My first destination is an ole favorite of mine when I owned Sabra and was cruising every weekend. It is Quartermaster Harbor between Vashon Island and Maury Island. Actually, Maury is connected to Vashon by a small land spit. King County, runs a small park and dock there called Dockton. Since I have left late in the day and this is the beginning of a big holiday, it will be a zoo of people/boats. It is also beginning of crab catching. The outer harbor was full of pots and several Yacht clubs were already making merry. There is a small docking area and I find several small slips open. Lucky me, again and again. I never tire of my good fortune and am always grateful for it. Since it is a county dock and not a state park, I will have to fork up another $20 for moorage. A quick swipe of the credit card and I have my ticket for the night.
I am already running into my new friends who I have recently met and getting to meet several others. I have run into several boats hailing from the Portland, Oregon area and find them commuting every weekend up this way, just as I have done for the past 8 years in the other direction. Some even ride Amtrak up and get off in Tacoma and walk to their boats along the Foss Waterway which is a short distance to the Amtrak station. A retired Army Doctor and Nurse who was stationed the same time with me in Tacoma, now own a beautiful Nauticat 39 and berth her in Gig Harbor. They make the Friday afternoon run up to be on their boat. We had a wonderful time chatting and I got to hear their story of coming up the coast. They caught a crab pot line near La Push and had to go back to Westport. The weather and seas were terrible. It was not a happy trip for them. Another had a delivery Captain bring their vessel up.
The story is out about Shatoosh making the trip up the coast, and the other day while I was waiting for a surveyor to arrive, one of the marina workers was bragging about my recent efforts. He enthusiastically is saying to a couple of ole live aboards, have you met the lady would brought her 25 foot Albin up the coast? How gutsy is that? I said, I hear you bragging about me and he replies, you see all these guys talk and talk about sailing around the world but nobody goes anyway. You bet, I'm bragging about you.
As evening slides into the harbor, I watch several very large boats with their experienced Captains maneuver them nicely into their miniature slips. One fellow spoke to me the next morning and I complimented on his boat handling skills. His golden Retriever had an ear infection and he had gone off without the $500.00 medicine. I gave him some Apple Cider Vinegar to put in her ears and within minutes, he shared that it had worked and the dog was no longer scratching her ears or shaking her head. ACV is a miracle potion. I drink it every day in my water.
