Boys Weekend

Daniel and Ian in Poulsbo getting ready to play Trouble in the cockpit.

Daniel, Ian, and I took Full Moon out for an end-of-summer mini-vacation this last weekend, cruising through the locks and across the Sound to Poulsbo. Daniel slept most of the way over, recuperating from an overnight with his pre-teen buddies at the Community Center. Ian and I, though, got to enjoy a terrific reach across to Port Madison, cranking at over six knots for much of the way with bright sun and a cloudless sky.

The wind faded for the run through Agate Pass so the jib came down and the iron sail was fired up. The passage into Liberty Bay brought some more wind, though, and we sailed a good part of that leg as well. The wind was still blowing nicely right in front of the Port of Poulsbo Marina but with no slip reserved, we dropped the sails to claim one near the end of the dock.

Time to head to Mora Ice Cream for an afternoon treat! A slow walk through town yielded two good book stores and several likely dinner options. Daniel found a new book he's been waiting for and Ian and I were tempted by some interesting used books. After a trip back to the boat to play several rounds of Trouble, we headed to J. J's Fishhouse for dinner, which had a good dinner for Ian but not so good for Daniel and I. We both had fish and chips with tough and not especially tasty fish. The cold beer was perfect, though!

Back to the boat to shift gear around for sleeping. A few more games and it was lights out until morning. Up reasonably early, we headed for the showers and a big breakfast at Sheila's, hoping the thick fog would burn off quickly. It thinned a bit so we headed out, hoping not to have to rely on the GPS to find our way home. Sure enough, it got a bit worse turning into Port Orchard but it was mostly still possible to see the shore and, more importantly, find the buoys.

Rounding the corner into Port Madison, the fog continued, though there was enough wind to prompt some sailing for awhile. When our speed dropped below 2 knots, though, we went back to Yamaha power. Thankfully, we had the elderly but fully functional handheld GPS, though heads on swivels and keen ears were employed as well - it would be no fun meeting a big freighter in the fog.

Four miles later, we were off Shilshole, still fogged in. With a brief pause to bag up the sails and set out fenders and lines, we headed for the locks, still watching for buoys until the sun finally popped out just outside the railroad bridge. The locks went smoothly and a sailboat ahead managed to get the Fremont Bridge to open nearly as we arrived and it was home sweet home on Lake Union.