Sunday, 8/3 – Thursday, 8/7

I had last week off, as it was the annual summer shutdown week at AST.

On Sunday, my good friend Rob and I launched my boat and headed out of GH. Wind was very light, and the current started to carry us towards the Narrows bridge. We started to really move, and noticed that it would be very difficult to fight the current to get back to the harbor (where were going to spend the night), and would require using most of my fuel to do so. We contacted his dad about staying at the marina at Days Island, where they are members. It was going to work, and we decided to do that. In between the bridge and Days Island, we stopped at Titlow, tying the boat up to a fuel dock and walking to Steamers restaurant for dinner. It was very satisfying. We then drove the boat over to the marina and tied up to a guest dock. Since Rob’s parents were members there, we were able to go into the main building and play some billiards and foosball. The next morning we left and met up with his wife and 3 children at the Fox Island boat launch for some lunch (Thanks Kat!).

After lunch, I left them, and continued solo. I hadn’t sailed alone before, and I was looking forward to trying it, and continuing to get to know my boat. It was hot out! I felt a little like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, but on a sailboat, rather than a deserted island. Wind was hit-and-miss. There were definitely some great stretches of solo sailing, but a lot of barely making headway… otherwise known as sun-bathing. I ended up getting some decent sunburns on my arms shoulders and back.

I eventually made it to Cutts Island, and tied up to a buoy. General post-sailing tasks filled some time as I tried to get settled in for the evening. Here’s a picture from Monday night:

It had been a sweaty day, and so I lowered the swim-ladder into the water and took a quick dip into the cold water (stayed connected to the ladder, so didn’t actually swim). Then I cleaned off, using the sun shower I brought. Dinner consisted of beef ravioli and some snacks.

I spent all of Tuesday on the boat, tied to the buoy. It was a very restful day.

Wednesday’s account will be told later.

On Thursday, I untied from the buoy just before 10:30am, and proceeded to start sailing back to GH. There was some decent wind, which was really nice. I took an angle that was more towards the Kitsap peninsula, and cruised towards Penrose, and then finally could take a more straight line towards Fox Island. There was a long stretch of pretty light wind, and I was gliding through the water almost without a sound (I think they call it “ghosting”). During this period, I passed a large seal that was “standing” in the water, with only the tip of it’s face out of the water. I think it might have been snoozing, since it was literally about 3 or 4 feet from the side of the boat as I slowly went by, and it didn’t even notice me until I said “hi baby” or something like that, which startled it, and caused it to quickly writhe it’s body and swim down and over, to create a little distance between us. It was then that I realized there was another one which had been right next to it… and that one was still motionless. During the first 2 hours of sailing, I probably saw 12 seals, most of which were just kind of floating/resting/sunbathing, sometimes with just their faces and toes sticking out of the water. It was fun.

On the backside of Fox Island, from about halfway past it, I ended up having to use the motor for most of the rest of the way to GH, and ended up having to go against the current for the last hour and a half.