“Hello, I’m Sue and we are on a 38’ sailboat seeking moorage in your marina.”
“Do you have a tall black mast?”
“Yes! We are looking for a place to tie up tonight – to get away from the storm brewing.”
“Yes, I have room for you. I will meet and help you at the dock.”
What a welcome Wayne, dock master, gave us here in Langley. We were vacillating for just a few minutes whether to continue on for another four hours to reach Kingston and take the chance that the rising winds would do just that-escalate. The answer would lie in whether or not there was room in the marina. As the afternoon progressed with gusting wind and rain we are grateful to this decision to stop.
I had taken the helm with light, negligible wind. I was joking how lucky I was to have the warm and calm shift. Within forty minutes I watched the knot meter move steadily upwards and the direction of the wind rotate back and forth and end at the bow with gusts over 25. With this coming up so quickly, the waves had not had the opportunity to grow. Getting cold was my only discomfort. Before Pat returned to the helm, he listened to the weather report; winds 25-30 were expected. We left Bellingham at 7 AM with no winds; the southbound voyage out of Bellingham Bay was smooth with the wind lifting slightly. The Rosario Strait looked smooth at 10:30. However we decided that the slow but known path of Swinomish Slough was our choice. Not long after making this choice, the winds began to blow and the air was cold. Good choice! Once safely out of the slough my rotations at the helm began. The first couple shifts were easy – very pleasant. It was amazing to me that we were the only boat more often than not out on the waterways. As I began, my last shift as we approached the southern end of Whidbey Island weather changed very quickly.
We are tied up close to the dock, very close with the wind pushing the fenders snug to the point of groaning. Today is a lazy day of waiting this weather pattern to pass. Pat is relaxing with a new book while I make an attempt to catch up on ten days of our journey.
After another great meal last night, we have decided that this has been a journey of discovering great food, many in places we never expected four star meals. I wish that I had kept better record of those meals and had a camera when they were set before us. Everyone were worthy of a presentation in Gourmet magazine and Ruth Reichl writing a critique and rating them with stars. Anacortes’ small Bellisima Tattoria Italian restaurant my daughter Sunny recommended, began teasing and treating our taste buds: Westview’s Alchemist, Masthead Restaurant in Cowichan Bay, probably the best of all, Martine’s Bistro in Comax, Giuseppe’s in Bellingham another top choice thanks to Sunny recommending. The Penn Cove mussels at the Edgecliffe Restaurant last night will be our last meal out. Keeping Pat looking forward to my meals may be difficult – he may think every meal should begin with an appetizer and progress through to the grand dessert with coffee. I don’t think that would work with his slim waistline or my time spent in the kitchen. Once in a while yes, I love to show my creativity in the kitchen, but not every day, or week! Besides the finis of the chefs, it was the presentation that wowed me more often than not.
I shall close this out shortly and take Pat up to the town of Langley, treating him to his beloved mocha while looking for a book he has not read. That might take awhile! Afterwards I intend on being inspired with window shopping the shops and boutiques that offer high quality products made by the artists living on the island. This afternoon I will catch up on the stops at Chemanius, Cowichan Bay, the return to Garrison Bay, and Fossil Bay on Sucia Island.
“Yes! We are looking for a place to tie up tonight – to get away from the storm brewing.”
“Yes, I have room for you. I will meet and help you at the dock.”
What a welcome Wayne, dock master, gave us here in Langley. We were vacillating for just a few minutes whether to continue on for another four hours to reach Kingston and take the chance that the rising winds would do just that-escalate. The answer would lie in whether or not there was room in the marina. As the afternoon progressed with gusting wind and rain we are grateful to this decision to stop.
I had taken the helm with light, negligible wind. I was joking how lucky I was to have the warm and calm shift. Within forty minutes I watched the knot meter move steadily upwards and the direction of the wind rotate back and forth and end at the bow with gusts over 25. With this coming up so quickly, the waves had not had the opportunity to grow. Getting cold was my only discomfort. Before Pat returned to the helm, he listened to the weather report; winds 25-30 were expected. We left Bellingham at 7 AM with no winds; the southbound voyage out of Bellingham Bay was smooth with the wind lifting slightly. The Rosario Strait looked smooth at 10:30. However we decided that the slow but known path of Swinomish Slough was our choice. Not long after making this choice, the winds began to blow and the air was cold. Good choice! Once safely out of the slough my rotations at the helm began. The first couple shifts were easy – very pleasant. It was amazing to me that we were the only boat more often than not out on the waterways. As I began, my last shift as we approached the southern end of Whidbey Island weather changed very quickly.
We are tied up close to the dock, very close with the wind pushing the fenders snug to the point of groaning. Today is a lazy day of waiting this weather pattern to pass. Pat is relaxing with a new book while I make an attempt to catch up on ten days of our journey.
After another great meal last night, we have decided that this has been a journey of discovering great food, many in places we never expected four star meals. I wish that I had kept better record of those meals and had a camera when they were set before us. Everyone were worthy of a presentation in Gourmet magazine and Ruth Reichl writing a critique and rating them with stars. Anacortes’ small Bellisima Tattoria Italian restaurant my daughter Sunny recommended, began teasing and treating our taste buds: Westview’s Alchemist, Masthead Restaurant in Cowichan Bay, probably the best of all, Martine’s Bistro in Comax, Giuseppe’s in Bellingham another top choice thanks to Sunny recommending. The Penn Cove mussels at the Edgecliffe Restaurant last night will be our last meal out. Keeping Pat looking forward to my meals may be difficult – he may think every meal should begin with an appetizer and progress through to the grand dessert with coffee. I don’t think that would work with his slim waistline or my time spent in the kitchen. Once in a while yes, I love to show my creativity in the kitchen, but not every day, or week! Besides the finis of the chefs, it was the presentation that wowed me more often than not.
I shall close this out shortly and take Pat up to the town of Langley, treating him to his beloved mocha while looking for a book he has not read. That might take awhile! Afterwards I intend on being inspired with window shopping the shops and boutiques that offer high quality products made by the artists living on the island. This afternoon I will catch up on the stops at Chemanius, Cowichan Bay, the return to Garrison Bay, and Fossil Bay on Sucia Island.
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