After a night during which I was awakened by shafts of gleaming moonlight stabbing through the darkness and piercing my closed eyelids, we rose to a world saturated with sunlight. Walt prepared a fine breakfast of pancakes with fresh blueberry sauce as the morning, already quite warm, soon became uncomfortably hot for the tastes of the three of us. Joy and I walked some laps around Braesail’s deck to get a bit of exercise, and then, as the tide went out, Walt decided we should raise the anchor, let out more stern line, move farther away from the rocks lining the shore of the cove, and reset the anchor. After doing this, Walt and Joy returned to reading their books and I chatted with some folks who came by in their inflatable dinghies about our various boats and electrical/mechanical challenges, of which everyone always has plenty! There was just enough phone coverage to allow me, with some intermittent lapses, to have a long conversation with one of my best friends who had a good deal of news to share–it was great to “catch up” with her!
After a late lunch consisting of ham-and-cheese quesadillas and fruit, we all decided to find cooler spots around the boat in which to nap (both of the cabins have electric fans, which made them the sleeping spaces of choice). Joy rested, Walt napped briefly, and I slept for over two hours, which felt wonderful! Once I was fully awake, I released the swimming platform at Braesail’s stern, climbed down, and sat with my feet in the warm water for about 10 minutes–it felt terrific! I’d have enjoyed a swim but, when I shook the stern lines to remove the debris that had gathered along their lengths, the smell was NOT pleasant, and I decided that swimming might not be a wise idea–how disappointing! Instead I did more reading and composed this post while Walt made us a toothsome dinner of chicken with mango-onion sauce served over rice. Since Joy had cleaned up the galley after breakfast and lunch, I took my turn after supper, and then sought the shady side of the boat where I sat to write a bit more and to enjoy the beauty of the tree-velveted mountains at the head of the cove, their reflections in the mirror-smooth water around us, the lovely evening light shimmering on the rocks above the boat (some striped vertically in black and white and reminding me of a piano keyboard), the music of birds and of the stream across the cove, the fragrances of water and woods, and the humming of jeweled dragonflies that hovered nearby.
As the air cooled in the cockpit, the three of us enjoyed a game of “Hearts,” which Joy won by a large margin, and then ice cream again served as a late dessert after a peaceful, lazy day.
Braesail - A grand yacht in the Salish Sea 