A Rough Ride
05 April 2021 | Port Angeles
Jan Norman | Sunny, some wind
Today's trip will be a 18 hour cruise from Westport, Washington to Neah Bay, Washington. This part of the Washington coast does not provide for adequate places to stop so once you begin the trip you are committed to go the whole distance. In order to get to Neah Bay before dark, we had to leave Westport at 2 a.m. The alarm was set for 1:30 -ugh. The bar report was not favorable so we waited an hour for the swell to subside. At 3:00 we decided it was time to go. The first four hours of the trip was in darkness. And once again the crab traps were out to get us. But this time the sea was not calm. So fighting swell and searching for traps in the dark made for an uncomfortable ride. Finally the sun came up and it was Jan's turn at the helm. About noon the crab traps finally were gone. Still a very lumpy ocean. Out of the corner of her eye Jan notices something unusual. It appears to be a mattress, no mermaids floating on it, just a mattress. One never knows what you will see on the water!. Near LaPush, Washington the chart has a point called Giants Graveyard. What could have happened to get a name like that!. After 16 hours of bumping and pitching and being tossed around we were thrilled to see the Cape Flattery Lighthouse. This lighthouse marks the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Finally we are off the open ocean and entering the inland waters that we consider to be a boater's paradise. We have always known that the open ocean is not our favorite place to cruise. But we are glad we made the trip up the coast and feel a real sense of accomplishment. What a relief to be off the ocean. And we never caught a crab trap the entire way. We WON the crab trap dodge!