DST Days 2 & 3

We left Port Townsend yesterday morning and had an uneventful trip across the Straight of Juan de Fuca...just the way we like them. (The kind of trip that leaves me pronouncing that F word the way it was intended.)

We motored directly to Roche Harbor to top off the fuel and grab a few things from the store. A bit of a zoo this time of year but we lucked right into a spot at the fuel dock.

Just a short trip from Roche to Reid Harbor at Stuart Island. It's a state park we first visited last year on our way to Poets Cove. ( And where we met Mr. and Mrs. Jackass, the Ranger haters.)

Last year we were one of three boats. As you can see from my photo, not the case this year.  A very popular anchorage, for sure, but we snagged one of the few remaining mooring buoys.

The water is weirdly brown in this harbor...maybe some kind of algae bloom? The skipper got up in the night to chase a seal off the dinghy and noticed major phosphorescence as the seal went into the water, and from fish swimming by. (I gently chided that I have seen neither a seal in the dinghy nor major phosphorescence, so will appreciate being roused out of bed in the future.)

We will meet the Zs later this morning after they come across from Anacortes. First, we're going to attempt the 6 mile hike to Turn Point lighthouse.

DST Day 1

Today launches a 15 day adventure...the Desolation Sound Trip (DST) 2018. We are cruising north to Port Townsend on this first day, departing the Foss a day earlier than planned.

We returned just yesterday evening from our annual trip to the San Juan Islands (back to Lopez this year!) with family. We trailered the little boat, leaving Europa  behind. We had a great time, the weather was mostly awesome, and the new-to-us rental house was nice.

Crabs were not as plentiful as past years but we still got our Dungeness fix. We ate well, in general, mostly thanks to chef Sierra (see photo of Salmon Nicoisse).

We had the most spectacular owl sightings just a short walk from the house, at the start of the path to Upright Channel park. Also, the closest we've ever been to a bald eagle!

We are looking forward to spending time with our boating friends, and visiting new cruising destinations.

From Sublime to Zoo-ish

We made our way from Oro Bay, the morning of the 4th, into Case Inlet, passing the small Herron Island ferry on the way.

It was a bit windier than we expected when we arrived at the cabin, so borrowed a neighbor's buoy for a few hours. My photo is looking at the Europa from the cabin bank.

After 4th of July festivities, we took a quick trip across Case Inlet to Jarrell Cove for the night. It was calm and serene the entire late afternoon and evening. We inflated the kayak and had a nice paddle.

Power was out on the entire island (Hartstene) and we watched quite a few people come into the marina expecting to gas up. They were very dissappointed! (Another reason to never get too low on fuel.)

The wind picked up and really howled for a bit during the night. Between fireworks and banging against the buoy a few times, it was a little noisy after such a calm afternoon. We love this place!

I finally mounted the boat hook after months of trying to decide where to put it.

We left Hartstene yesterday and headed to Mayo Cove. We were hoping to find an open buoy but boy was this place crowded! Fortunately, there was a lot of space at the dock. And a zillion people picnicking and partying on the beach. Lots of day boaters, and a ton of rafts, kayaks, and paddle boards. A few families that were together on the spit decided to launch people in a kayak to slide down the beach and into the water. It was actually pretty funny to watch. Most of the adults immediately capsized.

Fortunately, it cleared out and we enjoyed a quiet night.

It's a little windy this morning, so we'll head out for a hike instead of kayaking.

Oro Bay Revisited

Oro Bay, Anderson Island, was one of our first trips on Europa last August...and we knew we'd return. It's a relatively quick and easy trip south from the Foss, 90 minutes to a couple of hours. We got a late start yesterday afternoon, so increased our usual cruising speed so we could anchor and have dinner in Oro.

We arrived just after 6pm to a beautiful, calm, and quiet little bay...with few other boats. Two ospreys were hanging around, and a few seals. There are a couple of yacht club outposts, but no public dock.

The morning sun in the south end of the bay was glorious this morning. We'll head out in a bit to make our first trip further into Case Inlet to the McQuarrie family beach cabin for our annual 4th of July gathering.

One of our favorite go to boat meals is tamales (home made and frozen) and a small "Mexican-style" salad. Easy...and yummy.

Check out my new window product...I love it!

Happy Father's Day & Pelican Sighting!

After a nice walk in Gig Harbor this morning, and grabbing chowder to go from the Tides, my sister picked up the three of us and we headed to Purdy to have lunch with my parents. The chowder was quite good!

On the way back to the Foss, Nick and Caleb were at the helm when, from the cockpit, I spotted a dim shape on distant rocks that I didn't recognize. I almost passed it off as a goose but decided to grab the binoculars and take a closer look. A brown pelican! We've heard they are sometimes around but hadn't seen one. (Although we spotted many white pelicans just ten minutes east of Yakima last weekend on our wine tasting road trip to Walla Walla.)

So no, we didn't see our previous boat (not that Pelican) but is was pretty exciting to see the real thing so close to home!

Busy Weekend

We are in Gig Harbor for the night...again. It's nice to have such a beautiful little harbor to visit when we don't have time to get very far away. 

GO MARINERS!

Nick and Caleb spent Saturday morning fishing...the first time on the Europa. No joy but good time on the water. I worked commencement ceremonies and then the three of us headed out. That was after Caleb made a trip all the way out to Minter  Oyster Co. to get oysters for happy hour. We arrived in GH to find one city buoy available. After a quick trip ashore to get a lemon (and a lime for beers) Caleb, a master shucker, opened enough oysters to satisfy all of us, with some leftover for tomorrow.

GO MARINERS!

Nick grilled a couple of excellent steaks as we watched the Mariners beat the Red Sox.

Did I say GO MARINERS?!

Maritime Gig Festival

This weekend is Gig Harbor's annual maritime festival. The college has a booth at the fair today, and I volunteered for a shift, so we decided it would be a great time to be here in the Europa! Much better than fighting the traffic and crowds on land.

We arrived late afternoon yesterday. We planned to dock at Jerecich Park, or anchor if the dock was full. Of course, it was full, and then some. Boats were already rafted by the time we got here. What we didn't know, is that there are two mooring buoys at this park. Both empty (one still is as I write this early Saturday morning), and they're free! You still need to register but the ticket prints with no payment. The harbor police boat checked in with us later and confirmed this is in fact how it works.

We had a very pleasant evening, visited by  family of geese looking for handouts. 11 goslings!