Winding Down as we are back in Anacortes

Hauling up the anchor this morning.   My right foot is operating the switch that controls the windlass to raise the anchor.   The switch on the other side of the Samson Post runs the windlass in the other direction putting out more chain (lowering the anchor).   I'm also hosing the chain down with fresh water to keep the salt, mud, and icky stuff from getting into the anchor locker and stinking up the boat.  My other foot and hand are trying to keep me upright and aboard the boat!

Looking back into Hunter Bay as we departed.   Our final anchorage of our voyage.
Looking forward and out through Lopez Pass, across Rosario Strait, and into Anacortes, only 10 miles away.

My backsides as I take a photo of Lopez Pass.  Karen wants you all to know that I make a better wall than a window.   I am blocking Karen’s view making her driving more challenging.
Looking out Lopez Pass again, you can see the Anacortes-Friday Harbor ferry off in the distance.

Admiral Karen at the helm this morning and her trusty sidekick.
In Guemes Channel looking at the Anacortes commercial waterfront.  Busy with lots of boats and cranes as they repair ships.
An unhappy face as I put 683 gallons of diesel in my boat.  I can't complain about the quantity of diesel we used as we had a wonderful cruise, but I do miss last year's prices!
We docked Blue Redd at Cap Sante's temporary moorage while we ran a few errands, like picking up our rental car and grabbing a Mexican lunch at Real Tequila.

Shortly after this, we moved Blue Redd to PMC's dock.   We will haul Blue Redd for the winter season at PMC on Thursday.

So, we are right back where this adventure started last May.
The view from the back of Blue Redd looking at the refinery.  We think it is beautiful, all lit up and glowing.

Tomorrow, we have winterization chores and some errands to run down in Everett, then lunch with friends and then dinner with more friends.

I'll write-up a recap of our summer 2026 adventures in the next day or so.


Good Night, My Friends.

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2026 at 8:22 PM

    Your summer has been a great adventure! Thank you for sharing with us landlubbers, who sail vicariously.

    I’m curious as to why you fill the gas tank when the boat is going to be in storage all winter.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PeterSeptember 24, 2026 at 11:30 PM

    Great question. Diesel, unlike gasoline absorbs water. When relatively small amounts of water are mixed with diesel it creates an environment that promotes bacteria, algae, and whatnot to grow. That’s not good for my diesel engine.

    So, by filling the tanks full, there is very little air volume inside the tank. As the surrounding moist air warms and cools it expands and contracts causing the tanks to “breathe” a bit. That introduces moist air into the tank which condenses when cold and brings water into my tank. By filling the tank full, I’m just reducing the available air space in the tank to minimize the amount of water that can condense into my diesel.

    Did I explain that OK?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2026 at 12:03 PM

      Yes! That makes perfect sense. So many details to maintaining a boat! Makes me really appreciate how easy my car is to maintain. Whew! -CM

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Selene Rendezvous West, Maintenance, and Cruising Towards Anacortes

Image
  Playing with propane again.   My manifold was all bolted down so it cannot move.  Last year when we closed out the season it was all fine.   When we got aboard a few days ago, Karen said she smelled propane. Leaping into action, I chased the smell to the propane locker.   After much fiddling, I discovered it was both the manifold and the regulator.   The manifold fittings were all loose and if I held the flashlight at just the right angle, I could see the density waves of propane flowing out of the regulator vent.   How can this happen?    Regardless, it is now all fixed and my locker is clean (soapy water at close to 50/50 mix is a pretty good, if not goopy cleaner).   All tightened, fittings are taped with yellow teflon tape + blue PFTE compound, tightened hand-tight + 1 turn with a wrench.   So far, we haven't smelled more propane nor have we blown up. My next project is to replace this domest...
Read more

Leap'n Leviathans!

Image
Not us!   We spied this derelict boat along the shore at Point Thatcher, where Peril and Chatham Straits meet.   Somebody had a really bad day... We departed just before 1100 (11:00am) this morning heading to Takatz Bay, about 48 miles to the east. Trying to catch-up on a bit of work reading.   A friend of mine, Jeff Osorio, is writing a wonderful book on finance and I'm contributing what small bits I can. It will be on my "I highly recommend this book" list...   If you want to really understand finance in the context of a small/medium business, this is the best I've ever seen. Rather than pick a few photos, here they all are.   A pair of humpback whales.   Likely a mother and her large calf spotted in Peril Strait about 2 miles west of Lindberg Head.  We stopped for about 15-20 minutes to watch them play.  Scroll away... I think whales "play".   And this is a good example of it. Captain Lizzy at the helm. A...
Read more

Pitter-Patter...

Image
  That's the sound of the steady rain and they tink & plink into the water, or pitter-patter according to Google Gemini.   It is entrancingly beautiful. Today started out just as the weather forecasters had promised.   The rain cleared-up by 1100 (11:00am) and the winds died down to an acceptable 15 knots. We left Green Island Anchorage and headed north.   We passed this point (Kwakume Point in Fitz Hugh Sound) where there were 3 humpbacks breaching, fin-slapping, and spy-hopping.   Unfortunately, they were too far away to capture with the camera. To be clear, we do not chase the whales nor approach them.   They have to come to us - that is their choice. Yup, that's Captain Karen at the helm. You always have to keep vigilant for logs and rafts of kelp that float around. Today, this stuff was everywhere, it was difficult to steer clear of it all.  Perhaps the storms over the last few days washed this out of the mountains or ...
Read more