Kingston to Gig Harbor

23 September 2011 Friday

The wind is howling through the rigging this morning. Then calms itself and then pipes back up. I go on line and visit my favorite site: http://www.windonthewater.com./ I can see the winds are calm in Tacoma, but the winds are gusting to 30mph on some of the ferry runs. I put on another line to lash Pashmina better and notice my stuffing box is dripping too much so tighten that up. Shatoosh is shipshape and ready to rock and roll. I decide to depart at 1015 hrs and will swing in behind Bainbridge Island and hopefully that will pay off with a lift from the flood currents through Agate Pass. This decision is a mother load, as I run Agate Pass at 9.7k with 1 foot waves and minimal wind out of the south west. I arrive at Blake at 1340 and am tired. I pick up a buoy on the north side and rest for 45 minutes, which rejuvenates me. I'm loving my new buoy line and can't wait to make my final version.

I'm ready to make Gig Harbor and miss my ETA 1700 hrs by 15 minutes. My favorite dock space is open so I grab it fast. I can see Mt Rainier from this spot and sunset is always nice. I fix my salmon, potatoes and squash. One more leg to my new slip. This will be a new adventure for us.
Day's run 37 nm
Total 407nm.