Heading for Home | June 25 – 27 | Port Gamble & Shilshole

Cruising the Hood Canal is a long haul. Would we do it again? Youbetcha. We would stay longer at Alderbrook for sure, and check out some of the anchorages in the canal. We’ve heard some people call it boring, some say it’s beautiful. I guess I think it’s a little of both. There are miles of uninterrupted forest and low boat traffic. The amount of wildlife didn’t wow us, and the ubiquitous Olympic Peninsula logging operations create a scarred landscape – clear cuts everywhere you look. I think an extended stay at Alderbrook with some boating friends would be a blast! What do you say, peeps?

The resort is quite nice – although most things like the pool and bar are not open right now. We went for a short but lovely hike across the street in their private, nicely maintained trail system.

Alderbrook Resort & Spa from the dock

We stayed just the one night at Alderbrook because the shrimpers were coming in and we thought we would regret being there when things got crazy. So, we took off Thursday morning for yet another new-to-us destination.

Port Gamble is a great anchorage although there is no good access to town. There is a beach that we were able to land our kayaks at, right at the former mill sight. It’s a beautiful spot and I hope they do something awesome with it. The town itself is about the quaintest we’ve seen. Great general store, the restaurant looked good, and there are nice shops.

Downtown Port Gamble

We were one of very few boats in the harbor. It was nice to be on the hook again.

Lonely Europa in Port Gamble Bay

On Friday we left Port Gamble for the Shilshole Marina – another new location! The marina is very nice…very big. We took a short walk and then took a short paddle into the mouth of the ship canal. It was quite breezy and had to paddle hard to get back in the marina. The area was crowded, and frankly, there were too many people not wearing masks.

We would go back to Shilshole, I think, some day when we have more time to walk and enjoy restaurants and parks.

I meant to include this photo weeks ago – our boat plant. Last summer this pot contained rosemary, which was nice but we didn’t use very much. This summer we decided a nice flowering plant would be better. So far, the Nasturtium is doing well in the sea air!

On Saturday morning, we decided that given the weekend weather forecast, and our proximity to the Foss Waterway, we would head for home…a few days earlier than originally planned. 25 nights on the boat!

In a couple of weeks we’ll head out again, north to the San Juan Islands…hopefully!

Hood Canal | June 24 | Pleasant Harbor

We had a nice cruise south from Port Townsend. We saw a lot of porpoise…and a lot of crab pots.

Mt. Rainier through the Port Townsend Canal

Port Hadlock

Hood Canal bridge

On the way to the Hood Canal, I decided to check out what the Waggoner Cruising Guide has to say about the Pleasant Harbor area. We were unaware there is a state park there, so we cancelled our reservation at the marina and pulled into the very small state park dock at around 3pm (it was a relatively long cruising day for us, around 35 miles). There was a local gentleman at the dock when we arrived and he told us the park had just opened 20 minutes earlier! He left and then we were the only boat there.

Here’s what we think: It’s a fine place to stop but not much going on. The state park is just the small dock and some restrooms. We attempted to walk to the marina but decided to kayak instead, as the only way there is on the extremely busy highway.

We never did make it in to the marina office – the restaurant is closed so we just paddled around. I found the proximity to the highway a major negative – truck fumes and noise. Other than that it was quite peaceful.

Off to Alderbrook…

Other photos I forgot to post earlier:

White boat is stranded; boat in the foreground is a quirky thing we see often. (Kingston)

Stay Awhile between two 41's (Kingston)

Nick visiting Stay Awhile (Kingston)

Boat Dog Chelsea (Kingston)

dramatic sky (Kingston)

Beautiful Weather! | June 21 – 23 | Port Townsend

Kingston is home to many giant Adirondack chairs – photo ops, of course.

Janine & Nick

Tracey & Steve

The BBQ dinner from the Alehouse in Kingston was very good - and I finally found a salon opening and got in for a much needed haircut!

The Ranger Tugs gathering was fun. We talked with Andrew about options for getting a bigger/better boat - we'll see...

20+ Ranger Tugs lined up in Kingston

 We got news (and a video!) on Father’s Day that Mac is crawling!

We arrived at the Point Hudson marina in Port Townsend on Sunday as the weather steadily improved. We are astounded at the expansive beauty of this place. So many mountains!

We walked through town and made a trip to Safeway for a few grocery items. (Quite a walk – 3.4 miles.)

Monday was a busy day. We kayaked out around the breakwater to watch Steve Z. and his friend scuba dive. They didn’t see too much – “low viz” (diving term).

After lunch we took another long walk out to Fort Warden. We took the beach route there, then came back through town.

Looking toward Fort Warden

Dinner was takeout from Tin Brick pizza – very good!

It’s now Tuesday (June 23) morning and we will leave in a bit. The Z’s are heading Coorie Doon to the barn, and we will go south into Hood Canal – another first for us.

Other photos:

Gus swimming in Kingston

Coorie Doon & Europa in Point Hudson Marina

Awesome Black Lives Matter street mural in Port Townsend

Nick kayaking - Point Hudson

Donuts! | June 17 – 20 | Edmonds & Kingston

We departed Poulsbo on Wednesday for Edmonds. Guest moorage at the Edmonds Marina is sparse but both boats were able to get spots in front of Anthony’s. It’s a fun marina, with lots going on – fishing boats hauling in, lots of boat traffic, and the Puget Sound Express (large whale watching boat).

We walked around town, went to the beach (and the dog park for Gus!), and had lunch at Market. I had my first sushi burrito – yum!

Sushi Burrito & Fish Tacos from Market in Edmonds

Took a couple of paddles through the marina and tried very hard to get in somewhere for a haircut. (My pandemic hair is driving me crazy.) Nothing doing – all salons booked.

We left Edmonds on Friday morning, arriving in Kingston after a very short cruise across the passage. We are here for a small Ranger Tugs gathering. The group is invited to the Kingston Yacht Club’s Summer Solstice event at the marina park. There are twenty plus boats, including about half of the 41’s that are currently on the water.

This morning, June 20 (happy 34^th wedding anniversary to us!), marina staff delivered donuts to the dock! It’s raining off and on and we are hoping for clearing weather for today’s event.

Better Weather! | June 17 | Edmonds

The forecast calls for a sunny day in the upper 60’s – yahoo!

We took a couple of nice paddles yesterday around the marina and up to the head of Liberty Bay. Always fun to see the Z’s with Gus on board their kayak!

Jeanie/Gus/Steve

Io & Callisto

We were delighted to see this old, original Ranger come into the marina. The guy driving it came around to check in with us other Rangers. (I am fairly certain this is the guy whose wedding we inadvertently took part in here on New Year’s Eve two years ago!)

You can see "Ranger" & "Kent, WA" on the rudder.

Headed to Edmonds this Wednesday morning…calm water.

Rainy Weather | June 13 – 16 | Bainbridge, Bremerton, Poulsbo

We spent a couple of nights at the city park dock in Eagle Harbor. There were zero boats there when we arrived. Took a few really nice walks with the Z’s.

On Sunday the two boats left Eagle Harbor for Bremerton. (First time visit for the Z’s.) Plenty of guest moorage. Unfortunately, the museums are still closed, but we did take a nice walk out to Manette to have lunch at the Boat Shed.

Spent just one night in Bremerton, then headed back to Poulsbo for a couple of days. The weather is supposed to be better starting today, Tuesday June 16. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get the kayaks out.

Images

Here are a couple of images that should have been with my last post:

Mac enjoying the family tent

Our spot prawns haul

Spot Prawns – Yummy! | June 8-12.2020 | FHM & Des Moines

Connectivity issues prevent me from posting all that I have - so frustrating!

We left FHM Wednesday, headed for Des Moines to meet Coorie Doon for shrimping.

Backing up a few days though, we had the kids aboard for dinner on Monday. Mac arrived in his PFD and seemed to enjoy the experience. Sierra was in town so she was able to join us and spend some time with her nephew.

Mac on Europa!

Grandpa, Mac, Daddy

Steve and Tracey joined us for happy hour on the Ranger dock in Des Moines but were not able to go shrimping. Caleb drove up early Thursday morning and we headed across the passage to Tramp Harbor to drop pots. All three of us have licenses so could have topped out at 240 shrimp. We ended up with 177 – two limits plus a few. Not bad! The Z’s limited. We grilled ours; the Z’s boiled there’s. Delicious!

shrimping crew

Happy 9-months birthday to Mac! (Sierra, Brian, Caleb, Leslie, and Mac, are all camping in Astoria this weekend, so here is Mac giving the tent a trial run. Looks like he likes it. [image later]

Lightning! | June 5-7 | Poulsbo & FHM

Friday’s weather was decent. In the morning we kayaked, and then walked to the Poulsbo Village shopping area. We hadn’t been to this part of town before. Our hope was to purchase fishing licenses but the outfit was closed.

We also visited Longship Marine, which is open, but service is through the front door “window” only. Had to buy a replacement tip for the boat hook, and a soft bristled head for our SureGrip cleaning brush system.

We took a walk in the evening up into the waterfront park, as there was a vigil for a local native who was killed last year by a Poulsbo police officer. This peaceful gathering was mostly young folks, and it was nice to be part of a small yet important community event.

On Saturday morning, Nick walked up to the bakery (Sluys) to get burger buns and a scone. The buns look good – he said the scone was awful.

Later in the morning I went back to Indigo Plum, a Poulsbo shoe and clothing store that I visited yesterday. I pulled the trigger on new bright blue plastic Birkenstocks for the boat. 😊

We walked up the hill again between rain events – I found another yarn store! Small place but nice. Heart2Heart Knitting and Fiber Arts is near the Safeway, and I purchased some yarn to make a basket for my sister-in-law.

It began to sprinkle as we returned to the boat, and was soon pouring hard. And then it was coming down in buckets. And then…CRACK!!! There was a huge blast and a flash very near us, just past the end of the dock and over the water. Nick thinks this was a “ball lightening” event. Whatever it was, it was disconcerting. There was smoke, there was a person running on the next dock, the emergency lights and alarm at the big church on the hill were going off…it was altogether a storm occurrence that I was happy was not repeated.

We talked to a couple of people who were at different restaurants at the time…both stated it was scary for them, and they thought it must have been crazy from our vantage point. Correct.

Since we need to be in Des Moines by Wednesday for early morning shrimping on Thursday…and the fact that more weather is headed our way (with wind!), we were trying to figure out where to go next. Someplace centrally located and a nice place to again hunker down for a few days. Where better than our own already-paid-for slip in the lovely Foss Waterway!

So here we are, back at Foss Harbor Marina. We’ll be staying on the boat…no sense moving back home for just a couple of days. We’ll also be able to run a couple of errands and visit the house to do laundry.

Oh, and the creature is a “comb jelly” otherwise known as a ctenophora. So says Gus, anyway. (And I believe him!)

Hunkering Down | 6.4.2020 | Poulsbo

We left Dyes Inlet for Poulsbo. The plan was to find somewhere nice to potentially spend a few days, as the weather was supposed to worsen. Well, Thursday was splendid.

Just one in four slips at the Port of Poulsbo is “open,” so that boats are distanced. Plus, there just aren’t very many boaters here.

boat distancing

We rinsed the boat off, took down the kayaks, and walked around town a bit. Shops here are in various stages of opening, some still completely shut.

We also found a new way to access Fish Park, at the head of Liberty Bay, as well as a connected park with historical buildings. Had a nice paddle in the afternoon.

To my pleasant surprise, I spotted a creature floating just under the surface of the water next to the boat. I got some photos but none do justice to the delicate fluttering, bubbling, and colors of this thing! Jellyfish? Nudibranch? (Steve Z. what is this?!)

New Territory…and a Submarine! | 6.3.2020 | Silverdale Marina

We left Blake around 9am, headed for Dyes Inlet and the Silverdale Marina. This is a new location for us. Not sure why we haven’t visited before, maybe because we've never heard anyone talk about it.

As we approached Bremerton, nearing the turnoff toward the Manette Bridge into Dyes Inlet, I noticed some activity further up Sinclair Inlet, by Bremerton. There were two massive tugs and several smaller boats with lights flashing. And then I saw it! A submarine! The sub was being escorted out to open water (I am glad we didn’t run into all of this further back while we were in narrow Rich Passage).

We were already turned, heading away from the escort, when a Navy boat, with a manned machine gun in the bow, sped up and came toward us. (Fortunately, Nick had turned the radio on!) We were hailed as “white boat approaching the bridge” and cautioned to stand off. (White boat!?) We were doing everything right, and feel this was mostly a routine “courtesy” to make sure boaters know what’s going on. (We had heard them do the same thing a few minutes earlier with the Bremerton/Port Orchard passenger ferry.) Exciting, none-the-less, and fun to watch.

Submarine

Navy boat

The passage into Dyes Inlet was quite nice; shallow in places, and about 5 miles long. We passed a small private marina and the Bremerton Yacht Club. We were the only overnighting boat at the Silverdale Marina, however there were a few anchored sailboats. 

We were pleasantly surprised. The marina isn’t much, and the power was off due to repairs. The water was also turned off. We don’t know why, and the marina isn’t staffed. (There are no services.) However, the setting is lovely, there are a couple of nearby parks, quite a few promising restaurants/brew pubs, and groceries within easy walking. We had beers and excellent fish and chips at Kettlefish. The Old Town area is small but nice. The inlet looks like good kayaking territory, and we watched lots of birds. They also have a farmer’s market on Tuesdays and a couple of summer events, including Whaling Days. This city needs to build a super-duper marina!

Europa all alone at Silverdale

Dyes Inlet from Silverdale Park

Can’t Get Enough of Blake! | 6.2.2020 | Blake Island

Tuesday started out as another beautiful day. Over breakfast, we watched a very playful family of three otters on the next dock.

After lunch we took another hike, this time through part of the interior of the island, and then out to the West Campground. Might be the nicest camping spot ever. No one here, and it is reserved for those arriving in non-motorized water craft. The wildflowers were spectacular! (Love the Seek app!)

West Campground with the Seattle Skyline

rose campion

yellow sand verbena

yellow iris

It began to sprinkle just as we returned to the boat, and then the rain and wind kicked in. It didn’t last long but definitely kept us hunkered down for a few hours.

We were entertained in the evening as this Argosy boat went through training maneuvers – at least that is what we think was going on. (They may have really ticked off the folks on the next dock!)