Day five and it was time to head home. I had originally planned one more day, but for the last two day’s I’d been watching a storm brewing and based on what I was seeing, it seemed like something I did not want to be out in.
I was a little disappointed to be leaving early, but after seeing the storm building on my way back, I was sure that it was the right call. And I was happy to see that what I’ve learned over the last year about reading marine weather, wind predictions, etc paid off and translated into making a good decision and not finding myself in weather that was more than I could handle.
I left Fishermans Bay about 5am to take advantage of the high tides to get out and the smooth water before waves increased later in the day. By the time I’d made it to Bellingham Bay, the waves were enough that the boat was riding waves and the stern was being tossed around pretty well. Not so much that I was uncomfortable with the conditions, but enough that it confirmed I was right to call the trip a bit early!
Along the way in the morning, I saw seals, a beautiful sunrise, and spent a little time traveling alongside one of the Washington State ferries.
I feel like I’ve come a long way in the last year! A year ago at this time I barely knew how to raise a sail. And this week I visited four different islands and did nearly 100 nautical miles of solo ocean sailing. It’s been an adventure and I’m looking forward to learning so much more!
