November 15th 2009, Shilshole Bay: The Gales of November
We didn't make it to Friday Harbor. Our trip to Port Townsend was uneventful. Light South Winds were not enough for us to sail, the Northward current pushing us faster than the wind. We had a quick trip under power to Point Hudson Marina where Bree and I stayed with the boat while Laura attended her "Team Building" activity ashore. By Wednesday Laura's meeting was over but the weather was closing in. With gale warnings predicted for the next several days we decided to retreat to Shilshole Bay rather than continue North. It turned out to be the right choice. Had we decided to continue to Friday Harbor, we might still be there waiting for favorable conditions. As it was, we had to fight increasing winds from the South to get back to Seattle.
Today, we have mere "Small craft advisories" in effect here in Puget Sound while full gales are blowing just a few miles North in Admiralty Inlet, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and up into the islands. These conditions are expected to persist well into next week. I'm glad we are in a snug harbor with no pressure to go anywhere.
November 16th - PIcking up where I left off...
Full gales now here in Puget Sound. We are pinned in our slip, but comfortably; Laura is making soup and Bree is curled up in her favorite spot opposite the heater. We just uploaded Laura's photo slide show of the Vega Rendezvous to YouTube and expect to spend the afternoon working on more videos.
October 31st, Shilshole Bay: Halloween
Small craft advisories in effect for Puget Sound(Seattle) until noon today - South wind 20 to 30 knots, wind waves 2 to 4 feet. Admiralty Inlet(Port Townsend) - Yesterday's Gale warning canceled; Weather for tomorrow is expected to moderate. Current forecast for tomorrow is for SSW winds 6 to 11 knots and wind waves 1 foot. With no warnings pending and conditions expected to improve we are planning to take the boat to Port Townsend Sunday. Laura has a business meeting for West Marine there on Monday and Tuesday and will be taking some comp time afterward so we are planning to go to Friday Harbor next week, weather permitting.
We have been getting out a bit. We are not much for just taking the boat out to sail up and down in front of the marina though. We prefer destination oriented sailing so when Laura had a couple of days off early in October we took the opportunity to sail around the point into Seattle's main commercial harbor and the tiny yacht basin at Bell Harbor Marina.
Located in the heart of the Seattle waterfront district; that is, the developed and spiffed up for tourists part (featuring expensive restaurants, bistros and boutiques) as opposed to the working waterfront crowded with, and smelling like, commercial fishing boats and the businesses that serve them and their crews. You will find the latter in Ballard, just a short walk from our mooring in Shilshole Bay. Unlike at Anthony's Restaurant, the Cutter or Pike's Place market in Bell Harbor, you won't see any business suits or families with baby strollers at the Salmon Bay Cafe, the Maritime Brewing Co.'s "Jolly Roger" pub or Mike's Chili Parlor in Ballard.
More photos at
http://americanvega.org/captainslog.html
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