cruising: north in puget sound
blake island and kingston
Date: June 24, 2019
Time Start: 10:20 a.m.
Time Finish: 3:45 p.m.
Cruise From: Swantown Marina, Olympia
Cruise To: Blake Island State Park
Engine Hours Start: 967
Engine Hours Finish: 973
Weather/sea conditions: Partly cloudy with plenty of sun, calm day, low 70's
Our long summer cruise begins today! We are so happy to be heading north after months of planning and a heavy focus for the past several weeks to be really ready. NORTH STAR is looking great, all cleaned and polished and waxed, the interior teak freshly oiled, engine maintenance up to date, and every available space filled with provisions to meet our needs for the coming weeks of summer. Our plan is to eventually reach the Broughtons, and specifically, Pierre's Echo Bay, where we will meet up with other Ranger Tugs and Cutwater boats for a gathering the end of July. We have plenty of time to get there, taking our time to enjoy lots of stops along the way, including some extended time in the Broughtons prior to the gathering. Get ready! We will be posting all of the photos and details after we return.
Goodbye Swantown! Two happy boaters are making their way out of Olympia as the sun breaks through the clouds on a stunning morning to begin our cruise.
Time Start: 10:20 a.m.
Time Finish: 3:45 p.m.
Cruise From: Swantown Marina, Olympia
Cruise To: Blake Island State Park
Engine Hours Start: 967
Engine Hours Finish: 973
Weather/sea conditions: Partly cloudy with plenty of sun, calm day, low 70's
Our long summer cruise begins today! We are so happy to be heading north after months of planning and a heavy focus for the past several weeks to be really ready. NORTH STAR is looking great, all cleaned and polished and waxed, the interior teak freshly oiled, engine maintenance up to date, and every available space filled with provisions to meet our needs for the coming weeks of summer. Our plan is to eventually reach the Broughtons, and specifically, Pierre's Echo Bay, where we will meet up with other Ranger Tugs and Cutwater boats for a gathering the end of July. We have plenty of time to get there, taking our time to enjoy lots of stops along the way, including some extended time in the Broughtons prior to the gathering. Get ready! We will be posting all of the photos and details after we return.
Goodbye Swantown! Two happy boaters are making their way out of Olympia as the sun breaks through the clouds on a stunning morning to begin our cruise.
We pass all of the familiar sites of South Sound that always mark our route - the southern end of Harstine Island, lovely little Eagle Island with its seal colony, the McNeil Island prison (such a waste of a lovely island!), and then the bridge over the Narrows. Farewell, South Sound! We are on our way!
After the long stretch of Colvos Passage, Blake Island is on the horizon, and we make our way to the public dock. There are still lots of daylight hours on this June day, and we are ready to enjoy this unique state park. Tillicum Village is here, a tribal operation. Argosy cruise boats arrive from Seattle, bringing passengers for the famous salmon bake and cultural programs. The entire island is park, with plenty of trails, open spaces, beaches, and camping areas, as well as mooring buoys along the shorelines. Deer roam freely, and a large population of clever raiding raccoons keep everyone on their toes. Those raccoons can be pretty pesky, hiding beneath the docks and popping up when no one is looking.
With long lingering daylight hours, we completely enjoy the beauty of the summer evening. From our side of the island, we have views across the water to the city of Seattle.
Date: June 25, 2019
Time Start: 10:10 a.m.
Time Finish: 2:15 p.m.
Cruise From: Blake Island
Cruise To: Kingston
Engine Hours Start: 973
Engine Hours Finish: 975
Weather/sea conditions: Light haze early, then sunny and calm, 70 degrees
A morning walk on a forested trail of Blake Island is a peaceful way to start our day before we continue north through Puget Sound. Tillicum Village is quiet until the arrival of the first Argosy cruise of the day brings a group of tourists.
Time Start: 10:10 a.m.
Time Finish: 2:15 p.m.
Cruise From: Blake Island
Cruise To: Kingston
Engine Hours Start: 973
Engine Hours Finish: 975
Weather/sea conditions: Light haze early, then sunny and calm, 70 degrees
A morning walk on a forested trail of Blake Island is a peaceful way to start our day before we continue north through Puget Sound. Tillicum Village is quiet until the arrival of the first Argosy cruise of the day brings a group of tourists.
We will have to make a return to Blake Island for the famous salmon bake in the Tillilcum Village longhouse. For now, it is time for us to move on. We almost always see seals or sea lions near Restoration Point, and today is no exception. One sea lion is holding fort on the small rock islets today.
About a mile from Kingston, we experience some strong wakes from passing boats, the kind that make the boat go KaBoom! Possibly related, we suddenly hear an alarm, and trace it to the cockpit. The engine is shut down, and we drift. Dan discovers that the fresh water hose to the hot water tank has come off. What we are hearing is an alarm from the bilge pump in the engine compartment. Opening the lid, we find that the pump is not functioning. We immediately go to work with our hand pump, Dan working in the engine compartment to fill containers that I then lift and dump overboard. Since we had a full tank of water, it takes some time to hand pump all of that water out. Phew! Now for the next part. The annoying alarm from the non-functioning bilge pump won't quit. Dan tries every way he can think of to shut it down, gets out boat manuals, and finally makes the call to Ranger Tugs. Aren't they the best ever?! Kenny gives him guidance, at last all is quiet, and we continue to drift while we enjoy some well deserved lunch before proceeding into Kingston. We haven't made it nearly as far as planned today, but we have a nice place to spend a beautiful summer afternoon, dry things out, and replenish our water supply. The starboard lazarette is drenched, all of its contents get spread out to dry.
We have time to enjoy a bit of Kingston, a picturesque ferry town. And, as often happens in boating, I meet a wonderful sailing lady from Gig Harbor who just happens to be friends with boaters we know.