After a long, cold winter on the Freeport I purchased in December, I finally left the shadow of Seattle & sailed to Bellingham. It wasn't really that far, but I got a taste of the San Juans and an opportunity to enjoy the boat.
BJ Hawk, from Ft Collins, CO, and I set out Thursday, 6/28 at 2 PM & headed north. Vancouver was our ultimate destination, but after two days motoring in cold rain we set our sights on Bellingham.
The Freeport was a progressive design for its time. The stern walkthru is great for handling a dinghy--and in retrospect--probably a good place to hook onto a mooring ball. We had to let one go that we couldn't reach from the bow.
We rigged the sailing dinghy in Bowman Bay & enjoyed a brief sail to shore where we explored the lush woods along neighboring Deception Pass. We watched an eagle swoop down & catch a fish in the fast-moving rapids.
The sunset in Bowman Bay was spectacular. Until then, the trip seemed like a lot of work. But the glow of the setting sun raised our spirits & set the tone for the rest of the trip.
The next day we had a great reach down Bellingham Bay. My jury-rigged autopilot performed well & we sailed on the same tack for a couple of hours. You just can't do that in Colorado!
When we reached the marina, I realized I'd put a wrap in the main halyard on the winch. We were trying all kinds of things to get the wind out of the sail so we could go into the marina for the night. BJ saved the day by taking the main out of the boom so I could do 360's with the boat to wrap it around the mast & tie it down. Wasn't pretty, but it got us into a safe berth for the night.
In Coupeville, I couldn't start the engine. Pontianum normally doesn't leave the dock for more than one night, so it wasn't until the trip i found out my batteries were pretty weak after a night on the hook. Marty, the owner of Coupeville's only service station, brought down & installed a new battery. Even though he had to order it from the next town, he didn't charge yacht prices.
All in all, a good start to many more expeditions in Puget Sound.
