Well, That Didn’t Go According to Plans

As usual, our plans have little resemblance to the universe’s plans for us. And again, the universe won.

We didn’t leave on Friday to go to Fairhaven.

At 4:15 on Friday, just a few minutes later than planned, I arrived, walking, back to the marina having delivered my car and car keys to a safe place where the friend buying it could pick it up. I had picked up the final mail packages, charged the car for the buyer, deposited the check for the sale of the car, gotten the last groceries and was generally on top of things. I forgot that I was only on top of the things on my list, no guarantee about the universe’s list.

Jon had also finished his list and was ready for me to return. On a whim he called the fuel dock again. He met me at the top of the dock saying “The fuel dock is closed, we can’t get fuel on our way out. Yes, they told me 6 pm but apparently they forgot that fall hours means closing at 4 pm.” Huh.

So instead we had a nice dinner with a friend who came to the marina to pick us up. We paid for one more night at the marina. We had one more shower. And we had a cold grey windless motor down to Fidalgo Island where we anchored for the night. However the next morning we awoke to a glorious sunny morning, again windless, and arrived in Port Townsend a few hours later.

Our New Plans

However we still haven’t learned anything so we immediately made new plans. There is a minor weather window on Friday from Neah Bay, 85 miles away. If we leave Wednesday we can just do it. This minor weather window is a period of 10-15 knot winds for a day or two while the North Pacific sucks in its breath preparatory to another 5 days of 25-35 kts of wind. But if we scoot out promptly, and the prediction is at all accurate, and the wind is fast enough to keep us moving, we should be able to get out of the churning zone with only a few hours or part day of winds over 25. And they are really unlikely to be over 40, so no real danger, just discomfort, slamming around, using the handkerchief sails.

Or not. Depending on what the universe decides.

Our new Setback

And this morning the universe raised its shaggy head again and said “not so fast, whippersnappers”.

Our HF Radio, our only communication device and only source of weather data offshore, needs servicing according to a radio guy here in Port Townsend. Our choices are to get it serviced (if we can find someone to do that), replace it (meaning having a new one shipped here) and install the new one, or rent a sat phone to do communication and weather until we get to San Francisco and have time to deal with it. Of course meaning I have to learn a new system. You’ll have to guess what I’m planning to do as I don’t want to announce a PLAN and have the universe interfering again.

Let’s see what happens next!