Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Another Summer Adventure in the Plans

Shatoosh, Pashmina and Hira have been weathering our winter storms by planning another great adventure. We had some snow flurries yesterday and the week is filled with one pacific storm after another. I'm nestled down with the fireplace going and lots of research books and my summer trip is warming my heart. This one will be filled with history and I am not certain how to present it all in the blog.

220 years ago, in 1792, an historic event took place in the Pacific Northwest corner of the  United States of America. The British Captain George Vancouver, Captain of HMS Discovery and Lt.  and Commander William Broughton of the consort ship, HMS Chatham, entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca and began their epic exploration of the waters of the majestic Salish Sea searching for the illusive Northwest Passage which would connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

On 20 May 1792, Lt Peter Puget, with orders from Captain George Vancouver, set out in 2 longboats with a total of 20 men, to explore the southern waters to map, make contact with the tribal indians and to look for the northwest passage. They began their exploration north of one of my favorite places, Blake Island. They were to keep the continental shore to starboard and were instructed to return within a week.
Our banner  which reflects our mission and motto.

My boating buddy, Too Tall Tom and his 16 ft. Arima, Skol, will be joining us, as we replicate this exploration of the southern waters. Captain Vancouver named it  "Puget's Sound" upon the Lieutenant returning to the mother ship, the HMS Discovery, which was anchored off Restoration Point on the southern tip of Bainbridge Island. Lat 47° 35'N, Long 122°28'W  I hope I have peeked your interest. This will be fun and a great way to celebrate this historic event and Shatoosh's 40th year.