Sailing Thursday - Friday: Friday Harbor to Cypress Island to Bellingham

Days 5 and 6 of Sailing the San Juans

Thursday, our final full day with Jon and Jette, dawned gray and chilly. Noise from other vessels was inevitable, being tied up among hundreds of them. Nearby boats started departing, motoring past our berth, around 0530 and by six, the motor drone woke me for good. I took advantage of great cell service in Friday Harbor to catch up with the world until others stirred. Continuing my trend, I would be the first one out of the cabin for coffee. I appreciate the trouble that Jette went to to make it for us.

Breakfast was an excellent waffle with hint of cornmeal. I imagine that being connected to shore power made running the electric waffle iron possible. In any case, I enjoyed my waffle as I always do, plain. I'm not one for butter, toppings, or syrup though there were plenty of all of these on the table.

After breakfast, we had a little over an hour before departure, so I grabbed my camera and went walkabout in the marina while Jon and Jette tidied from breakfast. I love wandering marinas, especially early in the morning, and just photographing whatever random things strike my eye. As I walked, it seemed that Purple Martins were calling loudly from every other mast.

Departing the marina at 1000, we motored off into the gray and chilly morning, with a few minor sprinkles. The wind and tides did not cooperate for sailing; we were under sail for only 15 minutes or so on our way to Cypress Island, which is technically not in the San Juans, situated just northwest of Anacortes.

Sea Lion, 87352, Flying Low at about 25 Knots
Wavery Look Shooting Through Plastic Bimini Windows

Although we arrived at Cypress Island at 1230, the more northly anchorages were taken and we pushed on south for another 45 minutes, during which time we ate tasty salmon tacos for lunch.

I Will Never Say No to Fish Tacos

Finally we arrived at Secret Harbor, home to a former salmon farm where the bottom still has remains of the anchoring chains for the salmon nets. Jon has three spots marked on his navigation system where he has fouled his anchor in the chains. He picked a spot that proved to have clean bottom and we got to witness yet another anchor dance by Jette. Earbuds installed, she does a little happy dance as she drops the anchor chain. In this case, she also attached an auxiliary line to the anchor in case it was needed to help free a fouled anchor.

Ready for the Anchor Dance

The tide was way too far out to go ashore; the dinghy needed deeper water to make the beach. We, Geni, most of all waited patiently for the tide to come in and while it was rising, the rain, heavy at times, set in for the duration. It was a shame really because the Washington DNR manages this island and I would have loved to have hiked it to see how it differed from Stuart and Sucia. I noticed that each island has a slightly different feel, more or less corresponding to how much rain each receives.

Finally the tide came in enough for Jon to take Geni ashore for a pee. I felt sorry for him, clad in a rain jacket, as he made his way ashore with Geni and Gillian. I knew it would be a production to get the dog back in the boat and dried off so that she did not get water all over the beautiful teak interior. As much as I was curious about the island, I was not going to get in the way of an expeditious trip to shore and back.

While Jon was ashore, the rest of us sat around under cover of the bimini in the rain, watching the wildlife around us. In addition to many more kingfishers, eagles seemed extremely prevalent in this area and we saw many plying the inshore waters. Moreover, we could see many seals lounging in the small bay with just their snoots out of the water. An intrepid seal even swam up to the boat, inquisitive, whiskers dripping. During this interlude, Jette fetched her guitar and gave us an impromptu concert.

Impromptu Concert on a Rainy Afternoon

Eagle at 400 Yards

Harbor Seals, Just Chilling

Reminds Me of Kachemak Bay in Alaska

Rain Does Not Bother the Guillemots

Rhinoceros Auklet with Mouthful of Sand Lances

Story of the Afternoon

Half Drowned after Walking the Dog

Our final evening aboard was a bit of a subdued affair on account of the streaming rain. Down in the warm and warmly lit salon, we had delightful grilled shrimp wrapped in prosciutto for appetizers followed by a dinner of King Salmon on risotto with broccolini. I enjoyed both but perhaps not as much as I enjoyed our second mini-concert from Jette after dinner, just before we retired to pack our belongings in preparation for an early morning that would see us racing the ebbing tide to make the marina with enough water to float the boat.

Friday morning dawned gray, but the rain had pretty much stopped during the night. I was awakened in the night a couple of times, once by an eagle screaming and once by several coyotes yapping back and forth. I had not thought that there might be coyotes on an island off the mainland, but that shows what I know. Finally, I was awakened for good at 0620 by a loud noise on the deck just above our heads.

Smoked Salmon Benedict

Our final meal on the Woodwind was a delightful smoked salmon benedict that we gobbled just before getting underway back to Bellingham. The super low tide dictated we be at pier by 11, so we got under way early and quickly.

As we motored towards Bellingham, in several places, the water was actively churning where currents collided. Clearly, these currents were hemming up bait fish, because dozens of porpoises were working the area. In addition, we passed rafts of gulls, guillemots, and a few cormorants, all in search of a meal.

Blue Sky Trying to Peek Through

Just at the stroke of 11, we slid into the marina, threading our way through a pack of kids learning to sail in their little Sunfishes. Eager to get moving to avoid as much Friday afternoon traffic as possible, we said our goodbyes quickly and departed Bellingham going south to Astoria for the night. I freely admit that I was sad that the sailing part of our trip was over. The San Juans were beautiful and I would love to do it again.