Just in time!

Friday, January 26

During our five-hour motoring trip from Point Roberts back to our slip in the Anacortes Marina, winds were moderate and blew over the side of the boat, making our travel more comfortable than it had been the day before, when the winds were blowing over our bow. We were also blessed with smoother seas, and even received a little sunshine for the first time in about ten days. We could see that clouds WERE gathering in the distance, and were glad that we’d be able to make it home before they began to unburden themselves of the forecast rain.

At one point, however, our chart-plotter went dark, and Walt spent some time reviving it while I took the helm. We were thankful that his reboot of the system was successful, but we do have navigation charts on a tablet and on our smartphones, and we have paper charts as well for back-up.

I made a soup-and-sandwich lunch in the galley while we motored, and it wasn’t long before the Anacortes skyline hove into view. Our first stop was the fuel dock, and with the rising wind and some current against us, I again had to lasso a dock cleat so that we could tie up safely and replace the 63 gallons of diesel fuel that we’d used over the previous two weeks. By the time we’d motored the short distance to our slip in the Anacortes Marina, the winds were stronger and the rain had begun–we’d arrived just in time to avoid the worst of the weather!

Docking and securing Braesail with fenders and lines on both of her sides was somewhat challenging, but we were glad to be back safely. We decided to take naps and have a small supper onboard before doing another clean-up and then carting the most important of our many bags (at least 15 in all) of food, clothing, linens, parts, tools, etc. down the block-long dock and up the ramp to the car, hoping that the rain would diminish a little. We DID take advantage of a “weather window” later in the evening to load the Prius with our gear, and we arrived home in Everett around 8 pm to begin the unpacking, organizing, and storing of our belongings that always make a return home strenuous. Then there would be several loads of laundry to do, mail to deal with, and correspondence on which to work. But we were very pleased with and thankful for a safe, HIGHLY enjoyable, and scenically spectacular journey that took us, AT LAST, to and from Princess Louisa Inlet with our excellent crew–a long-standing wish finally fulfilled!