Spent the last two nights in Eagle Harbor on the east side of Cypress Island after gunk holing around the San Juan Islands for two weeks visiting Friday Harbor, Blind Bay and other places. Nice northwesterly breeze mid morning, so I untied from the mooring ball, hoisted the 150 genoa for the 20 mile run home. A beam reach across Bellingham Channel turning to a broad reach south towards Boat Harbor.
Plan was to stop for fuel in Anacortes, chat with John Lund who met me at the fuel dock, then out to the north entrance to the "ditch". Wind picked up some pushing Belle-Vie to six plus knots on the east side of Guemes Island.
After purchasing fuel at Cap Sante fuel dock I motored out of the channel, hoisted the genoa and headed south into the Swinomish Channel to follow the flood to Shelter Bay. Not often that the right conditions are in play to sail the channel; flooding current, northwesterly winds. So I took advantage of those conditions.
The Swinomish Channel winds like a snake, which requires a number of tack changes due to the 180 degree running wind. But we manage just fine albeit with some effort. In the past usually the wind will die off because of wind shadows from the nearby hills as you approach the north end of La conner, but this time they persisted, pushing us all the way to the rainbow bridge. Time to stow the sail as we approach Shelter Bay Marina entrance.
One fellow sitting on his boat at the La conner guest dock, some distance from the rainbow bridge, yelled out, "few can say they sailed the channel". Right on! My retort, "not there yet, but thank you".
Just another grand day sailing the Salish Sea.
Plan was to stop for fuel in Anacortes, chat with John Lund who met me at the fuel dock, then out to the north entrance to the "ditch". Wind picked up some pushing Belle-Vie to six plus knots on the east side of Guemes Island.
After purchasing fuel at Cap Sante fuel dock I motored out of the channel, hoisted the genoa and headed south into the Swinomish Channel to follow the flood to Shelter Bay. Not often that the right conditions are in play to sail the channel; flooding current, northwesterly winds. So I took advantage of those conditions.
The Swinomish Channel winds like a snake, which requires a number of tack changes due to the 180 degree running wind. But we manage just fine albeit with some effort. In the past usually the wind will die off because of wind shadows from the nearby hills as you approach the north end of La conner, but this time they persisted, pushing us all the way to the rainbow bridge. Time to stow the sail as we approach Shelter Bay Marina entrance.
One fellow sitting on his boat at the La conner guest dock, some distance from the rainbow bridge, yelled out, "few can say they sailed the channel". Right on! My retort, "not there yet, but thank you".
Just another grand day sailing the Salish Sea.
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