish spots, seasonally operating from upscale accommodations clustered in outposts at Langara and Naden Harbor. The west side of Graham Island faces the Pacific and offers the most remote fishing in the islands, only a couple of well-spaced lodges and the lightest fishing pressure. I’ve fished both and my favorite is the Hippa Island area on the west side. The island offers protection from ocean blowups and shields a bay that can be full of salmon and halibut. Unlike some of the more open areas, no matter the
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weather Hippa can always be fished. It’s a big, lonesome diverse fishing area protected yet open to the ocean, far from other lodges, edged in calendar scenery and wildlife. No matter the destination, the experience begins in Vancouver, BC at the South Terminal of Vancouver International Airport. The South Terminal is where northern adventures begin, a jump-off for chartered lodge flights, floatplane shuttles from the nearby Fraser River, and turboprop passage to Haida Gwaii. Townbased lodges and fishing charters let you arrange transportation to the islands, but all the northern and western lodges
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are package trips that include charter flights from Vancouver to Sandspit or Masset, and connecting helicopter or floatplane shuttles cross-island to the lodges. Minutes after lifting off from Vancouver our Beechcraft 1900 hangs a right up the BC coast, on a visually spectacular line between saltwater islands and glacier-pocked ice fields in the towering Coast Range Mountains. Anyone who believes the Northwest is fully explored has not flown over the vast and strikingly beautiful peaks of BC’s Coast Range. Touchdown on the runway at Sandspit, transfer to the helicopter and an hour later we’re sitting
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at a table in a Langara lodge, eating cracked crab, with orange-juice champagne, listening to the staff explain the dos and don’ts and where the rain gear is being dried. All I needed to bring was a toothbrush. I’m looking at the whiteboard, where dinner is posted: quail stuffed with spinach, topped with white sauce and served with salmon, shrimp, Kalamata olives and Okanagan Valley wines. All the lodges on the north and west are upscale with personalized iconic perks and features, but what they all have in common is the fishing: salmon, halibut and bottom fish that will reset the high bar.
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We’re directed to a fleet of small kicker boats—some guided, some do-ityourself (DIY)—handed quality fishing tackle, and introduced to our fish master who will ride herd on the DIY fleet. We’re instructed on radio-handling, GPS tracking and fish-finding electronics, and given a map of where to fish.
Come back when you want, watch the staff unload the catch for cleaning, vacpacking and flash freezing, and relax with an amber ale before dinner. Dawn just breaking, five whiteheaded eagles and a bold black raven watch us push off. A small bear is pawing through beach kelp. When my
fishing partner and I come back for dinner there will be two 20-plus pound Chinook in the box, a ling cod with enough fillets for a month and my first chicken halibut of the trip. And it’s only the first afternoon; the first afternoon of five days in the last best place.
This is the trip of a lifetime for many anglers. When you’re ready for the best, this is what you need to know to make it happen. Gwaii Haanas 1.877.559.8818 www.gohaidagwaii.ca
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Port Sidney Marina Vancouver Island Well run and maintained by Deane Hislop
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A
number of years ago, while cruising British Columbia’s Gulf Islands, we visited Port Sidney Marina for the first time. What we discovered was a beautiful marina surrounded by a vibrant coastal community. We planned to spend one night but because we were having such a wonderful experience, with all that the marina and the town offered, we extended our stay for a total of three days and revisited many times since.
Located on the Saanich Peninsula, southeast Vancouver Island, and only 20 miles northeast of Vancouver, Sidney is one of British Columbia’s best seaside villages. It’s everything you would expect from a West Coast community: a view of the Gulf Islands and majestic snow-capped Mount Baker, small-town charm, friendly people, waterfront walkways, manicured parks and an authentic, quaint, downtown district.
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The approach to Port Sidney Marina, which can accommodate vessels up to 138 feet in length, is between the red (U6) and green (U5) navigation markers, avoiding the reefs on either side of the marina entrance. A red/ white day-marker to starboard identifies the entrance between two overlapping arms of the rock breakwater. Entering through the north opening is not advised, due to rocks and shallow depths. On our approach to the marina we contacted the marina office on VHF channel 66, low power, for our slip assignment. Due to minimal room for maneuvering, visitors are requested to
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radio the marina prior to entering the breakwater. One of the friendly and helpful staff greeted us at our assigned slip to assist with Easy Goin’s dock lines and provided information to make our stay comfortable from the start. Reservations are recommended especially during the peak boating season of July and August. Vessels entering Canada needing to clear Canadian Customs will discover clearance can be completed via a direct-line telephone located at the end of “G” dock, just inside the breakwater. During the summer months a Customs agent may be on the dock for inspections.
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The marina is a beautiful facility, well maintained and adjacent to downtown Sidney, with wide concrete docks and large flower baskets hanging from every piling. The docks have 30-, 50-, and 100-amp power, water, complimentary Wi-Fi, garbage and recycling, a large event tent, and a pumpout station for boats up to 38 feet between D and E docks. The floating Port Sidney harbor office is easy to spot, thanks to its distinctive roof. It also houses clean restrooms and showers, an excellent laundry facility with multiple washers and dryers, a lounge area with work station, Wi-Fi and TVs. Booty’s Boat Locker, a small chandlery, with
boat supplies and gifts is conveniently located upstairs from the harbormaster’s office. There is also a designated pet area at the top of the ramp. One of Sidney’s greatest assets is that you can walk everywhere. Beacon Avenue, the main street, is a perfect
place to browse from one end to the other. Downtown is only a couple blocks from the marina, with its extrawide, red brick sidewalks lined with colorful floral displays, benches, public art that extends the length of the town. It’s easy to walk through town in
an afternoon and there’s no shortage of small boutiques, museums, gift shops, antique shops, bookstores, galleries, chandlery, bakeries, coffee shops, bistros and restaurants, all within easy walking distance. Should you need provisions during
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your visit, Fairway Market is a short walk up the street. You can use your shopping cart to take your groceries back to the boat, then return it to the pick-up area at the head of the dock. Sidney offers excellent international flavors for its dining choices and we have taken advantage of a number of them. Our discoveries include: Sabah Thai Restaurant, Bistro Suisse (Swiss cuisine), Green Wasabi (Japanese), Maria’s Souvlaki Greek Restaurant and Julien Creperie Co. Additional good eats can be enjoyed at Third Street Café for an all-day breakfast, Fish on Fifth for fish and chips, and Boondocks Bar and Grill for pub food. 32
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In mid-town is Sidney Historical Museum which occupies the lower floor of the old Post Office Building, with its impressive interactive look at the history of the early lives of Sidney and North Saanich pioneers. Admission is by donation. But there is more to this community than natural beauty and a distinctive downtown core. Sidney is also an arts and culture hub. Walking through town, you can literally and figuratively see it bubbling up from the pavement, onto the walls, into the stores, museums and art galleries. This is where you will find friendly, familiar figures permanently seated on stone benches
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along Beacon Avenue and the waterfront promenade. Strolling along the 2-mile waterfront walkway you’ll find the Sidney Sculpture Walk, an outdoor sculpture gallery featuring artists from across Canada. Wander over to Beacon Park and enjoy a musical interlude in the band shell. Visit the Beacon Avenue Public Wharf that is home to Satellite Fish Market, a snack bar and the summertime ferry to Sidney Spit Marine Park. Continue following the walkway to the Sidney Fishing Pier, or Glass Beach, where you can find bits of smooth, colored glass, polished by years of ocean currents.
One of our afternoons was spent visiting the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea, which is a world-class interactive aquarium. Visitors are provided an upclose and personal look at the underwater wonders of the Gulf Islands and surrounding Salish Sea. We were face to face with a wolf eel and mesmerized by drifting jellyfish. Giant aquariums are home to hundreds of fish, invertebrates, marine plants, lurking octopus and a rainbow of anemones. If you are in town on a Thursday night between May and September, the Sidney Street Market (5:30 p.m.
to 8:30 p.m.) is a must-see! This popular event closes Sidney’s main street, Beacon Avenue, to vehicle traffic and transforms it into one of the most spectacular, festive street markets in British Columbia. The market has been a highlight of Vancouver Island for 18 years, featuring over 150 vendors and attracting up to 5,000 people a night, who come to savor the flavors, see the sights and listen to the sounds of a myriad of musical performers. Port Sidney is now a must-stop location when cruising the Gulf Islands.
PLAN YOUR VISIT: Location – 48.39 N, 123.24 W Port Sidney Marina – www.portsidney.com Sidney Historical Museum www.sidneymuseu.ca Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre – www.salishseacentre.org
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Skagway to Ketchikan
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34
| HARBORS
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bC seaplane service*
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Lime Kiln Pt.
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Haro Strait
Nanaimo to Olympia
Puget Sound
* Seaplane service available at all destinations by charter.
Bellingham Gulf Islands Nanaimo Puget Sound Salt Spring Island San Juan Islands Seattle Vancouver Island Victoria
WA Seaplane Service*
Gulf Islands Vancouver Nanaimo Victoria Salt Spring Island
BC Seaplane Service*
Anacortes Bainbridge Island Bellingham Bremerton Clinton Coupeville Edmonds Fauntleroy Kingston Mukilteo Port Angeles Port Townsend Southworth Vashon Island
WA Ferries Service
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Waterfront Living in the Pacific Northwest by Jean Groesbeck
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The New Real Estate Mantra? Location, Location, Risk ... Would you purchase a home in an area that is at high risk for a natural disaster? Chances are, if you own a home, you already have. The increase in the earth’s temperature is not a new concept. For decades, college geology courses have taught recurring ice ages occur as glaciers expand and recede. The current warming period started at the end of the last Ice Age, and has no doubt been speeded up by the CO2 that is put into the atmosphere by humans.
Most scientist agree that variations in the Earth’s orbit as well as plate tectonics are the main cause of the current gradual warming of the earth, speeded up by the industrial age. The media spotlight on global warming has been due to both politics and dramatic photos of natural disasters. Even Manny the Mammoth, in the movie Ice Age, has had an impact humanizing the possibility of extinction. Regulatory decisions created to reduce the impact of humans on the
environment have economic consequences on consumers and commerce. They also have brought to light what the impacts of climate change are, and will be, on real estate and the relative risks of a natural disaster. Perhaps it is because we have heard hundreds of times that someday “The Big One,”—a magnitude 8 or greater earthquake—will hit, or that in the future the Florida Panhandle will be underwater, or that Mt. Rainier could erupt. Many people do not
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take these dire predictions very seriously, especially when purchasing real estate. Scientists are suddenly given as much credence as Chicken Little when a home buyer falls in love with a property and are quick to announce they refuse to live in daily fear of such events. Historically, risk factors have been mostly ignored in terms of long-term real estate values. There have always been short-term knee-jerk reactions to events such as flooding, earthquake, or recently, catastrophic fires fueled by high winds. The decline in selling prices after these events is real, but usually temporary. As the number and intensity of natural disasters increases, and insurance rates therefore soar, these real estate value declines will become more significant and longer lasting. Reactions are not always specific to the area in which the natural disaster occurs. After the tsunami in Japan, we worked for clients that decided they did not want to live on low bank waterfront but wanted to live inland on view property. The avoidance of purchasing a home close to sea level in Washington state because of a tsunami in Japan might sound like an overreaction to some people, but heartbreaking images on
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television can have a profound impact on people’s emotions. Purchasing a home is not just a financial decision, but an emotional one as well. People need to feel the property that they are purchasing is their sanctuary; a safe place for themselves and their loved ones. The key points of location in the past were in terms of ease of commute, schools, neighborhood, and access to services, restaurants and shopping. There was even a recent study showing homes that were in walking distance of Starbucks were more desirable. Now, location includes risk of natural or even man-made disasters. It is likely that someday we will see homes ranked by risk of earthquakes, mudslides, wildfires, in the same way that you can get walkability scores for a home. To some extent, FEMA is attempting to do that currently through their maps with designations of 100-year and 500-year flood zones, but these maps are not very specific or accurate and are often a hindrance since they are available to the general public as risk rankings or predictions. The FEMA flood map, however, significantly impacts the value of real estate for middle and modestly priced homes where a home buyer is more likely to need a mortgage, and
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their lender will require flood insurance. The insurance premium reduces the amount of funds available for a house payment. We see local homes in FEMA 100-year flood zones sell at less than their counterparts. One estimate puts the differential at 5 percent. Interestingly, homes in the highest price bracket in flood zones are not negatively impacted. These home buyers are more likely to pay cash and not be impacted by those additional fees. If there are fees associated, these home buyers are at an income level where it is inconsequential. The landslide in Oso, Washington hit close to home and the tragedy impacted Western Washington residents especially. It has resulted in changes in regulations and codes and the result will be great efforts to prevent another disaster. Often changes such as this can lead to increased development and building costs, so sometimes a higher risk area could even cost more.
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There are isolated spots now in which there is a very negative impact on realestate values because of tide and wave action. North Cove, Washington is known in the real estate community as “Wash Away Beach.� About 100 feet of the shoreline erodes away each year. The devastation has included everything from homes, a Coast Guard station and the post office. In this small community, values are higher on properties further away from the beach. In the past, people who base their real-estate purchase decisions on climate have been rather limited to retirees and sun-seekers. Now super storms are happening more frequently in areas of high population, and are covered minute-by-minute by the news media. Camera phones are allowing snapshots of the worst to be posted on Facebook, TV, YouTube, and other social media, causing psychological impact on everyone that sees the photos. As the frequency of natural disasters
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increases, people will look to build in areas that are perceived to be safer. In addition, government regulations to protect the public will significantly increase building costs in these areas. It is currently estimated that about 10 percent of the United States population lives in the highest-risk 2 percent of land mapped for a natural disaster. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that it is not taking as long as most real estate experts thought for these value-shifts to occur. Real estate brokers are seeing homes at higher elevations in Miami increase in value at a higher rate than those closer to sea level. There is really no precise way to quantify the effect of value on the risk associated with location and the changing climate. It is safe to say that the scientific community agrees that the sea level is rising—and it is rising at an accelerated pace. Every property has some risk and it is not just location. The quality of
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construction, the durability of materials, local zoning code, geologic history, flood history and location of fault lines all play a part. Human nature is interesting, in that people will purchase a lottery ticket thinking they have a chance to win, but don’t consider that a disaster could happen to their home. For most people purchasing a home is not just a financial decision, but an emotional decision influenced by the proximity of family, friends, career opportunities and climate. Perhaps if the Wizard of Oz was written today the Scarecrow would be saying “tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods, oh my!” However, at the end of the movie, despite the great tornado, Dorothy and Toto would still go back to Tornado Alley. “There is no place like home!” Jean Groesbeck is a managing broker with Coldwell Banker Bain and is located in Anacortes, WA.
compliments your lifestyle
Jean Groesbeck (360) 941-3734 Jean@JeanGroesbeck.com 5 Star Real Estate Services
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South Puget Sound Spring Break
Time to Lose Those Winter Blues by Deane Hislop
T
he aroma of brewing coffee filled the cabin. NOAA weather squawked out of the VHF radio. Arlene and I were enjoying the first morning of a five-day spring outing in the southern reaches of Puget Sound. With the sun shining brightly, it was one of those wonderful spring days in the Pacific Northwest —a boater’s dream. South of the Tacoma Narrows lies approximately 200 square miles of pure boating pleasure. The area consists of 17 islands, eight passages, countless peninsulas, inlets, bays and coves to explore. Twenty percent of the Washington State’s marine parks are here. Best of all, those who live in the
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greater Seattle-to-Olympia area don’t have to travel far to enjoy this boating wonderland. We have explored this region many times, but we still get excited every time we point Easy Goin’s bow towards Tacoma Narrows, the gateway to the southern portion of Puget Sound. The Narrows, as the locals call it, was formed over a million years ago by a continental glacier. It separated the Kitsap Peninsula from the southwest portion of the city of Tacoma. Some mariners are uncertain about this part of the trip, and well they should be. In the spring, currents can surge through the Narrows at speeds of six knots. We planned our trip through
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the Narrows to coincide with slack water or to get an extra boost by catching the southerly flood. Once south of the Narrows bridge we turned to starboard, entered Hale Passage between Fox Island and the Kitsap Peninsula, and headed west towards Carr Inlet. Outlined with
beautiful waterfront homes, the 4.5mile-long scenic passage provides a wonderful view of the Olympic Mountains. Our choice for the first night of this trip is Penrose Point State Park in Carr Inlet, which is our favorite state moorage in the inlet. Located 2.5 miles southwest of Hale Passage, the park offers 270 feet of dock moorage
and seven mooring buoys. The dock and four mooring buoys are located on the west side of Penrose Point in Mayo Cove. The other three buoys are located on the east side of the point. When entering Mayo Cove, we do so with caution due to the twin shoals well offshore. One shoal extends northeast from Penrose Point, and the second lies 300 yards west of the point
in Mayo Cove and extends a half mile out from the beach. When navigating the area give the shoals a wide berth by staying toward the middle of Carr Inlet until you can clearly see Lakebay Marina before turning toward Mayo Cove. Both shoals offer great beachcombing at low tide. If your destination is the park dock or Lakebay Marina, keep an eye on
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the sounder as you make your final approach. The channel is shallow and doglegs into the inner bay. Lakebay Marina is located across the inner bay from the park float. The marina preserves the ambience of its 1930 origin. There is a fuel dock with gas only, snack bar/grill and ice cream. We prefer to stay on one of the buoys on the east side. We have also dropped the hook in the area, over a good-holding bottom of mud and sand in 4 to 5 fathoms. We find this side of the park a bit more tranquil. It’s common to see wildlife on the beach or bald eagles soaring overhead. It also provides a beautiful view of Mount Rainier. Penrose Point State Park has over two miles of saltwater frontage. A hiking trail winds through an impressive stands of Douglas fir and cedar that
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share space with ferns, and rhododendrons. Large stumps with springboard notches can be seen in the park, evidence of the area’s past logging activity. For us, one of life’s great pleasures is a pot of steamed clams, with garlic bread for lunch or dinner. On previous trips to the park, we have enjoyed the plentiful clams and oysters that are available here, and this trip is no different. The next morning, we headed south from Penrose and navigate through Pitt Passage between McNeil Island
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and Key Peninsula. We always traverse the pass slowly, with one eye on the depth sounder and the other on the navigational aids, taking into consideration the numerous rocks and shoals in the area. Once we cleared the south end of the passage, it was back up to speed and through Drayton Passage, around Devils Head and into Case Inlet, with our choice of a number of state moorages. On this day, our destination was Jarrell Cove State Park on the north
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end of Hartstine Island. The 67-acre park has 3,500 feet of saltwater shoreline along on the northwest end of the island. The park offers boaters 14
moorage buoys, two floats—one with 30-amp power—a hiking trail and miles of island roads for stretching your legs. This small, pleasant cove is
sheltered even in the worst of weather. We enjoy mooring to a buoy, and relaxing for a couple days. If we rise early, there’s a chance we will spot deer on the beach, osprey overhead or an oyster tug through the morning mist, hauling up Pickering Passage with its take. The small marina and store across the cove from the park are owned and operated by Gary and Lorna Hink. The store and fuel dock are open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. In the off-season fuel is available by appointment. After enjoying two days of relaxation, exploring the cove by dinghy and hiking we motored out of the cove, turned to port and headed 6.5 miles down Pickering Passage for Hope Island State Marine Park. Hope Island, bought by the state in 1990, is a small, quiet island located between Squaxin Island and Steamboat Island. Covered with old-
Additional State Parks South of the Tacoma Narrows State Park Annual Mooring Pass State Park moorage fees are 70 cents per foot per night on a dock, with a $14 minimum, and $15 for use of a mooring buoy per night. If you plan to stay more than four or five nights a year at State Park moorage, consider an annual moorage permit. The permit fee is $5 per foot with a minimum of $60, and is good for either park docks or mooring buoys. Vessels over 45 feet are not permitted to moor on State Park buoys, only dock and linear moorage. For more information, visit www.parks.wa.gov. 50
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• Cutts Island State Park—2-acre island in Carr Inlet; eight mooring buoys. • Kopachuck State Park—109 acres; 5,600 feet of shoreline on Henderson Bay; two mooring buoys. • Joemma Beach State Park—106 acres; 3,000 feet of beach on Case Inlet; 500 feet of dock. • McMicken Island State Park—11.5-acre island on Case Inlet with five mooring buoys. • Stretch Point State Park—Carr Inlet; day-use only; five mooring buoys. • Tolmie State Park—105 acres; marine day-use only, 1,800 feet of beach off Nisqually Reach, with five mooring buoys.
growth forests the 106-acre park features two miles of hiking trails. If the five mooring buoys are taken, there’s a good-holding bottom for anchoring in 20-25 feet of water off the eastern shore. If you have never been there before, check your chart. There are some shallow areas extending out from Squaxin and the current runs swift at times. The afternoon was spent trolling for sea-run cutthroat trout from the dinghy along the island shoreline. With a falling tide and setting sun, we were lucky enough to hook and release a half-dozen fish. In Puget Sound, the cutthroat fishery is catch-and-release. These feisty fish are a tremendous amount of fun on light tackle. During dinner, the discussion turned to how to get the maximum amount of enjoyment out of the limited time left. Arlene suggested a lunch stop at Eagle Island State Park on the way home. After breakfast, and a little more
cutthroat fishing, we set a course for Eagle Island located between McNeil and Anderson Islands in Balch Passage. For whatever reason, many boaters miss this tiny, 10-acre jewel of a park. Although it is undeveloped and has no camping or facilities on shore, there are three mooring buoys (two located on the west side and the other off the eastern shore). The beach is pleasant and smooth, but use caution—there is reportly poison oak amongst the vegetation farther inland. The island makes for a great mid-day stop. We ate lunch while enjoying the antics of several curious harbor seals and a wonderful view of Mount Rainier. After lunch, we continued our cruise home. Once again the currents were in our favor and before we knew it, we had passed out the gateway through which we entered five days ago, now refreshed and looking forward to our next visit to the southern portion of Puget Sound.
Sails, ales & happy trails PLAN YOUR VISIT: Washington State Parks – www.parks.wa.gov Lakebay Marina – 253.884.3350 Jarrell’s Cove Marina – 360.426.8823
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IDENTIFICATION OF COMMON GROUNDFISH SPECIES (of Washington, Oregon and Northern California)
Anglers are responsible for knowing current fishing regulations, which can change frequently. Check the state website for up-to-date information.
Yelloweye Rockfish
Canary Rockfish (Slightly indented tail)
Adult
(Smooth jawline)
Juvenile
Bright yellow eye and raspy ridges above eye. Fins usually have black edges. Juveniles have 1 or 2 white stripes along side of body.
Tiger Rockfish
Dark Version
Variants
(Smooth jawline)
Variants
(Gray lateral line)
(Anal fin slanted)
Typically three stripes across side of head and gill plate. Body orange mottled with gray.
Vermilion Rockfish
Pink Version
Strong ridges between eyes. 5 or 6 vertical bars on body.
Lower jawline rough to touch. Body reddish and mottled with gray. Anal fin rounded.
Black Rockfish
Deacon Rockfish
Large mouth. Body mottled with gray. White belly. Black spots on the dorsal membrane.
Small mouth with extendedlower lip. Vague stripes across forehead. Blue-tipped pelvic fins. Many small speckles covering sides of body.
Bocaccio Rockfish
Blue Rockfish
Large mouth extending upwards. Slightly concave between mouth and dorsal fin. Body orange, olive or brown.
Small mouth. Vague stripes across forehead. Bluetipped pelvic fins. Large angular blotches on sides of body. Photos courtesy Vicky Okimura; WDFW
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REV. 2016
Quillback Rockfish
Copper Rockfish
(Deep indentations in dorsal fin)
Variants
Variants
Light colored band along the last 2/3 of lateral line.
Freckles on head and/or throat. Yellowish saddle markings do not extend to tail.
Yellowtail Rockfish
China Rockfish
Fins yellowish, large mouth. May have pale patches or spots on back. May be confused with Olive Rockfish.
Widow Rockfish
Broad yellow stripe starting on dorsal fin, along lateral line. Yellowish white freckles.
Brown Rockfish
Dark brown patch or spot on gill cover. Underside of throat and lower jaw pinkish. Fins may be pinkish.
Small mouth, anal fin slanted posteriorly.
Kelp Greenling
Cabezon
Lingcod
Flap of skin above eye and on snout. Huge mouth, small teeth. Body marbled. Smooth skin.
Large mouth and large teeth. Deep notch in long dorsal fin. Elongated body. Smooth skin.
Male Female Small mouth, small teeth. Blue spots may be faint except when breeding, when they become almost neon. Reddish spots on female. Smooth skin.
wdfw.wa.gov
dfw.state.or.us
wildlife.ca.gov Photos courtesy Vicky Okimura; WDFW
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Smoking Pacific Northwest Salmon by George Bivoino
T
he Pacific Northwest is a Mecca for salmon fishing, with locations along the Pacific coast, in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound and San Juan Islands. I have fished these waters, enjoying their natural beauty and majestic scenery—and especially catching salmon. Salmon is good however you choose to prepare it; eat it fresh, freeze it or smoke it. Smoking is a popular Northwest method. This is one of my favorite salmon-smoking recipes.
To make flavorful and moist smoked salmon, I recommend using fresh fish, as frozen salmon will not be as moist. If you do use frozen fish, it is essential that the salmon is not freezer-burned, or your painstaking efforts will result in a mediocre product. Smoking salmon is a craft, so it is important that you have the right equipment and take special steps for success. Preparation and attention to detail are the keys to the quality of your results.
What You Need: SALMON King, silver (coho), or sockeye are great salmon for smoking. Some people also like to smoke chum or pink salmon. SMOKER Use a good smoker, preferably one that has temperature control, like a Cook Shack. Maintaining proper temperature control during the smoking process is crucial. However, many people do use smokers without a temperature control, like a Big Chief, and get great results; it just takes more and closer monitoring. SALT Using good quality salt is important. I prefer to use sea salt as it results in the best flavor and can be purchased in bulk. Otherwise, use kosher salt. Never use iodized salt! BROWN SUGAR Any brand. GARLIC CLOVES Crushed using a garlic press. CURING CONTAINER An enameled, plastic or glass container to cure your salmon in prior to smoking it. Never use a metal container, unless it is enameled, as a metal container will react with the salt and ruin the salmon. WOOD CHIPS (for the smoker) I recommend using apple and/or alder wood chips for the best flavor. You can also use nut woods like pecan, but avoid mesquite, as it will add a strong flavor, masking the great flavor of the salmon. NON-STICK SPRAY Any brand. CLEAN SMOKER RACKS Preferably washed in a dishwasher.
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The Process:
1
Preparing the salmon cure (dry-brine recipe)
In a stainless steel or plastic container, thoroughly mix the salt, brown sugar and crushed garlic cloves. The proper ratio is four cups of brown sugar, one cup of salt and 8 to 12 crushed garlic cloves. You can mix the dry brine cure by hand, but I prefer to use an electric mixer. Depending on how much salmon you are smoking, you may need to make more batches of this dry cure. See Step 3 to help you gauge the amount of the dry cure you will need.
2
Prepare the salmon Thoroughly rinse the salmon and pat it dry with a clean cloth towel.
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3
Dry-brine curing the salmon When dry-brine curing your salmon for smoking, you must surround each piece of the salmon with the dry cure. Place a ½-inch layer of the dry cure on the bottom of the curing container. Place the first layer of salmon into the container, skin down, on the dry cure. Then place a ½-inch layer on top of the salmon flesh and in between each piece. If you need to make additional layers of salmon, place the next layer of salmon flesh side down on top of the dry cure, covering the first layer. Then place another ½-inch layer of the dry cure on the up-facing skin side of the second layer of salmon. If necessary, you can make a third layer of salmon by placing the salmon skin-side down on top of the previous layer and cover it with at least half an inch of the dry cure. NOTE: if you are using thicker pieces of king salmon, you may wish to add a bit drier cure in between the layers. Once the salmon is completely covered in the dry cure, place it in the refrigerator. Thinner pieces of salmon need to cure between six-and-a-half and seven hours. For thicker pieces, like large king salmon, it will take eight to ten hours, depending on the thickness and width of the salmon pieces. After it is cured, you will notice that the dry cure has turned into brown liquid “goo” which is what it is supposed to do. As the salt cures the salmon, it draws out some moisture, dissolving the brown sugar.
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4
Getting the cured salmon ready to smoke Find a cool place on your kitchen counter or somewhere where you can air-dry the cured salmon, then cover the drying location with cloth towels, newspaper or paper towels. Next, spray the smoker racks with a nonstick spray and place them on top of the towels or newspaper. Carefully take each piece of salmon out of the cure, rinse it off well with fresh water, dry it thoroughly with a clean cloth towels, then place it skin-side down on the racks. Separate the different thicknesses on different racks, keeping the thicker salmon pieces on the lower shelves of the smoker. Allow the cured salmon to air-dry at 60 degrees or less for two to four hours, forming a lacquer/gelatinappearing layer on top.
5
Smoking the salmon This is the most crucial step in the process. Smoking the fish too long or at too high of a temperature will cause the salmon to dry out. Using too many pans of wood chips or wood pucks will cause your salmon to have an overly strong smoke flavor. The preferred temperature for smoking your salmon is between 160 and 200 degrees. Refer to your smoker’s manual to calculate temperature and smoking time. Maintaining this temperature for non-temperature-controlled smokers is more difficult because they are affected by the outside temperature. Your smoker’s manual should have suggestions on managing temperatures and smoking times.
One suggestion is to hang an oventemperature gauge on the top rack and check it often.
Smoking time recommendations You will need to adjust the smoking time depending on your personal texture preferences. Smoking the salmon too long will result in the fat oozing out of the fish, forming white spots on the surface, resulting in a dry texture. Record the time and temperature each time you smoke your salmon, adjusting as needed to achieve your desired results.
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You have smoked your first salmon, what’s next?
ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS If your pieces of salmon are the same thickness, rotate your salmon racks for even smoking. The lower racks are usually hotter than the upper racks. Have a designated test piece for tasting. This helps determine when the salmon is at your preferable smoked state and texture. FLAVOR OPTIONS The dry cure can be amended with different spices, herbs or liquids as you wish. For example, you can add a pinch of cayenne, dried dill or dried rosemary, or even a splash of maple syrup. If you choose to add syrup, make sure
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it is mixed thoroughly! While smoking, brush teriyaki sauce or maple syrup on the salmon for special flavoring. PACKAGING AND STORAGE Your smoked salmon will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. If you want to keep some of it for longer periods, it should be vacuum-sealed and can be kept for up to six months in the freezer. FINALLY As with any recipe, you will get better and better each time you smoke your salmon. Trying different brines, curing times, smoking times and the amount of wood is all part of the adventure!
Many Missions – One Aircraft The Kodiak: The bridge between helicopter and business jet. Built tough and safe for extreme missions. Comfort, capacity and economy for business or personal use. A dream to fly on wheels or floats.
CLAY LACY Brad Wollen bwollen@bfi.claylacy.com www.claylacy.com
Clay Lacy Aviation 206.762.2250 8285 Perimeter Road South Seattle, WA 98108
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Throw the Chicken Coop at Coho Try Raiding the Hen House for Silver Magic by Terry W. Sheely
F
or me—a merely mortal herring moocher—it seemed if not impossible, certainly a waste of fishing time, to offer chicken coop feathers to coho salmon that want to eat herring. Give ’em herring, was my mantra; it is, after all, what they want. Those were the early years, when I was convinced that saltwater salmon would not eat feathers, foam, foil, glue or other chicken-coop leavings unless that concoction was offered by a FlyGod, a long-casting guru who must sprinkle magic on the presentations when not appearing at fishing expositions just to humble the rest of us. And then—I don’t remember why —I wandered into the dark side, and
hooked a Sekiu silver, 12 pounds, on a cast fly. That fish ripped me bow to stern, cartwheeled, line-fried my fingers and fought the thin rod like a 30-pounder. When the hooknose hit the mesh, I was quivering inside and out. I couldn’t stop grinning. And no guru required, no fancy gear, magic, infinite learning-curve or pretentious attitude. I read a skinny howto book, bought a bunch of blue, green, white and pink streamers, chicken feathers packaged as “Coho Flies,” stood in the bow and hurled a fat flyline 35 feet. The fly was tethered to a 300-grain shooting head with nine feet of 20-pound monofilament, snipped The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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from a conventional Penn 109 reel. The conglomeration landed in a pile that miraculously straightened as the boat drifted a rip line flecked with foam. The weighted shooting head sank maybe a dozen feet, the “Coho Fly” trailing behind it. Retrieved in 2-foot strips of line, the fly darted erractically imitating the mortal flailing of an injured baitfish. I repeated that scenario maybe three dozen times before that first coho hooked me on saltwater fly-fishing. Hooked me deep. Herring is still my first go-to for salmon, but if a situation presents I pick up the fly rod. Snugging a 4/0 wire hook into stone-hard resistance is salmon fishing on a higher plane. No finessing bites, downriggers, extraneous 62
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hardware, or mechanical advantage. Hook set with a hammer of a rod sweep and power-strip line driving the hook deep, clear fingers, hang on, pray for good knots, hope you’re not standing on line, and mutter a thank you for investing in a fly reel with space-age composites and a multi-everything drag. The basics: 9- to 11-foot rod (spey or single handed—it’s a choice), in 7 to 9 weight, with stout butt and stiff tip. Stiff rods handle heavy saltwater lines, buck wind, recover quickly and drive hooks home. Nine-footers work; 10-footers work better. Longer rods are more capable of handling line and controlling fish. Select the best reel you can afford, with a big arbor for quick retrievals
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and a smooth synthetic self-lubricating drag. Invest in quality materials rated for salt; you haven’t lived until you’ve had a $30 fly reel blow up on a running salmon. Spools should hold 25 to 30 yards of 7-10 weight intermediate or full-sink line, 24 feet of shooting head, or 325-grain sink tip, and 250 to 300 yards of running line/backing. Saltwater salmon are rarely line-shy, but I favor a couple of yards of transparent fluorocarbon for leaders. If casting seems intimidating … don’t. Instead, look into bucktailing. Bucktailing is trolling; fly-fishing for the casting-challenged. Flies are streamer patterns thin-dressed in feathers, tinsel, deer hair and marabou to
imitate needlefish or herring, knotted onto floating line tied directly to 10 feet of 30-pound monofilament. Invisible fluorocarbon is not necessary but I favor it for the fact that I can use high-breaking strength (50-pound) without adding visibility. At trolling speed strip the streamer into the wake 10 to 15 feet behind the motor for aggressive summer/fall adult salmon, or 100 feet plus for small but spooky winter/spring residents. I like to skitter flies in and out of the water at 4 to 8 knots. Bucktailing isn’t fly-casting but when the long-rod bends, line flies off the reel and it gets crazy, does it really matter if chicken coop feathers are cast or bucktailed? The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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PACIFIC SALMON ID
Spawning Phase
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Available online at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/salmon/identification.html
CHINOOK (K ING)
Female
• Olive-brown colored body • Large spots on back and both lobes of tail • Mouth is black with black/grey gum line
Male
Female
COHO (SILV ER) • Greenish-black head with red to maroon colored body • Spots on back and only upper lobe of tail • Mouth is black with white gum line
Male
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PINK (HUMPY) • Vast majority return during odd-numbered years • Large oblong spots on back and both lobes of tail • Males develop pronounced hump
CHUM (DOG) • No spots on back or tail • Greenish to dusky mottling on sides • Males have reddish-purple vertical markings
SOCK EY E (R ED) • No distinct spots on back or tail • Greenish head • Brick red to scarlet red colored body, female coloration is more dull
Female
Male
Female
Male
Female
Male
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OUR MISSION
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Getting a Line on Dinner by Tom Tripp
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If you’re not out there already, it’s time to experience the thrill of catching your own dinner from the clean, cold water of the Pacific Northwest. Salmon fishing is probably the most popular saltwater sport all the way from Oregon to Alaska. It is also a fairly straightforward sport to take up. You can start with a minimal investment and of course, if you get bitten badly by the bug, you can eventually spend every free minute and penny you have. If you’re a salmon pro, you probably know all of this already, but stick with us because there are a couple of cool new pieces of gear coming this spring. I discussed the status of the sport with my best NW fishing guru, Gabe Miller, the marine/fishing buyer for Sportco. Miller has likely forgotten more than I will ever know about the techniques and tactics for this world-renowned fishery, and he had some good recommendations for newbies and some news for the old hands. If you are just getting settled into your island or coastal life and want to do some salmon fishing, there are a couple
of things to do first. Start by getting online at the website of your state, province or national fish and wildlife department to see what license(s) you may need and what you need to know about the approved seasons for salmon. Salmon are a highly regulated species because their populations have plummeted in recent decades due to habitat loss, predation, and even climate change. All salmon need cold, clean waters and access to their spawning grounds inland. There are quite a few different types of salmon typically sought after by recreational anglers. Washington state alone identifies at least eight species native to its waters. That state has also identified more than 600 different salmon “populations,” identified by their spawning grounds. Part of the complexity of salmon fishing regulations is that saltwater locales are divided into regulatory marine “regions,” and within each there are different seasons for different species. That’s why your first step is to
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get online and learn about how salmon are regulated and their seasons. It’s also why your next step is crucial. After you’ve gotten your license and have been online you need to check in with your nearest bait and tackle shop. That’s where you’ll get the best localized advice on species, timing and appropriate gear. Whether you will be using bait or lures, mooching, jigging, or trolling, your local shop will be able to steer you properly. Gabe Miller suggests you might also want to consider going out on a charter with a guide for your first time. It’s a great
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way to learn from the pros the various methods and types of gear you might consider when fishing on your own. Expect to pay $175 to $250 for a half-day on the water. In addition to bringing home your first “I caught it myself” salmon dinner, you’ll head back to your local tackle shop with a better idea of the requirements. It is certainly possible to fish for salmon from shore, but it will be much more productive to get out on the water. You need a seaworthy boat, of course, but you don’t need a sportfishing yacht. From a boat, you will either drift or
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troll, the difference being whether you use your engine to move through the water or simply allow the ocean currents to move you—and your bait or lure—across the underwater terrain. For getting started without spending a fortune, Miller suggests jigging, which involves using your fishing rod to lift and let drop a specialized salmon jig, the combination of leader, weight, swivels if necessary, and lure. Popular jigging lures such as the Buzz Bomb and Point Wilson Dart are basically painted lead, look like a bait fish and move like a wounded fish as they fall through the water column. In jigging you keep lifting and letting fall the shiny lure, hoping to attract a big Chinook (king), for example. You’ll want a somewhat shorter, stiff-action rod in the 7.5 to 9-foot range, and a level-wind reel. Miller says you can get started with anything from about $70 to a couple of hundred. That holds true for “mooching” too, where you use a specific rig with typically an 8 oz. lead weight, a 4-6 foot. leader, double-hook setup, and a plug-cut herring. The plug cut causes the fish to spin. Mooching uses a longer medium to medium-heavy, slower action rod in the 8.5 to 10.5-foot class. Most serious salmon anglers will get into downriggers—specialized equipment which uses wire line and 72
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an extremely heavy weight to take your line to an exact depth. When a fish strikes your line, a clip on the downrigger line releases your line so you don’t have to fight both the fish and the weight to bring dinner aboard. Downrigging anglers troll through the water, typically with guidance from sophisticated sonar systems to locate fish, bait and underwater structure. You can get into downriggers for less than a hundred dollars, but you’ll be cranking that big cannonball up by hand and you’ll have to estimate your depth. By the time you’re spending more than a thousand on the downrigger, you’ll enjoy electricretrieve and a digital line counter. Veterans can look forward to two exciting new pieces of gear for the 2018 season. The first is a brand-new version of Shimano’s Tekota series of trolling reels. This is one of the most popular reels for saltwater fishing in the Northwest and Miller says it should be available in both right- and left-hand retrieve, something anglers have been asking Shimano to offer for years. Miller also says the local lure company Silver Horde has taken the popular lure color “Herring Aide” and added the “Silver Knight” finish to it to give it more flash and visibility. He says it will be available in the Kingfisher and Coho Killer series spoons, and Miller thinks it will be a game-changer for salmon chasers.
HAR B OR S
PUZZLE SOLUTION (complete puzzle on page 82)
Dine, Play, Stay and Live.
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Destinations
Seaplane & Boating Deer Harbor Inn, Orcas Island, WA
Snuggled in a scenic harbor on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands, Deer Harbor Inn overlooks a sleepy harbor and a quiet waterfront village. Whether you travel by seaplane, car, boat or fly into the local airport, you’re just minutes away from a stress-free destination. This rural resort offers more than 125 years of wonderful history, a comfortable rustic lodge, private cottages, modern conveniences, a cozy spa cottage, and a gourmet restaurant—all owned and operated by the Carpenter family. Since 1982, the Carpenters have pursued the Deer Harbor Inn’s tradition of quality, catering to both local island residents and visitors. Pam and Craig Carpenter moved to Orcas Island after many years in the restaurant industry in Idaho, Nevada and 74
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Washington. Their sons Matthew and Ryan grew up in the restaurant business and now work in concert with their parents at Deer Harbor. Matt— “Chef ”—and Ryan took over the Inn’s restaurant and catering operations. They actually bought the restaurant from their parents in 2006, but the inn and restaurant are still a family affair. Since 1982, Craig and Pam have completely rebuilt the resort, starting with the large rustic lodge. The Lodge at the Deer Harbor Inn offers eight guest rooms with private baths. There are common areas to gather on both the first and second floors of the Lodge. There is a propane fireplace in the upstairs sitting room; the lower sitting room has a library and complimentary computers for guest use.
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by AJ Hunt
The Lodge is furnished with comfortable seating areas and cozy lodge decor. It is the perfect building to rent for larger groups such as family reunions or retreats. The lodge cabin guest room amenities include private bathrooms, queen-size beds, and handmade log furniture, giving the rooms a comfortable, but rustic, ambiance. Some of the rooms have electric fireplaces. There is a six-person hot tub under the gazebo outside. The Lodge is only one of several choices of accommodations; four private cottages and the Harbor View House are equally appealing with their own fireplaces, satellite TV, kitchens and private hot tubs. There is also a twobedroom Harbor View Suite that is aptly named.
Not surprisingly, the restaurant menu offers fresh seafood, including a catch of the day, tiger prawns, king crab and cioppino. Meat-eaters will feel equally at home; they can order a hand-cut 12 oz. New York steak— which can be accompanied by a halfpound of king crab—while vegetarians can enjoy a veggie fettucine. All entrees include a tureen of soup du jour and a garden salad. Deer Harbor Inn is self-sufficient, but if you wish to travel a few miles into the village of Eastsound, you will find numerous local island shops, galleries and eateries. And upon your return to the inn, you may take advantage of the spa treatments offered in the Ataraxia Spa. There is little doubt that the Deer Harbor Inn is a great destination for anyone seeking a relaxing island getaway. For those who want to explore nature, there are endless options for guests, including, whale watching, sea kayaking, hiking up Turtleback Mountain, fishing charters, or walking on the beach. The grounds at the inn offer sightings of local island wildlife, including bald eagles, deer, several species of birds, and ducks on the pond, not to mention the chickens in the resort’s organic farm. Travel options are varied. You can drive to Anacortes, WA and take the ferry, catch a seaplane from Seattle or Renton, or fly San Juan Airlines from Anacortes or Bellingham, WA. There is also a local marina for boaters who want to take a break and stretch their sea legs. No matter how you get there … you’ll wish you could stay longer.
Inn at Port Gardner Deer Harbor Inn
1700Orcas W Marine View Island, WADrive Everett, WA 98201 360.376.4110 425.252.6779 stay@deerharborinn.com innatportgardner.com www.deerharborinn.com The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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Anacortes Ship Harbor Inn, Anacortes, WA
Anacortes, Washington is known as the hopping-off point to some of the most beautiful islands in the Salish Sea. It’s the terminus for two of Washington State Ferries’ popular routes, the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island. But what many travelers don’t realize is that Anacortes is also located on an island—Fidalgo Island, the easternmost isle of the San Juan Archipelago. The seaside town was incorporated in 1891, nearly two decades after a general store and post office were established. Today, half of the city’s 15 square miles are comprised of public parks and recreational lands and waters, with 12 miles of shoreline and 67 miles of public trails. In the city’s early days, fishing and logging were its main industries, but today the focus is on the marina and tourism-related businesses. Anacortes is also a popular retirement community. 76
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The Anacortes Ship Harbor Inn, located just ½ mile from the ferry terminal, opened in 1962. It is owned by Linda and Neal Harvey, and the 30-room inn has been remodeled and upgraded. Now sporting a fresh white coat of paint and bright red roof, the sun-splashed lobby has views out to the Guemes Channel and Cypress Island—as do most of the inn’s rooms. This is not a cookie-cutter hotel, and accommodations range from a deluxe king with fireplace and jetted tub to a cabin suite with kitchen. Many of the rooms are pet-friendly, and amenities include a microwave and refrigerator, free wireless internet and cable TV. Most recently, the Anacortes Ship Harbor Inn has become a wedding venue, with an expansive lawn and deck overlooking the water and islands beyond. A continental breakfast is included in
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by Sue Frause
the room rate and among the morning offerings are fresh fruit and make-yourown waffles. There’s also a nightly social hour in the cozy lobby, featuring a complimentary glass of wine or beer. The lobby’s espresso bar offers locally roasted coffee from Samish Island, and a variety of snacks and beverages are available for purchase. The friendly staff is happy to help travelers, whether wanting to book a whale-watching package or looking for dining suggestions. Two of the more popular restaurants in Historic Downtown Anacortes are located just a block from each other on Commercial Avenue: Adrift and A’Town Bistro. Both are open for lunch and dinner. And if you love good Mexican food, Frida’s is a great choice. Don’t miss the Anacortes Museum, housed in a former Carnegie Library and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. And Marine Supply & Hardware is the
oldest continuously operated hardware store west of the Mississippi, definitely worth a visit for any mariner. Outdoor activities include numerous walks and hikes. Washington Park is a city park close to the inn that features a 2.2-mile loop and views of Guemes Channel and Burrows Bay. Further afield is Mt. Erie, Fidalgo Island’s highest point at 1,300 feet, with views to the San Juan Islands, Olympics and Cascades. In addition to whale watching, there are other water-based activities, including half-day or fullday kayak trips with Anacortes Kayak Tours. And yes, you can always make a day trip over to one of the San Juan Islands or Sidney, BC on Vancouver Island; the inn will even shuttle you to and from the ferry.
Anacortes Ship Harbor Inn 5316 Ferry Terminal Road Anacortes, WA 98221 800.852.8568 www.shipharborinn.com
The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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The Cove Lakeside Resort, West Kelowna, BC
by Pat Awmack
By Pat Awmack
Standing on the balcony of my hotel room, I’m dazzled by the sun as it shines through the trees, bouncing diamonds of light off both the turquoise swimming pool and the adjoining lake. I’ve checked into the Cove Lakeside Resort in West Kelowna, British Columbia for three nights. The resort, which is located on the shore of 89-mile long Lake Okanagan, is no ordinary hotel. There are 120 suites—ranging in size from one to three bedrooms—each with its own private balcony, offering views of the lake, mountains or lush gardens. Each suite has a full kitchen, complete with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and Keurig coffee maker. Our suite also contained a wine fridge; a nice addition as it ensured that our wine was always the perfect temperature. 78
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The suites are all individually owned, but many owners choose to put their condo into the rental pool, which is run by a property management company. Although some owners do live here year round, the majority of the suites are occupied by resort guests. The Cove lies on Gellatly Bay, across the lake from the bustle of downtown Kelowna—the third-largest metropolitan area in the province—and is the perfect place for a summer vacation. Its lakefront location and private beach are ideal for those who wish to swim, participate in other aquatic activities such as stand-up paddle-boarding, or simply relax and enjoy the views of the lake. Resort guests who wish to moor their boats in the secure, private marina can do so for an additional charge. Those who arrive by floatplane could likely disembark at the dock, but there
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isn’t adequate space for the plane to remain docked during a visit. Although the brilliant sun was persuasive, the cool breeze dissuaded us from taking a plunge in the pool. The temperature wasn’t a deterrent to a few younger guests, who spent hours enjoying themselves on the waterslide. Both pools and hot tubs are open seasonally. Barbeques on the grounds offer guests the opportunity to grill their own meals and there are three outdoor gas firepits which make convivial gathering spots,
particularly in the evening hours. The weekend I was there, everyone was very respectful of honoring quiet hours and groups all dispersed to their individual suites by 10 p.m. The Cove’s farm-to-table eatery, the Bonfire Restaurant, is helmed by Executive Chef Brian Fowke—formerly of Vancouver’s popular Kits Daily restaurant—who is passionate about serving fresh West Coast ingredients. He’ll have a steady supply of local produce from the resort’s Bonfire Culinary Garden, which sits across the street. Here, a team of gardeners produces 75-plus varieties of tomatoes, a number of different squash varieties, beans, herbs and much more. As I explored the garden, I stopped to visit the pen where three pigs (blissfully unaware that their days were numbered) happily snuffled and snorted a welcome. The restaurant’s wine list contains a diverse selection of local Okanagan wines as well as a selection of international vintages. Although it wasn’t warm enough when I visited, I can’t imagine anything better than relaxing on the restaurant’s patio, enjoying a chilled glass of rose as I soak up the warmth of the summer sun. There’s plenty to keep you occupied during your stay at the Cove. There are dozens of award-winning wineries to visit, numerous golf courses nearby, hiking, biking and winter skiing. Visit during the summer and book a flightseeing tour of the area through AirHart Aviation. I guarantee you won’t be bored!
The Cove Lakeside Resort 4205 Gellatly Road West Kelowna, British Columbia V4T 2K2 877.762.2683 www.covelakeside.com The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine
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