Departure: 1:00pm
Return: 5:00pm
Weather conditions:
Partly Cloudy and very calm
Tide: 10.3 to 2.3
Boat: Blue Club Boat
Crew: 3 (Woody, Paul & Carol)
That's right. The picture above is yet another photo of the bridge. It's tough to find new photo material when we go out sailing. We only have a certain radius in which we have time to sail, and I've pretty much photographed all of it.
What's "unique" about this bridge photo is that it shows both bridges and the state of construction. I suppose the entire tr
ip was "unique" in a similar way. By most accounts it was the same as others; but, there were some small things that made it different and interesting.Take the wind for instance, and the fact that we didn't have any. This was nothing new, but our choice to spend the afternoon motoring was. Usually, we bob along taking advantage of any puff that comes along - real or imaginary.
Initially, we wanted to go check out the bridge. The currents were flowing north so it made sense to motor to the bridge, check it out, then sail/drift back towards the harbor. We made good time to the bridge and decided to continue on to Pauls home to check out the stairs he built to his beach. His house was around Point Fosdick about a mi
le south of the bridge.The stairs were impressive; they climb 106' up the cliff behind his house and he built them himself. Besides witnessing his herculean feat of home improvement, we also now knew how long it would take to get to his house. At some future point, when he has installed his mooring buoy, we could potentially make his home a destination.
Our curiosities satisfied, we knew we needed to head back if we were to do it under sail. Coming about, we trimmed the sails and ernestly drifted towards home... it was no use. The wind just wasn't going to help us. We also realized we'd used up almost all our fuel motoring to Paul's house. It was one of those junctures in sailing that can lead to dramatic consequences. We could trust the tidal currents and stray puffs of wind to carry us home and use the last bit of 
fuel to enter the harbor, or we could head over to the small marina by Titlow beach park and refuel.We chose the latter, and I'm glad. The current got pretty weak before we were home, and the winds never did rise up. I think we may have ended up needing rescue by the time it was all over.
Instead, we discovered a new destination. The Marina had a nice sized dock along with a convenience store and bathroom. I think it would make a nice day sail for our family. My kids love to spend money on junk food. Having the convenience shop as a destination may be just enough to get them out on the boat. There is also a park close by that might be fun to play in if I can determine a good way to anchor or tie up (Boats can't stay at the fueling dock long term).After refueling, we continued our way north. We never did stop the motor which is really unfortunate because outboard motors are noisy and stinky. Still, we would have been in trouble without it.
We reached safe harbor just as the sun was settling down into it's fiery bed.
I'm already itching to go out again.
