An Eventful Return - 7/22/2012

We leave Fisherman Bay this morning, threading our way through the crab pots and knowing that many people will be eating well today.

Scattered Crab Pots

Small craft warnings are posted for this afternoon, so we leave at a four foot tide, carefully navigating the shallow areas until we are well into San Juan Channel.

As we cruise through Upright Channel, we meet a 27 foot blue Ranger Tug, with no name, so we don't know who she is.

We see the Chelan ferry as we pass Indian Cove, then see Yakima cruising by.

Bow Wave

As we look behind and to the side, we become aware that another ferry has not made progress and is traveling only two knots.  We wonder what is going on, and then see on AIS that there is a sailboat near her.  Maybe she waited for it to clear.


We turn south between Blakely and Lopez and pass Leo Reef -- makes us think of Nancy and Leo, friends in Little Rock.  

Leo Reef

Now the trip begins to be interesting.  Two small speed boats overtake us and give us a real roll.


The Victoria ferry, Victoria Star, comes from the direction of Bellingham, but does not terrorize the water.  All we get are one to two foot swells.  

The most interesting thing we see behind us is Siteam Jupiter, a large ship, whose direction we try to anticipate, in order to stay out of her way.


We soon see she is heading toward Guemes Channel along with us, but we don't think she will overtake us.  Herb kicks it up to 16 knots to make sure we are out of the way, and then sees two kayaks crossing the channel in front of us.  Why???


Uh, oh -- here comes Mystic Sea, a whale watching boat that has given us a huge wake in the past.  However, we are ready for it, but glad to see she is behaving today.......


Things calm down for a bit now and we enjoy seeing an American Tug.

American Tug

And then the Orient Approach.

We look about and there is no one -- no one -- coming toward us, so we should have an easy entrance into Cap Sante Boat Haven marina.  We don't see anything coming out behind the tall breakwater, until we are there. 


We follow a boat inside, but suddenly she stops abruptly.  We stop on a dime behind her, and watch as she goes around a floating cab pot buoy, and we plan to, also, but now there are a hundred boats coming in and out!  Well, maybe not that many, but enough that it was a real traffic jam -- gridlock almost.  


We finally are able to get past the buoy safely, not knowing if there is a line down into the water attached to a crab pot, and head for the fuel dock.  We radio Cap Sante Harbormaster to tell of the loose buoy hazard.


Safe now, we are glad to be stopped and refueling.  Across the dock we meet new C-Dory friends on Sea Spray, and we take a few minutes to name all the C-Dory owners we know.  It is a wonderful world!

Sea Spray

Once back into our slip, I get the cabin back from cruising state to living state, and Herb goes out to wash the salt off Willie's Tug.






I hear him exclaim, "Willie, come see this!"  Sitting on the bow is the nozzle of the white water hose, which had ridden there all the way from Fisherman Bay !


Amazing!

Lucky Nozzle, Lucky Us!

Willie of Willie's Tug,

   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake

   Sunday, July 22, 2012