Trump Bay, Decatur Island to Friday Harbor, Lopez Island to Parks Bay, Stuart Island, July 3
A visit to Friday Harbor on San Juan Islands, was not in our plans at this point. We had been there several times, and this time of year it is very crowded. I was longing for some peace, quiet and seclusion after the past hectic weeks, but it seems that was not to be. We were out of fresh water!
In the morning, we headed to Friday Harbor to get some water and to test if the water pump repair held. After loading the boat and then having to move everything around, we discovered there were things on the boat we could do without that were taking up valuable space. Friday Harbor was a great place to off load such things since they have a shed where people can leave things for others who might need them.
The Harbor was a zoo with people coming to celebrate the 4th of July weekend. We had to tie up three deep at the temporary dock. We tied up to a group of young people who had just purchased their sailboat and we provisioning for the weekend. It looked like they were prepared for a weekend of party and fun.
The Harbor was a zoo with people coming to celebrate the 4th of July weekend. We had to tie up three deep at the temporary dock. We tied up to a group of young people who had just purchased their sailboat and we provisioning for the weekend. It looked like they were prepared for a weekend of party and fun.
We tried to carry out our business as quickly as possible, but the call of a shower was too strong. While Chris loaded water on to the boat and tested his repair, I went and took a shower. You never really appreciate something like a shower when you are in your own home. When traveling on the sailboat, we would need to take showers in public facilities where you have to pay. In Friday Harbor it was $1.50 for a 5 minute shower! You learn to wash, shampoo and lavish very quickly! Oh, and carry some spare change if you can’t do it all if 5 minutes.
Chris’ repair worked and with purging done, we left Friday Harbor about 5 hours later and sailed to Parks Bay, on Shaw Island. We like this protected anchorage since it is only a short distance across the channel from Friday Harbor and yet usually very quiet. Not so this weekend. We were lucky to get an anchorage, and the boat that we had tied up to in Friday Harbor was there with all their “toys” in the water. Thankfully, as night approached, many of the boats left, probably returning to Friday Harbor for nighttime activities.
We prepared to cook dinner that evening. Chris fired up the grill and proceeded to drop the grate in the water, D’oh! We had purchased some pork chops in Anacortes and we needed to cook them. Unfortunately, it was too late. They had gone bad and we had tri-tip for dinner, the crabs got the pork chops. Chris used a mesh bowl used for cooking veggies on the grill to cook the meat, and I was going to cook the veggies on the two-burner propane stove. Turns out we had the wrong set of brass diffusers for the burners for the propane stove, and we couldn’t use it to cook with. D’oh! Thank goodness for the backup single burner butane stove we had.
Another non-relaxing, but fun day on the water!
Chris’ repair worked and with purging done, we left Friday Harbor about 5 hours later and sailed to Parks Bay, on Shaw Island. We like this protected anchorage since it is only a short distance across the channel from Friday Harbor and yet usually very quiet. Not so this weekend. We were lucky to get an anchorage, and the boat that we had tied up to in Friday Harbor was there with all their “toys” in the water. Thankfully, as night approached, many of the boats left, probably returning to Friday Harbor for nighttime activities.
We prepared to cook dinner that evening. Chris fired up the grill and proceeded to drop the grate in the water, D’oh! We had purchased some pork chops in Anacortes and we needed to cook them. Unfortunately, it was too late. They had gone bad and we had tri-tip for dinner, the crabs got the pork chops. Chris used a mesh bowl used for cooking veggies on the grill to cook the meat, and I was going to cook the veggies on the two-burner propane stove. Turns out we had the wrong set of brass diffusers for the burners for the propane stove, and we couldn’t use it to cook with. D’oh! Thank goodness for the backup single burner butane stove we had.
Another non-relaxing, but fun day on the water!