Picture: Mt Reinier looming in the distance adds to the serenity of sailing.

End of the day miles: 60
Miles since Mexico: 26,300

Weather: Sunny but cool, cloudy later in the day.
Wind: S wind 5-10 knots
Boat speed: 2-10 knots with sail and motor

Breakfast: Mixed cereal with yogurt, coffee.
Snack: Grahams crackers, cheese, apple.
Lunch: Brown rice, canned beans and cheese (leftover).
Dinner: Instant potato from Japan, cream cheese, fried eggs, smoked oysters and popcorn.

Ted weighed anchor shortly after seven in the morning. As we were pulling out, two ferries were already coming into the harbor. It must be a busy place; we felt regretful that we could not visit the town, but we were racing to beat inclement weather predicted for Wednesday; and today is Monday.

The wind was blowing against us so our dependable motor was humming away. Since we left Ketchikan this spring, we have mostly had winds from the South. It is unnatural and unusual; the prevailing wind is supposed to be from the North! Thankfully the sea was relatively calm until we reached the bar outside Puget Sound. And then it seemed like “Shuang Yu” was riding a bucking horse; short choppy waves one after another. However, the favorable current saved us. Even though we were “bucking” on the surface the current was “galloping” beneath the water. How fortunate! We were moving at around 9 to 10 knots (speed over ground). Otherwise, if the current had been against us, we would have been riding a stationary bucking horse, uncomfortable and miserable and getting nowhere.

This is the first voyage where I have not stocked up on food. We had a small amount of food leftover from our last visit to Granville Island and some leftover from our Japan to Alaska trip. I was rationing out the food and at the same time trying to create interesting and good tasting dishes. I enjoyed the challenge though.

The South wind increased and the currents turned against just as we were coming into the Seattle area. We had previously decided to dock at the Shilshole Marina because we have reciprocal privileges with the yacht club there. It seemed to take us forever to get to the marina because of the adverse wind and sea conditions. Normally we try not to go into a strange harbor after dark but we had no choice this time. Once again I was on the foredeck acting as lookout while Ted slowing motored into the dark harbor. We were grateful to dock because the wind definitely increased as the hours passed and continued to howl throughout the night.