We finally ran out of excuses – the new pump’s installed, the watermaker’s flushed, the final provisions are bought, the laundry’s done, the truck’s in storage – so there’s nothing left for us to do but up anchor and head north.
Once again, we found ourselves in a position where it was difficult to say good-bye. We met a lot of wonderful people over the past few months here in Poulsbo, and it wasn’t easy to leave the sense of community behind. But our departure was way overdue, so we left around noon with the out-going tide in order to clear Agate Pass Bridge and take advantage of the current.
On our way up through the sound, the wind was coming from behind and we were able to unfurl the headsail giving it a well-deserved airing out. We only made an average of 4 knots, but we both enjoyed the peace and quiet along the way over the continuous drone of the engine – it was the perfect way to leave.
Our first official stop will be Coon Bay (named after the abundance of raccoons that live in the area) where some friends have offered us the use of their home dock for a couple of nights. Timing is everything in the Pacific Northwest where the tides are huge and the currents are strong and, because we left Poulsbo on a favourable tide, there wasn’t enough depth to enter the channel into Coon Bay when we arrived, so we decided to anchor in Port Ludlow for the night and enter at high tide first thing in the morning.
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