Sept 17-Friday Harbor, San Juan Is., WA
Friday 9/17 2010Sept 16 - Oct 06:
G-Dock, Slip #16, Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA (long: 48º 32' 350" / lat: 123º 01' 000")
Plan "A":
Anchor out around the San Juan Islands, duck into Friday Harbor whenever we needed or wanted to, and then on October 6th, cruise over to Anacortes, WA and our winter moorage. Here's what happened.
The fog banks rolled in and engulfed the harbor every single day, lingering until mid afternoon. For three days, we prepared for departure...oh, uh uh! When the fog finally relented, the rain took over and it poured buckets. The only place we went was walking (uphill, of course) into town. We went to Plan "B".
Plan "B":
Stay put on G dock until we left for Anacortes. This worked out pretty well. We had front row seats to watch FH begin to change from a tourist town to a home town.
Sunset view from slip G16
Although G dock is transient moorage, we had one set of constant neighbors port side, Nick and Gail. Fourteen years ago they had traded life on land for sailing the inside passage and living aboard their boat, Destiny, perfecting the art of minimalist living for maximum adventure.
Because the ferry schedule determines so much of the island's life, the ferry traffic in the harbor became another way to tell time.
The full moon and the ferry.
Moonrise and Masts w/ Seagull
Lime Kiln Lighthouse, San Juan Is.
We brought our car up from Everett and had a chance to drive all over San Juan Island sightseeing.
Unfortunately, our season ended on a sad note. On October 4th, Cootie Garbonzo, our commodore, crew, and beloved cat companion passed away after a brief illness.
Two days later, I boarded the 1:15 ferry, taking the car to Anacortes. The day was spectacular and from the forward outside deck, I watched Rich and Norm navigate the Western Star out of Friday Harbor and onto her last cruising leg of the 2010 season. It was a great day to be out on the water.
I'll keep you posted. IES