After months of preparation, Adesso finally left the dock on schedule, on August 10th. Departure was in mid-afternoon, following hours of frantic packing and stowing. Our friends Vicki and Lare Byers, from Rocinante, joined us on the passage to San Francisco. Vicki B and Lare left their sailboat in El Salvador and returned home for a few months. We really appreciate having experienced friends on the passage, especially since they did the same passage two years ago.

Sailors have told us for many years that the hardest part about cruising is leaving the dock. The boat is never ready. The economics are never secure, etc. I was surprised to find this to be true. The stock market was on a determined slide. The economy was threatening a “double dip” recession ( I prefer a double dip ice cream). Cruiser wannabes are urged to set and date and leave, because they will never be ready. So – we just left. We stuffed last minute tools, spares and supplies into any available nook or crannie, hugged friends and family, and cast off.

With light winds, we motored to Port Townsend and dropped anchor right next to the ferry. That was a different experience. The ferry blasting its horn loudly at every departure certainly caught our attention. We arose at 4 am the next morning for a 12 hour slog into wind and waves to arrive at Neah Bay. Just after leaving Port Townsend, we heard the engine alarm sounding and, upon checking, found the coolant level low. We stopped in the busy shipping lanes and refilled the coolant, wondering why it was low.


Twelve hours later we we arrived at Neah Bay, and I was ready to nominate it as the most dreary place on this planet. Foggy, cold and dismal. The marina offered free wi-fi and Vicki S looked up some information on Neah Bay. The 2000 census showed 700+ people. After a decade of “growth” the 2010 census showed a gain of 35 people. Like many native American communities alcoholism has been a serious problem, to which the Makahs’ responded by becoming a “dry” reservation. We were told that locals have to drive 6 miles to an off-reservation liquor store.

In our explorations we found a man working to restore a totem pole. We found the native art to be intriguing. But wait, we learned that the totem pole was not made by a native American. Apparently, several decades ago a couple of Norwegian-Americans became the local experts in native totem poles and studied the technology. The totem pole was actually built by the Caucasian enthusiasts and had been brought from the fish & chip restaurant that was located for many decades by the Ballard Locks. The restaurant became a victim of the recession and the totem pole was brought to the Makah reservation for restoration. Apparently, the fish & chip restaurant will re-open as a burger joint, without a totem pole. My impression from talking to the restoration person, was that he isn’t native American either. It is a shame that the local and ancient, tradition was lost.

You may recall that he Makah nation fought with the US for years for the right to resume their tradition of whale hunting, finally succeeding a few years ago. They killed a whale once and celebrated on national news. I suspect the experience was so traumatic that they never (as far as I know) did it again.

Neah Bay is on the Makah reservation and is the last stop before entering the Pacific Ocean. Our grandson, Aidan, describes the Pacific as the “Big Ocean” as opposed to the Little Ocean called Puget Sound. We spent a day hoisting the dinghy on deck, and generally getting ready for the sea. We downloaded “GRIB” files to forecast the weather and sea conditions. GRIB files are maps overlaid with symbols indicated wind speed & direction, currents, wave height, etc. The forecast indicated ocean swell from the wrong direction, but with minimal height, so we decided to go.