Passage to Port Angeles

We felt lucky to get a "weather window" for our 24-hour passage north to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, although we wouldn't have minded a couple of days to enjoy Astoria. The infamous Columbia River Bar was on pretty good behavior this time around, the penalty being that there was not enough wind to fill our sails. Oh well, better too little wind than too much. We did get to sail for about 5 hours in the afternoon. As a line of squalls blew over us the wind gradually increased, and we put in 1 reef, then another. Then, the wind backed and diminished and it was back to the engine. Our new crew Mike did a great job of watchkeeping between dinner and midnight, letting Vicki and I catch some sleep. The seas were pretty lumpy even with so little wind, and we rolled pretty heavily in the 5' swells coming in from our port beam. We were glad to see the light on Cape Flattery as dawn approached. We passed through the "Hole in the Wall" between Tatoosh Island and Cape Flattery, and were snugly moored in the Makah Marina in Neah Bay by 8 AM. We decided a day of rest was in order. It was fun to walk the docks, watch the dozens of eagles on the beach, and take in the Makah Museum. We met the crew of Castaway, a Tayana 37 out of Coos Bay.
Today, we looked forward to the predicted 10-20 knot westerlies to blow us down the Strait, but they never materialized. Instead, we motored all but one hour of the 50-mile passage to Port Angeles. We said goodbye to Mike and caught up on a few minor repairs. Thanks to Mike for the photo of "Showgirl" in Neah Bay.