With proper planning, we
could have made the journey from Rosario Resort to Everett in one day but opted
instead to take the long way around and stop at Port Ludlow one last time.
There’s not much to the place—a small marina, a tiny convenience
store/office/bait shop, and one (very nice) restaurant at the adjoining inn/vacation
residence resort. But Port Ludlow holds a special place in our hearts because it
was the destination of our first-ever overnight trip on Raven—specifically it
was the site of the 2014 Nauticat Regatta & Rendezvous. Now those who know
us (dammit, quit rolling your eyes!), have heard us wax poetic about the
Nauticat line of sailboats and its relative rarity. Built in small numbers in
Finland for the “discerning yachtsman”, they just aren’t as prevalent as other
lines of sailboats like Catalina, Beneteau, Jeanneau, etc., especially here in
the Pacific Northwest. So whereas a Beneteau Rendezvous will fill up a
good-sized marina, in 2014 a little over a dozen Nauticats arrived in Port
Ludlow. We ranged in size from 33’ to 52’—most of us being the second, third, or
fourth owners. Jules arrived in his Nauticat 525 which is the modern version of
ours. As he was the first owner, Sitalia Yachts flew him out to Finland where
he observed the building of the hull and personally chose his below-deck
layout, finishings, etc. In other words, Jules was the “discerning yachtsman”. The
rest of us were what I like to call the “deferred beneficiaries”—in other
words, thanks to the inevitable passage of time (aka depreciation), we could
own a “discerning” boat without the “disturbing” price tag. But personally, I think we got the better
boat. Jules’ new 525 was very nice, but just didn’t have the charm or
craftsmanship of our 32 year-old girl.
I remember when we arrived
at the marina for the rendezvous. We were very nervous because it was the first
time we had docked at an unfamiliar marina, so of course they directed us to a
dock that required a sharp right, followed by a sharp left, followed immediately
by another sharp right into the slip. The Captain had to rely heavily on the
bow thruster (which he rarely uses now) and my feeble skills were camouflaged
by the fact that a couple of people had come over to help with the lines
(although that didn’t stop me from tying the stern so loose that the line
dropped into the water, putting it at risk of getting wrapped up in the
propeller—otherwise known as “grounds for divorce”.)
And now here we are again—full circle—our first overnight stay, the first stop on our current voyage, and our last stop before stage one of the odyssey ends in Everett. A lot has changed between then and now. Not just in terms of new equipment, overhauled systems, enhanced off-shore capabilities, or the noticeable glow (for lack of a better word) that comes from constant upkeep, but the crew is more confident.
The Captain has pretty much proven that he can guide Raven through the trickiest of situations and dock her in any conditions. The Deck Boss has become a competent line tosser as well as our designated anchoring pro (she gives directions to the Captain on which way to maneuver the boat to correctly position the anchor—my job is to push the button that lowers the anchor. Yes, I have the monkey job.) As for me? Let’s just say that I used to have a look of terror on my face when docking—now I just look like I’m concentrating real hard on the task at hand (aka constipated). But I am happy to report that the Captain only had to leave the helm twice in the past week to fix my eff-ups (a 20% improvement!) so “well done, me.”
The next morning we set out
for Everett and for the first time in 59 days we actually had enough wind
coming from the right direction to put up the sails. We spent four hours slowly
gliding through Admiralty Inlet at 4-5 knots (I didn’t say it was lot of wind) thinking
about all we needed to accomplish in Everett before heading out to San Diego
and, of course, reflecting on the last two months. I think the Captain summed
it up nicely when he said, “I think we’re the only people in the world who have
been in Admiralty Inlet, Rosario Strait, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the Strait
of Georgia, Discovery Passage, and all throughout the San Juan and Gulf Islands
and not seen one damn orca!”
Pictured: Raven in Port Ludlow
Not Shown: "Discerning Yachtsman"
Pictured: Sailing back to Everett
Not Shown: Orca
