AquaticRV Day 1: Fidalgo Island to Port Townsend

Cruising the islands in an agua-RV.

Whether it's by boat, car, or RV, Laura and I have never enjoyed a vacation schedule that has us moving every other day.  We've tried it in all three modes of transportation, and it never achieves the slower pace we crave.  Now with that said, it doesn't mean we don't do faster-paced trips/vacations, it just means that when given the option to visit fewer places, but linger longer, we almost always choose to linger.  Our RV trip to Anacortes is this approach to the extreme.  While getting us away from the summer heat of the Willamette Valley, the Safari motorhome is the mobile condo that we get to park somewhere cooler, and then plan trips from our new home base.

One of the pleasures of yacht club membership is expanding your circle of friends.  This year the Portland Yacht Club (PYC) decided to hold a rendezvous at Port Ludlow in the Puget Sound.  Laura and I had visited the harbor by car twelve years earlier when we were heading to Port Townsend/Fort Worden for camping.  An easy 58-mile drive from Anacortes (Anacortes, Coupeville, ferry, Port Townsend, Port Ludlow), Laura and I figured we'd drive down and attend one day of the rendezvous.  Instead of a car trip, some friends from PYC surprised us with the opportunity to cruise to the event, and spend six days on the water.

We had the honor of being guests aboard the 2014 Catalina 445 "Forever More" that our friends Samatha ("Sam") and Robert ("Bob") Dubay had recently purchased in Texas and had trucked to the Columbia River.  I've delivered boats (sail and power) with Bob both to and from the San Juan Islands, so it was a real treat to be one of their first guests.  Laura and I have served with the Dubay's on various committees at PYC, and we have enjoyed each other's company on many club cruises aboard our separate boats.

Our hosts Sam and Bob Dubay.

 Wednesday, August 1, 2018 - Shelter Bay to Port Townsend

Underway in Swinomish Channel.

Tides dictated that the boat get underway from Shelter Bay on Fidalgo Island at 0730 hrs, so Laura and I arrived at the boat at 0700 hrs to load our gear aboard and help with final preparations of the boat.  It was a gray day as Forever More entered Swinomish Channel and headed south.  The low lying clouds shrouded the hilltops and trees in mist and hung only a few hundred feet off the water.

Deception Pass.

The water was flat as we headed to Deception Pass and Laura's first passage through the notorious waterway that separates Fidalgo Island to the north from Whidbey Island to the south.  We expected to encounter a four plus knot ebb when we reached the narrowest part of the pass.

Laura's first trip through Deception Pass.

The steep rock walls of the pass combined with the trees, the mist, and the swirling water made the transit magically.  While steering a straight course became challenging, and remained so well pass Deception Island, smiles adorned the faces of all aboard as each person sensed how lucky they were to be there.

Point Wilson Lighthouse, Port Townsend, WA

The passage to Port Townsend saw seas that were either flat or had only the slightest swell.  Visibility gradually improved from one mile to two over the twenty-nine nautical mile journey.  Our destination was Point Hudson Marina and RV Park, and we arrived after a four-hour trip.

Port Townsend

Port Townsend is popular with Laura and me.  In the past, we've come by boat and by RV.  In fact, this stay represented the ten-year anniversary of our Bayliner 38 visit before taking the boat to Portland.

Once settled into our slip at the marina, we met up with Joan and Nick Johnson, also of PYC.  Their sailboat Moledez was just a few slips down from us.  The Johnsons are also the former First Lady and Commodore of PYC.

Strolling Around the Harbor

As others napped or busied themselves with work, I walked around the harbor on what had turned out to be a beautiful day.

Home of the annual wooden boat festival, Port Townsend has lots to look at.

The ferry heads to the Keystone ferry terminal on Whidbey Island.

The north face of Hudson Point.

Looking north to Point Wilson Lighthouse and Fort Worden State Park.

Commander's Beach House B&B at Hudson Point.

Another wooden beauty at Hudson Point.

Point Hudson looking toward the entrance to the marina.

The combined crews of Forever More and Moledez joined up for dinner and walked from the marina just four short blocks to the Silverwater restaurant.  Dinner and great conversation was a wonderful way to wrap up the day.

Live well, Laugh often, Love much