Friday, September 16, Bellingham, WA.
This day started with a visit to the Webb home to see the girls and have breakfast with the family. Doug picked us up at the marina with the best breakfast you will have anywhere, any time. I dream about this breakfast! Originally from Avenue Bread in Fairhaven but now also available at two Avenue Breads in Bellingham, the Eggenue is a poached egg served on a homemade whole wheat English muffin with pesto, mozzarella and prosciutto. That’s my FAVE, the “Italian” but there are many different varieties and they are all outstanding.
Riding our Eggenue highs we said goodbye to Houdie and the girls, shopped for a few last minute items and some ice, and headed to our vessels with plans to meet in the Bay. Our destination was Sucia Island, a state park, about 23 miles from Bellingham. While in Bellingham Bay Bass and I decided to practice “heaving to”. It was not our most successful drill and as we were trying to recover Finch blew by us like they were on their way to Hobart! [Bass: there is definitely something I haven’t figured out yet about backwinding a genny with the cutter rig’s forestay in the way!] After pointing as high as we could across Bellingham Bay [and one “motor assist” to avoid haunted Portage Island], we broad reached up the Hale Passage between Lummi and the mainland, then blasted west across the top of the Rosario Strait at about 6.9 knots. It was an overcast day and in the breeze we donned our foulies. Sailing next to Finch was a beautiful sight!
The popular spot when visiting Sucia is Echo Bay where there are mooring balls, rafting buoys and docks. But we headed for Shallow Bay [west edge of the island] with its great views to the north and west to Canada and the Straight of Georgia and Boundary Pass. It was late evening when we arrived and most mooring balls were taken. Finch and Gretel II picked up the last ones. The bay is guarded by a rocky reef and in the lower tide there were many sea birds perched on the spit all talking and squawking. I have to admit we looked like a travel ad for a sailing vacation!
Bass and I rowed the dinghy to Finch for beers with Doug and Amy. Amy had made a very tasty ceviche which went delightfully with our beverages. We raised a glass to sailing, friends, time-off and to a most excellent day on the water!
Google Earth Tour
Click the link below to download a Google Earth .kmz file that will take you on a fly-by tour of our trip from Bellingham to Sucia:
2) Double click to open in Google Earth
3) Expand the “Bellingham_to_Sucia.kmz” tree down and double click “Double Click to View Tour”:
Pictures:
Video from Day 3 (4 mins 12 seconds):
*Shallow* Bay? Yikes! Didn’t I teach you to stay away from places with names like that? Dad
Loved the photos. Can’t help with Genoa. What are stays again?
xoD