Close under the Bridge

We set the alarm for 0400 this morning.  One of the realities in this business is needing to take advantage of the tide no matter the hour.  So, hot coffee and weigh anchor.  An hour or so later, we entered the Port Townsend canal, which is spanned by a fixed bridge.  Calculations said we'd clear by at least eight feet, but when you look ahead at a 62-foot high bridge, and up at a 54-foot high mast, the geometry is disconcerting.  No turning back in the narrow canal with cruise speed plus two knots of current.  The impression of imminent disaster is difficult to shake, and with a nervous laugh, we pass under.

A New Adventure

     We motored out of Home Port Marina today, probably never to return.  We have a long list of mostly small projects to finish before we head south next month, but Mintaka is in fine shape -- the best ever I think.  We plan to cruise around this area -- Port Townsend, San Juan Islands, Canada's Gulf Islands -- for the next month, finishing those projects, socializing, and just enjoying the boat again.  Early in August, two friends will join us as crew for the leg south to San Francisco.  After a few days there, we expect to continue south to San Diego, winter in Mexico, and sail west next March.
     Some of you might wonder at the above plan, as we had planned to head more directly for New Zealand, leaving several weeks ago.  Unfortunately, I sustained a crippling injury to my right hand last January, and while I can still manage the boat, we had to delay departure a bit.
     Right now, we are anchored in Port Ludlow.  Tomorrow at O-dark-thirty, we'll continue up to Port Townsend (the favorable tide is very early in the morning).  We'll hang out there for a few days, then see which way the wind blows.  I'll probably write something here fairly often for a while, so stay tuned.