Day 8 – Friday Harbor to Blind Island – 7.6 miles

Wednesday, September 21, Friday Harbor to Blind Island

The next day we finished our laundry and re-provisioned the galley. Again we found ourselves at Bakery San Juan where we had more coffee, home-made treats and enjoyed a leisurely morning. The bakery has free wi-fi so Bass took the opportunity to take care of some Commish duties. (Bass is our football pool Commissioner and can herd cats from anywhere in the world!). [Bass: a small netbook like the ASUS Eee Pc 1005ha we carry is a pretty convenient cruising tool… small, lightweight, ridiculous battery power, easier to type on than a tablet, has all my work files if needed, and is our onboard chart plotter and iTunes controller underway… and if I drop it off the dock I’m only out $175!]

Before casting off I visited the fresh fish kiosk on the docks, purchasing a piece of halibut so fresh it was almost translucent. I also bought six of the most beautiful sea scallops I have ever seen. They were so fresh I thought I might squirt a bit of lemon juice on them and eat them on the spot! But the fish lady saw my dilemma and gave me a Dixie cup of freshly cracked crab for the walk back to the boat.

By the time we pulled out of Friday Harbor we were thankful for the peace and quiet of Gretel II once again reaffirming our belief that “civilization” is indeed over rated! We sailed north up the west coasts of Lopez and Shaw Islands threading our way through the Wasp Passage past the southern coast of Orcas and into Blind Bay. [My paranoia about running aground – an ingrained family skill – was mocked while we religiously stuck to the deepest water and watched the ferries go blasting by through whichever channel they felt!] We knew a storm was brewing with high winds anticipated so a protected bay was in order.

We secured Gretel II on a mooring ball and rowed over to Blind Island. Blind Island is a small island with campsites, composting outhouse and fire pits. Finding a nice vantage point at the top of Blind Island we hunkered down and raised a glass to the views and to the trip. In silence we watched as ferry traffic came and went frequently serving Shaw and Orcas Islands. A few boats sailed by taking advantage of the building winds. The weather was definitely turning with the wind picking up. At the last sliver of light we rowed back to Gretel ll to make sure she was prepared for the wind.

[We did get a blow that evening, from an unexpected direction, but only for about ½ hour. At the onset I threaded a third docking line onto the mooring, just for security. A friendly wave from a man working on the bow of a trawler on the only other occupied mooring was comforting – even if we had a rough night we’d be two against the storm, looking out for each other… until I realized he was actually dropping his mooring and high tailing it for home at ~15 knots! With wind from the NW we were actually exposed to the full length of West Sound, the worst wind direction you could have at Blind Bay, and feared a rough night, but the winds died within 30 minutes or so leaving us in a peaceful spot, protected by Blind Island from passing wakes in the Harney Channel, and blissfully alone!]

[Some may look at Gretel II and think she’s an older boat, without all the creature comforts of a newer Beneteau or such, but we found her very comfortable, and it’s all relative anyway… as it began to blow and rain we hunkered down under the dodger with a toddy and watched a group of sea kayakers drag in at 0-dark-thirty onto Blind Island. Watching their headlamps bob around in the rain as they tried to get dry, set up tents, cook dinner etc. made us very thankful for our cozy little Baba home.]

Google Earth Tour

Click the link below to download a Google Earth .kml file that will take you on a fly-by tour of our route from Friday Harbor to Blind Island:

Pictures:

Video from Day 8 (1 mins 16 seconds):