It's the night before our final night and we're holding on to every morsel of time. We're in what is likely to be the last anchorage of the trip. The last of seventy-five nights or so of anchoring. We've been out for 102 days, but 13 of those were spent in Petersburg during the break. That leaves 14 nights spent in marinas and 75 nights at anchor. In those seventy-five nights, we didn't drag anchor or hit anything the whole time - not a bad track record. It's not one we can learn much from, but I can live with that.
Tonight's anchorage is a small nook between James and Decatur Islands. There's a small dock on shore where boats have been coming and going. The whole island is a park with composting toilets, camp grounds and a few trails for clambering about. There's a particularly nice unmaintained trail that runs around the south end of the island overlooking the bluffs with nice views into Rosario Strait. It makes a spectacular sunset hike on a glassy day like today. We watched a small sailboat below the bluffs trying in vain to coerce their sails into filling with any kind of breath of air.
Planning for our final night is still not settled. Winter is coming and the Strait of Juan de Fuca isn't going to stay settled for much longer. We'll make our break in the morning and figure out where to stay along the way, either through Deception Pass or out around.
Wherever we stay, I anticipate a mid-day arrival into Shilshole the following day. A few folks have expressed interest in doing the locks with us, so it might turn out to be a party. If any crew reading this wants to join us, please contact Tina. Bring a PFD. With luck the slip will be empty when we get to the other side. …still waiting confirmation on that.
