Kingston to Port Townsend

November 22

The morning air was misty and the sky was overcast in grey but no need to rush to let go lines as the high tide to carry us north to Admiralty Inlet wasn’t until 1:20 or 1320 Navy time. The commercial dive boats next to our slip had tumbled out with noisy Diesel engines seeking geoduck from the bottom mud and export bound for Asia. The adjacent passenger car ferry was loading up and sailed as we prepared to head out to Apple Cove where we encountered the in bound ferry and had to hold to until she passed and she gave us a horn shot to tell us so. Don’t mess with the ferries. Departure music was the French National anthem “La Marseillaise”remembering sadly the Fall of Paris to Nazi Germany on this same day in 1940.

With a decent tide we passed the dive boats giving them plenty of sea way or they will bark at you on the VHF or pass along verbals not to be repeated.

Heading north west course 330M we paralleled the big ship route. The Yang Ming Truth a Taiwan based carrier passed us heading south to discharge containers.

Navigation with my Garmin chartplotter snd Raymarine instruments tells me much about my environment, course, wind and vessel speeds. I also have a good compass. The auto pilot instrument is easily accessed.

We passed Point no Point, Foul weather Bluff and entrance to Hood Canal where the Navy Trident submarine base is located. Then I decided to take the Port Townsend Canal between Ludlow and our destination. The canal is 75 ft wide and a depth of 13 ft. The as bridge clearance is 59 ft at high water. Next about to enter a big tug from the west entrance showed its bone in the teeth and I made a U turn as no need to test the the width. My rules of the road are to respect and obey the dead weight of the other vessel and Kestrel is only 8,000 pounds.

My mast height is 39ft so plenty of room under the bridge but the lack of depth perception always makes it look like disaster is going to happen.

Safely through the canal we made good our destination Hudson Point marina in Port Townsend where we will join a regatta with other Dana 24 owners to share sea stories and boat stuff.

After 5.5 hours of motoring into the wind and tie up at our slip the Captain takes mandatory time off to recap the day with the log book and a proper libation.