Fall Island Cruise 2025 - Leg 1

Looking at the finished route (pictured), It seems apparent that we don’t stick around in one spot long.  Without getting into it, I will admit that I’ve always had a bit of wanderlust, wanting to seek out new and adventurous places.  But at the same time, Erika and I don’t have a problem seeking comfort in the familiar, returning to those “been there’s and done that’s” just as well.  For instance, departing from PA late Thursday afternoon, we knew an arrival after sunset into Westcott Bay was a good bet.  Having sailed across Haro Strait, up Mosquito Pass and anchoring in Westcott a number times, we were comfortable with the six hour evening transit. But as boating goes, there are always surprises.  We mostly had pleasant surprises during the cruise, like passing Spike Africa (pictured) off our starboard beam on leg one.  Spike Africa is a fine looking schooner out of Friday Harbor and was used in a Tom Hanks movie.  Later that night we had a surprise that was amusing, at best.  We departed PA around 3pm which made our approach to cross Haro just about sunset.  As it is, Haro can be busy with commercial traffic.  This evening we spied two North bound container ships and a South bound tanker on our AIS/chartplotter that would interfere with a comfortable (and safe) transit across, so we stalled at Kelp Reef Light to let them pass.  About 40 minutes later we continued East under power at about 6 knots.  By 9pm Jomo was just about to enter the Pass when, from the black of night, that not so amusing surprise reared its blue flashing lights off our stern.  Having been stopped by the Coast Guard a few times, we knew the drill…questions, boat documents and the possible probe. The Petty Officer admitted that they had been watching us since our last position during our passage inside Discovery Island.  Either due to a quota or our passage thru Canadian waters that deemed suspicion, it didn’t matter, it was going to be a learning experience for us both.  They learned we were from Port Angeles and had fire extinguishers that were over 10 years old.  I learned that my fire extinguisher, in pristine condition, was out of date.  Later that week I was informed that the Canadian Coasties didn’t have that same policy or “code”.  Whatever.  By 10pm, one hour later, the officers sent us on our way.  With our pink slip, aka “proof of boarding form” in hand, stating we passed the inspection, with the understanding that we will need to renew/replace you know what, we started up the engine and motored into the pitch of Mosquito Pass and, not soon enough, pulled into Westcott Bay to set the hook.  By midnight, 9 hours after leaving PA, Erika and I finally settled into our bunk and called it a night-passage. 

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