Fabulous day at Jones Island State Park

Yet again we took a trip to nearby Jones Island State Park and yet again we were rewarded with an absolutely perfect trip. We've come to think of Jones as our own private playground because despite its large size and extraordinary beauty, we always have it to ourselves more or less. This time we took Becky and Martin with us and their beautiful son Benjamin, who has the brightest red hair and the most pleasant personality.

We actually got to sail a little bit on the way up as winds were coming right down San Juan Channel at about 5-10 knots. I've been working on the finer points of sail trim and was very happy to be experimenting with mainsail twist. Our old main didn't have telltales and so I couldn't tell in fine detail what was going on up aloft. Now I've learned how to tension the mainsheet not only for boom placement but also for mainsail twist. When I got it just right today, we picked up a few tenths of a knot and she just performed like a happy lady.

Once at Jones we anchored in our usual spot and dinghied over to the beach for the routine of lunch and laying around. Temperatures today were in the 57 degree range, which in the sun felt like 95 to us heat deprived folks. We then took the amazing walk around the west side of the island and were dazzled once again by the ever changing views, the diversity of habitats, and the very pleasant character of the trail. At one point you are looking south to Yellow Island on dry grassy slopes, and a mile later you are among red cedars, salal, and views north to Spieden Island and Saturna up in B.C.. Just heaven.