Saturday, September 12, 2009
Another summer like day and we are off for James Island at 0900 hours. Favorable flooding tides help us reach Friday Harbor by 1100 hours but then we confront the incoming push through Cattle pass and plod past Turn Island at 3 knots until we round the bend into the mouth of Humphrey Channel. The rest of our journey was mostly with the currents filling up around the southern San Juans. At 1300 hours we find no room at James. A small setback, we consult current charts and consider the light winds and calm seas and forecasted morning fog likely tomorrow. Soon we are making the crossing of Juan de Fuca across the mid afternoon sun sparkled surface. The decision was a commitment to a long day underway so we began planning our options for the night's safe harbor. Either Port Townsend or Port Ludlow, depending upon progress, weather and energy levels. We followed the southbound ebb along Whidbey east of Smith Island and met the countering northward flow from Puget Sound through Admiralty Inlet. The confluence of these currents occurs near Partridge Point and our speed slowed as we reached these converging waters near the end of the waning ebb. By 1730 hours, we drew even with Point Wilson and had secured a slip at Boat Haven marina in Port Townsend via 66A on the VHF. Our staysail deployed to assist the Yanmar, we were making near 7 knots in the 20 knot northwesterly. Now we joined the dozens of sailboats plying the waters off Port Townsend's shores. Boats of a colors, shapes, sizes. Sail configurations of unequaled variety. All this in celebration of the weekend's wooden boat festival. We ran the gauntlet of this eclectic water arcade, Brooke snapping pictures while helping point out crossing traffic. Finally, we were tied to dock with a stiff breeze on our nose, glad to be tied to the wood for the night.