Rough Seas!

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.

torn apart boat

We stayed in Des Moines that night and then headed to Gig Harbor for a second night out before heading home.

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.

Beautiful at Blake!

Boats at Blake - all to ourselves

Blake sunrise

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.