Return Photos

The first two Photos by Bob Bennet of Quijote going through theBallard locks.

Chocolate chip cookies anyone?

Our final night on the 2026 Prince Rupert expedition. It's been a spectacularly successful trip in my mind. Sure we had some toilet issues, but we also inducted a fourth crewmember: our bucket Dumpy.

And yes, we did finally see some whales. Coming out of of the unnamed kelp choked cove we almost ran into a pair of them. I cut the throttle to avoid hitting one and they rolled downward and disappeared. For the head count, we saw one bear, several sea otters, and a few humpback whales. Eagles everywhere. Jeff, you wanted to see a whale and Mick wants to see a bear. Maybe you can trade credits.

It was a long, slow day today. We countered current all day. There was really no choice. We started at 3:30 am to get us through San Juan Channel at slack and across the strait in the part of the day forecast to be the calmest.

That half of the day worked out well. But afterward, it was a tough slog working our way into Admiralty Inlet through the shipping lanes, thick with commercial traffic. Tugs with barges, cargo carriers (flying through at 22 kts) and swarms of fishing boats all doing a days work  

Quijote could be seen making her way among them, always giving way, even when it meant veering off course. We plodded into the current, speed under 2 kts for a time while rounding Point Wilson. It seemed to take hours to get around that point. It did take hours to get around that point.

I am so thankful for that boat and my crew. Nobody ever complained throughout this entire trip. On every leg, Quijote crew just worked hard, had an great time, and always got the job done.

After anchoring today, we baked cookies and listened to the USA beat Bosnia Hertz.

With an early start tomorrow comes an early arrival. Dumpy and the rest of the Quijote crew will be arriving at the Shilshole fuel dock between 10:00 and 11:00 am tomorrow, then around 1 pm we'll be at her slip on Lake Union.

Quijote Crew and friends who would like to join us for the locks transit are welcome to do so. We might still be able to offer a chocolate chip cookie baked fresh this afternoon in the galley. The standing crew are working their way through them though, so no guarantees.

I'm sorry this post is so late in arriving. It means that those who read it that might have joined us won't learn of it until after the fact. Or, maybe it won't matter.

A tip of the hat to all those who followed the blog this year. It's been great fun to provide it.