Point Hudson Marina in Port Townsend

Point Hudson Marina, in Port Townsend is known for its's bustling waterfront, wooden boats and maritime heritage.

Sailing skiffs. Porot Townsend has a very active maritime culture.

The crossing from Lopez Island via Cattle Pass and Strait of Juan de Fuca was mostly uneventful. There was a steady traffic of pleasure boats and tour boats on the waters. We noted a cluster of about 6 boats of various sizes formed a circle and soon saw the fins of the ORCA pods that they were "watching". I put watching in quotes because the whale watchers did not appear to be the requisite 1200 feet from the pod. We did see Orca dorsal fins from a great distance.

https://olympicpeninsula.org/destinations/port-townsend/

Once moored, went through our ususal routines. Me walking the dog, the rest of the crew making the boat secured, powered and adding water. We had dinner with Kathy, a friend of Kari and Vic, at the Salish Cafe, formerly Doc's. Apparently the name was changed as folk were making reservations for another concern called Doc's and then not showing up or thinking they had made reservations only to find out that their reservations were for the other Doc's. The meal was okay, but the odor eminating form the uncapped rv dumps was quite off putting.

The following day was typical for our days now. I walk the dogs, with Stever or Ed or by myself, you would think that afte all this time on the leash and harness that they would have learned that pulling was not acceptable. It seems to me that when I walk each dog individually, there is not as much pulling. Ed and Stever went on walk abouts in Port Townsend, Ed was on a mission to find a replacement for the refrigerator door latch that had failed. Stever on a mission to engage with the community and see the sights. Kari enjoyed visiting with her friends in Port Townsend. Dimni, a former coworker for Ed and Kari came for a short visit on the boat. It was interesting to listen in on their shop talk and her adventures.

We had dinner at the Shanghi Restaurant. The meals were good and the presentation of the plates were a work of art. Jason the owner was very accomodating as we arrived three minutes before they locked the doors. He turned on the lights, set a table for us and did not seem at all put out that we were arriving so late for dinner. The meal was so good, that he had return customers from the Magic Carpet. Also, as the building is enclosed, and the only open door was the back of the kitchen, we did not have to suffer the vile smells from the RV park.

Before lights out, Ed and I discussed the tides and the inadequacy of the information our Garmin provided. Well it turns out Ed drilled down in the menu driven program and found exactly what we were looking for. This information helped us decide on a route that would have the least effect on the boat. We were travelling south and the tides and currents were flowing out from the south so we had to buck an outgoing tide.

Our home waters in the Puget Sound provide a lot of well protected shallow water anchorages and marinas but, I have to say it, it does not compare to the nearly undisturbed magnificence of British Columbia. The rugged terrain, the clean clear waters, the forest, trees and fauna. Except for the clouds and bright moons, once we were in the channels of the waterways and away from the light loom of the cities and towns, we were able to see the MILKY WAY. Yes, it still exist yet our cities and bigger towns produce so much light pollution that it is impossible to see the awesome beauty of the heavens. Go out, see for yourself, but first consult a resource for finding a good viewing area that is free from light pollution. Lay back and let the cosmos blanket you and the earth cradle you... okay in some place you may want to be on your car to keep the creepy crawler out of your bag.

This morning we headed out to the Seattle Yacht Club Outsation in Port Madison. Our journey is drawing closer to it's end and to the beginning of other adventures.