Monday, July 27, 2015

Jarrell Cove

The weather this weekend was a far cry from what we had last weekend.  Highs in the low 70's with rain showers were forecast.  We decided to head South and decide where to go on our way.  We were thinking of either Hope Island Marine Park, or Jarrell Cove Marine Park

We got a late start out of Gig Harbor, partly because we just do that, and partly because Gig Harbors Thunderbird Fleet #1 was holding a series of races in the harbor.  I learned to sail here in Gig Harbor, the home of the Thunderbird and used to see large fleets of them race in the Harbor.  It was very nice to see over a dozen boats once again racing by the birthplace of this wonderful boat.



We finally got out of the harbor and headed South.  Unfortunately, the wind was headed North.  We eventually were able to put up the main and do some motorsailing as we got through the Narrows.  Eventually, the wind was holding fair for the course so we decided to continue South through Nisqually Reach instead of through Balch Passage as we usually do.  This route is a little longer, but it kept the wind fair longer.

As turned NW towards Case Inlet, the wind freshened.  Still motorsailing to smooth out the gusts and wind shifts we were making over 7 knots.  At this point we decided to continue heading North and go to Jarrell Cove around the Northern tip of Harstene Island.  This took us past McMicken Island, where we stayed last weekend in entirely different weather.

The whole trip we were surprised by how few boats we saw.  Maybe it was the suddenly typical wet and cool summer weather that kept folks away, or maybe everyone was cruising Northern waters but the Sound seemed empty.  We did pass and wave at Steve Franklin who was headed North in his Cataline400, "Platypus".  It was going aboard "Platypus" that first convinced my wife and I that a Catalina 400 would be the "perfect" boat for us.

Jarrell Cove was likewise empty.  We had been here a few years ago and it was a very crowded little anchorage.  This weekend, we had our pick of the 10 or so State Park mooring buoys.  Other than the wildlife, it was a very quiet night.



The next morning the weather had turned a bit more ominous.  As we were leaving Jarrell Cove we could see rain ahead.  We were hit with a few thundershowers and no usable wind for the motor back to Gig Harbor.  At least here in the PNW, when the weather is poor, we have interesting clouds to look at.



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