Although I had planned to launch on Friday, I changed my plans at the last minute to have a more relaxed launch on Saturday. Imagine my surprise to get a phone call from Frank saying he was in Jarrell’s Cove at the state park!
Within 15 minutes of launching from Latimer’s Landing in Pickering Passage, I saw Frank working his way south. We tacked in tandem under the Hartstene Island bridge, where the wind picked up substantially. Once we snuck into Peale Passage, we were sheltered from the wind by Squaxin Island, and what a remarkable change from struggling to control the boat to a calm, lake-like body of water.
What a great, week-long trip.
We had a calm night at Boston Harbor Marina, and my spouse joined us for breakfast on Sunday.
Sunday
The sailing on Sunday was superb. My GPS showed more than 6 knots more than once. It was interesting that Frank’s boat seemed to sail faster in really light wind, but when wind pressure increased, I was able to make up the distance. Once my hull hit about 3.8 knots, I could feel the stern lift and the bow dig in, and the boat took off.
We were made very welcome in Oro Bay and spent a very quiet night.
Monday
The only morning fog in my week-long trip occurred on Monday morning. I debated waiting a bit longer for the fog to lift, but when the raft started to break up, I chose to follow the bigger boats out of the harbor. After all, I could always turn around and pop back into the bay. But the fog continued to lift and we were sucked through the Narrows with the boat reaching more than 9 knots over ground. What a blast!
I motored all the way up Colvos Passage to Blake Island, averaging 4.96 knots over 28.5 nautical miles (as measured with dividers on my charts). Got beat up following the ebb tide up Colvos with a north wind pushing the chop up against me. Plus it was Labor Day, and it seemed like every big power yacht in the south Sound was racing to get home, throwing up some huge wakes.
Just after I arrived at Blake Island, a couple in a P15 (orange hull and sails) took off. We spoke for a moment and then waved as they departed.
I spent a quiet night at Blake Island where I enjoyed getting off the boat and walking around the island, especially after such a bronco ride up Colvos! And it was nice to take a shower.
Tuesday
Tuesday dawned clear, and I sailed from Blake Island to Des Moines Marina for fuel and ice. It was a gentle, three knot downwind run most of the way, although I did take in the mainsail about half way to the marina when the boat wanted to trip while surfing some two to three-foot wind waves.
I bought 1.7 gallons of gas at Des Moines, representing consumption after motoring through Peale Passage and from Oro Bay all the way to Blake Island.
Then I sailed from the marina to the entrance to Quartermaster Harbor. Feeling pretty tired by then, I chose to motor upwind to Dockton instead of tacking my way in. Only a few other boats were at Dockton. I quietly observed a kingfisher fishing from the park pilings for an hour, and a heron spent the evening stalking the floats around me and silently snatching fish.
Wednesday
I left Dockton around noon to catch the tail end of the ebb tide out of Quartermaster Harbor and the beginning of the flood tide through the Narrows. Dark shapes leaping and splashing in the distance turned out to be some seals sporting with salmon just north of the bridge.
After passing McNeil Island, I turned west and took Balch Passage past Eagle Island. I encountered the most difficult tide rips of the trip just west of Eagle Island. Seems I was actually a bit early to ride the flood current all the way through Balch Passage, by perhaps 30 minutes.
At Longbranch, a family with some teenage boys came roaring up to the dock in a big Bayliner. I thought they were going to ram the dock, but sudden application of reverse power prevented that calamity. The serenity of the evening was clouded by the kids trooping off the boat with Jack-in-the-box bags in hand, cursing loudly and deriding everything in sight. I turned my back and ignored them as best I could, mentallly crossing my fingers that they were just there to eat.
Ultimately the Bayliner and crew roared away from the dock, rocking every boat in the marina and harbor. I spent a quiet night at Longbranch with only a couple of other boats in the guest moorage spaces.
Thursday
Thursday came with almost no wind at all, so I motored down Drayton Passage, around the south end of the Kitsap Peninsula, and up Case Inlet, passing between Herron and McMicken Islands, to guest moorage at Fair Harbor Marina in Grapeview (best showers in the south Sound!).
I looked for our friends Susan and Joe as I passed Herron Island but their cabin appeared dark and quiet.
Friday
This put me a day ahead of my schedule, so on Friday I daysailed Case Inlet, circumnavigating Herron Island and visiting McMicken Island. About that time a horribly dark cloud was bearing down on me. When I heard thunder, I dropped the main, unrolled the jenny and cranked up the Honda, making a +5 knot downwind run back to Fair Harbor to get away from the storm.
Saturday
Jan and I pulled the boat out at Fair Harbor on Saturday morning. I haven’t calculated the total distance covered yet. My long day from Oro Bay to Blake Island was a distance/endurance test for me. If the weather had been more cooperative, I probably could have made another couple of hours of passage without trouble. As it was, 28.5 nm seemed like *plenty* of water to cover!
I very much enjoyed the couple of days of sailing with Frank, and the hospitality of the Corinthian Yacht Club Tacoma group in Oro Bay. Bob, I thought of you as I sailed past Redondo! Bill V, thanks for giving me the confidence to pass under the Hartstene Island bridge.
I really enjoyed the solitude of an extended south Sound sail in September. A few porpoises and many seals visited Whisper. I saw the entire Seattle skyline at night, and heard the train travelling through Steilacoom from a quiet anchorage in Oro Bay. I visited some new places, met some new people, and enjoyed the many different faces of the south Sound.
The south Sound in September — it was worth the trip.
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