WHAT WERE WE THINKING!!!

My feet are cold!  I have to put on an extra sweater and yoga pants. There’s an extra blanket on my side of the bed. What’s with that!

Boy am I wining! LOL. Well, that's part of living in the Pacific Northwest and preferable to sweating all day in Mexico’s extreme summer heat.  The heat and humidity were the reasons we wanted to bring Falcon home to more moderate temperatures; we realized that it’s easier to put clothes on when you’re cold than it is to take more clothes off when you’re hot! Adjustments!  We have it soooo hard!

On Friday, August 5, 2016 we were up before sunrise to time our departure from the Columbia River with the start of the ebb tide, which gave us a welcome push out to open water.  Crab traps were hard to spot but Jim managed extremely well after our run in with one two weeks before.  He had first watch for two hours so I headed down to the settee to nap til my watch.  Easier said than done!  By the boisterous movements of Falcon as she leaped forward like a racehorse, I knew we were flying through the water.  Later Jim confirmed that we hit 11.9 knots at one point while we exited the confines of the channel.

Once free of the Columbia River we turned north and had a quiet, short day motoring to Westport Marina in Gray’s Harbor, a busy fishing community and popular coastal tourist destination.

Familiar wildlife like river otters and sea lions, seals and turtles seemed to greet us as we passed.  We began to spot more humpback whales, often just swimming leisurely along the surface of the water, go gently.

We arrived at Westport Marina just before noon and immediately headed out find the most popular fish and chips restaurant along the main drag, and it turned out to be right across the street from the massive marina.  Ten to fifteen people were constantly lined up to place their orders. Normally we don’t line up for food but it was worth it!  Jim had the freshest halibut fish and chips done in a thin tasty crunchy batter and I had a fresh spinach, apples, sunflower seed and cranberry salad, dripping in a mandarin vinaigrette.  We enjoyed each mouthful and then Jim somehow found room for an ice cream cone afterwards! What a guy!

We spent the rest of the afternoon changing the engine oil and walking around the Westport waterfront.  Many people were sitting on the docks in deck chairs waiting for crabs to enter their traps, which were simply tossed into the water from the docks. Entire families clustered around little tables of snacks, kids fished with their miniature toy rods and parents chatted with other perched crabbers while they waited.  Amazing that the crabbing industry is so healthy with so many people fishing it.

We were up before dawn on Sunday, August 7th . It was a particularly dark, misty morning so we waited a half hour til we could safely see enough to spot crab traps just outside the marina entrance. The whole day was overcast and slightly misty but we were happy because conditions were extremely flat.  The swells were barely noticeable and the hours flew by while we chatted excitedly about reaching the end of our journey home.

Looking towards Cape Flattery from Makah Bay.

Before dusk we anchored in tree lined Makah Bay just south of Cape Flattery.  Makah Bay, a centuries old aboriginal settlement, would have had everything going for it - the bountiful sea, thick forests, juicy berries, accessible edible roots. Seasonal paradise!  The Makah Museum at Neah Bay is full of fascinating artifacts from the area.  I yearned to go ashore but the dinghy was in travel mode and we were tired.

Our last night "outside' in a rolly anchorage at MaKah Bay.

As darkness descended I heard a loon calling not far away.  What a lovely sound! It was then we remembered that this was our last night on ‘the outside’.  More in the next posting.