January in Jarrell Cove
Date: January 9, 2016
Time Start: 11:50 a.m.
Time Finish: 3:00 p.m.
Cruise From: Swantown Marina, Olympia
Cruise to: Jarrell Cove
Engine Hours Start: 351
Engine Hours Finish: 355
Weather/sea conditions: Gray skies and cool (39 degrees!), calm day
HAPPY NEW YEAR! It is a cold January day, but NORTH STAR and our calm waters are so enticing. We can't resist, it is time for the first cruise of 2016. We'll make it a one nighter this time. We are so ready for a cruise!
The sun begins to break through the cloud layers just as we pull out of our slip, a good omen. A group of mergansers and a lone seal serve as our farewell party as we leave Swantown. We are pretty much alone in this water world today and lucky enough to get peekaboo views of the snowy Olympics. With glassy water, northwest gray skies, shorebirds making trails as they swim across the surface, and water all to ourselves, it is a great day for cruising.
Time Start: 11:50 a.m.
Time Finish: 3:00 p.m.
Cruise From: Swantown Marina, Olympia
Cruise to: Jarrell Cove
Engine Hours Start: 351
Engine Hours Finish: 355
Weather/sea conditions: Gray skies and cool (39 degrees!), calm day
HAPPY NEW YEAR! It is a cold January day, but NORTH STAR and our calm waters are so enticing. We can't resist, it is time for the first cruise of 2016. We'll make it a one nighter this time. We are so ready for a cruise!
The sun begins to break through the cloud layers just as we pull out of our slip, a good omen. A group of mergansers and a lone seal serve as our farewell party as we leave Swantown. We are pretty much alone in this water world today and lucky enough to get peekaboo views of the snowy Olympics. With glassy water, northwest gray skies, shorebirds making trails as they swim across the surface, and water all to ourselves, it is a great day for cruising.
We pass along Squaxin Island and the tribal fish farm operation. Cormorants are perched on the Harstene Island bridge. Arriving at Jarrell Cove, all is gray. We make our way past the outer dock where park boats and a sailboat are moored to the long inner dock where there is a lone sailboat, "Fresh Air" from Gig Harbor. We tie up to our favorite spot with a view of the cove.
All is quiet in the cove. A kingfisher perches on a treetop, on the lookout for fish. A couple of mergansers swim in the cove. The day comes to an early end. By 4:30, the sun is low behind the trees and day quickly turns to evening. Out of nowhere, flying silently, one by one cormorants arrive to perch in the forest across from us. Soon the trees are filled with their dark shapes. They will spend the night in these trees and leave at dawn. Unlike crows, their sounds are soft and muted. And then, mother nature gives us a sunset to remember.
We, too, tuck into our comfortable abode aboard NORTH STAR for the night. A hot dinner, music, and soft lighting from a pair of new solar LED lanterns help to keep us warm, along with heat from the Webasto furnace. We will be cozy in our winter sleeping bags on this chilly winter night!
Date: January 10, 2016
Time Start: 1:00 p.m.
Time Finish: 4:55 p.m.
Cruise From: Jarrell Cove
Cruise To: Swantown Marina
Engine Hours Start: 355
Engne Hours Finish: 358
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny and cool, 38 degrees in the morning rising to mid 40's, calm.
It's just us and a few feathered friends here this morning. The cormorants left early, long before we were awake. Only a couple of mergansers, king fishers and a few seagulls remain. The sun is up but low on the horizon, not clearing the treetops. Mist hangs low on the cove, the water is a mirror, the skies above are clear and blue. There isn't a cloud to be seen. It is a beautiful but chilly winter day, and so serene.
Time Start: 1:00 p.m.
Time Finish: 4:55 p.m.
Cruise From: Jarrell Cove
Cruise To: Swantown Marina
Engine Hours Start: 355
Engne Hours Finish: 358
Weather/sea conditions: Sunny and cool, 38 degrees in the morning rising to mid 40's, calm.
It's just us and a few feathered friends here this morning. The cormorants left early, long before we were awake. Only a couple of mergansers, king fishers and a few seagulls remain. The sun is up but low on the horizon, not clearing the treetops. Mist hangs low on the cove, the water is a mirror, the skies above are clear and blue. There isn't a cloud to be seen. It is a beautiful but chilly winter day, and so serene.
We have our breakfast and take walks along the dock and ashore, enjoying the sights in this lovely marine park that for now is all ours. A heron, a king fisher, and a cormorant have all found spots to sun themselves. (We learn that a group of cormorants can be called a "sunning"!) We love how the cormorants spread their wings to dry them, they lack the oils of most shorebirds that provide protection from moisture.
We relax, Dan finds time to plink on his ukelele, and then it is time to head for home. We will be looking for mountain views today, the Olympics and Mt. Rainier should be clearly visible with their winter snow coats. And we start getting mountain views as soon as we round the bend on Harstene Island!
We stop and tie to a buoy at McMicken island while we have our lunch. An eagle keeps an eye on us from the treetops. Again, we are the lone boaters in this marine park!
We follow the sun and its path across the water to Olympia, getting a surprise view of Mt. Adams to add to our list of mountains visible today. Beautiful mountains, blue skies, calm water - what could be better? We are experiencing winter cruising at its best!
We pull into our Swantown slip just as daylight is disappearing. We will be looking for our next opportunity for another winter cruise! We feel spoiled, we have had a wonderful two days.
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