May 24, 2017: I was sure we had a can opener on board . . .

Yesterday’s gamboling gusts were in a great rush to go somewhere; by this morning they had vacated Blake Island, and we did the same at about 10 am under a thick pewter sky. No raccoons seemed to have visited the boat this time, but as we left the island, I spotted one furry scavenger picking its way among the rocks, shells, driftwood, and other debris that littered the shore at very low tide–I hope that breakfast was tasty!

We motored south through peaceful Colvos Passage, between the Kitsap Peninsula and Vashon Island, for a little over three pleasant hours, enjoying the views of forested shores and on both sides of the narrow channel, and sighting the head and nose of an inquisitive seal and the dorsal fin of a sleek gray minke whale along the way to the Tacoma Yacht Club’s guest dock at thumb-shaped Point Defiance (just northwest of the main part of the city of Tacoma). The Tacoma-Vashon ferry arrives and departs not far from the docks, and I took the photo below while on Braesail’s deck after lunch practicing the tying of the “lark’s head” knot and the cleat hitch. Notice the NO WAKE sign: for boaters, this means “slow down;” for those planning a memorial service, it means “no party;” and for someone considering rousing a napper from slumber, it means “DON’T DO IT!”

After a nice mid-afternoon rest in the cockpit, I climbed the ramp to the shore, walked through the noisy construction zone surrounding the docks, and visited the yacht club’s luxurious headquarters, which houses spacious meeting rooms, posh restroom facilities, and an elegant restaurant. After looking at meal prices, I decided that a simple supper of burritos on the boat would be just fine, and located the ingredients in the fridge and food lockers. As Walt was beginning preparations, however, he asked me if I knew where the can opener might be. I was sure we had one in the utensils drawer, but no such tool was to be found anywhere. Walt thought that he had probably taken the boat’s can opener to the condo and left it for use there because it’s of better quality than the one in the condo’s kitchen, so he was now without a way to open the can of black beans I’d set out for him. He did find, most fortunately, a prepared Indian meal packet featuring madras lentils, and was soon serving terrific burritos that combined the lentils with guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, onions, cheese, etc. Yummmm!

After-supper clean-up having been accomplished,  I worked on this blog post and caught up on my e-mail, and was soon ready for our “Father Brown” bedtime video and a serene slumber.