september: watmough bay
Date: September 11, 2021
Time Start: 7:20 a.m.
Time Finish: 8:30 a.m.
Cruise From: Cornet Bay, Whidbey Island
Cruise To: Watmough Bay, Lopez Island
Engine Hours Start: 1321
Engine Hours Finish: 1323
Weather/sea conditions: Clouds, calm, rain!
We pull away from the floating dock at Cornet Bay on a partly cloudy morning, on our way to catch the slack through Deception Pass. We are a bit early, but the captain takes us right on through like a pro.
Time Start: 7:20 a.m.
Time Finish: 8:30 a.m.
Cruise From: Cornet Bay, Whidbey Island
Cruise To: Watmough Bay, Lopez Island
Engine Hours Start: 1321
Engine Hours Finish: 1323
Weather/sea conditions: Clouds, calm, rain!
We pull away from the floating dock at Cornet Bay on a partly cloudy morning, on our way to catch the slack through Deception Pass. We are a bit early, but the captain takes us right on through like a pro.
We make the crossing to the south end of Lopez Island and into scenic Watmough Bay. A buoy is available where we have a view of the steep sided wall and the shore of the bay. Pretty nice!
And then the rain begins. We have a wet day. And wind.
Date: September 12, 2021
Watmough Bay layover day
Weather: Cool, clouds, some wind
It's a day to explore. We take the dinghy along the steep slope and then across to the offshore islet, just as we did a year ago. The scenery is wonderful, first the rocks with lots of color and then the beds of kelp surrounding the islet. We'll start with photos of the steep wall and rocks, lots of photos!
Watmough Bay layover day
Weather: Cool, clouds, some wind
It's a day to explore. We take the dinghy along the steep slope and then across to the offshore islet, just as we did a year ago. The scenery is wonderful, first the rocks with lots of color and then the beds of kelp surrounding the islet. We'll start with photos of the steep wall and rocks, lots of photos!
And now for the islet and kelp beds, such a contrast to the steep wall. The current makes the fronds of kelp all flow in one direction. It is beautiful to watch the fronds swaying beneath the surface, not something we can't easily capture with just our cell phones. They focus on the reflection of the surface of the water, not what is under it.
The afternoon brightens, and we head to the beach at the head of the bay.
From the beach there are trails to walk, or you can just relax on the beach or do some beach combing. It is a popular spot for boaters, Lopez Island residents, and visitors. We still love the rocks!
It's back to NORTH STAR. The bay has been filling with small to medium sized boats. There are now about nine sailboats, one comes in under sail power, looking great against the rock face.
There is still time in the day for a little more exploring, this time looking at the fucus algae, barnacles, etc. that flourish along the edges of the rocks.
We have pretty much neglected the forested south shore of the bay. There is a trail through the forest that we have walked in the past. On this visit we just see the forest from the water.
Evening is nice enough to cook pork chops on the grill. A crescent moon rises high over the bay. We've had a great day at Watmough Bay!
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