Pelican Passages

It's a beautiful (early!) morning in Eagle Harbor. With temperatures approaching 100 expected, it will be a nice day to be on the water. We met some friends (Coorie Doon and Blue Max) in Poulsbo on Friday, then motored over to Bainbridge yesterday. After some very interesting anchoring situations, we tied up at balls for the night. Don't know who these buoys belong to...but thank you. Just before leaving home on Friday afternoon, we made the decision to buy the Ranger 29! So...not sure if this is our last trip aboard Pelican. Stay tuned!

We left the Foss yesterday, amidst the tall ships in Tacoma for Festival of Sail. Spent the night at anchor in Gig Harbor and then  met my dad and two of my sisters for a quick boat ride and lunch. Happy Father's Day!

Today, Wednesday, is day 14 and our final day of this cruise. We are just rounding Browns Point and the Foss is in sight. We've seen more wildlife the last couple of days than we saw further north, including this tiny seal pup floating on a log. (Taking photos with a phone from a moving boat is challenging.) It's back to work tomorrow (in fact, Nick has to drive to Cispus this afternoon!) but we will be back aboard the Pelican soon! Glorious.

Boaters tend to be very generous. We landed in Kingston and met up with Ray again, who along with his lovely wife Sharon, delivered a gently used shrimp pot to replace the one we lost. And a bottle of wine. And then we got an email from one of our dock mates at the Foss Harbor Marina, Jim. He has fresh salmon and halibut for us when we return! (We don't appreciate the gifts of very large wakes. There's always that guy ...) We had our last dinner of the trip aboard...grilled filet mignon. We would usually rather cook our own meals, especially in nice weather. Up and out early Wednesday morning for the last leg of this wonderful trip.

We left Friday Harbor early to catch calm water through Cattle Pass and the straight. (Family members will know Cattle Pass as that particularly turbulent stretch of water that we watch boats churn through while we sit at Shark Reef.) We hit a patch of rough water as we entered the straight but all in all it was fairly smooth sailing. Many boaters travel together...something we had not done until this day from F.H. to Port Townsend. The photo is one Ray took of Pelican as we followed in his wake. Port Townsend has a lot to offer to those who enjoy shops, galleries, and restaurant choices. It was a bit windy but a really nice day, ending with dinner at Doc's. (Thanks for joining us, Ray and Sharon!)

It feels like an old haunt at this point. Friday Harbor is a place we visit each year on our usual trek to the San Juan Islands. This year we encountered two forms of wildlife. Both were looking for scraps but were eventually bored to tears and went their separate ways. (JKLOL Ray!) In all seriousness, Ray enjoys his Ranger 25 and is a wealth of experience and info that we greatly appreciate. Weather is very nice, with more to come as we continue heading south toward home.

We took a shuttle from Poets Cove to the local farmers market, and then walked to the village. Nice diversion and a chance to stretch our legs. We never tire of watching for wildlife. Otters and a heron hang out in our "back yard" and I spotted a small pink thing in the water off the dock. A new boat friend who does underwater photography (www.stevezedekar.com) said it was a horned nudibranch. A type of sea slug and not all that common. (Not a great photo but you can see it just below and to the right of the reflection of the net.) We ended the day at the factory-sponsored BBQ...in the sunshine.

Friday turned into a glorious day with lots of activity. A nice walk, time in the pool, a little kayaking, and second place in the blind folded dinghy race. Ya, we were definately talked into that one . The photos are what we see off the two sides of Pelican, our front and back yards in Poets Cove , so to speak. Another benefit of these gatherings is that the Ranger/Cutwater factory technicians are here to work on everyone's boats...for free! Our water tank guage didn't work and the fridge had to be pulled out to fix it. Coincidentally, there was a wiring issue that needed to be dealt with...also behind the fridge! (We didn't even know about that.) We also learned that metal (propane tank and tools, mainly) in the storage area was messing with our compass..who knew! Ivan has worked on our boat before...he is really good at his job and a pleasure to work with. And another awesome happy hour!

Arrived at Poets Cove Marina on Thursday, just after 8 am. And then watched as about 49 other Rangers and Cutwaters arrived throughout the day. This is a great opportunity to share information with other boaters, but specifically other R.T. owners. I took a tour of an older 29, and later met and  swapped ideas with someone I had been emailing over the past few months. Most people have some solution they want share, about navigation, boat parts, and storage...and pretty much everything else you can think of. Many people stopped to admire our cargo rack and box. Captain Nick dropped the crab pot but alas...a couple of throwbacks were all that came up. It sprinkled on and off all day and then cleared up beautifully for the usual happy hour on the dock. Tons of really good food. My deviled eggs were a hit...but everyone's deviled eggs are always popular!

Another itinerary change got us to Reid Harbor on Stuart Island. Beautiful spot with very nice hiking trails. We were on a mooring buoy at the state park there, with just a half dozen or so other boats in the entire harbor. Very quiet. Captain Nick dug some clams...we'll see how they compare with the Vaughn Bay variety. We ran out of water! That's a first but no big deal. On to Poets Cove Marina where we'll have all the amenities.