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Saturday, September 3, 2011

Home at Last

Even though we didn’t get a good night sleep, we were up early to catch the flood tide into Puget Sound and Seattle.  There was some wind from the north and we did try to sail, but ended up packing it in a short while later.  I think we are both anxious to get home.  The thought of our own bed, showers and all the other luxuries of home was a strong draw.

As it was the Labor Day weekend and apparently a Husky game tonight, the locks and bridges were unbelievably busy.  In fact, it took as long to transition the locks and the ship canal as it did to motor from Port Townsend to Seattle.

We made it to our new slip at Northlake Marina where we were met by Terry who helped us get in to the dock.  It was an uneventful finish to an otherwise fantastic journey to the Salish Sea


Friday, September 2, 2011

Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend

It was the end of a great visit with JP.  His ferry to Seattle left a few hours after our departure where he will catch a flight back to the bay area.  He helped us get off the dock around 9:30 AM for our run back to the US and Port Townsend.

Shortly after leaving the harbor, we were engulfed in fog.  A somewhat scary situation given the heavy boat traffic around Victoria and we knew that we had to cross the shipping lane just a few miles ahead.  We proceeded cautiously, with radar on and following all of the proper procedures, including sounding our fog horn.  We saw a few other boats emerge from the fog, but otherwise it was a good experience.  About a half hour later, things began to improve and we had sunny skies the rest of the way into Port Townsend.

We were unable to get a slip at Port Hudson, so elected to grab a mooring ball just off the beach at Fort Worden State Park.  There was heavy swell coming in from Admiralty Inlet, making this stop one of the more uncomfortable stays of the trip.  We both had difficulty sleeping.

Good-bye JP...off he goes to Seattle via the Victoria Clipper passing us to port

Back in the US at Fort Warden State Park



Thursday, September 1, 2011

Victoria Harbour

Before departing Sidney Spit, Paul and JP went to check the crab pot.  They had trouble finding it as it had apparently drifted during the night due to the strong current.  The catch was a fairly large red crab, which we boiled up and put in the refrigerator for later.

The run into Victoria was timed to make it through the passage framed by Discovery Island and Vancouver Island during the ebb and well past max.  Currents can run at 6 knots and the Canadian Coast Pilot advises to exercise caution in the area.  In our case, with the ebb on our heels, it made for a fast run and we were in Victoria in only a few hours.  The Wooden Boat Festival is this coming weekend, so there were a number of antique wooden boats making their way into the harbor at the same time.  A busy, busy harbor with boats, float plans and ferry traffic everywhere.  We were clearly back in civilization.  We found our marina straight away and made fast to the docks.

JP hosted dinner in town at the Pink Bicycle, a funky upscale burger restaurant.  We also had time to walk around the city center and take in the beautiful city of Victoria.

A beautiful classic motor yacht inbound for Victoria Harbour

Lighthouse on approach to Victoria