July 18 - 20 Neah Bay to Port Angeles

July 18 -  20  Neah Bay to Port Angeles   With gale force warnings scheduled for late tonight we decide to start our 60 mile trip to Port Angeles.  If the high winds materialize too soon we will most likely anchor in Crescent Bay again.  We make it most of the way with no issues.  There is a good hour however where our “nerve wracking fun” is more nerve wracking than we like.  It is amazing how some wind against swell can pick up your 20,000 pound boat and put its stern where it wants to!  Nonetheless we make it into Port Angeles.

We have ‘appointments’ in Port Angeles, one with Customs to fill out our current I-68 border crossing form and another at Napa Auto to pick up the new spare alternator that Carl ordered.  Continuing our exercise regime we load the laundry on our back and hike 2 miles to the Napa/Laundromat area.  Carl then hikes back to the boat and back to Napa to bring the OLD alternator in.  We then hike two miles back to the boat with the pulleys torque onto the new alternator (thank you Napa) and nice clean laundry.

Two years ago Pam wrote a letter to the editor mentioning that the Boat Haven was really missing the boat, pun intended, by not having a laundry facility at the dock when they are a major stopping point for people headed to all 4 points of the compass on the Salish Sea.  Lo and behold the new Laundromat building is almost complete and will be in place next time.  At least we won’t have to schlep the laundry the 4 mile round trip even if we Do need to hike to Napa

We sit two nights, taking on fresh water and inflating the dinghy while the gales in the Straits blow themselves out.