It's a sad day. The weather is changing. Wayward Wind is all buttoned up for the winter months. Our car is packed and our bags are packed. We will be leaving for Florida in the morning. It has been a great summer cruising in the San Juan Islands. We have visited some of our favorite places and found several new anchorages. We have spent a lot of time getting Wayward Wind the way we want her. We are ready for next Spring. We are not sure at this point what our cruising plans are for next year. We will figure that out over the winter while we spend the next several months in sunny Florida.

Sucia Island. One of the most popular outer islands in the San Juan archipallego and is only accessible by boat. In the summer months it is a madhouse with boats and people swarming the anchorages and trails. But this time of year it is peaceful, relaxing, and just a few other boats with which to share the anchorage.
It is a great time of year to be at Soucia. The sun was out, the water was calm, less than 15 boats in the bay, and the moon rise was awesome. We hiked the well maintained trails and discovered a few vistas. We discovered a bay that we want to anchor in next year. It was a great couple of days on Soucia.

The weather is still nice and it is still legal to catch crab so we decided to return to Barlow Bay in MacKaye Harbor on Lopez Island. Before we set the anchor we dropped the crab trap with great anticipation for a crab feast when our friends arrive. So in the morning Jerry pulled the trap and was rewarded with several nice size dungeness crab - yippee! Our friends who live on Lopez in the bluff just above our anchorage came over to the boat for a tour. Their dream is to buy a 43 Nordhavn so what better opportunity than to tour ours while at anchor in their "front yard". We enjoyed a hapy hour with them discussing all things boats and Lopez Island life. No sooner had they left when our friends Jim and Carol aboard m/v Knot So Fast arrived. We had them raft off of us rather than set their anchor since it was late in the day. And then it was time for the crabfest to begin!. Steak, crab, beer and great conversation made for a fun evening. We spent a fairly rocky night at anchor. We figured it must be windy out on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the wind caused the swell which resulted in a rolly night. The next day we took Jim and Carol for the walk out to Iceberg Point. We never get tired of the view on this trail. After the hike and retrieving the crab traps, Jim and Carol said their goodbyes. Friends for over 50 years we will see them again on land or sea.

We have a few days between work being finished on Wayward Wind so we go back to yet another anchorage on Cypress Island. Secret Harbor is a protected spot in Deepwater Bay. There had been a fish farm here several years ago but when the fish escaped the nets the farm closed up and moved out. Several decades ago this is where the home for unruly boys was located. The buildings have been torn down and much of the land is closed to the public due to restoration of the land by DNR. There is a trailhead at the head of the bay which leads to Reef Point and South Beach. It is a beautiful hike to the point. We enjoy the view while eating our lunch. Reef Point is the area that was mined up until the 1970's.
In 1891 prospectors staked claims on the island to iron ore. Early reports were exaggerated and hopes were dashed. Then after WWI chromite mines were worked and 75 tons were extracted . The mine at Reef Point produces olivine-a magnesium silicate which yields phosphorus for fertilizer. Olivine was mined sporadically from the 1920's until 1973. The quality of the ore, the expense of transporting it off the island, and better mainland sources insured that Cypress prospectors never struck it rich.
After our stop at Reef Point we took the loop rail to South Beach which is a delightful beach with views across Guemes Channel to Anacortes.
We always find something new when we stop at Cypress and this short stay did not disappoint us. But we must go back to Anacortes for more boat projects to be finished.

Whenever we head any direction except south, we cruise by Guemes Island. We see the dense clumps of cedar and spruce trees, sandy colored cliffs, and long beaches dotted with small beach cottages. Anchorages around the island are few and none offer public beach access. There is a small ferry that makes the 5 minute crossing from Anacortes to Guemes Island. The ferry holds only 22 cars and makes the route every half hour. There are about 600 full time residents on the island and several hundred more parttimers. It is a good place for bicycling and there are two hikes, one with a vista, that have peaked my interest in visiting Guemes.

So today is finally the day we will explore Guemes. Our friends Charley, Sara, and Steve have decided to join us. We have decided to first ride our bikes along the eastern shore of the island which leads to the Guemes Mountain hike. The bicycle ride around the bay is scenic and peaceful with very few cars sharing the road with us. We easily find the trailhead to Guemes Mountain and trade our bicycles for our hiking shoes. It is a relatively short hike, only 2.6 miles round trip, but fairly steep. The elevation of the mountain is 610 feet. There is a loop at the top which affords views of the San Juan Islands, Anacortes, and east towards Mt. Baker. After a rest that allowed us to fully appreciate the beauty around us, we were ready to get back on the bicycles and have some lunch.
The General Store not only sells grocery items but also has a small restaurant with a variety of options. From burgers, to reubens, to salads, and chowders - none of us went hungry. There is even a bakery with fresh made cookies and cobblers.
As we wait for the ferry back to Anacortes our eyes wonder to the road leading to the west side of the island. Do we want to explore more or save it for another day? The consensus is to come back again. After all, it is only a five minute ferry ride away.

Boating comes with a whole new set of terms. For instance, a window is a porthole; a bed is a berth; a kitchen is a galley; the floor is the sole. This last week we have been "on the hard" which means the boat has been out of the water. Lifting a 65,000 pound vessel is quite an undertaking. A big machine, which is controlled remotely, has big straps which fit under the boat. Once those are in place the boat is lifted out of the water. Hanging in place and resting on the straps, the machine then positions the boat in the yard where it is propped up with braces placed in strategic spots around the boat. It is a remarkable undertaking and frankly, makes me very nervous.
And now the work begins. The bottom of the boat is pressure washed which removes barnacles and growth that accumulate while the boat is in the water. Zincs are replaced. Zincs are sacrifical chuncks of metal attached to other metal parts below the waterline in various locations around the boat. Seawater, especially moving seawater, destroys metal and there is no stopping it. So the zincs get destroyed, not the curcial metal, like the propeller, under the waterline.
Our boat has stabilizers which need to be serviced every six years and it was time for ours to be done. The stabilizers are something we want working well because they make the ride much more comfortable when there is significant swell. The windlass, which is a device used for raising and lowering the anchor, was serviced. The wing engine was serviced. The bottom of the boat was painted. Bottom paint usually needs to be done every two years or so. The autopilot has been acting up, it didn't like to operate properly going south. Jerry figured out the problem and fixed it while we were in the yard. By the end of the week we were feeling pretty good about all that had been accomplished.
Yes, even boat life has projects that must be done. We may not have to mow the lawn, weed the flowerbeds, or clean the gutters but there are still maintenance items that must be done. Now we are back in the water and it feels much better, feels normal. Once the boat is washed and waxed we will be ready to head out to the islands again.