Captain's Post #23 - Latitude 38 Publishes the Property Tax Article!

June 17, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

Prince Rupert to Ketchikan, Alaska USA (105NM)...WE MADE IT!!!

June 15, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

Well, that was not an easy transit. The weather looked great and we left early to beat the wind but not early enough. The wind from the North met the mixing tides and caused a very sporty ride through the Dixon Entrance, so much so that I didn’t dare take any photos! But, we are very happy to have accomplished this major life achievement. After a two-year postponement we are thrilled to have brought our own boat to Alaska. I know there is a Captain’s Post in the near future. In the meantime, here a few snaps…

My camera lens is not large enough to get all FOUR of the cruise ships at dock. They arrive in the morning and are all gone by 10:00PM. That can be an influx of 16,000 tourist landing on the tiny town per day. The town has approximately 8,000 residents, with the wider city population being 13,500. The locals can get very frustrated with this invasion, I do not blame them, over 1.5 million cruise passengers visit Ketchikan between April and October.

Another hulking monster…look at how the yachts are dwarfed by the size of that ship

Ketchikan Creek is a salmon-spawning stream running directly through downtown. We hope to catch the salmon run on our return in September.

Creek Street historic boardwalk from the 1900’s

Gorgeous day to be a tourist on Creek Street. I can only imagine how this really looked in the 1900’s as the town’s Prohibition-era red-light district.

Dolly’s House is a 1900s bordello and now a museum…Love the sign!

My favorite bar…the Sourdough Bar. We asked the bartender about the name and she told us that, that is the name of the folks around Ketchikan as they are “sour on the land but not enough dough to leave”…

The seaplane business is booming here in Ketchikan

This place is fantastic, great view (of seaplanes!), great beer and great food

Like the BPL sign (Bush Pilot’s Lounge). Nice place to celebrate our arrival.

Larry makes new friends on the dock. This is Benson and he gives great hugs. Benson’s parents are Bill and Carol and they are equally fabulous.

We made it to Alaska!!! Now we have to fly home for a minute…time to take a ferry to the airport. See you soon…

Hartley Bay to Prince Rupert, B.C., Canada (89NM)

June 15, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

An uneventful and smooth ride to Prince Rupert (I really like it when I can say that). Prince Rupert is named after Prince Rupert of the Rhine. A 17th-century royal (English-German), military commander, scientist and the first Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company (Fur Trading, etc. with early quasi-governmental powers which transitioned into a department store in the 20th century). The city earned its name in 1906 through a nationwide naming contest held by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. The city must be doing quite well as it is the deepest natural harbor on the continent. Before you cruise by the massive shipping terminal area, you see a huge Liquid Natural Gas operation being built. The facility will have a production of up to 21 million tons of LNG per year. Word is that they have sealed a deal with Germany. The project is slated to be completed by 2028/2029.

You know you are near Prince Rupert when you start seeing these guys

The massive LNG plant nearing completion

This fishing boat cut us off, but we didn’t mind as it was named ‘Tequila’

The railway leading to and from the shipping terminal

Massive deep-water port allows for massive ships with massive quantities of goods

The Prince Rupert harbor dwarfed by the massive Cruise Ships…a constant sight in the summer months

The Prince Rupert Courthouse built in 1921

Beers to go for our new friends on their yacht ‘Ascente’

Dean and his partner Shelley run a charter business on this gorgeous 112 foot yacht ‘Ascente’ www.yachtcharterfleet.com

Our last night in Canada, so I must have a Caeser (Vodka, Clamato juice, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce, rimmed with celery salt)….my Canadian family would be proud!

Bottleneck Anchorage to Hartley Bay, B.C., Canada (69NM)

June 14, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

A cool morning with whisps of fog great us at our anchorage in Bottleneck. We pull anchor and head out of the tiny opening for another day of ‘log-watching’. Thankfully, today is clear and mostly flat with few obstacles. The temptation to gaze at the cascading waterfalls is overwhelming so we slow down and take a peek into the old Butedale ‘Ghost Town’ (more later). By early afternoon we pull into Hartley Bay and attempt to radio for a spot in the marina. We finally dock at the municipal pier and Larry runs up to find the harbor office. Note-to-self, there is no office and the town folk just tell you where to dock. The entire marina is filled with fishing and commercial boats of every size and the docks are filled with their contents; coolers, old batteries, nets of every shape and size, jerry cans, cords, lines, fenders, kayaks and paddles. We shove our way into a spot and head to shore to explore the township of Hartley Bay.

The little ‘Ghost Town’ of Butedale beckons us for a closer look. Butedale is located on Princess Royal Island and was founded in 1911 by John Wallace. According to the Google search, it evolved into a thriving salmon (and Halibut) cannery, ice manufacturing center and logging camp. It housed over 400 summer residents before shutting down in the 1970’s.

Some of the company buildings still stand and look as if they may still be used. This is one of the only privately owned land plots on Princess Royal Island.

The town had a brilliant, self-contained power system. A pipeline was built to channel water from Butedale Lake above these falls and down to a hydro plant, providing natural electricity and (according to Google) some of the best block ice on the coast.

Entering Hartley Bay, like most of this area, only accessible by boat or seaplane. Described on Google as ‘an isolated, off-grid Indigenous community of roughly 170 residents…’

The ‘Where’s Waldo’ version of our boat on the municipal docks of Harley Bay

Modern power lines juxtapose with traditional monument art. The village is home to the Gitga’ata, members of the Tsimshian Nation.

The most unique and enjoyable experience of walking the boardwalks of Hartley Bay

While investigating the trails we found the Frisbee Golf Course. Larry cleaned my clock and got a hole in one on the 9th basket from 75 yards out!

After golf we continued on the boardwalk through the shady forest near the creek…

…this creek is at the base of the Salmon Hatchery that the town uses to help support itself and the salmon fisheries.

The Salmon Hatchery was started in 1981 to help the depleted salmon fisheries

The salmon smoke house is located, smartly, across from the hatchery

Shearwater/Bella Bella to Bottleneck Anchorage (Via Fiordland Conservancy), B.C., Canada (106NM)

June 03, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

Clouds and a light rain follow us on our cruise to the Fiordland area. The entry to the passage is much like others - marked by massive shear mountains that have the most tenacious trees I have ever seen. There can’t be more than a few feet of soil and yet these mountains are spiked with trees clinging together in great forests. Every once in a while you see huge raw scrapes of rockface where the trees and soil gave way to create massive slides. We cruise by these epic forests while passing waterfalls that wind in ribbons down thousands of feet to the water. Truly spectacular…leading to way too many pictures…

I neglected to mention the large community of ravens on Bella Bella. They are curious and smart and have an amazing array of calls. As we leave Shearwater and Bella Bella, I happened to glance back and find our friend (Edgar?) hitching a ride. He hung out with us for a little while and it looked like he was having fun.

I apologize in advance for the quantity of waterfall photos. But I dare you to not take a you-know-what-load. Thank god it wasn’t a blue sky day…

The glacial valleys have lakes that store the water for many of these falls

This is a pretty large fishing vessel dwarfed by these immense and shear mountains

More interesting glacial formations ahead

Looking back at the entry of our anchorage at Bottleneck

Morning fog and clouds at the Bottleneck anchorage

Eucott Bay Anchorage to Shearwater & Bella Bella, B.C., Canada (42NM)

June 03, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

Another short hop on a beautiful day brings us to Shearwater. We spend two nights here in order to fuel up, do laundry and provision at Bella Bella. I attempted to go for a jog our first morning and less than a quarter mile in I was (thankfully) warned by a very nice local that perhaps that was not the best activity. A mother bear with her two cubs was spotted in the area that day and the day prior a wolf had killed his neighbors dog…about face and back to the boat!!!

Nice day for a cruise among the snow-capped mountains that dive into the sea

Shearwater “Gateway to the Great Bear Rainforest”. I guess that sign should have served as my first warning not to go for a jog here.”

“Bella Bella - United in History” by Paul Ygartua, 2013. This mural is the one of the first things you see as you come off the dock in Shearwater. Depicts the four founding Haitzaqv (Heitsuk) Chiefs and other influential figures from Denny Island and Waglisla (Bella Bella) history. (Google)

We take the little shuttle (Sea Taxi) from the dock at Shearwater to Bella Bella ($10 Canadian/person) to provision and walk around the town. The dock at Bella Bella is very small and mostly reserved for Commercial or local boats.

The Heiltsuk people are trying to keep their Wakashan language alive in many forms (eagle on the top of the light pole)

Tlingit & Haida “Hold Each Other Up”. Eders/ancestors teaching, supporting the next generation. Symbolizing unity and support and the cultural responsibility to mentor and elevate others within the community (Google).

Didn’t see one Tesla during our five mile walk around town but we sure saw a lot of gas/diesel Dodge, GMC, Ford, etc.

Looking back across the water toward Shearwater

This nice little cove is a rest for the eye. I sadly must report that Bella Bella residents have a horrible ‘litter-bug’ problem. The trash and broken down boats, trailers and vehicles are everywhere…really tragic.

Where was he drinkin’?1? This is at high tide…

By accident we found an incredible nature trail that someone had lovingly made and tended. It started right by this creek….

…and leads over a little hill to this pretty little lake with a trail and boardwalk that circles it.

Leaving Shearwater early the next morning for a big transit day (we are behind the sailboat)

Ocean Falls to Eucott Bay Anchorage, BC, Canada (43NM)

June 03, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

Sweet Eva sends us off from Ocean Falls with homemade Lemon Poppy Seed Cake and a loaf of Cheese Bread - how very exciting! We cruise in light chop and drizzle by snow-capped mountains and in just a little over an hour we are already at our anchorage in Eucott Bay. A nice shallow anchorage of about twenty or so feet. We let out our chain and line in the middle of the bay and take in the 360 degree views. The drizzle lightens and eventually stops and the sun comes out along with big puffy clouds. It is so nice that we decide to inflate the kayak and go for a paddle.

Snow-capped mountains and still quite a bite in the air as we move on North through Dean Channel

First time getting the Kayak activated from Independence II

Young bears (I think) foraging for shellfish at low tide

A very light colored bear along with his darker brown furred friends

Eucott Hot Springs. From Google “The mineral-rich water emerges from the bedrock at a comfortable roughly 111 degrees F (44 degrees C). Used for generations by Nuxalk people, the pools were later reinforced with boulders and concrete slab by locals from the Ocean Falls.”

The runoff from the hot springs steams as it meets the cooler waters of the bay

Sail boat ‘Sky Bird’ in the distance. Our only other neighbor in the bay that evening.

Codville Lagoon Anchorage to Ocean Falls, BC, Canada (22NM) - Wx Hold!

May 24, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

Some readers may not know that Larry and I attempted this adventure, toward Alaska, two years ago. For many reasons we aborted and ended up selling our beloved and wonderful Nordhavn Coastal Pilot - Independence. Now, with Independence II, we have broken new seas that we did not get to, two years ago. We have made it through many hurdles; the Seymour Narrows, Johnstone Strait, the open ocean and Cape Caution…and one more…our first night at anchor on Independence II.

The entry to Codville Lagoon anchorage could be easily overlooked without charts. You slip through a narrow opening of perhaps 100 feet and travel down and around little fingers until you find your perfect spot…kinda like Goldilocks…one is too deep, one is too close to the rock wall, and one is just perfect (perhaps a topic for a future Captain’s Post?). Our perfect spot to drop the anchor was in 20 feet of water and we let out over a 120 feet of chain & rope (for a night forecasted without wind). The night was calm, the skies cleared a bit and we enjoyed a peaceful late afternoon and evening on the hook.

Exiting Codville Lagoon on a beautiful morning after a really pleasant night at anchor

The following morning brought gorgeous sunshine for our short and breathtakingly beautiful transit to Ocean Falls. Dramatic, tree covered mountains that plunge into the sea. My photos do not do the scenery justice…it is far more stunning.

Ocean Falls with the highly visible dam and spillway

With a search on Google, this came up for Ocean Falls prior to its daming in 1916-1917

We dock at the sweet little Ocean Falls Harbour. Eva, the dock manager, comes to greet us. She is so very kind and gracious and we end up doing a fantastic hike through the forest with her the next day. Eva has lived in Ocean Falls for over 20 years and had a great wealth of knowledge about her town.

In the early 1900’s Ocean Falls was targeted as a Mill Town due to the massive quantity of water that falls from the sky onto the steep mountains and collects in 3 upstream lakes that emptied over a massive waterfall. The waterfall was dammed for it’s hydroelectric power, a Pulp Mill built and 3,500 people lived in Ocean Falls until it’s slow and eventual demise during the ‘70’s & final death in 1983. The town currently retains about 50 residents that live in this beautiful, serene and VERY wet location (over 150 inches of rain annually - the locals are named ‘Rain People’). They enjoy world class fishing, crabbing and prawning in any weather.

Speaking of weather…we will be docked safely at Ocean Falls Harbour for three nights, as a major storm is forecasted for the coast (with inner area affects potential). We are so very thankful to be done with that portion of the trip…be safe out there!!!

Larry screenshot this epic vortex from Windy for Sunday the 24th. The winds in the color magenta are 35+MPH with waves of 8 ft every 12 seconds!!!. This is the area we transited just a few days ago.

Eva lent us her copy of *Rain People*, by Bruce Ramsey. A great book on the history of Ocean Falls. The cover photo gives you an idea of the massive Link Lake(s) that were dammed for the hydroelectric power.

The map of Ocean Falls township from 1949 - Its’heyday. Map also from Bruce Ramsey’s book *Rain People*

The Martin Inn completed in 1953 and once one of the largest and busiest in BC

Sweet Eva takes us on an epic walk in the rain forest

Massive tree stumps from the old growth felled for building or the Pulp Mill

The Japanese Baby Cemetery. Many appeared to be stillborn or passed within a month. Japanese labor was very important to the Pulp Mill operations but the support for young mothers was not available. Combined with poor pay, poor prenatal diet and lack of hospital access the outlook was bleak.

Kind people in the sailboat ‘Sky Bird’ gave us some of their fresh Dungeness crab

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pib4zS2Vaeo

The City They Burned: The Rise, Fall, and Last Residents of a Forgotten Canadian Town.

Above is a link to a great video on Ocean Falls featuring Eva (the wonderful dock manager) and her husband Rob - an original ‘Rain People’ born and raised!!!

Captain's Post #23 - Port McNeill to Codville Lagoon Anchorage, BC, Canada (103NM) - AKA Open Ocean & Cape Caution

May 24, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

By Larry McCullough

The anticipation of something is half the pleasure, or something like that. With a stressful event, that is in the future, sometimes doing more and more research and planning adds to the stress so that when the event finally happens the stress is relieved even before you start the adventure. Such is the story of our adventure with Cape Caution.

I did the research, planned the route, checked not only the Windy App but also the Canadian weather information and it looked like a great time to embark on the crossing of the Cape. Let’s get this over with, I thought when I woke up Thursday morning.

I immediately turned on the chart plotter when I got up, after the coffee maker of course. Unlike the prior morning, I did not have the computer plugged in and in a sleepy haze not knock over my coffee cup onto the floor when I tripped over the computer power cable, &#*@, poor Jamie, I try cleaning it up but I am replaced by the varsity crew.

The aluminum hull of the boat acts like a submarines sonar system therefore the noise of the other boats in the harbor turning on their engines and bow thrusters as they get under way can be heard. Sounds good to me, we will have company and other people feel that today is a good day for the journey also. They are soon out of the harbor, about seven boats in total, no worries we will be out ahead of them soon enough. We follow them out at 6:15AM.

In Broughton Strait by 6:30AM…passing all the boats that left an hour before us. Mustang float coats on the ready…safety first

Around the point on Malcolm Island, the heading is pre programmed into our charts for the fastest time to Cape Caution with the conditions looking so favorable. Three of the boats that left before us are headed for Goletas Channel, not sure why they are going that way which is more straight west as opposed to us going more north west, it will not only make their crossing longer but it will also put the seas to their beam longer (that means taking the waves more at the side of the boat then off the front of the boat). Am I doing something wrong, did I misread something? No I didn’t think so, just get me around the corner and lets get this over with.

We pass between Deserters Island, which provides us some protection at 7:08AM, time to take a break and dispose of the prior consumed coffee, up pops a whale just of the bow! So glad we were going slow.

So very lucky to have seen this Humpback Whale as we passed Deserters Island

I used the autopilot to steer the course and I was the throttle man, adjusting the speed to the varying wavelengths and heights. It worked out well. Soon we turned north taking the inside route, now Cape Caution was coming up on our starboard side (right side), it was only 8:20AM. It suddenly was a bit rougher as the outgoing tide mixed with the ocean swell of 4 feet every 8 seconds, pulling back on the throttles made the ride comfortable. I mentioned to Jamie, this will be short lived because of the mixing. We soon made it around the Cape, and away from the currents mixing and I felt relief, it was not quite time to get the blender out to do some other form of mixing. The route I chose, via the Garmin Chart Plotter suggested routes, took us through a channel that brought us close to the rocks on the Cape along with more rocks and small islands off to our port side. No time to relax, but the seas calmed down and after a few more miles the boat was up “on plane” at a speed of 35 MPH, the sweet spot where we get the best MPH.

What an amazing day…on approach to Cape Caution

A perfect day to make the open ocean crossing and round Cape Caution

Another 15 miles and we entered Fitz Hugh Sound with Calvert Island providing protection from the ocean swells. Occasionally, we would have to slow down because of debris in the water, sometimes looking like a bomb went off, Jamie’s description. Fitz Hugh Sound is very wide, 3 miles in some spots and deep, 500 - 1,000 feet deep in places. Small and large logs all over the place. In one spot it, in over 500 feet of water mid channel, there appeared to be a small log up ahead. I turn to port and as we approach the “log”, it turns out it is an otter cracking shells on his belly! What is he/she/they/them or whatever pronoun it prefers doing out there so far from shore in such deep water!

The mountains in shadow behind Castor Cove

Jamie gets time at the helm as we roll by Calvert Island

We were making great time and enjoying the beauty of this remarkable coast. Then the rain started with fog, visibility dropped down to maybe a ¼ mile which is about impossible to tell distances in such conditions. But, no worries, I had turned the radar on prior and it was already to go with no warm up time. I see a big blip on the radar screen with an accompanying AIS (Automatic Identification System) symbol next to the blip. I inform Jamie that my eyes will be looking at the screen, as opposed to out the windshield so that she is even more diligent than usual, and I click on the symbol and learn that it is a cruise ship that some of my Mountain Biking buddies were on with their wives a few weeks ago.

A very dense fog descends near Nalau Island. Time to activate radar.

The MV Kennicott is visible on the radar way before we can see the 382-foot-long ship

Past the cruise ship, more exploded bombs in the water. I make the decision that we would go further up the sound to an anchorage and take advantage of the calm water, also it wasn’t even 9:00AM yet! More fog, rain, and debris in the water as we pulled into Codville Lagoon at 11:05AM, in time for lunch. We left at 6:15AM, the engines hours were 5:47 traveled 103NM. Damn, to early for a celebratory cocktail!

After 103NM and approximately 4.5 hours we arrive at Codville Lagoon to anchor for the night.

Amazing rock sedimentation that retains enough soil to grow these tall trees. The lagoon is perfect for anchoring - not deep with some sandy bottoms, beautiful and quiet.

Halibut off the grill with a spinach salad. Our first meal enjoyed at anchor on Independence II.

Captain's Post #22 - Campbell River to Port McNeill, BC, Canada (101NM)

May 20, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

By Larry McCullough

Leaving Campbell River and heading towards Seymour Narrows

I must say it has been a very interesting month with the new boat. As with all things new, which have any complexities, some bugs must be worked out - this is to be expected. The main thing is to work them out, solve the problem and then move onto the next one. Life Proof has been working with us to solve the problems now or when we return south in a few months, thank you Life Proof.

Jamie has kept you updated on the trip up to yesterday….

The dashed line shows our route up to date

Let me tell you about yesterday! We left Campbell River just before 7AM under ideal conditions, I had read about Seymour Narrows and felt very comfortable with the passage, even more so than when we did Malibu Rapids aboard the original Independence. We arrived at the Narrows at slack tide and rode an outgoing tide all the way to Port McNeill, 100 miles. Even with the idle time going in and out of the marinas we made it in exactly 3 hours! That is far from the whole story…

I use the “Windy” app which has some great features, for longtime readers you might remember me singing their praise when we returned from Honduras to Florida due to COVID shutting down Central America (see May 8th, 2020, Captain’s Post #8) and when we left San Jose del Cabo to Ensenada (see May 21st, 2022 Captain’s Post #15), I plotted wave heights, winds, currents etc.. Up here I use many of the same features, but I wondered why there was a blank zone on their map in the Johnstone Strait area, which we went through yesterday.

The blank zone on Windy with the crazy currents in Johnstone Straits

I think I figured out why, they can’t predict the wave heights or wind all that accurately. As we were cruising I was surprised by the wave heights in the mixing zones where the outgoing tides met in Johnstone Straits. At one point it became so rough we slowed down to an idle and went up an estimated 4 foot wave, down the steep backside and were immediately met with another 4 footer that was scooped up by the bow and headed straight for the windshield…and then another and another. Jamie later said she was grateful that there were no logs being scooped up.

Just one of many…at least this large log has a nice bird standing on it to warn us

The windshield, or should I say waveshield, did the job, obviously or I would not be writing about the experience. To be honest, I must say there was a slight pucker factor, but I was not that worried because the angles of the wind shield deflect the water very well and the glass is very thick. There are many stories in the Pacific Northwest about inferior boats having their windshields smashed in. We did take in a bit of water from in the forward hatch, but Jamie was not very upset because it dumped on my side of the bed. This was a very unusual situation to put the boat through, but then again maybe not up here with these crazy currents.

Tomorrow is another adventure, we will leave Port McNeill around 6:30AM and plan to round Cape Caution, right up there with the Point Conception pucker factor. We waited for very favorable conditions then, when we did that passage in the original Independence 4 years ago, and tomorrow’s conditions also look very favorable. It is good that Windy has a yearly subscription because if I had to pay per visit I would be broke.

I am sure some of you are wondering about fuel prices. Yesterday we topped the tank off and paid $6.20 US per gallon, about the same price I imagine it is back home at a Chevron station but way cheaper than the marinas back home.

A couple well deserved cold ones at Gus’ Pub

Vancouver to Pender Harbour to Campbell River, BC Canada (118NM)

May 20, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

We depart Vancouver (False Creek & English Bay) on Victoria Day and are met with some bouncy water as we transit Burrard Inlet and head North up the Strait of Georgia toward Pender Harbour. The water calms as we enter the inner bays and dock at the first-come, first-serve Hospital Bay Public Wharf. We walk up to town and find the city in party mode for their 81st May Day, which celebrates the arrival of spring and is the Sunshine Coast’s oldest and longest-running event. The festival is grand community gathering with a classic car parade, home-made go carts, stilt walkers and dunk tanks, face painters and beer gardens. As we return to the dock we find fisherman at the Commercial Dock selling live Spot Prawns. Two pounds of prawns end up on the back deck BBQ of Independence II and dinner is in the pot.

The next day we get an early start and cross the Strait of Georgia to Campbell River. An amazingly fast and enjoyable crossing. The boat does so great in short tight chop, getting incredible gas mileage of 1 gallon to 1 mile while averaging 35 MPH.

The Captain concentrating on navigating the waves of the Strait of Georgia

…leaves me with some clean-up on arrival…

Entering the beautiful bays of Pender Harbour

Pender Harbour May Day Festival…stilt walkers, street food, music and fun….

…including some very cool home crafted go carts

Back deck view from Independence II docked at the Hospital Bay Public Wharf

The freshest prawns I have ever had (and our first Spot Prawns!). From snapping in the bag to boiling in the pot and then dropped on top the salad…so delicious!

Beautiful evening light on the waters of Pender Harbour

Departing Pender Harbour for Campbell River

Campbell River Bald Eagles over the Native American Cemetery

Victoria to Oak Bay to Sidney to Vancouver, BC, Canada (96.2NM)

May 15, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

A little windy and wavy exiting Victoria harbor but following winds calmed our transit to Oak Bay. We pulled into the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and enjoyed a nice bar dinner and chat with the members of this great club. Very warm and personable and so happy our club the SFYC enjoys a reciprocal relationship with this world class club!

The following day we transit for an overnight at Port Sidney, such a sweet spot in this good weather we are enjoying.

From Sidney we wind though the islands and across the Strait of Georgia over to Vancouver. Traveling at our ‘new’ normal speed of 25 to 30 MPH takes some getting used to. Our current rule is NEVER take your eyes off the water. Well, at least not both of us at the same time. The amount of debris in the water around here is crazy and traveling at this fast speed is pretty stressful as the consequences are frightening.

We gather from the locals, at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, that this little seaplane is headed to Victoria for a movie or series being filmed in town. It was too windy to get her in safely earlier today but they did depart later in the afternoon when the winds had calmed.

The charming Royal Victoria Yacht Club in Oak Bay. Thank you for your hospitality!

Port Sydney Harbor. Independence II at the end of the first finger.

Sweet but smelly. Our Harbor Seal dock friend.

Entering Vancouver Harbour under Lyons bridge

About to empty the wallet at the Chevron float in Victoria Harbour

If we pump it faster perhaps it won’t hurt so much!!!

Around the corner and under Granville Street Bridge up False Creek to the Quayside Marina

After cleaning up the boat we take one of the little harbor ferries toward Granville Island. We can not get all the way to the island as a women was threatening to jump from the bridge. Above these charming floating homes, you can see that there are no cars on the bridge span. The bridge and water below and all areas within a viewpoint were cordoned off to prevent gawkers and social media posting of this sensitive situation. Thousands of people were affected by the road closure. Unfortunately, the story ended sadly with the woman’s death by falling from the Granville Street Bridge after 9 hours of effort to save her.

The farthest we can go due to all the closures is the Sand Bar Restaurant. But they have amazing dinner salads with Ahi and Prawns.

Quayside Marina dock friend Great Blue Heron

Bremerton to Kirkland, Lake Union, Port Townsend, WA to Victoria, Canada (187NM)

May 12, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

We depart Bremerton the last week of April, after some warranty work on the boat and head to Lake Union through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. We have not gone through a lock in a long time but the approximately, 26 foot up-lock goes smoothly from the waters of Puget Sound into the welcome fresh water of Lake Union, WA. We ride up in the small lock with one other boat and it only takes us a short 15ish minutes. The lock masters are very informative and quite patient, directing you to the proper side of the lock and the proper ‘button’ to wrap your line onto and when to exit the lock. After an overnight in Kirkland we make our way to the Southern end of Lake Union to Chandler’s Cove Marina. Cruising right by the floating home from the movie Sleepless in Seattle and then dock in the shadow of the Seattle Space Needle. Here we meet up with Dawn & John Owen, friends from our San Francisco Yacht Club. They have purchased a beautiful Riviera boat named ‘Calypso’ and we are looking forward to ‘buddy boating’ with them after we enjoy the Seattle area for a bit.

Almost to the top of the small Hiram M. Chittenden Lock (for lock details see May 8th, 2024)

Just one night at the City Dock in Kirkland, as it was a bit exposed to wind and wave chop for a good night’s sleep…

…but, the Central Tavern Bar hit the mark for us!

Picturesque cruise into South Lake Union

Cruising by the floating home from the movie *Sleepless in Seattle* (1993)

Chandler’s Cove Marina, a fantastic location for hopping around Seattle

John & Dawn and their beautiful boat Calypso

A fantastic surprise visit from Natalie & Jess Nelson ! So we took them on a boat ride through the ‘cut’ to the log boom and back

We just so happened to be in town for Seattle Yacht Club’s Opening Day festivities - they know how to thow a party!

I passed my ‘Canada Quiz’ to be able to proceed down the dock to the Canadian Party…plenty of Poutine & Molson!

Playing tourist in Seattle…Space Needle visit….

…followed by a visit to Pike Place Market…

After checking in with Canadian Customs, at the Raymur Dock, we tie up at our fabulous dock site at the base of The Empress Hotel

Good fun with our cruising buddies, John & Dawn

The Q Bar at The Empress Hotel has been remodeled since our last visit two years ago…I like this more stately decor that resonates with the old Bengal Bar shuttered in 2016.

These charming little ferries that you see all over the harbor are called Pickle Boats that date from 1996. There are only 14 but it seems as if there are twice that number. I heard they offer a Pub Tour….

So naturally, we have to do the Pickle Pub Boat Tour!!!

Highly recommend the Pickle Boat Pub Tour. Two harbor crossing and four pub stops.

Cross the harbor to Fisherman’s Village for our second stop on the crawl

Sunday is Pickle Boat water ballet in the harbor at 10:30AM

Busy Victoria Harbor…love those de Havilland Beavers!

A great visit with my family, Jennifer & Aaron Rodd at John’s Place

She's Official

April 29, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

Finally had a little nice weather in Bremerton, WA so we could put the name on the back of the boat. Considering it came from BoatUS I think it looks pretty good (and almost no arguing during application!)

Shakedown Cruise

April 26, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

As of the first of May, we will have had ownership of the Independence II for almost two months and spent at least two weeks on her during that time. She has been outfitted with our personal belongings, the galley is furnished, tools and fishing gear are stowed and the fridge, freezer and Yeti are full to capacity…and she’s still floating!!!

The first load of ALL of our stuff driven from Tiburon, CA to Port Orchard, WA. The Jeep was FULL and now it has all been transferred onto Independence II and she is still floating!

Most importantly, the galley coffee station is ready!

Our Shake Down cruise was the third week of March to the sweet little town of Poulsbo, WA (think Nordhavn Rendezvous in 2024). The daily temperature, on average, was in the mid 50’s (F) while Tiburon, CA was 90 (F) degrees!!! We had a nice chilly, brief overnight and then raced back to the safety of our slip at the Bremerton Marina as a big and windy squall was due over the next few days.

A bit on the chilly side, but that doesn’t stop us…

Birthday Beers at Valholl Brewing in Poulsbo, WA

7:00PM…time for bed…this town is REALLY quiet…

During our Shake Down we identified a few issues that have been, and are being, addressed by our friends at Life Proof. In between appointments we have also cruised to the massive marina in Everette, WA to pick-up a downrigger and other fishing gear and the charming towns of Winslow (Bainbridge Island) and Gig Harbor for quick hellos to local friends.

Independence II docked at the Port Everette Marina

The historic Weyerhaeuser Building moved to this location in 2016 and has been restored and reopened as ‘The Muse’ a coffee & whiskey house. Worth a visit.

One of the moves of The Weyerhaeuser Building in 1938 on two scows, then three tugboats pulled it through the harbor and up the Snohomish River to the east side of Everett. Info courtesy Forest History Society

Of course the Pacific Northwest meant lumber back in the day (1900’s) and if you worked in the mills long enough you probably were short a few fingers before you could count to 10

Views from the walking path around the Port Everette Marina

Chris and Sue took time from their busy schedule to buzz on over to Winslow (Bainbridge Island) for lunch.

Thank you Saani and Scott for coming to Gig Harbor and hangin’ out on the new Independence II

Dragon boats at Gig Harbor getting ready for a charity event

Awesome views of Mount Rainier at Gig Harbor

The big Merc’s cruising through the PNW waters

In total we have gone 150NM on the new boat. The rule is to vary the engine speeds for 25 hours and then have the oil changed on those massive Merc 600 V12 engines. Also, known as the “break-in” period. We will have the engines serviced in Seattle, as we head there tomorrow. We will eventually meet our friends from Marin, CA. to celebrate Opening Day at the Seattle Yacht Club the first weekend of May. Fun times ahead!

When the anchor is down or the lines are on the dock…time for a Don Lorenzo & a cold one…Cheers!

Our Marin County Civic Center and Courthouse. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the ‘60’s. Ironically, Wright favored open, honest layouts that allowed for a free flow of space, often referred to as “truth against the world”. Photo courtesy of bing.com

Captain's Post #21 - Findings of Facts & Next Steps...

March 30, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

By Larry McCullough

I received my “Findings of Facts” from the County last week regarding the 2023 assessment that included overvaluation, a 10% penalty and an interest charge for the penalty and being late. I won, well partially.

I must say how unsettling this entire process has been, although I have not lived in Marin my entire life, I have always called Marin “home”. I feel like a family member or an old friend has turned on me.

The latest example of the, what’s the word I am looking for: dishonesty; manipulation; corruption; or how about just plain old BS is the following. Jamie and I were traveling, and I received an email from the County saying, “Because the December 12, 2025, hearing occurred within 180 days of the expiration of the two-year period for your case, Property Tax Rule 325(b) requires a written agreement to extend the two-year period to 180 days…”. This is the third time that they have tried to delay the 2023 hearing and Findings. Needless to say, I was not happy. Various emails went back and forth with me saying this must be a mistake, blah blah blah. Then I finally hit the nail on the head, I said that I am away from my house so I can’t check my records, but I will check them when I get home, but I believe I did check that box when I filled out my Appeal two years ago, way longer than 180 days ago.

The next morning there was my “Findings of Facts” in my inbox! Just like when I did not allow the delay in December about the 2024 assessment. I won on several fronts but not on the big one, the Sales Tax being added every year. BUT this is a big win for some other people. Those people who I refer to have not had their boat found or they have not reported ownership to the County. I believe this is why the County wanted to delay my Findings; I cannot come up with any other explanation.

I had the foresight to do a ‘screen shot” of the Counties web page a few years ago. The “Question and Answer” page listed that the County found out ownership by the USCG, Harbor Masters and the DMV, nothing about me having to report ownership. That Changed in June just before my August hearing. Now you are obliged to report ownership to the County if your boat is worth over $100,000. I believe that my line “isn’t that what a question-and-answer page is for, answering my questions. It says they get the information”. If you have not reported your boat and it was brought into the County before last June you could be in luck, I have the paperwork that could help you out. I think that is why the County kept on trying to delay.

The Appeals Board also reduced the valuation a small amount, every bit helps especially regarding the Marine Assessor SOB who said, “I have never lost a case”, well now he has lost two.

Now the big one, Sales Tax being added. As I previously mentioned in my last email I have a contact at the Pacific Legal Foundation. They reviewed the case and said “it still makes no sense in my opinion that you should pay that tax-on-tax every year…The upshot of that analysis is that to win a case like yours, one would likely have to get the First District Court of Appeals to depart from the prior Xerox case and the 40+ year old administrative agency guidance implementing it, or hope for discretionary review at the California Supreme Court after losing at trial and appeal. That is a long road of litigation for a relatively small tax, and PLF does not ordinarily do tax cases”.

As I was figuring out how much the County owed me, and as I had mentioned in a prior email, the County also adds school and health bonds to the assessment. Those numbers are based on the “full assessed value”, which means after sales tax has been added, in other words we are paying sales tax on the health and school bonds. This was not part of the Xerox case, additional grounds for an appeal IMHO. I asked the lawyer from the PLF this very question and his response was: "I think that’s the opening—it may cause a court to distinguish this from the Xerox case, and create a little bit of a mess (i.e. you can tax the fair value plus sales tax, per Xerox, but then you have to ignore the sales tax when determining the contribution for bonds. That mixed result of confusion could make the case more attractive for the California Supreme Court to review one day...The reason I wanted to avoid it is because it will take a lot of litigation in the trial court, then appellate court, and maybe losing in both, to get a shot at a Cal Supreme Court petition for review—which is discretionary, and a long shot".

I have six months to file with Marin Superior Court. In doing the research in what that entails it looks like I would need a lawyer, please let me know if you have someone who will help.

Image courtesy of Life Proof. The first sea trial for Independence II

Captain's Post #20 - Delivery is on the Horizon!

March 10, 2026 by Jamie McCullough

By Larry McCullough

The time is almost here to take delivery of our new boat, a Life Proof 35. We were supposed to take delivery this week but a look at the weather, and a couple other developments, put it on hold for a week. The weather here in the SF Bay Area is incredible, in the 70s, light winds, beautiful! Weather in Bremerton Washington today 30 degrees with snow, rain and throw in some wind. Not a good day to test drive the boat.

It has been a lot of work getting ready for our upcoming trip, mostly done by Jamie I might add (she is the editor so I am sure she would have corrected me). We have a tenant for the house, have the jeep all loaded up with boat stuff and we will be off shortly.

The plan is to cruise the Puget Sound area and become familiar with the boat and find any bugs that need fixing. We would then cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria BC and start working our way north to the top of Vancouver Island and wait for some calm weather towards the end of May. From the top of Vancouver Island to the protected waters of “The Inside Passage” there is a 35-mile open stretch of ocean (Port Hardy to roughly Bella Bella) that can have waves of 12 feet or more but on calm days can be very tolerable.

Map courtesy of www.traveldiariesapp.com

With our new boat we can make very good time, our cruising speed will probably be in the low 30s mph with a distance range of around 350 miles. At those speeds we must be careful of the debris in the water, especially the logs that break away from the log rafts. From a friend that has cruised to Alaska many times that is a problem mostly in Canada from all the logging they do with the transportation of those logs via the waterways.

We hope to make it up to Juneau and Glacier Bay around Summer Solstice.

We will then start working our way south and try to enjoy the remaining summer months in the San Juan Islands along with a visit to Princess Louisa Inlet again.

At the end of the Summer, the plan is to bring the boat back to the company for a service and a trailer ride across the Country to do the Great Loop again, yes again! The original Independence was so large we had to avoid certain areas due it’s overall length and draft (how far down in the water the boat sits). With the speed of the new boat we can also explore some areas that on our previous trip were to far out of the way.

Maybe someday we can bring the boat to the SF Bay Area but the management of the State might prohibit that. I am surprised by how many people in the State are unaware of the impending closure of two refineries in the State. Valero for instance is located in Benicia and was originally constructed in 1968 and bought by Valero in 2000. They recently announced that due to California regulations they are losing too much money and will walk away from the billion-dollar asset. The company's stock price actually went up on the day of the announcement, how screwy is that?!? How screwy is California?!? Gasoline prices are predicted to go up by $2 to $4 per gallon. Chevron is also threatening to leave; they started in California and have been in business here since 1879! California’s indigenous peoples couldn’t chase them out ‘back in the day’ but it looks like the politicians might.

Captain’s Post #19 - Update on Property Tax Appeal

December 29, 2025 by Jamie McCullough

By Larry McCullough

Well, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. As promised here is an update on the Property Tax Appeal. It has been an interesting few months. I believe you all know by now that I am very upset with the County of Marin, specifically by the Marine Division of the Assessor’s Office, and let’s also mention my County Supervisor who would not even return an email. I will mention that there have been a handful of people I have dealt with that have been very nice and helpful.

In the last post I gave an explanation to what has occurred over the last 2 years with the Assessor and now I will give an update on the August hearing that was for my 2024 tax assessment on Independence.

Before I forget, Hello Ric Rosales (the Marine Assessor I have been dealing with), since your minion mentioned visiting the website!

One week before the December 12th hearing of my 2023 assessment of Independence I received an email from the Marin Assessment Appeals Board stating that the Assessor was requesting a postponement of the hearing on the 12th. That was the last thing I wanted, a postponement to February or March, I declined. Within an hour or so I received a ruling about my 2024 assessment that said I would now be assessed at the reduced rate of $1,500,000. However, the specifics were left out regarding whether Sales Tax was being added or not, a sizable difference. Either way, I felt some form of victory, as now I had spoiled Rosales’ self-reported “perfect record of never losing a case”. His attempt at intimidation failed.

I had done a tremendous amount of preparation for the Dec 12th hearing, countless hours, I was ready, maybe too ready. Jamie and I arrived at 8:45AM and we did not have our hearing until 3:30PM. I must say, it was very interesting hearing the other cases that all involved real estate (houses/condos). I found the Assessor for Real Estate to be quite reasonable and at times very sympathetic, as he tried to work with the homeowners. He spent hours at an elderly gentleman’s home (our assessor refused to make an in-person inspection of the wear and tear on our boat). I started to like this assessor, as he was very reasonable and I must say accommodating. After the lunch break we were walking back to the hearing at the same time, and I told him I thought he had a tough job and how I thought he was very nice to that man.

Now our story. As mentioned, we were not heard until 3:30PM, the last case of the day. I started off by reading my rights as a taxpayer. Within a few minutes I was told by the ranking Appeals Board member to speed it up, as “we have this in writing you don’t need to read it”. I went on to present my case, we were appealing the assessment value of Independence, the penalty and the interest charge.

For valuation, I had very detailed drawings comparing my boat, a 59-foot Nordhavn Coastal Pilot, to a 60-foot Nordhavn trawler, which is what the (Marine) Assessor used as a comp in August. The 60-foot is totally different in many ways, principally weighing 69 tons vs ours at 35 tons, almost twice as much (see comparison in the image included). Also, in August the Assessor claimed that inboard boats had appreciated 49% in 2021 according to JD Power. I found the exact document after the hearing therefore no chance to counter, as ‘Apelets’ are not given the opportunity of discovery of material used by the Assessor, thus no way to counter his claim in the August hearing. The JD Power report referred to inboard boats, such as wake and water ski boats, and the Assessor used them as comparables! I showed pictures of those inboard boats, Malibu, Supra, Correctcrafts, etc. and mentioned how they could fit in your garage.

I was told by the board to speed it up again.

I presented Mr. Rosales’ “evidence” from August where he said the Buck Book (a company that puts out values of boats) valued the boat at between $2.06 million and $2.235 million, I asked how can that be? No Nordhavn 59 had sold for more than $1.85 Million, also we owned the only 2016 Nordhavn 59, which we paid $1.575 Million for. The math does not work!

I was told by the board I only had 10 minutes left.

I was mad, I protested. I read the rest of my presentation as fast as I could, furiously and loudly into the microphone, at times yelling in frustration to emphasize a point.

I protested the penalty. In foresight, I had taken a screenshot of the Assessor’s Question and Answer page. It said that they get the information on who owns boats, not me having to tell them…” until just before the August hearing when they changed the web page to ‘if you own a boat you have to inform them’.

I finished in about 8 minutes. It was time for the Assessor to ask me questions and then to give his presentation. I guess Mr. Rosales did not want to lose another case because they brought in another person to give their presentation. He brings up the JD Power report again!!! I couldn’t believe it, was he napping just minutes ago? He dragged on and on, attempting to overwhelm with a large stack of paper. When he was done, one Board Member asked if they could just eliminate the penalty immediately. The Assessors said they were not legally able to eliminate the penalty and that the board will have to decide during their Advisement Period.

As the meeting was winding down the Assessor asked the Appeals Board if the lowering of the value to $1.5 million for my 2024 assessment included Sales Tax. The Chairman of the Board said that they need to have their lawyer review that. In my mind it is simple, the California Constitution states that Personal Property Tax is to be taxed at 1% and the assessed value is what a person could sell their property at on the lien date in an arm’s length transaction.

The Appeals Board had 4 months to render their decision for the August hearing which was Dec 13th. They now have an additional 2 months to give me the written decision which I paid an additional $250 for. I will keep you updated.

Image courtesy of Google Search - THIS DAY IN HISTORY - The Boston Tea Party 1773 - The Burning Platform

Captain's Post #18 - Why Is My Boat Taxed Like A Copy Machine?*

November 12, 2025 by Jamie McCullough

By Larry McCullough

It has been a while since I have done a post. As Jamie reported we sold the boat in January in Anacortes Wa to a very nice family. It was with very mixed emotions that we said good bye to our beloved Independence. We had an incredible journey with her that took us through some very challenging times, whether it be stuck in Honduras during COVID or having the anchor drag during a storm in the middle of the night in the Bahamas.

Having a boat like Independence is not the best choice for the San Francisco Bay Area. Independence was meant to cruise, explore and see North America. We now need a boat that can explore the SF Bay and Delta but before we do that we are going on another big adventure, more on that in the next post.

Today’s post is about the one thing that I hated about owning Independence. When we arrived in the Bay Area we had plans of staying for a few months and then heading north to the San Juan islands and Alaska. After arriving in the Bay Area my Mom soon realized she had lung cancer. She had already fought off and conquered one form of cancer and she did not want to go through more chemo, radiation and possibly surgery. Unfortunately she lost much of her will to fight after being locked up in a retirement home in Marin County during COVID. She succumbed to the cancer in April of 2023. I handled her estate and was handling her health care decisions along with my sister, a former nurse.

Needless to say we canceled our plans to travel north. In November of 2023 I contacted the Marin County Assessor to inquire why I had not received a Property Tax Assessment for Independence. That day they emailed me a form which I filled out and emailed back that very day. In February of 2024 I received a bill from the County for an assessment that was over 50% more than what we paid for the boat 5 years earlier! We paid $1,575,000 for the used boat and they had a “Full Assessed Value” of $2,387,000 which included a 10% penalty. In regard to the penalty nowhere in their website did it say that it was my responsibility to inform them, the exact opposite: “We obtain the information from the USCG, the Ca. DMV and Marina Harbormasters”. The $2,387,000 was multiplied by 1% to arrive at “Basic tax of $23,870, on top of that they added $1,723.36 for School Bonds, $494 for Health Bonds and interest of $586.96.

Needless to say I was shocked, I expected to pay around $15,000. Remember, we traveled over 15,000 miles, visited 6 countries, and 22 states, what boat appreciates after that kind of use?!?

I pleaded my case and they lowered the assessed value by $200,000 but the interest more than doubled because the new bill was sent later and is computed when the bill is printed. I pleaded some more and told the Jr. Assessor that you are going to force me to sell my boat, his response “I don’t blame you”.

I continued my pleading, at the Jr. Assessor’s suggestion I had a Survey done, $1,400 later he said you filed an Appeal and the Sr. Assessor said we will wait for the hearing. I called the Sr. Assessor and he bragged to me “I’ve never lost a case”. I filed Appeals for my 2023 Assessment and my 2024 Assessment.

The Hearing for my 2024 Assessment happened on August 15th of this year. I paid an extra $250 for what they call “Finding of Fact”, which means I receive a letter describing the reasons that the Appeal Board came up with their verdict. As I type today that hearing was almost 3 months ago, I still have not heard a word from the Appeals Board. I spent weeks preparing for the hearing and I believe I presented irrefutable evidence that they overvalued my boat.

What shocked me in doing my research was that the County adds Sales Tax to the value of the boat every year at the guidance of the California State Board of Equalization, the BOE. They base that on a court case, *Xerox vs Orange County in 1977. In that case, Xerox argued that sales tax should not be added to the monthly cost of leasing a copier. Orange County argued that we have to get the sales tax from someone or everybody would just lease items. The Court agreed and stated another case where the California Supreme Court ruled: “that the taxpayer consumer who owns his equipment will pay the same tax on identical equipment as the taxpayer who leases the equipment to the ultimate consumer.” Makes complete sense in that case. I argued, in my hearing, that by adding sales tax to the valuation it is making me pay more in taxes than if I leased the boat! Their form of taxation is against the State Constitution that limits Personal Property Taxes to 1% and the California Supreme Court rules that Personal Property should be assessed at what it can be sold for on the lien date (Jan 1).

My hearing for my 2023 Assessment is scheduled for mid-December. This will be interesting because I have not received a ruling for my 2024 assessment therefore, I will be stating much of my case again to the same Assessment Appeals Board. I will also be arguing against the addition of a penalty. Stay tuned!

Below is a link to a 7 minute YouTube video that has more details:

https://youtu.be/H33C_VwpkMk

Happy Independence Day!

July 06, 2025 by Jamie McCullough

It has been quite a while since our last post but now we are back! We hope you had a wonderful long weekend and celebrated our beautiful country with your friends and family…how truly lucky and thankful we are.

As I mention being thankful, I am prompted to write of how happy I am to be in the excited phase of boat ownership, once again. This current phase of excitement is a little new for us, as we are now in the process of building our next boat from the plans up.

Her name is Independence II and is a 35’ Life Proof boat (www.lifeproofboat.com). If you followed the ‘Log’ in the past you may have noticed that we took a peak and test drive on one over a year ago (see ‘Log’ entry ‘Seattle, WA to Bremerton, WA’ May 14, 2024). Since then we have put our wallet where our mouth is and have been to the manufacturers twice to be part of the building process. There are many decisions to make at this point, most of them The Captains’. That being said, I feel a Captains Post coming your way soon. Until then, here are a couple of images to get you intersted.