Von Donop Inlet

Von Donop Inlet with Sailing Vessel Tamarac 7/13/2019

Von Donop Inlet 7/13/2019

A beautiful, sunny day for our 3-hour cruise to Von Donop Inlet to meet up with my longtime friend Sue and her husband John. Sue and I have been friends since the 1960’s, when attended high school together in England. We bear the same name and were born in the same year, on the same day. John refers to us as the twins.  Although there are often many years between our get togethers, our lives have followed very similar paths and successes.

Sue & John aboard their sailboat Tamarac were comfortably anchored at the head of Von Donop Inlet when we arrived.

Once we had Kaos secured and put to bed, they dinghied over for a reunion and an extended happy hour with lots of wine and storytelling.  A torrential, almost tropical down pour forced us down off of the sunny fly-bridge but did not dampen our spirits.

Following a plugged toilet aboard Kaos the next morning and a non-functioning alternator on Tamarac, Alan had earned his midday nap, while the rest of us dinghied to shore to hike the trail towards Squirrel Cove. The falling tide made dinghy tie-up challenging. John edged the dinghy into the rocky, muddy shore, necessitating Sue and I remove our sneakers and socks and wade a couple of feet to shore through smelly mud and across sharp oyster shells.

Once on shore, we had to don our socks and shoes, not an easy task. Hobbling across the sharp shells with mud squelching between our toes, we spied a small, flat rock. Amidst pain and laughter, we plunked way down and Sue produced the drinking water and a towel from her backpack and the messy clean-up began. Shoes finally on; it was now time to stand up, a more taxing task than anticipated! Upright now and ready to hit the trail, we picked our way across the rest of the sharp, shelled beach.

Meanwhile, John dragged the dinghy to a suitable tie-up, then waded ashore in his crocs.

A peaceful and sometimes challenging hike was enjoyed. The trip back across the beach to the dinghy was easier and less painful since we waded into the water with shoes still on and clambered back into the dink.


A combined effort for Happy hour & dinner aboard Kaos was enjoyed by all. Prior to dinner, we were entertained by John & his ukulele.

A fun and memorable evening together.


The following morning, Tamarac was ready to move on and rafted up to Kaos while we pumped 30 or so gallons of water into his tank. We said our farewells and watched Tamarac and crew sail off for their next adventure.

A wonderful and memorable re-union. Until we meet again!

Kaos spent a quiet day in Von Donop Inlet, reading, writing the blog and catching up with small boat chores.
Chores ended with a dinghy exploration down the Inlet to visit the reversing falls.

These waters are thick with jellyfish and although we are told that these do not sting, any thoughts of braving the cool for a refreshing swim were quickly forgotten.