July 3rd - 5th Neah Bay and on to Canada

July 3^rd, 2019  Neah Bay to Crescent Bay

If you want to follow along on the map with us you can find us at https://share.garmin.com/PamCorey

We depart Neah Bay around noon to follow the flood current into Crescent Bay.  It is nice to slow down a bit and tidy the boat after being on the ocean nearly 34 hours.  The journey to Crescent Bay is as expected and we arrive in plenty of time to figure out where best to anchor.  This is a seldom used anchorage as it opens to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  We spend a rolly polly sleep interrupted night and wonder whether or not it is a good decision. 

4^th of July – July 6^th 2019 Planning gone awry

We depart the U.S. on our country’s birthday.  Happy 4^th of July to everyone and to our country!  May we forever be the land of the free and the home of the brave.

We choose a 7 a.m. departure from our anchorage as the low tide will be minus three feet which is putting us pretty close to the keel.  As we make our 13 mile crossing we chat on the radio with cargo vessel Mattson Anchorage.  They are enroute to Seattle and we agree to alter course to safely pass them on their stern.  Although I seldom contact ship captains, I always appreciate the calm, courteous captains that I talk with on the VHF radio.

The crossing is fine and all is well until we try to round Race Rocks.  We essentially stay in one place for an hour as we have misjudged our timing on the currents.  Reflections over evening beverages in the cockpit include lessons learned.  Next time, yes we would still cross the Strait as you always want to do that when winds are favorable (which they were).  However, next time we would probably anchor in the bay after crossing and wait for the currents to subside before heading up and around Race Rocks.  Of course, every single factor will be different next time but we agree to tuck this lesson away in case we need it again.  The currents always win, even on a boat with a well equipped engine.

We check into Customs, tie up at Van Isle marina and do our normal, post ocean chores; laundry to get the salt air out, a check of all belts, and minor (hopefully) alterations or repairs.  We walk to town to purchase fishing licenses.  You can get them online but if you want to catch and retain halibut in some areas you have to purchase them at a brick and mortar vender.  This also puts us at the Sidney street fair allowing us to amply sample street fare food for dinner and stock the larder with some awesome fresh vegetables and homemade bread.  We are entertained by a variety of musical talent including a great celtic group singing salty sailing songs.   We purchase a dozen eggs to boil as well.  I wonder how the dozen boiled eggs that we left sitting on the counter at home will smell in 7 weeks?

What is it with alternators and our boat?  I am beginning to think the belt issue is a symptom of a larger problem.  In Longview we purchased and installed a new one because the relatively new one separated.  Now here we are a few days later and the brand new one is stretched beyond where it should be.  We dip into the spares tub and Carl puts on another new one.  Then it is a couple of miles round trip walking to replenish the spares tub.  This is one way we get our exercise.

Stretching our legs allows us to find a couple of good dark beers at a decent pub, Dark Matter and Black Magic.  Then it is back to the boat to pore over guide books, charts and ship’s logs to do some planning for our next leg.  Our goal this year is to circumnavigate Vancouver Island counterclockwise.  This will also allow us to meet up with our friends Walt and Odile on B Mondo as they circumnavigate clockwise.  We hope to meet up and explore on the wild west coast of the Island.