Monday, August 3, 2009

Under Way

We’re under way! Yesterday afternoon we left Olalla with the Toyota RAV4 loaded to the gills. We had 3 kayaks on top, 2 crab pots, loads of groceries, 2 carry-on suitcases for the flight home and a large suitcase of things to leave behind on the boat when we leave Ketchikan, to be collected later. We met Greg Nunn, owner of “Gold Rush” at the boat, unloaded everything, drove to his house to drop off our car and pick up Terry, then returned to the boat. Last night we slept more briefly than normal as we were in bunk beds in unfamiliar surroundings with unfamiliar lights and noises, then got up at 4:30 a.m. for coffee before casting off from the Port Angeles marina. The weather on departure was not what we’d hoped for. As we entered the Strait of Juan de Fuca the fog was thick, it was barely light, and so we took off under radar. The seas were running 5-6 feet with swells, and the boat was wallowing as a result. Bob, taking his first turn at the helm, soon learned how easy it is to over-correct in steering when in the fog. He managed to take Gold Rush through 360 degrees in no time. Perhaps not coincidentally, shortly Cathryn was throwing up, then lying on the floor in the salon under a blanket for the next couple of hours while she waited for the Scopalamine patch (anti-seasick medication courtesy of sister Lynn) to kick in. By 10:30, Cathryn felt fully recovered and joined the rest of us for egg sandwiches, the fog lifted, and we had warm, sunny weather.

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