Sail

Today was the first time I set foot on land since Friday evening. Days of eating irregularly and napping here and there for fifteen minutes while on watch in the cockpit of the sailboat we took from Orcas Island down to Portland. But the weather has been beautiful with chilly, star-filled nights and wonderful sailing weather. This morning while crossing the Columbia Bar (a tempestous soup of waves, large ships, tides, current and wind) the clouds rolled in for a welcome back to a typical Pacific Northwest Washington fall day.

Just now we fueled up in Astoria, Washington and our destination is anticipated to be Portland this evening. We have roughly 80 more nautical miles to go and then our journey will be complete. Not getting adequate sleep can be trying, but there will be time to sleep later in the week. My summer is pretty much complete and I look forward to fall.

The picture was taken coming out of the Straight of San Juan de Fuca. on Saturday afternoon. We rounded Neah Bay and sailed straght through Sunday and last night and will motor up the Columbia River much of today. Back to Bellingham either tonight or early tomorrow. Although I love sailing, I look forward to sleeping in my own bed, and not waking abruptly from dreams of near misses with cargo ships.