I finally had a working boat again. It was time for an adventure!
The Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend was going on this
weekend, and I hatched a plan. I could
tow the boat up to the little boat ramp at Keystone harbor, 4 miles due east of
Port Townsend and sail across. I
couldn’t dock at Port Hudson, where the festival is, but reckoned I could get
transient moorage at Port Townsend’s other marina, Boat Haven. Failing in that, I could always anchor just
off downtown. Fellow PocketShipper Jer
McManus had brought his boat from Montana, and I was hoping that I could drop
by and see his boat, and perhaps lure him out for a fleet sail.
It took longer than I expected to get packed up and going,
and then longer than I expected to get to Keystone, arriving in the late
afternoon. I promptly got the boat in
the water, and set sail for port Townsend.
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| Beautiful Port Townsend |
The waters here are interesting. Being at the intersection of Puget Sound and
the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the bulk of the water going into or out of Puget
Sound has to make a sharp turn here, creating unusual currents. On the chart, there is something marked
“swirls.” What exactly are “swirls?” I found out quickly. Just outside the harbor there where large
circles of smooth-looking water.
Entering one, I quickly had to fight hard to maintain heading. I got the heck out of that as quickly as
possible, and avoided future swirls.
The wind died off as I approached the edge of the Puget
Sound shipping lanes, so I fired up the noisemaker and jetted across. The wind picked up again as I entered Port
Townsend Bay, and I approached the waters off Point Hudson under full
sail. It felt great to be moved by the
wind again!
It was too late to execute my original plan of stopping by,
and so I settled for a sail-by.
Chesapeake Light Craft’s booth was set up right on the tip of Point
Hudson, and so I reached up and down the shore in front of them a few times. I thought about shouting out “Send out
Jer!!!”
The hour was getting late, so I decided to head back. About a mile from Port Townsend, I hear a
“pppppffffffft,” and caught sight of a minke whale that had just surfaced next
to me. I grabbed my camera and waited
for it to come up again. He must have been going somewhere fast, because I
didn’t see him again. The wind again
died as I approached the shipping channel, so I dropped sail and steamed the
rest of the way back.  |
| I arrived in time for the schooner races |
Another interesting feature just off Keystone that noted on
the charts are rips. Well, sure enough there
was one right in my way as I approached shore.
It looked compact and I decided to plunge through it rather than go
around. The cop quickly became steep,
and I had to slow down substantially to keep things under control. The boat did fine, but I was nervous as all
get out getting through that. Just as
the sun was setting, I exited the rip and moments later entered Keystone
Harbour, completing an excellent “return to the sea” mini-cruise.
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| A good cruise |
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