After Sucia, we headed over to Patos. We have such fond memories of that little state park… or at least we did. Ha! Those fond memories have now been completely replaced with, “Yep… we never need to go back there again.”
The day itself was absolutely gorgeous. We enjoyed a nice hike, the weather couldn’t have been better, and everywhere you looked people were out enjoying summer. There was laughter drifting across the water, kids playing, boats coming and going—it was one of those picture-perfect Pacific Northwest days.
Then bedtime arrived… and apparently someone turned on the washing machine.
Good grief, we got waked so hard in the middle of the night that neither of us could figure out what was happening. We’d settle back down, only to get rolled all over again. And again. And again. It pretty much went on all night long. By morning, we couldn’t wait to get off that mooring ball and leave. Boundary Pass wasn’t exactly rolling out the welcome mat either. It was very spicy out there, and things didn’t finally settle down until we reached Presidents Channel. We were more than happy to see calmer water.
We decided Anacortes sounded like just what we needed—a chance to do laundry, pump out, and restock the fridge. Some friends keep their boat there, but unfortunately they weren’t in their slip and we couldn’t find them on AIS, so we’ll have to catch up another time.
It had actually been two years since we’d been to Anacortes. In the meantime, someone made a wonderful decision: the showers and laundry are now free! We happily took advantage of both, along with the pump-out. Funny how, after a few days on the hook, clean clothes and a long hot shower feel downright luxurious.
It always amazes me how small the boating world is. Our dock neighbors turned out to be from the Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club. They invited us to join them sometime when we’re back in the area, and it sounds like a fun group. I think we’ll take them up on it.
With clean laundry, full tanks, and a freshly stocked galley, we pointed Miss Marlie south. Sophie wasn’t arriving until July 22, so we figured we’d just wander for a couple of weeks. We slipped through Deception Pass and picked up a mooring ball at Hope Island. We were looking forward to stretching our legs on a hike and figuring out where to spend the Fourth of July. Holiday weekends can fill up fast, so our plan was to get wherever we decided to go a little early.
Then boating plans did what boating plans usually do—they changed.
Our friends Rocky and Tracy called. They had just been in La Conner, headed toward Anacortes, and noticed on AIS that we’d been there. “Drats!” We had literally just left and were now at Deception Pass State Park. They decided to come join us for a few days instead.
We moved over to Cornet Bay to meet them. Let’s just say our timing wasn’t exactly perfect. The current was absolutely ripping through there, and getting into the marina definitely had our attention. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, and once we were tied up, it was nothing but a great evening catching up with good friends.
The next morning we made another attempt at heading south. Langley? Full. Everett? Also full. Apparently everyone else had the exact same holiday plans we did.
So… Plan C.
We turned around and headed back north to Friday Harbor, where they told us it was first-come, first-served and there was still room available. It turned out to be a wonderful decision. We spent a couple of great days there and even got to celebrate Jeff’s birthday with him and his incredibly fun neighbors. It was one of those evenings that reminds you why the boating community is so special.
One of the highlights of our stay was that Jeff generously lent us his truck, so Rocky, Tracy, Jim, and I took a little road trip over to Roche Harbor to catch up with our flotilla friends aboard Urban Cowboy. It was so much fun seeing Dan and Valerie again. Valerie spoiled us with warm, homemade brownies (seriously… yum!), and before we knew it, we’d spent hours catching up, swapping stories, and laughing together. The brownies were delicious, but it was the friendship that really filled our hearts. Moments like these remind us just how fortunate we are to have met so many wonderful people through boating.Unfortunately, Friday Harbor couldn’t accommodate us through the Fourth of July, so off we went again. Jones Island was full too, which sent us on to Prevost Harbour instead.
We hiked out to the lighthouse, wandered the beautiful loop trail, and even stopped at the little roadside store operating entirely on the honor system. Naturally, we bought a couple of souvenir T-shirts.
Not long after, our friend Ray—of Dancing Bear fame—called. His girlfriend was visiting, and he wondered if we’d like to spend a few days boating together.
Has anyone ever known me to turn down a social invitation?
Back into Canada we went, meeting them at Montague Harbour for a couple of nights. We hiked through the provincial park, caught the bus to the Hummingbird Pub (still one of our favorite traditions), enjoyed some good food, played a few games, and spent lots of time just visiting.
From there we all decided to head over to Winter Cove. We’d cruised by it before and stayed next door at Lyall Harbour, but had never actually spent time there. I have to say—we really liked it. We did the little hike (and I do mean little), explored the area by dinghy, and even dinghied over to the pub. Not a bad way to spend a summer afternoon.
For now, we’re heading back to our slip for a few days. Time for another round of laundry, a few errands, church on Sunday, and a mahjong social before turning right around and heading back out. On July 22, we’ll be in Anacortes to pick up Sophie and Kaileb, and we’re really looking forward to sharing a little piece of this cruising life with them.
Talk Soon.