Trying to decide where to anchor can sometimes be a source of contention. Trying to balance depth with spacing around other boats to the best scenery spot can be a challenge and one that brings very strong opinions. East Sound was not one of those places. We had decided on a anchorage called Judd Bay - tiny, not much room for many boats but surrounded by nature and one single house. After surveying the area talking about tidal changes and depth we dropped the hook and settled in. Repairs done and back at it. Arriving mid afternoon gave us the not much needed excuse to just sit back and take in the scene. The cruise and anchoring itself seemed to be the task of the day and it now was completed. We did manage to FaceTime with the kids that night. Two things accomplished - check.
The best thing about non-travel days to me are long slow mornings; waking up and staying in p.j’s, taking lots of time to stare out the window as you meticulously sip your coffee and eventually getting around to making breakfast. This was one of those mornings. Overcast and cloudy skies helped with the morning speed. Today was a big day we would launch the dink and head into the town of East Sound where they were having their weekly farmers market. I really enjoy a good farmers market. To me it gives you such a good sense of where you are, the kind of people who live there and their values. I always have such high hopes and most of the time am let down. This market was much of the same. I will give them credit for properly spacing people waiting in line, the mandatory hand washing before entering and the friendly demeanor everyone had but all of this did not make up for the measly ten tables of nothing being sold. We whipped though in less then five minutes and that concluded yet another small town farmers market. Somewhat disappointed but not very surprised our next mission would be to find some lunch. We spotted a co-op on the way in and knew at least they would have some vegan food for me. Perusing the shelves we looked for favorite staples and grabbed a few things. Lunch would be two vegan sandwiches - curry and b.l.t. that we split. While I thought it was great my pescaterian partner did not share my enthusiasm and refused to eat his half of the b.l.t. Strike two. Fortunately there was a well known bakery in town where Jeff could fill the void of his lunch with butter and eggs. He found a freshly baked hot out of the oven cinnamon roll that he uses a knife and fork to eat because of its enormity. Thank god this was a hit. Sticky lips and empty cardboard boxed we finished our slow meander around town looking in the windows of shops and avoiding getting too close to masked up walkers. Back to the boat.
A big misconception a lot of people have about boating is that we sit around just sunbathing all day long and that it’s all leisure. While there is plenty of down time, don’t get me wrong there is also a lot of planning and weather watching that goes into our days. This was one of them. Big winds - gale force up to 40mph were getting ready to blow in from the north and we needed to make a move. Conveniently around the corner from East Sound lies West Sound and the Head of West Sound Anchorage provides plenty of North wind protection. While we have been in some big winds in our travels we have never been in guest of 40 while on the hook. This all was making me nervous. I called one marina for a reservation and the lady literally laughed at me through the phone. High seasons nearing labor day was not the time for last minute reservations. I called a second less popular spot and while her first response was, “no!” I did manage to get a reservation for the next day prior to the super blasts of 35-40mph. To me West Sound was nothing special except a place to drop the hook, get some protection and then head out in the morning for Deer Harbor Marina. Where to anchor was a challenge because the anchorage faces a road, had a big rock lying in the middle of it and was already sprinkled with boats. The hook got dropped in a less then ideal spot to me but you can’t win em all. We kept hearing about and reading about this Turtleback Mountain and the good hiking that it offered. West Sound unfortunately wasn’t one of those anchorages that had a dingy dock so we headed 2 miles towards the marina and found the free town dock. With no cell service or wifi we made our way down the road to what we thought would be the trail head of Turtleback. Sweated out and tired finally 2.1 miles later we came to the trailhead for the mountain. Start hiking now? Forget it. We’ll call it a nice walk and head back. Legs stretched and scenery viewed we hit the dink for more important things like sunset and happy hour. Being almost Labor Day we decided to have burgers and corn for dinner and Jeff took over on the grill.
When I know that weather is blowing in I never sleep good. This was one of those nights. The winds were supposed to start picking up around 2a.m. and like clockwork they did. Our biggest indicator of winds on the boat while in bed is the sound of our gold looper flag flapping around in its flag holder on the bow. We hear how fast it’s flailing around and can tell just how strong with winds are. Several times that night I got up and surveyed where we were in the anchorage, how hard the wind was gusting and walked the perimeter in the dark with my phone flashlight ensuring everything was secure. Usually after I make a round I can sleep for a bit until the next whipping of the flag.
8:21a.m. Labor Day and we were outta there. I couldn’t wait to get safely to Deer Harbor Marina and put some lines on the boat and get some security that only a dock can offer. 40 minutes later we arrived outside the marina and hailed them on the radio for our slip assignment. Normally check in time is 1p.m. but fortunately this marina knew a big blow as coming and so did the departing boats so they allowed us in early. We were given a slip at the end of the fairway nicely positioned behind the cafe and store which gave us nice wind protection. Shew! Finally I could relax and stop worrying. The weather forecast did not lie and by noon boats were flying all over the marina. Sailboat lines and covers whipped around making loud banging noises. Incoming boats flew around fairways trying to get into their slips. Dockhands and onlookers where all on high alert helping one another to not crash into docks and other boats. Jeff had to help our neighbors coming in as their dingy got hung up on our boat. Fortunately he was there to push it off and they were much appreciative. Stunned and relieved we sat back and watched the show all afternoon as the winds slashed their way through. Jeff got an ice cream from the store and we made a reservation for Island Pie which all the guidebooks said is must try for local pizza. We weren’t sure how outside dining would work since it was such a huge windstorm but by the time our 7pm res arrived things seemed to be quieting down. The owner told us every umbrella flew down earlier and now things were okay. We enjoyed a peaceful pizza pie overlooking our scenic marina and felt glad that the wind storm was now passing us by.
We both slept like babies that night. Anxiety and wind free secured by dock lines is all you need sometimes. Leisurely around noon on Tuesday we cruised out of Deer Harbor and made our way to our next anchorage - Blind Bay on Shaw Island. Unexpectantley the air was brown and smelled like smoke. We thought maybe the California wildfires were blowing our way only later to fine out that East Washington was burning as well. With the strong winds we too now were breathing in this thick, eye watering stench. And just when you think you have seen it all there is a naked man on a sailboat anchored next to you working on his brightwork. What?! I told Jeff he must of had the area to himself prior to us anchoring here. Right? We were both facinatned and shocked. I found it funny and Jeff stopped looking. That is right after he took the mans picture. Hiding a bit from the smoke and naked guy we spent the day reading and relaxing. Later that night we tooled around on the dink taking in all the boats. Blind Bay was large and catered to lots of boats. Fortunately we were able to be nestled in close to the scenery which is always my favorite. Who knew part of the scene would also involved a naked man.
When we anchor out we like to stay a minimum of two nights so we can really settle in a get a lay of the land an not be in a rush. Plus I’m always in favor of a slow morning which travel days don’t afford. For those not familiar with the Washington waterway system it’s fascinating. They have a very complex Ferry system connecting all of the islands, Seattle and serval other major cities. Think New York City’s subway system except on water and you can bring your car along too. It’s so interesting to us newbs. Shaw Island and Blind Bay is one of the many ferry stops on the island. Where were anchored we could watch the ferry coming and going and it never got old. Right across from Blind Bay was the town of Olga - another ferry stop which also had a dingy dock. Tired of naked guy and ready to stretch our legs we took a dingy ride across the bay to the town of Olga. Now by calling it a "town" Olga consists of: a store, a cider bar, a market and a ferry landing. That’s it. We did manage to walk down the shoulder of the road and get a little exercise. Deciding we put in some good effort we stopped at the cider bar on our way back to the dink and got some local brews. Nicely spaced picnic tables afforded us the luxury of relaxation and a great view too.
