Off to Reads Bay

Sunday, May 11, 2025

Walt and I downed a quick breakfast of marinated salmon on cream cheese bagels, took care of our visitor preparations before 10 am, and were happy to welcome several people to tour Braesail and to answer their questions. It’s always fun to show our boat to other owners and to discuss their and our experiences and equipment. By about 1 pm, I’d had a lovely conversation with Martin, who called to wish me a Happy Mothers’ Day, and we were ready to leave Friday Harbor and head back in the direction of Anacortes, having enjoyed a marvelous—and very full—weekend!

Having considered several overnight anchoring options, we decided to visit Reads Bay on Lopez Island, a place that would be new to me. We motored for a little over two hours in cool, cloudy weather and wandered slowly about the very large, and somewhat shallow, body of water, in which we were the only “active” vessel, finally selecting a good anchoring spot with about 15 feet of water beneath Braesail’s 7-ft. keel. The bay was edged by forested hills, some small islands connected by stretches of sand and tangled driftwood, and some houses and docks, and the water was placid and quite clear—I could see our anchor for some time as it plunged from our bow to the mud below.

We spent a peaceful afternoon reading (of course one should read in “Reads Bay!), writing, doing some DuoLingo German exercises, and resting in the warm cockpit. There was enough connectivity to allow me to log into and participate in the singing/praying of the Compline Service using Jamulus software, which allows people at a distance from one another to talk and make music together in real time, though they cannot see one another. Our little group of “Jamulans” consists of several folks in Vancouver BC (including Martin), a lady on Vancouver Island, one in Richmond, VA, and Walt and me, not only when we are in Everett but when we are in many of the other places to which Braesail takes us. We have been worshiping together online for five years now, and doing this is very important to our spiritual lives (and our overall sanity!).

After enjoying a tasty dinner in the cockpit, we listened to music on Braesail’s excellent sound system while reading and accomplishing computer tasks, watched the sun’s shimmery bedtime preparations, and looked forward to a tranquil night.