We left Port Ludlow for the long cruise back up into the San Juans. We had to cross the relatively open water of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. I could see on Predictwind that we’d be seeing the worst, windiest weather of the entire week during the day of this passage.

Sure enough, shortly after passing Port Townsend the swell and wind both picked up. The swell was on the port bow (rolling down the strait from the Pacific) and creating a somewhat uncomfortable motion that did not agree with Mel. The winds reached 20 knots and was on our nose. I did my best to create the smoothest ride possible while she went up to the flybridge to get some fresh air.

When we reached the south end of Lopez Island, we ducked into Watmough Bay for a rest and some lunch. Watmough is a beautiful bay. After lunch, I took Mel to shore and she went for a walk.

After our stop, we decided to head to Rosario a day early. In a new first, we picked up a mooring ball since we couldn’t add the day to our slip reservation. All went well with the process and we had a calmer than expected night.

The next day we moved into our slip. We had reserved a spot and made a dinner reservation at The Mansion Restaurant for our 24th anniversary.