There were times over the last few days and weeks that each of us wondered if this day would come ... but here we are. Max and Frank delivered the boat from Seattle to Port Angeles on Wednesday, where they met up with Joe from Victoria (and proceded to work on our somewhat cantankerous reefer throughout the evening).
Back in Seattle, my parents loaded the kids in their RV (that they had driven out three weeks ago from NS) and headed for Port Angeles by road, while I made a last couple of runs to Fisheries Supply and West Marine, packed the station wagon (and our roof box) with as many groceries as I could buy in 40 min at Costco (turns out that that was a lot!), picked up Eric and Henry late in the evening at the Seattle airport, and then drove to Port Angeles. We all worked from sunrise til suppertime on Thursday to tie up the loose ends, install two new Groco heads (more on that in another post), stow crates of provisions, double-check the rigging, tiddly up the electronics that Max had installed this week, attach the jack lines, etc etc. Someone asked me at suppertime what our summer had been like, and I told him that every day had been like that day - a flurry of activity followed by exhaustion!
The beautiful thing is that our boat is now actually sailing, which is what every sailboat wants to be doing. Weather during the last couple of weeks has been wonderful, and our friends and family have been super helpful. Here are a few pics to give you a taste of what it all looked like ...
The herons were our dawn and sunset neighbours - they came to pose like clockwork at the same time every day.
Max and Frank setting off on a still dawn morning headed from Seattle to Port Angeles
Making way for Port Angeles
This is the view from the spot where my parents parked their RV - FLUENTA is mid-photo heading out from Seattle.
A sunset photo of the shore party in Seattle just before we left.
FLUENTA slipping from Port Angeles heading for Neah Bay. The kids ran ahead to wave, and the two heads that we replaced are just outside the frame on the dock. After 30 years they had had their day.
Sailing off into the sunset with a crew of five.
Corn on the cob with our cousins in Victoria. We have come over for the day to pick up our home-schooling material, leave our car (not sure how *that* will work when we walk-on to the Coho ferry tomorrow morning with yet more boxes), and visit. Sooo nice to have such good family support from everyone. Internet access and a big monitor help too.
Mom, dad, the kids and I will head the RV south towards San Francisco tomorrow. I got an update from FLUENTA this evening and here is a link to where the boat is tonight -- http://fms.ws/9YAOs/48.16797N/124.92751W.
Fair winds to all,
Liz
