But first…
Last week we took Europa back to Des Moines so the factory
could work on our ongoing leak problem. Don and Tim spent quite a bit of time
spraying the boat with the hose to determine the source of the leak.
Water was definitely coming in some place on the top of the boat and then
running through the wall (along some wires as it turned out) to exit at the
galley porthole. After some trial and error, Don resealed some areas around the
front skylight window…and the leaking stopped. So, after a week with some heavy
rain, we see no sign of any more water coming in. Let that be the end of
this…please.
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| torn apart boat |
We stayed in Des Moines that night and then headed to Gig
Harbor for a second night out before heading home.
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| Ranger dock at Des Moines with Kingfisher |
And then…
We had been making tentative plans to meet the Z’s on their
Coorie Doon sometime before the turkey holiday and finally decided Tuesday
(Nov. 19) was the day. They put their boat in the water at Point Defiance (a
first for them) and met us at the Des Moines Marina, as they needed to fuel up.
We hadn’t made any definite plans so after some conversation we decided to head
north to Blake Island. The weather wasn’t great and there was some wind...but it
didn’t seem too bad.
Well…wrong again! It began to get swelly and choppy the
further north we headed. Still not all that bad, and certainly not anything we
hadn’t experienced before. And then it got worse…way worse. I was at the helm
and soon switched with Nick, and he decided to power up a bit and get closer to
shore. As we approached the northern tip of Vashon, some swells were easily 6
feet, and water was continually washing over the top of the entire boat, making
it impossible to see for many seconds at a time.
At that point I panicked, started hyperventilating, and had
to make my way to the v-berth to lie down. The large drawer under the bed was
out and the screens had fallen out of the hatches…plus I was trying to carry my
phone and hold on for dear life. I managed to get a text out to Jeanie saying
just, “Bad!” as they were still a bit behind us.
I was absolutely no help to Nick whatsoever…and I don’t feel
great about that. (As he mentioned - not much I could have done anyway!) After five or ten minutes, he called out to me that the worst
was over and we were arriving at the entrance to the Blake Island docks. There
were no other pleasure boats there, so we had room to maneuver…which was a good
thing because it was still blowing and we had to turn around in a fairway so we
could use the wind to our advantage. We got docked – actually not that badly,
given the conditions and lack of any one around to help. The Coorie Doon pulled
in right after us. We’ve been in some bad weather, even together before, but we
agree…this was the worst.
Happy hour began a little earlier that afternoon.
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| Beautiful at Blake! |
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| Boats at Blake - all to ourselves |
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| Blake sunrise |
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| Icy docks at Pouslbo |
We woke to a gorgeous and clear day – with the island pretty much to ourselves. Took a lovely walk, and headed to Poulsbo under much nicer conditions. (Photos courtesy of Jeanie!)
When we were at Blake, the four of us ate an excellent meal
of the Z’s BBQ/smoked tri-tip, with yummy beans. Delish!
In Poulsbo we shared another meal – a one pot pasta
concoction that I have been wanting to try for a long time. It was good…but
needs some improvement. Certainly, a convenient method for boating.
Our last meal was at the Harbour Public House in the City of
Bainbridge – never disappointing.
All in all, a great trip. Europa and Corrie Doone play well
together. Other than that harrowing bit of time that first day – and the fact
that Nick came down with a nasty cold – it was a glorious fall outing.
