Friday Harbor to West Sound Marina- Orcas Island Yacht Club June 11th,, 2008

We woke to some sun and as the day progressed it stayed partly cloudy with out rain. Yea!! We pretty much circumnavigated Orcas Island checking out the marine state parks as we went. The weather was simply dismal, gray sea and gray skies. So we decided to visit the Orcas Island Yacht Club. Well there was no one at the club, but the British Columbia, Capital City Yacht Club was there and we docked with them. They were a wonderful group of folks with some beautiful boats- Chris Crafts and others. They shared stories about cruises they had taken and gave us great tips about making it to Princess Louisa Inlet and Desolation Sound. We were not sure if we would go that far north into Canada, but everyone keeps saying if went have come this far, the scenery there is spectacular with waterfalls and tight canyons, something we should not miss. So, when we head over to Canada and Victoria, we will make it a point to stop at the Capital City Yacht Club. The day was overcast and we enjoyed meeting the folks from Capital City, they made the day much brighter. The next morning we walked over to the small marina as the depth sounder was working intermittently. We have charts, but pulling in to some of the State Parks and mooring up, the depth sounder makes life a little more comfortable. They were able to have someone come over within the hour to pull the plug and take a look at it. This is something that makes me nervous, as you take it out via a through hull and we are in the water. There is a plug and you simply put the plug in to stop the water coming in. The tech came over and did the work with Alexus watching. I could not watch water come in to the boat through the hull, way to scary. Alexus said the water really came barreling in, especially for a hole an inch and a quarter in diameter, but it was what she had expected after talking to Dan, our local technician. Dan was confident Alexus could do it herself, but it is better to watch someone the first time. I am confident Alexus could check it too, I did peek a little when he replaced the speed wheel, but it was still a little unnerving for me see the water come in to the boat like that.