Trip log: scenes from a summer

This passing weekend finally brought fall’s rain and wind, closing the golden late-summer we enjoyed for so long. We finally took a well-deserved (I think, at least) sailing trip after a summer of serious construction. The Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival was a swimming success (although not any more relaxing than the preparation for it). Here’s a peek at September:

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Port Townsend Schooner Race (photo courtesy Arthur Davis, taken from Spike Africa)

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Lopez Island to Doe Bay

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Otters at Echo Bay

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Furling the staysail

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New/used spinnaker

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Gins and ti-tonics

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Sailing hard

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The weather changes

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Rowing home

Messing about in boats

Heavy on the mess part.

Richard Henry Dana wrote “as has often been said, a ship is like a lady’s watch, always out of repair.” which would be funny if I wasn’t living it. Since January, we’ve had AV out a couple of times, but you’ll note the ringing silence inhabiting the trip log. Because the trips were hard.
As if entropy personified, AV’s reward for turning attention to other matters has been a series of tiny catastrophes (it’s leaking on my pillow) building (and the washer’s broken) to (now the steering rams need replacing) a crescendo (windlass motor is toast and can’t be replaced, new windlass requires different chain…).
All these issues have been dealt with as they came up. All have gotten resolved. But, phew, not relaxing at all.
But…
But, Daniel and I are optimistic fatalists (and clearly slow learners) with new fairleads for the jib sheets and a high-falutin’ foulie jacket, so we’re going out again this weekend. Fingers crossed.
Wahoo!