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| Wednesday morning after breakfast we got underway under clear skies and a freshening southwest wind and initially headed for Blind Bay. We motored around the east side of Spieden Island and then turned into the Wasp Channel. We were tempted by the call of the "big city" and toyed with going into the West Sound Marina. After debating the destination we came to our senses and elected to stick to the wilder spots. The guidebooks describe Blind Bay as a well sheltered harbor but on inspection it appeared that in a freshening SW wind that was supposed to get to 20 knots, it would be a bumpy anchorage. We eleceted instead to return to the San Juan Channel and fetch a buoy on the north side of Jones Island. We set the mainsail and had a fast motor sail back through the Wasp Channel. We ended up in a race for the last mooring which we luckily were able to get. After securing gear we went ashore to pay for the mooring and explore the island The island is all state park with a nice hiking trail around the western side. Dinner was again aboard. The next morning started with something of an adventure. I awoke to an off role at 5 am and got up to make sure that we were still firmly attached to the mooring. Stepping on the cabin sole, I discovered water at the level of the floor boards. Quickly waking James we pumped out the bilge and searched for leaks. Other than a slow drip from the shaft none were found. The bilge would fill every hour. The float switch on the bilge pump had failed so we would turn the pumps on manually. After debating about the best course of action, we elected to head for Anacortes where we could get repairs and pull the boat as necessary. We got underway again motoring and made Anacortes in four hours. In Anacortes James found his permanent slip and we again started our hunt for leaks. As it turned out, the leak was coming from the less than dripless shaft. (I freely here admit that James found the problem and I spent several hours trying to talk him out of it.) Although the trip was shortened by our adventure, it was still a grand experience. James was an excellent host, skipper and chef. The scenery was beyond compare. During the trip we saw seals, sea lions, sea otters, porpoise, and eagles as well as the beautiful coast. I will be fishing for an invitation to come back to explore some more. \ |
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| Jones Island | |||||||
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Cap Sante Boat Haven in the distance where the Ramblin Wreck is now home ported Anacortes Washington |
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