Cruising 2008

It was an abbreviated cruise this year aboard my brother's 42' classic wood power boat. Savanna and I took sister Sue and brother in law Greg up to Anacortes Friday afternoon August 8, where we met brother Tim and sister in law Cathy at Skyline Marina, home of the world's longest fuel dock, at the very end of which Maraian II sat.

After a quick run to the local mini mart for Savi's provisions (mostly Cheetos and candy bars) and some cash, we were off to points west. A couple hours later we were through Mosquito Pass, sort of the unofficial entrance to the San Juans proper. After deliberating amongst the crew as to where to spend the night, we ended up anchoring at Stuart Island in a well-protected bay. It was a late night and by the time we had thawed out and eaten our lasagna, it was well after 9pm. Weather was calm but a little cloudy.

We were somewhat disappointed the next morning when the infamous bakery barge failed to appear with the much-anticipated cinnamon rolls, but we consoled ourselves with a pound of bacon and some fresh scones, which Susie and Greg prepared down below in the cozy galley. After more deliberation, we were off to points south which included better cell phone coverage, Friday Harbor and the start of the Shaw Island sailboat race, where we expected to meet up with several friends and co-workers.

The start of the race was the usual jumble of fast and slow boats, experienced and novice skippers and the occasional ferry boat cruising thru the congested start line. After exiting the harbor, some boats chose to go clockwise around Shaw Island on a spinnaker run, others chose to beat into the wind, going counter clockwise. The latter course was later found to be the best choice, as few of the boats going north even finished, due to calm winds and fluky currents.

Back in cruising mode, we headed north to Orcas Island where we spent a rainy, blustery afternoon and evening at the Deer Harbor Marina. Still was enjoyable as we had time to run the skiff over to Jones Island where we hiked around for a while and were able to stretch our legs in the vicinity of the marina, mostly be dodging local traffic. The marina also had a small store which served ice cream and french fries, the ultimate balanced diet for Savanna. We also enjoyed walking the docks, looking at all the different boats. I was telling Tim it was strange for me to be seeing the boats in their natural habitats, being so used to seeing them in the yard from the bottom up.

Next day we were up and cruising fairly early as Tim had to drop Kathy off in Anacortes so she could get back to work Monday morning. That accomplished, we continued into LaConner where we stayed at the dock Sunday evening, after having a great dinner at the local pizza brew pub. It was up very early the next day and by 630am we were well on our way back to Seattle. We all took turns with the steering, including Savi, and arrived at the locks in early afternoon, for a quick transit through to his marina. Tuuli picked us up at 2pm.