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Captain's Log: 21-July-1996, Sunday
Maiden Voyage of the Rainy Day

Finally got our boat on Sat. AM....and learned some basics in it....but, Sunday, sigh, Dad and I woke up to FOGGGGGGG HOOOORNNN! About 10:00 it started lifting, so we said "let's do it". Mom said she didn't want to go...so she stayed home. We finally boarded the beastie about 11:00, and fired her up and trundled out the lagoon...reading the depth-finder all the way.

High tide was at 7:30AM...so it was really low...and it needs 3' draw to be clear....5', 4', 4', 5', 3', 3', 4', 2' [2? awshit!]...we panic, dad cuts the engine even MORE and it stalls, 2', and then it starts, 2', 3', 3', 4', 3'...and out of the rocks and baby rip tide we made it!!!! Phew!

High Tide was 8:30, so we couldn't come home 'til 5:30 the earliest, so off we went, gonna cruise and kill time. We head towards Port Townsend...[Dad! Slow down, my chest is gonna fall off...really, it's *Killing* me!] so he backs us off to 20+/- mph...man, it is choppy out here...I add a tshirt to my wardrobe to keep me more "snug". We decide to circle Indian Island first... and go for the detour... look at those Olympics! The engine sounds a bit funny, but, the delivery dude said it was just the timing, but it rankles us, our new baby and all.

I try to pinpoint where we are on the chart. I point out Marrowstone Pt., but, wait! what is this bridge??? Cars are boogie-ing on it. Seems as though we are already at the bottom of Indian Island.

Can't be!

I think this chart sign means it's a bridge...so we must be here? We agree we need to get to a Coast Guard course ;-). Right on red when returning to what??? hmmmm. Look! Channel markers...what does 4 mean? well, they're going in, and they're going out, sooooo?

Well, we go for it, and feel the current fight us as we go under the bridge, and hope that it doesn't pull us into another boat or the pilings! Phew! Good job! Time for us to go around the island and back up. Dad says we must go right! I say, nooooo, left! I pull out the chart, and show him...he shows me that I'm wro...okay, he admits I was right! ;-) [this time].

We head back north, and cut across towards Port Townsend. We've been using the fuel for about 3 hrs. including yesterday...but the guage says FULL! Miracle??? Tap..tap...nope, the guage doesn't move. hmmm curiouser and curiouser.

Okay, onwards to Pt. Townsend and the Marina there. We *know* there is a place to fill up, but we never found out the exact location. Is it this side, or the other side of the point? Argh? We get inside one cove, and some folx say we can get gas down a bit from here. So, out we come, and we take a right (or should I say starboard ;-))?.

Still nothing in sight that looks like a place to get gas, and we are still "full"...ack! We pull up beside a sailboat, and they direct us to the place, "Boat Haven" is the name. The distances are not easy to measure so far. We find it, and Dad makes a perfect landing on the dock!

Bill, the guy with the gas, hands me the nozzle, and guides me how to tell when it's full.....well, he tried to...it was full when it spilled over into the water, rats! ;-( [BTW that's almost 11 gallons that didn't register on our guage...]

Dad and Bill take the ropes (fore and aft ;-)) and walk our BB (baby Bayliner) to the part marked with white...free mooring for a few hours!

Dad and I are here, in PT TOWNSEND! BY BOAT! We grab the free shuttle, and head for town. Cute shops, we wish Mom was here with us. Well, next time, we will know what to do, and she'll feel more safe; a better comfort level! We find a phone and call her to let her know we made it!

We grab some chow at an over-priced, touristy place...maybe the food wasn't wonderful because we were "off hour"? It's about 3:00...but it's just so cool to be here, who cares. Dad and I are not talkers, so lunch is mostly silent, and I catch glimpses of the Olympic games on the TV above the bar. We leave after a bit.

We look at the shops. The day is perfection weather-wise, maybe a tad bit on the warm side...no complaints here though! Some neat book shops, and lots of places to blow our money, but we are "good". We stop in one shop that has nautical stuff, and pick up the chart that is from Coupeville on up into the San Juan islands....maybe next trip ;-)...nah, it'll take a few more outings before we do that one!

We grab the shuttle and head back. There is a man who looks JUST like Jimmy Buffet!!!! Unreal! I mention it to Dad, who looks at me like I have two heads, but he nods politely. Turns out they travelled by boat up here today from Seattle. Must be their first trip here too, as they are as lost as we are. Shelia, the S.O., is dropped off at Safeway for supplies for their trip home. We joke as the shuttle moves on that she'll be there before we are, as off we go to who knows where.... certainly this is not a direct route to the Marina? So, we sit back and eavesdrop on conversations, and check out the houses.

Finally, we're close to Boat Haven, and we see Shelia! The Shuttle driver is fun, and he pulls up behind her, and opens the shuttle door, but she doesn't notice. A loud holler from me finally catches her attention, and we all laugh as she hops on and we make our stop.

Dad gets the boat ready, while I make a "pit stop" before the trip home. Going home I will drive ;-) and I get to do the docking! After killing time for about 1/2 hour up and down the Whidbey Coast in Admiralty Inlet. We boogie down to Bush Pt., Dad at the helm! He cranks it up and off we go! Dad makes a circle, and rides his own wake! Later Dad said, not to complain, I was lucky he didn't do a "loop"! [as in an airplane...when he was a pilot! ;-)].

Back up near Lagoon Pt. we beep the horn like crazy people trying to get mom's attn., hoping she's at one of the neighbors. No luck, but we get a slew of neighbors' attention...they wave, but I don't know how friendly they really feel ;-) /;-( ? We both voice what we were both thinking; that we wish Jim and the family were out here with us...that they'd enjoy this soooo much! Some day we hope....

Now, 5:30 and in we go...it's choppy, and windy....4', 4', 3', 5', 4', 3'....look at those poles! egads, it's lower than when we went out!!! 3' 4', 5', 7', PHEW....we turn the corner and in we head for the dock. I can't quite make it, so I decide to "parallel" park! I hit reverse, and crank it in (not smooth, but it does the job).

We button her up, hose her down, and book up the stairs and Mom greets us with "you're back so soon!". Later we find out that the Tide wasn't to become high again until 9:30!!!! Thank you sea angel for getting us out and in safely.

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