Sprit de Coeur

Compare: spare padlock with daily oarlock. Apparently 1360 miles will wear down a piece of bronze. #insidepassage #oiselletheboat

That's all she wrote, folks. #oiselletheboat #insidepassage

Welcome flotilla of dories! #bellinghambay #oiselletheboat #insidepassage

As we round the corner of #portageisland, our destination finally comes into focus. #bellinghambay #insidepassage #oiselletheboat

Boat pose. Harder than it looks. #lastday #oiselletheboat #insidepassage #boatyoga

Alpenglow welcome. It's just like they say: there's no place like home. #insidepassage #oiselletheboat #wemadeit

Last night dirty beach selfie. #oiselletheboat #insidepassage #clarkisland

Views of #lummiisland from a perfect gravel beach on #clarkisland for the last night of our #insidepassage adventure. #oiselletheboat

We're so close to home we can taste it, yet today we learned the humbling lesson that even our lovely protected waters can be beastly. We made it a whopping four miles before calling it quits at #JonesIsland. On the upside, we meet a kindred spirit in another small open boater. #insidepassage #oiselletheboat

We've set foot on U.S. soils again, and our first stop after clearing customs is to visit with @paul_ahart, who built #oiselletheboat in 1981. In addition to serving up a fabulous dinner, Paul and his wife Marty showed us old photos of the boat and shared some great stories of their adventures. We learned that the #shawandtenney oars were a birthday present for Paul's 36th birthday! #fullcircle #insidepassage

The further south we've traveled, the more of these beautiful #arbutus we see. #signsofhome #insidepassage #oiselletheboat #jedediahisland

From #jedediahisland, we got our first glimpse of Mount Baker! #oiselletheboat #insidepassage

From #Portlandisland, we can see across into U.S. waters. Tonight is our last night in Canada! #oiselletheboat #insidepassage

On #Texadaisland, we learned that we can indeed push #oiselletheboat down the beach, fully loaded. Here we are, getting ready to launch into the surf in the fearsome #straitofgeorgia

One of the highlights of the last few days has been getting to explore and camp in some of B.C.'s provincial marine parks. Here's the view from Sunset Cove on #jedediahisland, which is the site of an old homestead, and still home to a large flock of feral sheep! #straitofgeorgia #oiselletheboat #insidepassage

Thanks to kayaker Rob for capturing some great images of the two of us afloat in the #straitofgeorgia

Sunrise, Nanaimo. Getting closer. #insidepassage #oiselletheboat