We cast off from Shilshole Oct 5th around noon to embark on our first overnight sail aboard Whisper. Our itinerary had us sailing to Bainbridge for lunch and continuing on to Blake Island. Blake Island appealed to us as a good first overnight, because of its isolation and lack of land access. The small marina had us worried, so we figured out how to tow the small, wet dinghy behind us using the port cleat above the transom.
We reviewed plenty of charts and field reports the night before sailing. This is quite in contrast from our day sails, where we’re familiar with the waters and obstacles. We spent some extra effort in planning the route we would take to cross the VTS lanes the quickest, which easily added an extra hour to the trip. After that, we paid attention to the narrow channels and shallow waters surrounding Bainbridge and Blake. It’s almost unheard of to worry about depth near Shilshole, where the water quickly reaches several hundred fathoms.
Low winds prevented us from traveling as fast as planned, but the unusually sunny day easily made up for it. The leg to Bainbridge, which was supposed to take an hour, took close to three hours. Luckily, it was three luxurious hours spent in sun and solitude. As we neared the shoal jutting from the northern entrance of Eagle harbor, we decided to spend the night at Bainbridge.
We spent the remainder of the evening meandering around downtown Winslow and tasting wine at Eleven Winery. We enjoyed grilled squash and veggie burgers on the boat before settling down in the V-berth for the night. The boat felt like a camper and was just about as solid. There was no rocking and we didn’t feel the tide at all.
On Sunday we packed up, took a short walk, enjoyed coffee at Roosters Cafe, and then left Eagle harbor. It was easier to leave than to enter, although we had to time our exit plan around the ferry. It’s fun to see the people on the ferry looking down at Whisper. I used to stand on the ferry and wonder who the people were that were sailing around. The winds were great for the return journey, quickly pushing us back to Shilshole at 5 knots.
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