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Three days of sailing the Puget Sound was relaxing and just what I needed The weather wasn't the best, but not setting foot on shore aboard a world-class sailing yacht was second to none. The weather was wet and chilly, but it dampened the spirits of no one aboard.

It was a bit unnerving navigating a ship through the precarious channels between the 150-plus islands of the San Juans. Some of the passages were no more than fifty yards across, and I was navigating strictly by software - a GPS system linked to his laptop using this software. I think the captain was impressed at my ability to navigate through these precarious channels; and I was very impressed with the ability for a GPS and computer to get me safely back to Deer Harbor using the (Coastal Explorer) software. . I can only imagine what navigating the San Juans was like in the days of charts and dead reckoning.

And the coming up Cattle Pass in an ebb tide was a challenge unto itself. Five knots against the tide still showed us losing ground.

Exhausted we returned on the noon ferry to Anacortes and then back to Bellingham to an early fall. It is so nice to have this miraculous playground in my backyard, and I am lucky to have friends with swank boats that trust my sailing skills. Life is good.