August 20, 2013

August 19th and 20th enroute Neah Bay but stopped in Port Angeles:  We hooked up (the Right way) to a mooring ball so we could drop Jim back at the dock in Sequim Bay.  We then headed west towards Neah Bay on the afternoon of the 19th.  We hit higher than predicted wind and waves and swell in the stretch called the Central Strait of Juan de Fuca.  We have often heard gale force winds for this stretch.  We did not hit gale force but did get over 20-25 knots with big swell and waves and strong current enough that we were not able to find a safe anchorage.  Our chosen option was to return 8 miles and creep into Port Angeles after dark.  It helped that we had been into the area on our trip up.  Not the most romantic mosey under a full moon but we were glad for the full moon non-the-less as it helped light our way through the large ships anchored in the harbour.  We safely found the dock and tied up and went to bed around 10:00 PM.  This morning we awoke to the fog horns of all the big ships and after checking the weather more thoroughly decided that we can stay right here and get our boat ready for the trip back down the coast.  So the dinghy is cleaned and stowed tightly back in her case on deck, some ropes have been tended to, numerous items have come off of the rail and back into stowage, our route south has been devised and (will be double checked by Carl), and we are actually taking naps so we will be well rested in case the weather gods favor us tomorrow.  We chat with others along the dock who are also taking a day off for all the same reasons