Originally planning for a Friday departure to meet up w/Spitfire, Drew let us know that they had a terrible Thurs. night on a buoy at Fossil, and were returning to PRM. With even stronger winds forecasted for Fri. night -and us likely at anchor due to what would be a late arrival, we stayed at PRM and went out for dinner w/Drew & Jeannine to the Seaside Restaurant, then back to VS for dessert and a night cap.
We snuck out of PRM as soon as the tide turned and began rising -cutting it as close as we dare. Dredging of the marina entrance is set to begin in the fall, but we are having to be more cognizant of the lower tides than we used to. It was a calm, light, following wind, so we motor-sailed with the jib until the wind clocked abeam Saturna As we rounded Patos, there were 3 kayaks muscling through a building rip at the point. All indicated things were fine, even though one of the kayaks seemed to be sitting low in the stern. As we rounded Little Sucia, USCG issued a request for assistance of same kayak. Although there were many other power boats in the vicinity, we were the only respondents (followed later by Orcas Fire & Rescue -with boat, EMT, and air assist). We spent 2+ hours searching, only to find he was now safely assisted to Fox Cove (saw him setting up camp later). He was completely oblivious to the efforts volunteered by others.
Although planning an early (pre-negative tide) departure, we anchored in the deep hole in front of the 'shack' of Dock #1, in case we decided to stay. Our evening entertainment was enjoying a Hunter 42 finally find a reasonable spot next to us -on his 3rd attempt.
Aug. 20 Cypress Isl. (Eagle Hbr.)
We departed right on time, motoring the entire way down. Passed and considered Pelican Cove, but too rally for preference. We Continued on to Eagle, keeping PC as a potential 'plan B'. We arrived on a negative tide (-1.8), so LOTS of eel-grass. Dreamspeaker doesn't show them, but I remembered seeing DNR buoys here, so with several vacant, we tried going as deep into the harbor as we dared. The gras was so thick our depth sounder stopped working, so we made the prudent choice and took a buoy from the 2nd deepest row. Third row by the cliff may have been okay, but was already occupied. After securing the boat, we grabbed some water and sett off for some trail walking. We ended up doing ALL the north end trails today -to Pelican, then Duck Lk, Smugglers, back past Duck, and then inland back to Eagle. By the DNR info maps, about 6 miles.
Aug. 21
Today we did the southern trail around 2 lakes. 6.7 miles, and 1400ft elevation. A truly beautiful view of Cypress Lk, but boy did we have to work for it! This morning was the solar eclipse that the west coast was waiting for. Watching it was neat in the morning. It was surprising how cool the air became, along with a noticeable dimming daylight.
Aug. 22 Matia Isl.
We couldn't avoid the current in Rosario Strait as we crabbed up under power. We opted for Matia over Snoring Bay (Sucia) even though it had a free buoy simply because we like Matia so much. We were on the outside buoy, but strong tide and a windy night kept us from sleeping soundly. Ended the evening with a gorgeous sunset over Echo Bay.
Aug. 23 PRM
Although waiting till 1300 to depart would have helped with the current, we were ready, so off we went. Motor sailed for much of the trip, but sailed the last 5-6 miles on a leisurely beam reach. It was too bad we had to come in for a one day clinic, but looking forward to heading out again on Friday!