Headed to the boat this past Friday afternoon with plans to meet up with Wassail, a 34 foot Pacific Seacraft, over at Doe Island, a small state park just north of Pevine Pass on the east side of Orcas Island. As I approached the swinging bridge in the channel, I noticed it was closed. No train but a track truck on the closed bridge with two men chewing the fat.
Waited. Waited. Thirty minutes later they decide to open the bridge to let several boats pass through. Getting late in the day. By the time I reach Pelican Beach dusk has arrived. No reply from Wassail after several hails and messages. Finally, as I approach the last of six mooring balls Wassail says Doe Island is full and that she has sailed over to Olga located at the east side entrance to East Sound for the night. Catch up with you in the morning.
Ring is stuck in the mooring ball, so I have to hang over the side in order to get my line through the ring and secured for the night. Whew! Quiet evening and a restful night albeit a bit lumpy from passing boat traffic.
I expect Wassail to meet up, but a hail says that she has set sail for Friday Harbor, can you join her? No! You know I have to work Monday and the distance to Friday Harbor would take too much time. So much for the planned rendezvous. Have a safe trip.
Sunday offers a nice southerly breeze for the return trip home. I always start the engine as a safety maneuver before setting the genoa for a sail departure from the mooring ball. A nice close hauled starboard tack sail all the way over to Vendovi Island with an attempt to pinch the south end, but a short port tack change is called for to get me by then back to starboard over to Samish Island. Again I tried to pinch the Samish shoal, but run out of water. So ended up motoring down the channel with wind on the nose.
All in all a nice weekend cruise. Belle-Vie still needs to have her top side scrubbed, a diver to clean her bottom and zincs installed. In due time. In due time.
Waited. Waited. Thirty minutes later they decide to open the bridge to let several boats pass through. Getting late in the day. By the time I reach Pelican Beach dusk has arrived. No reply from Wassail after several hails and messages. Finally, as I approach the last of six mooring balls Wassail says Doe Island is full and that she has sailed over to Olga located at the east side entrance to East Sound for the night. Catch up with you in the morning.
Ring is stuck in the mooring ball, so I have to hang over the side in order to get my line through the ring and secured for the night. Whew! Quiet evening and a restful night albeit a bit lumpy from passing boat traffic.
I expect Wassail to meet up, but a hail says that she has set sail for Friday Harbor, can you join her? No! You know I have to work Monday and the distance to Friday Harbor would take too much time. So much for the planned rendezvous. Have a safe trip.
Sunday offers a nice southerly breeze for the return trip home. I always start the engine as a safety maneuver before setting the genoa for a sail departure from the mooring ball. A nice close hauled starboard tack sail all the way over to Vendovi Island with an attempt to pinch the south end, but a short port tack change is called for to get me by then back to starboard over to Samish Island. Again I tried to pinch the Samish shoal, but run out of water. So ended up motoring down the channel with wind on the nose.
All in all a nice weekend cruise. Belle-Vie still needs to have her top side scrubbed, a diver to clean her bottom and zincs installed. In due time. In due time.
