Aeolus back home to Friday Harbor!

 We brought Aeolus down to the South Sound with us to explore the local area and for me to do some projects, and now that we have done both, it was time to take her back to her home waters up in the San Juan Islands. So this weekend I did the journey north over three days and what a journey it always is. 

It is about 110 miles from Swantown to Friday Harbor. I've done it going south in two days, with favorable winds and currents, but this time took three days going north. You traverse the entire US portion of the Salish Sea, and there is something satisfying and dramatic about this journey. 

On Day 1 I left Swantown at 5:50am to catch the slack and turn to ebb at Tacoma Narrows. It's quite a sight passing under those gigantic bridges. Going up Colvos Passage is pleasant, and then you pop out with views of Seattle. I stayed in Eagle Harbor that first night and saw family. I even ran into a former student in town that delighted me with stories of how my teaching had inspired them. 

Tacoma Narrows Bridges

On Day 2 I was joined by a friend and based on the forecasted high winds in the Eastern Straits of Juan de Fuca we went inside Whidbey. On this day we journeyed from 8am to 7pm, dropping anchor at Hope Island near Deception Pass. Hope Island is a fairly large, forested island with some nice ancient forest trees. There are trails that cross the island and might go at least part way around. Despite having a lot of boats anchored nearby, it was quiet and lovely. 

Big Doug Firs on Hope Island

On Day 3 the slack at Deception Pass was at 11am turning to ebb, but the tidal changes were from the high low to the low high and currents were only peaking at 5 knots. We timed hitting the Pass about an hour before slack, judging it would have about 3 knots of current opposing us. Sure enough, we slowed to about 2.5 knots going through and it was as dramatically beautiful as always. I've fought stronger currents near Spieden Island and of course up in BC like Dodd Narrows. When you emerge from Deception Pass the landscape just outside is ruggedly majestic. High dry bluffs and rocky headlands that are more like what you get up in BC than down south here. It's quite a sight. The area outside Deception Island was lumpy from all the passing boats and groundswell from the Straits, but there was no wind and we did hull speed anyway. We left Hope Island at 9:30am and were tied up in our new slip in Friday Harbor by 2pm. 

Bridge was cloaked for painting

Overall a smooth, easy and beautiful voyage.