We "turned the corner" this morning at 6:06, in moderate fog. Unlike most of our northward trip, we were no longer alone. We saw many fishing vessels on the radar and a few at close range.
The sun was trying to peek through the marine layer. The 2 knot tide (going out) tried to push us away. The multitudinous birds didn't care one way or the other.
We've made the hard 1200-mile part of the journey. From here (we thought) it's an easy 150 miles downhill to Seattle!
We had decided in advance to celebrate at the corner, so we pulled out the champagne and had a toast.
Unfortunately, we had 4 hours of fog, then emerged at Port Angeles into a shipping maelstrom.
Jim piloted us through the currents, wakes and CapeSize ships until we turned south at Dungeoness Spit.
We celebrated a bit more with grilled cheese and crab sandwiches washed down with the remainder of our champagne. And a few cherries for dessert.
The weather was wonderful from noon onwards, so I got out into the warmth for a selfie and a quick snooze.
We climbed up to the flybridge and took a tour of Port Townsend, the wooden boat Mecca.
then we headed down to Seattle, fighting our way through monstrous cruise ships.
We saw four - at 4-5 thousand passengers each, how many can Seattle support?
How many people really want to spend 10 days on a boat?
I guess I do. I'm not tired of it yet.
So Captain Jim let me take the wheel of the flying bridge. It's like driving a giant bus.
Mt. Rainier welcomed us as we sought a place in Shilsole Marina.
We slipped into our reserved slot without incident (thank goodness for cell phones that work out at sea).
Our journey is almost over.
This leg was 358 nautical miles in 38 hours at an average of 9.4 kts using about 250 gallons of fuel.
Tomorrow we plan to reposition the boat all the way through the Ballard Locks to Fisherman's Terminal, where our work will end.
But for now, we need sleep!
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