The best feeling is when there is no major constraint on your time or schedule. Such was the case on Saturday April 12th. The only work left to do is to get the venturi (windshield) on the flybridge, and fix a leaking hydraulic pump for the davit (crane that launches the dinghy). Lee and Diane Simpson (on Sonata, pictured above) were planning to cruise to Jones Island for the weekend, and invited us to join. Since this would be fun as well as offering the chance to learn more from Lee, we jumped at the invitation. Jones Island is NE of Friday Harbor, and is an uninhabited Island paradise, loaded with trails, campsites, and deer. They needed to stop first at Friday Harbor, so we headed out.
At sunset, the "alpenglow" was striking. This is one of the charters based in Friday that is kept busy with tourists and visitors heading out to see whales.
Then in town, I saw my first "hedgehog", a pet at a store..
He radioed me to be sure I saw the spectacle, as it is truly everyone's highway!
We cruised north to Jones in tandem, and what a sight that island is...Diane remembered to bring carrots to entice the deer. Chris and I headed out to explore the trails around the Island, and they are truly spectacular, with vistas at every turn..
And many official "spots" kept perfect by the National Park Service..
Chris fondling a Madrona tree on the route around the perimeter..
And after almost making it back, we could see Undoc'd thru the trees...she looked like a toy boat in a bathtub from the distance....
But finally it was time to head back to the boat for dinner. We had moored at a buoy just off-shore, and went to Lee's and Diane's for drinks and a little "Mexican Train", a new game to us. The hike took about 2 hours, with good trails the entire way. I would guess that they total 5 miles or so. We met a few people there who have visited this island regularly since their childhood, and have fond memories of things that have happened there.
We "dingyed" back to Undoc'd to get a few things, and then to Sonata for the "game". The game is played with dominoes and was great fun. We added that to the list of things to buy at the next opportunity. Lee fixed delicious hamburgers, and then it was to bed...
The next morning, we said goodbye, and headed to LaConner for the final details of completion details...
On Monday, April 14th, Tomco Marine repaired the leaking hydraulic pump, installed the venturi windshield, and hung an assist rail from the ceiling of the saloon. Then on Tuesday the 15th, they installed a folding table to the galley area that gives us great counter space, eating area, and/or kitchen preparation space. It is a great asset.
I don't remember if I said that I had a HD crash on the notebook a week ago, but IBM shipped a replacement that worked great for awhile, and then the computer display failed. IBM said this time to ship it back to them. I can't be without a computer and internet access, so I went ahead and ordered the Sony Vaio SZ95 that I had been looking at for the past 3 months. It arrived today, and now I'm back in business. We get a WiFi signal from a commercial provider (BBX), run it into a router, and then have wireless on the boat. It truly works great, just like being at home. Our plans now are to begin heading south to Seattle tomorrow, probably stopping at Edmonds overnight. We have reservations at Bell Harbor Marina Th, Fr, and Sat. That marina is right in downtown, at the foot of the Pike Street market. This will be fun...
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