Port Madison was our destination last weekend. Another short overnight trip. And the weather was fantastic once again.
This was the weekend of the annual Puget Sound Grand Banks Owner’s Association’s annual rendezvous in Roche Harbor. We would have liked to attend, but I was supposed to be moving a data center this weekend so could not. Now that’s been moved back a couple weeks so we went out on the boat anyway.
We enjoyed a great but short overnight trip to Blake Island this weekend. The weather was fantastic. It felt very strange. We’ve been boating in this area for a number of years now. During this time, our boat has always lived on or near Lake Union. This was the first trip from our new home in Poulsbo.
The beginning of our adventures all started with a slow trip through the ship canal then out through the locks. The end of the trip was the opposite followed by a plane ride home. Poulsbo has always been a destination. Now it’s home.
Readers of this blog are likely painfully aware that I am not a wordsmith. Some folks can make words dance on a page. They spin an eloquent yarn that has the ability to hypnotize the reader. That’s not me. I can, however, given enough time and luck, make a decent photograph. That’s the limit of my talent.
So I was surprised when the editor of Sea Magazine contacted us about doing an article for their magazine. He had found us through our little blog.
Johnny and Robin, friends from California are looking for a boat to buy. We thought it would be nice to invite them up for a long weekend and show them how just how fantastic boating around Seattle can be.
Johnny and Robin have chartered in both the San Juan and Gulf Islands. Their last adventure was aboard a Nordic Tug 42. So they are familiar with Northwest boating. We wanted to show them some of the sites, how we use our boat, and just generally have a great time on the water.
We motored over to Poulsbo on Friday and spent most of Saturday there. We anchored outside the marina. While the weather wasn’t wonderful, it was pleasant enough. Very little wind left us with calm flat water. Everything was still and quiet … and gray and overcast, but still pleasant. Saturday was Flag Day*.
We passed the largest vessel we have ever encountered in Liberty Bay on the way to the marina. American Cruise Line’s American Spirit was anchored in the deeper part of the bay and busy ferrying passengers to waiting buses on shore.
I am an optimist. At least I am when it come to spending time on the boat. So our plan was to motor over to Poulsbo for a nice, relaxing weekend. Kim likes Poulsbo. We would anchor out and watch the world as the boat gently swings on the hook. That wasn’t exactly how it worked out. We started out well, but the weather turned uncooperative.
After an easy trip through the locks Saturday morning, we pointed the bow toward Port Madison. The sky was a thin overcast. The seas were calm, almost no other boats in sight. All was good in the world.
We are off to Poulsbo for the weekend Saturday morning. If you find yourself in the neighborhood, come by and say hi.
We are hauling out at Yachtfish Marine Monday morning for bottom paint and other minor work. Getting ready for spring! More on that later …
