Provisioning, Provisioning and More Provisioning

Saturday, May 15 – Tuesday, May 18 … Vermilion, to Vancouver, to Blaine

Our journey begins …

We arrived in Seattle on Saturday with Sharon and Jim Plona, our neighbors from Vermilion who are joining us for the first month of our cruise, and together we drove up to Vancouver. After unpacking Lovie for a much-needed litterbox break and stowing away our luggage on the boat, we enjoyed an early dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant in North Vancouver. Exhausted, we retired early, spending the first night on the boat tucked away in our boathouse at Mosquito Creek Marina.

Sunday morning, Roland and Jim pulled out of the boathouse around 10:30 am for a 7-hour cruise to Blaine, WA where we planned to provision and fuel. Sharon and I made a quick stop at to our condo in Vancouver to pack a few things, and then headed south to Whidbey Island’s Naval Base Commissary to buy groceries. With Jim’s Naval benefits, we saved major $$$ on two huge carts of groceries. That was the easy part! Once back in Blaine, the trick was getting it all to the boat … in a brigade of carts down the docks … and then finding room to stow it all on the boat once there. The day gave new meaning to the word fatigue.

Monday was another full day of provisioning. In the morning, just as we were ready to leave, Roland’s new kayak was delivered to the boat. In the meantime, Pattie & Lincoln showed up in their truck loaded with 14 boxes we had shipped from Vermilion. Sharon and I left for another full day of shopping which included among other things …. 40 chicken breasts, 16 pork tenderloins, 18 pork chops, 12 pounds of ground beef, 7 pounds of assorted cheeses, 12 cans of orange juice, 10 pizza crusts … ultimately returning to the boat with a SUV filled to the brim with food, cleaning supplies, water, soft drinks and a dozen live plants and a bag of potting soil for an herb garden that I planted on the upper deck.

The guys borrowed Lincoln and Pattie’s truck and returned with 14 cases of wine, Roland’s new wet suit (which I promise to post as a photo when I see him in it!), fishing and crabbing supplies, and basically another truckload of supplies to fit on the boat. After dozens of trips down the docks to the boat, and much consternation finding space to stow everything, , we gratefully accepted an invitation to dinner at Lincoln & Patti’s where we were treated to a delicious meal of grilled salmon.