Into the "Big Ocean"
28 August 2011 | Neah Bay
Scotts
On Friday the 12th, we were ready to take off – or so we thought. Lare noticed a fine spray of some liquid on the engine. Close examination showed that there was a stream of coolant spraying from one of the engine hoses through a large hole in the hose. If you’ve ever ventured to Neah Bay you’ll know that there isn’t much there. Certainly no marine stores carrying a supply of hoses. So Lare and I went over to a tug boat to talk to the Chief Engineer. He cut off a section of hose and gave it to us, refusing payment. Oops, the hose was too big. Now what? Do I go back to the tug engineer and say, “Whoops. I’m an idiot. I really need 5/8” hose, not the ¾” inch hose that you already gave me. The Vicki’s saved us from humiliation by recalling seeing some engine hoses at the local general store down the street, so off we went. Fortunately, the store had the right size and we quickly made a repair. We intended to take the slack tide out to the ocean, but the repair put us behind schedule. We left anyway, after a visit to the fuel dock. Fortunately, the seas were pretty calm.
With a short weather window, we were eager to leave as soon as possible, with our opinions about Neah Bay’s dismal ambience intact. But, we found people to be exceptionally friendly and helpful. The local connections even seemed genuine, not just the welcoming smile that we sometimes see in people dependent upon tourist dollars. People stopped on the dock to talk. One fisherman offered to show us his weather software predictions and gave us a detailed forecast. Others offered local knowledge about currents, locations of crab pots, etc. By the time we left, I was feeling pretty positive about the place – but I still do not want to live there.
At 1:00 pm, with excitement and trepidation, we entered the Pacific Ocean. The sky was overcast and winds were calm, so we motored hour after hour at 7 knots – a slow way to see the world.