Thursday, August 2: Sidney Spit to Roche Harbor, San Juan Island

We got up and got going today so that we could get through customs before the rush.  There is a customs dock at Roche Harbor resort, and when we arrived it was totally vacant.  A pleasant surprise, as sometimes you need to mill about for a long time waiting for a spot to open up.  Unlike some of our previous visits, our check-in was quick and painless.

Roche Harbor is known for its population of mega yachts.  MEGA yachts.  We haven’t stayed there in years, not since it used to be a sleepy little place with a few guest slips.  Oh, and once when we were having engine trouble.  This trip, we thought it would be fun to anchor out in the harbor and watch the big boys come and go, jockey for position at the customs dock, and generally putt around showing off their toys.  We did, and it was definitely entertaining.  I took a bunch of photos of boats, but here’s one that probably gives the best perspective on how big “big” is – that’s me in the dinghy, waving:

Here’s part of the harbor from the land – if you squint, you can see the Elsa anchored in the upper right corner.

Ashore, it really is a charming resort.  If you’ve never heard of it, you can google it and find all sorts of photos.  Here’s one you probably won't find online -- a little pump-out boat that makes its way around the docks, pumping out boats’ holding tanks:

Up the road from the resort is a wonderful sculpture garden, and we took a lazy stroll through to see what had changed since our last visit.  Quite a bit, it turns out.  Here’s a sample:

This last one, you have to approach it from behind where all you can see is an easel set up with something on it. It's not until you come around that you see yourself! Very clever.

We’re back in the US now, where we have crabbing licenses, so we set out our trap for the night and went back to watching the hustle and bustle of this busy place.