Pacific NW

Expeditions

Sure enough, the tide went way out. I bolted out of bed at 0400 hours to discover that it was too late and the boat was already lodged into the clay bottom! Still one more hour of ebb. We tied the boat tight to the dock and waited. I watched the shoreline very intently and saw that the tide was still falling rapidly. At last it began to rise again. I climbed back into the boat, still hard aground, and went back to sleep. When we woke we were floating again and left that cursed dock. We headed back out into the ocean and were met with 8 foot swells and high chop. Unfortunately the wind was dying to nothing, but our mainsail kept us stabilized as we motored through the waves. Later we entered Mirror Harbor, where my Dad and I stopped on our way up. It was easier to navigate the tricky “dogleg” into the entrance this time. We were amazed to see a ridiculous huge 70 foot long mega yacht in the tiny bay! After giving it some thought, I re-anchored behind the mega-yacht. If our boat drifted into theirs it would be a $30,000 paint job. Justin and I hiked to the hot springs in the evening where we met with the maintenance crew from Gustavus. They are extremely friendly folks who, like me, do independent contracting for the Forest Service. I enjoyed talking with them and using the freshly-cleaned hotsprings! Justin agrees that nothing we’ve seen yet can top this fantastic place. Soaking in the springs (107 degrees) we watched the sun set over the ocean, and then made the row back to the boat before it got too dark. Back at anchor Justin created the most fantastic soup. I must start a “Silent Partner” cookbook so that I can re-create all of the wonderful meals my friends have cooked in the galley. This soup contained ginger, carrots, sweet potatoes, and an orange among many other things. It earned its place among the top 5 meals cooked aboard.