Stella Maris
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2008
- Messages
- 1,500
- Fluid Motion Model
- C-24 C
- Non-Fluid Motion Model
- Helmsman PH38, 11' Boston Whaler, 9' Boston Whaler
- Vessel Name
- Destiny
Friday morning dawns. Foghorns of the great Ships that ply these waters known as Puget Sound bellow in the distance. I do not even need to get out of bed to know what the weather is, Fog.
I lay in bed listening. Fog on the sound is such a mystical event. Ships of all size move into sight and then, disappear. Their great horns bellowing to let us know “you may not see me but, I am still here”. The only thing that could make this better would be to have Maureen with me in our nice toasty bed. She will not arrive until this afternoon though.
But, it is not meant to be. Maureen has contracted a stomach virus that is going to keep her in Denver this weekend. Our plans to cruise to Bell Harbor after her arrival are now scraped. We were to rendezvous with her cousin and her husband Saturday morning. We would enjoy a nice day cruise and then, drop them back at Bell. Then we would point our bow to Blakely Harbor for a night on the hook.
Marcus and Jorge of Hayden Bay had planned to join us for dinner on Friday evening. Since I will remain in town, we decide to still grab a bite. Over dinner, we discuss heading out to Blakely Harbor on Saturday and hanging on the hook for the night. It is decided, after I return from my Saturday morning errands, we will head out to Blakely Harbor.
It is noon. The skies are over-cast; a light breeze ruffles the surface of the Sound. Visibility remains at three plus miles. I cast off and gently nudge Destiny out of her slip. Marcus and Jorge have already departed the Fremont Tug Company Marina. Once they clear the lock we will rendezvous outside of Shilshole. I make my way slowly through the great marina. One thousand plus boats call Shilshole home.
I round the breakwater as Hayden Bay passes under the railroad bridge. We point our bows toward Blakely and bring both vessels up to cruising speed. The Sound is virtually empty. There are just two other pleasure boats out. People believe, because it is winter, you cannot go cruising. It is simply a matter of being more aware of the weather as well as having the right equipment aboard. A good heater is a must to stave off the cold evenings.
We make our way across the sound. Hayden Bay takes the lead and makes her way into Blakely Harbor. Marcus selects a location to set their large Rocna. All is secure, I move Destiny into position to raft alongside.
This is a first for me with Destiny. Maureen normally does the majority of the boat handling while I tend to the line handling. It is now up to me to bring Destiny in alongside Hayden Bay. I come along side slowly, stopping ten feet off her port side. Now it is time to use a trick that Scott at Waterline Boats taught us. Put the helm over hard in the opposite direction that you want to move. (In this case, I want to “slide” Destiny to the starboard, I put helm over to port) I bump the throttle forward kicking the stern to the starboard. Now a quick bump in reverse to stop the swing and forward movement. I do this for a matter of a few minutes and Destiny literally parallel parks herself. I close the gap to a matter of a couple of feet; Marcus and Jorge retrieve my lines using boat hooks. We have arrived.
We spend a pleasant evening in the beautifully appointed saloon of Hayden Bay. We enjoy the warmth of her diesel-fired fireplace.
Off to Port Orchard and Beyond
Sunday dawns with a low ceiling of cloud cover. Seattle is totally obscured from sight. I enjoy the comfort of Destiny’s pilothouse taking in the incredible views of Blakely Harbor. Once Marcus and Jorge rise, we will start our trip back to our appointed marinas. We chose however not to take the straight shot back across the sound. We chose instead to head west through Rich Passage up through Port Orchard then out through Agate Passage and back into the sound.
After enjoying our morning coffee, it is time to head out. We decide over coffee though, to make a detour to Port Orchard Marina. We will make the short walk to Amy’s on the Bay for lunch.
It’s 10:00 am; I bring Destiny’s lines back aboard drifting slowly apart from Hayden Bay. Jorge moves to Hayden Bays bow to retrieve her great anchor. Once all is secure, we make our way out of the harbor and into Rich Passage. The passage is alive with pleasure boats of all sizes. The Port Orchard YC had their annual winter cruise to Blake Island this weekend. As we make our way through Rich Passage, a large spherical orb of intense heat and light makes a rare appearance! They call it the “sun”. It has now broken through the clouds giving us an incredible view of the snow capped Olympics.
We make our way to Port Orchard Marina at a leisurely speed of six knots. The marina is completely devoid of all but one other pleasure craft. Locating a spot to tie for a couple of hours is a matter of where do you want to tie.
We enjoy our lunch and depart Port Orchard bathed in incredible sunshine. We cruise past the Bremerton Naval Shipyard marveling at the mighty warships secured to the wharfs. The security personnel shadow us in their chase boat. The Washington State Ferry Kitsap, makes her way through Rich Passage toward her dock in Bremerton. We make our way east to clear the way for her.
As we round the bend into Port Orchard, I hail Hayden Bay and suggest spending another night on the hook in the anchorage of Port Madison. They both agree even though, it will mean a 06:00 departure from Port Madison.
We make our way slowly past Brownsville and then turn east into Agate Passage. With the tide ebbing, we enjoy a nice lift of 2.5 knots. Once we clear the pass, we make our way through the main portion of Port Madison slipping slowly into the small completely protected anchorage of Port Madison. Hayden Bay takes the lead. We will once again swing on her big hook. Jorge lowers the big Rocna signaling Marcus to back down to set it. All is now secure. I again bring Destiny alongside.
Heading “Home”
I rise at 05:00 to prepare a pot of coffee and be sure all is secure for the crossing to Shilshole. I see the lights come on in Hayden Bay. I shoot them a quick text inquiring if they would care for a cup of fresh brewed coffee. I do not get a responding text, but instead a knock on the door, their empty cups in hand.
At 06:00, it is time to bring Destiny’s lines back aboard. We slowly drift apart in the pre-dawn darkness. There is no moon and very few lights on shore. This is a very dark anchorage. I am thankful for my prior days track being on the Garmin. I simply program the Garmin to follow the same track back out. I feather the prop to keep just enough forward momentum to maintain steerage but, slow enough that in the event I do “bump” into something it should do little if any damage.
We clear the tight confines of the anchorage and, point our bows in the direction of Shilshole. Now, not only is it very dark, there is a thin veil of fog. I hail Seattle Vessel Traffic letting them know of our whereabouts as well as our intended course and destination. They advise there is no traffic at this time to be concerned with. Just as we are about to cross the shipping lanes, I hail them again. Once again we get the all-clear sign as well as being informed that they have been tracking our progress on radar.
The crossing is uneventful. Once we enter Shilshole Bay, it is time to point Destiny’s bow at the opening of the breakwater. Marcus guides Hayden Bay to the locks.
Once Destiny is secured in her slip, it is a quick breakfast and shower. Then, it’s off to work! How many people do you know, start their day by making an early morning crossing, of a great body of water, and then head off to work?
Our journey covered 40 miles in two days. We enjoyed being underway for seven hours. Destiny consumed 10 gallons of Diesel Fuel.
There is only one thing that could have made this short journey better. That would have been to have the love of my life along with me. The caveat to that is, we know there will always be a next time!
What a great life we lead!
I lay in bed listening. Fog on the sound is such a mystical event. Ships of all size move into sight and then, disappear. Their great horns bellowing to let us know “you may not see me but, I am still here”. The only thing that could make this better would be to have Maureen with me in our nice toasty bed. She will not arrive until this afternoon though.
But, it is not meant to be. Maureen has contracted a stomach virus that is going to keep her in Denver this weekend. Our plans to cruise to Bell Harbor after her arrival are now scraped. We were to rendezvous with her cousin and her husband Saturday morning. We would enjoy a nice day cruise and then, drop them back at Bell. Then we would point our bow to Blakely Harbor for a night on the hook.
Marcus and Jorge of Hayden Bay had planned to join us for dinner on Friday evening. Since I will remain in town, we decide to still grab a bite. Over dinner, we discuss heading out to Blakely Harbor on Saturday and hanging on the hook for the night. It is decided, after I return from my Saturday morning errands, we will head out to Blakely Harbor.
It is noon. The skies are over-cast; a light breeze ruffles the surface of the Sound. Visibility remains at three plus miles. I cast off and gently nudge Destiny out of her slip. Marcus and Jorge have already departed the Fremont Tug Company Marina. Once they clear the lock we will rendezvous outside of Shilshole. I make my way slowly through the great marina. One thousand plus boats call Shilshole home.
I round the breakwater as Hayden Bay passes under the railroad bridge. We point our bows toward Blakely and bring both vessels up to cruising speed. The Sound is virtually empty. There are just two other pleasure boats out. People believe, because it is winter, you cannot go cruising. It is simply a matter of being more aware of the weather as well as having the right equipment aboard. A good heater is a must to stave off the cold evenings.
We make our way across the sound. Hayden Bay takes the lead and makes her way into Blakely Harbor. Marcus selects a location to set their large Rocna. All is secure, I move Destiny into position to raft alongside.
This is a first for me with Destiny. Maureen normally does the majority of the boat handling while I tend to the line handling. It is now up to me to bring Destiny in alongside Hayden Bay. I come along side slowly, stopping ten feet off her port side. Now it is time to use a trick that Scott at Waterline Boats taught us. Put the helm over hard in the opposite direction that you want to move. (In this case, I want to “slide” Destiny to the starboard, I put helm over to port) I bump the throttle forward kicking the stern to the starboard. Now a quick bump in reverse to stop the swing and forward movement. I do this for a matter of a few minutes and Destiny literally parallel parks herself. I close the gap to a matter of a couple of feet; Marcus and Jorge retrieve my lines using boat hooks. We have arrived.
We spend a pleasant evening in the beautifully appointed saloon of Hayden Bay. We enjoy the warmth of her diesel-fired fireplace.
Off to Port Orchard and Beyond
Sunday dawns with a low ceiling of cloud cover. Seattle is totally obscured from sight. I enjoy the comfort of Destiny’s pilothouse taking in the incredible views of Blakely Harbor. Once Marcus and Jorge rise, we will start our trip back to our appointed marinas. We chose however not to take the straight shot back across the sound. We chose instead to head west through Rich Passage up through Port Orchard then out through Agate Passage and back into the sound.
After enjoying our morning coffee, it is time to head out. We decide over coffee though, to make a detour to Port Orchard Marina. We will make the short walk to Amy’s on the Bay for lunch.
It’s 10:00 am; I bring Destiny’s lines back aboard drifting slowly apart from Hayden Bay. Jorge moves to Hayden Bays bow to retrieve her great anchor. Once all is secure, we make our way out of the harbor and into Rich Passage. The passage is alive with pleasure boats of all sizes. The Port Orchard YC had their annual winter cruise to Blake Island this weekend. As we make our way through Rich Passage, a large spherical orb of intense heat and light makes a rare appearance! They call it the “sun”. It has now broken through the clouds giving us an incredible view of the snow capped Olympics.
We make our way to Port Orchard Marina at a leisurely speed of six knots. The marina is completely devoid of all but one other pleasure craft. Locating a spot to tie for a couple of hours is a matter of where do you want to tie.
We enjoy our lunch and depart Port Orchard bathed in incredible sunshine. We cruise past the Bremerton Naval Shipyard marveling at the mighty warships secured to the wharfs. The security personnel shadow us in their chase boat. The Washington State Ferry Kitsap, makes her way through Rich Passage toward her dock in Bremerton. We make our way east to clear the way for her.
As we round the bend into Port Orchard, I hail Hayden Bay and suggest spending another night on the hook in the anchorage of Port Madison. They both agree even though, it will mean a 06:00 departure from Port Madison.
We make our way slowly past Brownsville and then turn east into Agate Passage. With the tide ebbing, we enjoy a nice lift of 2.5 knots. Once we clear the pass, we make our way through the main portion of Port Madison slipping slowly into the small completely protected anchorage of Port Madison. Hayden Bay takes the lead. We will once again swing on her big hook. Jorge lowers the big Rocna signaling Marcus to back down to set it. All is now secure. I again bring Destiny alongside.
Heading “Home”
I rise at 05:00 to prepare a pot of coffee and be sure all is secure for the crossing to Shilshole. I see the lights come on in Hayden Bay. I shoot them a quick text inquiring if they would care for a cup of fresh brewed coffee. I do not get a responding text, but instead a knock on the door, their empty cups in hand.
At 06:00, it is time to bring Destiny’s lines back aboard. We slowly drift apart in the pre-dawn darkness. There is no moon and very few lights on shore. This is a very dark anchorage. I am thankful for my prior days track being on the Garmin. I simply program the Garmin to follow the same track back out. I feather the prop to keep just enough forward momentum to maintain steerage but, slow enough that in the event I do “bump” into something it should do little if any damage.
We clear the tight confines of the anchorage and, point our bows in the direction of Shilshole. Now, not only is it very dark, there is a thin veil of fog. I hail Seattle Vessel Traffic letting them know of our whereabouts as well as our intended course and destination. They advise there is no traffic at this time to be concerned with. Just as we are about to cross the shipping lanes, I hail them again. Once again we get the all-clear sign as well as being informed that they have been tracking our progress on radar.
The crossing is uneventful. Once we enter Shilshole Bay, it is time to point Destiny’s bow at the opening of the breakwater. Marcus guides Hayden Bay to the locks.
Once Destiny is secured in her slip, it is a quick breakfast and shower. Then, it’s off to work! How many people do you know, start their day by making an early morning crossing, of a great body of water, and then head off to work?
Our journey covered 40 miles in two days. We enjoyed being underway for seven hours. Destiny consumed 10 gallons of Diesel Fuel.
There is only one thing that could have made this short journey better. That would have been to have the love of my life along with me. The caveat to that is, we know there will always be a next time!
What a great life we lead!