We Covered Some Ground Wednesday

Actually we covered some water today, but using that as a title didn’t seem quite right.

We pulled out of Jarrell Cove State Park about 10am after a leisurely morning. We headed south and took a tour up Hammersley Inlet, a narrow, eight-mile-long channel that runs due west from Hartstine Island and into Oakland Bay where the city of Shelton is located. Bob had seen parts of this channel 35 years ago when he live near Shelton just after college, but neither of us had seen it from the water. We finished that tour about 11:30 and were just south of Hartstine Island when Cathryn, who was putting some things away, became aware that we were missing one of our pieces of boat canvas. We tore the place apart looking for it and finally agreed we must have left it on the dock were we had placed that morning it to dry from the nights’ dew. So back to Jarrell Cove we went! Maybe you can just see the glint of the plastic windows in the canvas in the picture below. We got back there just about noon, so we tied up and had lunch.

After lunch we headed south and east again, keeping an eye out for Orca whales just in case they were still around. Our plan was to go to Steilacoom, the first incorporated City in Washington just north of Ketron Island as our destination for the night. We had never stayed there before, but our Burgee book said there was a small marina there with a guest dock. It turns out that Steilacoom needs to work on its accessibility from the water. The so-called marina was a decrepit boat house, and the dock looked like it could disintegrate in a puff of wind.

It was about 3 PM by this time, and we were just south of the Narrows Bridge. We thought about just heading home, about 15 miles north, but the weather was too nice and we knew that this would be our last chance to get in some boating in good weather before the season ends next week. So instead, we called Mackenzie and asked if she and Matt wanted to me us at Maggie’s Bluff Restaurant at the Elliot Bay Marina for dinner . She accepted, so we headed north to Seattle and got a slip for the night.

Thursday morning we left Elliot Bay Marina about 10 AM headed for home under overcast skies. It did feel like the end of the season. As we headed south toward Blake Island we were passed by two Coast Guard boats cruising east at full speed. Within a few minutes we heard an announcement over the marine radio that a man overboard had been reported off a Seattle-Bainbridge Island Ferry and all boats in the vicinity were asked to lend assistance. Since we were only a mile or so away from where the Coast Guard was searching, we headed that way to see if we could help. About 30 minutes later the search was called off – apparently (and thankfully) a false alarm. So we headed south again and tied up to our buoy back home about noon. The rest of the day was consumed by chores as we’ve discovered we have a LOT to do before we leave for Baja, Mexico in just 2 ½ weeks!