Fog

[Orvil Newton]

After picking up our crew for the trip down the coast in Friday Harbor we returned to Port Townsend for final provisioning. Generally foggy conditions in the strait deteriorated into very low visibility and kept us in Port Townsend an extra day.

We left Port Townsend at 12:20 on Wednesday as the fog lifted but as we motored westward in the Strait of Juan de Fuca the fog closed in again and we found ourselves proceeding in one mile visibility for most of the thirty six miles to Port Angeles. This morning we topped off the fuel tank and made ready to depart for Neah Bay and the cape sixty miles to the west but decided against departure as the fog closed in again with visibility at Ediz Hook own to an eighth of a mile.

Meanwhile, we have rigged extra lifelines, filled our water tank, checked the watermaker, rigged a 100 foot man-overboard line with a float, lashed down the anchors, and stowed our gear for sea.


The forecast for the next couple of days is not promising so we wait. I will not rush departure under these conditions. When the weather is favorable, then, and only then, we will proceed. Once offshore the weather is less critical but the traffic in and near the entrance to the strait makes good visibility and favorable winds imperative.

We are looking forward to warmer weather as we head south.