For the first time in Jake’s professional life, he had Memorial Day off. We took full advantage. We got up early Saturday morning, packed the car and headed to the boat.
We got there with not a moment to spare. We learned not long after we moved into Skyline Marina in Anacortes that during very low tides, our boat is aground in its slip and it is impossible to get out of the marina! The marina has assured us that they are going to dredge soon, but according to the locals, they’ve been saying that for years. Despite this unpleasant little surprise, we decided to stick it out at Skyline, mainly because of its superb location close to the San Juan Islands. Memorial Day weekend was an extreme low tide. So, when we arrived at the boat, the water was gushing out and our boat’s keel getting closer to the bottom by the minute. We high-tailed it out of the marina as fast as we could and made it out with just a foot or so to spare. We then turned and headed for Roche Harbor on the northwestern end of San Juan Island. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and we had some really nice wind for a while. One of our main objectives in heading to San Juan Island was to look for Orcas. We had heard in the weeks before that the Orcas were hanging out along the west side of San Juan Island. Of course, about midway along our journey to Roche Harbor, we learned from various Orca tweets (on Twitter) that the Orcas had been sighted just outside our marina! Wily marine mammals! We decided to head on to Roche Harbor anyway.
A visit to Roche Harbor Marina will make you wonder if we are truly in a recession. The boats there made our 35’ sailboat look like a bathtub--hulking power yachts nearly as far as the eye could see. In addition to good people watching, Roche Harbor also has some interesting history. It’s an lime mining and processing company town, which has been converted into resort. We wandered around, checking out the old buildings, the mausoleum, and a surprisingly large sculpture garden (our visit here was cut short by a snake in the grass). After, we had a fabulous dinner overlooking the marina at one of the best restaurants in the Pacific NW (according to whom, I’m not sure). At sunset, the place takes on the feel of a 50s resort. A crew of 4 young staffers performs a colors ceremony, marching in formation and taking down the flags, complete with the national anthems of the US, Canada (just a stone’s throw away) and Britain and a cannon shot. Afterward, a gentleman with a microphone welcomes various newcomers to Roche Harbor and announces birthdays and anniversaries. Jen was quite surprised when the announcer said, “and welcome to Roche Harbor for first time visitor Jennifer Arterburn on the sailboat Iguazu!”
We spent a relaxing morning reading and eating a mediocre breakfast on the island and then began a leisurely trip home in another glorious sunny day. We stopped a long the way in a small cove for lunch and tried out anchoring for the first time. Like most first time experiences, it did not go perfectly smoothly. But, after one aborted attempt, a jam in the windlass and plenty of cursing--we dropped anchor successfully, grilled corn and ate a hearty lunch. We finally pulled back into the marina around 8 in the evening, to nearly 20 knot winds. Although, Jen is learning to drive the boat, she felt the situation was beyond her abilities, so, Jake took the wheel. After a couple of attempts, nearly resulting in collisions with dock and other boats, we made it in without incident!
A visit to Roche Harbor Marina will make you wonder if we are truly in a recession. The boats there made our 35’ sailboat look like a bathtub--hulking power yachts nearly as far as the eye could see. In addition to good people watching, Roche Harbor also has some interesting history. It’s an lime mining and processing company town, which has been converted into resort. We wandered around, checking out the old buildings, the mausoleum, and a surprisingly large sculpture garden (our visit here was cut short by a snake in the grass). After, we had a fabulous dinner overlooking the marina at one of the best restaurants in the Pacific NW (according to whom, I’m not sure). At sunset, the place takes on the feel of a 50s resort. A crew of 4 young staffers performs a colors ceremony, marching in formation and taking down the flags, complete with the national anthems of the US, Canada (just a stone’s throw away) and Britain and a cannon shot. Afterward, a gentleman with a microphone welcomes various newcomers to Roche Harbor and announces birthdays and anniversaries. Jen was quite surprised when the announcer said, “and welcome to Roche Harbor for first time visitor Jennifer Arterburn on the sailboat Iguazu!”
We spent a relaxing morning reading and eating a mediocre breakfast on the island and then began a leisurely trip home in another glorious sunny day. We stopped a long the way in a small cove for lunch and tried out anchoring for the first time. Like most first time experiences, it did not go perfectly smoothly. But, after one aborted attempt, a jam in the windlass and plenty of cursing--we dropped anchor successfully, grilled corn and ate a hearty lunch. We finally pulled back into the marina around 8 in the evening, to nearly 20 knot winds. Although, Jen is learning to drive the boat, she felt the situation was beyond her abilities, so, Jake took the wheel. After a couple of attempts, nearly resulting in collisions with dock and other boats, we made it in without incident!
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