A chance to sleep late–what a treat! After a fine evening of visiting with other Moody owners, Walt and I enjoyed the opportunity to sleep until about 9 am on Saturday. I caught up on some reading and email-writing, and around 11 am, Walt set off with his digital camera in Coracle the dinghy to take some photos of the three handsome Moody sailboats lined up proudly at the Ft. Flagler (http://parks.state.wa.us/508/Fort-Flagler) dock. He had invited Kim and Jeff to come over before noon from their 54-ft. boat, Heron, anchored about a mile away, to join us for a hot dog picnic lunch on the dock, but by about 11:45, he hadn’t returned and I couldn’t see Coracle, or Heron’s inflatable dinghy, as I gazed out over the blue-gray water. The other boaters were beginning to assemble on the dock, so we chatted and chatted some more, and finally decided to start our noon meal without our official host (who had taken neither his smartphone nor his wristwatch with him when he departed).
Walt D. heated up Pellucidar’s grill as music by the British rock group, the Moody Blues, drifted up from the cabin; I brought hot dogs and Polish sausages, buns, chips and dips, beverages, and condiments from Braesail; Linda furnished plates and silverware and a veggie tray; Daragh and Cathy brought out deck chairs from Chantey V, along with canapes and a lovely potted plant bearing pretty blue blossoms that Cathy had discovered during a morning walk along the beach; and we arranged the food along Pellucidar’s deck, which served nicely as a buffet table. Walt D. used his binoculars at last to spot Coracle tethered to Heron, so we decided that Walt K. must be on board talking with Jeff and Kim and losing track of the time, and so we proceeded with our picnic.
Not long before 1 pm, Walt K. arrived in Coracle, followed by Heron’s crew, and we all had a marvelous time sharing stories about our boats and our experiences with them, some frightening and some awe-inspiring; various problems and their solutions; information about various ports of call; and our plans for the summer and after. As the afternoon passed, the wind rose, we began to feel chilly, and raindrops began to splatter the dock, we first climbed aboard Pellucidar (Braesail’s nearly-identical twin) to continue visiting over coffee and brownie bites, and finally parted company, agreeing to take our potluck offerings and ourselves over to Heron for supper at around 7 pm.
Walt and I were just waking from naps when John and Jill, owners of a Moody that they were not able to sail due to engine problems and other difficulties, arrived by car from Gig Harbor. We welcomed them aboard Braesail, gave them the “grand tour” of the boat, and decided that assembling everyone on Heron via dinghy would be tricky, and so we invited our fellow boaters to join us on Braesail for our potluck dinner. What a delightful evening we had, again sharing marvelous food and entertaining tales. Jeff wasn’t feeling well, but he and Kim eventually did join us, and all ten of us managed to squeeze into Braesail’s “saloon” (living/dining room) without feeling unduly cramped. Walt D. and Linda had produced very nice little memento plaques for everyone to commemorate our meet-up, we all very much appreciated receiving them as souvenirs.
Once the party was over and I’d cleaned the saloon and done the dishes, Walt and I retired for the night as rain fingers tapped lightly on the cabin top. We were so pleased that the rendezvous had been such a wonderful occasion, and that our new friends were hoping to attend another next year. No one was suffering from “Moody blues!”
Braesail - A grand yacht in the Salish Sea 