It was a beautiful morning when we left Garden Bay and headed for Howe Sound.
The sun was shining and the seas were flat. It wasn't too long after we reached Trail Islands a northwest breeze started to build, and we were surfing along on a very broad reach. The wind kept building, and by the time we reached Grower Point I had to relieve our tiller pilot, take over the helm and hand steer through the building seas.
When we reached Port Graves the anchorage was full of boats. Everyone out for labor day weekend no doubt. We were sheltered from the wind but the surface was a little rolly. We kept circling the anchorage, like a frustrated dog looking for a place to flop, until we found a spot where Teal rode fairly quiet and set the anchor. By night fall the surface laid down and all had a peaceful night.
The next morning showed promise of a fair day, and we headed for Point Roberts.
September 1. The 38 mile passage to Point Roberts was a little lumpy under cloudy skies, yet we made good way.
We arrived mid afternoon under sunny skies with a bunch of other boats coming out of the San Juan Islands, all checking in with US Customs.
The customs dock was jammed and it took a while for us to clear customs and get into a slip for the night.
The 32 mile passage to Bellingham was smooth and fast, we arrived in time for lunch, then took a cab out to the storage facility to retrieve our car, then started laying up Teal for the winter.
Our cruise was over. This year Teal covered 2186 nautical miles, we visited 27 harbors or resorts with docks, and anchored 41 times in 36 different coves.Since 2002 when I cruised from San Leandro to San Diego and back to Alameda, Teal has covered 11520 nautical miles during seven cruising seasons. This season she reached 57 degrees 34' North and 135 degrees 42' West.
Next year we are planning to spend the summer working on Teal in order to catch up on deferred maintenance, and will not be cruising or posting to this blog.
George and JoAnne.
