We both got up fairly early since we were meeting Ian Kerrigan (our financial planner) in Port Townsend that morning. We drove the 50 or so miles and met at the Otter Creek Crossing restaurant which has come under new management, but it was still good food. After a good meeting with Ian we drove over to Mike and Jean Edwards’ house just outside Port Angeles. Mike and Scott worked together back in the Synoptics/Cisco/Boeing days, and Mike and his wife Jean had just sold their house in Issaquah about 6 months ago, and moved to their current home in Port Angeles. They took this old rambler and fixed it up, adding a 2nd level on top and remodeling it extensively. They have a 180 degree view of the Straits of Juan de Fuca, right off of the bluffs, and they have a lot of privacy as well. A lovely home for their retirement! And Jean was happy to be living nearby her sister whom she hadn’t seen for many, many years since her sister used to live in California. It was great to see their new place. Later that evening they popped down to the marina to see our boat, which they were pleased with. I made some spaghetti for dinner with quite a bit left over. I thought it would be a quick meal to heat up while we’re under way in the big blue Pacific Ocean. Little did I know that it would be a meal too hard for me to stomach while we were underway…
Patrick Coonan, his wife Susan & 7 year old son, Jonathan, arrived that evening after a rough day at sea. They had left Edmonds that morning and spent most of the trip in dense fog. It was difficult since they needed to cross through the traffic lanes of the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Then, the winds picked up and tossed them to and fro’ for a very uncomfortable ride. Poor Jonathan actually got sick after passing Point Wilson. Not a fun day for them at sea, and I think they were pleased when they finally made it to Port Angeles.
The winds finally died down that evening, and water in the marina was like glass. We decided to travel along with the Coonans and the other couple Linda and Bill, who were headed in the same direction we were. We agreed to leave at 6:30 the next morning.
-Admiral Marian
I had been talking to Patrick all day and warning him about gale force winds in the straits. Well, each time I talked to him he said “It’s foggy here, but we are making good progress”. Then I warned him about Point Wilson, later finding he breezed right past. Now I started thinking about the boy that cried wolf. I knew the forecast was for 30 to 40 knot winds at the east entrance to the straits, but it had yet to kick up. Well, when we got to Mike Edwards house the straits were flecked with whitecaps. Now it was starting to blow. I called Patrick and he advised that things were still manageable, but that he had slowed to 4 knots. Damn, now he’s committed to making it all the way to Port Angeles, and it’s going to do nothing but get worse. Well to make a long story short, he arrived in the boat basin about 17:00 with a 25 knot wind. He wisely chose a side tie rather than trying to shoehorn crosswind into the slip next to me. In a matter of a few minutes he was tied up and ready to unwind. I felt terrible hearing that poor Jonathan had actually gotten sick, as no one wants to experience that. I felt relieved when I saw him and he seemed none the worse for the ware. I finally got to introduce Marian and Susan and they hit it off just as I knew they would. Susan is a beautiful woman and one of the most engaging and welcoming people you will ever meet, just like my bride Marian! Jonathan is the most intelligent young boy I’ve ever met. With a vocabulary like a college bound scholar and behavior any parent would be proud to see in their children, I find Jonathan a joy to be around. As Marian mentioned, Bill and Linda Edwards aboard Wayward Wind were also there. We all gathered at the dock and discussed a departure time.
I’m a fan of leaving early, at first light, as is Patrick. Bill felt pushing against the current was counter productive, so we agreed to leave at 6:30am, shortly after sunrise. The forecast was for calm conditions, an ebbing tide and a benign Pacific for at least 48 hours, the perfect staging for Marian and my first blue water, over night, multi day experience.
-Skipper
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