Come Sail Away - San Juan Islands

Washington - San Juan Islands - ASA Sailing Course 101/103/104

Back in the lower 48 and time to set sail! Chuck and I signed-up for a weeklong, live-aboard sailing course off the coast of Washington. Chuck has a high level of knowledge and comfort around boats and water. I can swim, and paddle, but I have never sailed. So, with the intention of buying a sailboat at some point, and possibly living on it, we thought we should get a bit more education on the subject. 

We met our captain and the rest of the crew (another couple from the East Coast) on the first morning of our course and set to work provisioning the boat and getting acquainted with each other, the vessel, and our itinerary. From there, it was time to sail! 

Route planning and chart reading - we spent time learning and practicing navigation skills.

Chuck at the helm as we leave the mainland - Mt Baker in the background

The first day had the best winds and I had my first rush of adrenaline as the boat heeled far to one side as I stood at the helm, panic-stricken. We practiced some drills, took turns manning the sails and the helm, and eventually found a protected cove on the East side of Cypress Island for the night. The winds howled and thunder boomed through the night - a rarity in this part of the world. When lightning struck, it lit up the whole sky and silhouetted the other boats nearby. We learned the next day that winds in other areas of Puget Sound had pulled boats and their moorings to shore, dragged anchors, and caused a general ruckus. For us, it was a pretty magical sight to be out on the water with the lightning and thunder all around. 

Over the next couple days, we sailed through Decatur and Blakely Islands, up to Orcas Island, and to Roche Harbor on the North end of San Juan Island. At Roche Harbor, we went ashore to shower and enjoy dinner at a restaurant - most nights we cooked together on the boat. At sunset at Roche Harbor, they retire the flags flown by the docks (USA, Washington, etc...). The dock staff bring down the flags while a song plays and a cannon is fired. Along with this are some announcements and shout-outs to visitors - our instructor had them welcome our group by name, which was a fun touch to the night. 

Roche Harbor

Chuck admiring the gardens at Roche Harbor

The next day held little chance of wind, so we set off under engine power for some sight-seeing and a circumnavigation of San Juan Island. Our instructor, Greg, made no promises (of course), but we were all hoping to see some wild marine life out there. We were not disappointed. We were greeted by two Orca pods along our travels. They were all around us both up close and further out. It was incredible. We cut the engine as they approached and quietly watched them emerge and dip back down beneath the surface. We even saw one farther out fully breached as it erupted from the ocean. The Orcas were accompanied by a Soundwatch boat that provides boater education and conducts research in an effort to protect the whales. They told us these whales were from the endangered Southern Resident Community of Orcas (which has three pods total). This was my first time seeing Orcas in the wild - another tick off my bucket list. It was absolutely magical. 

Orcas on Orcas - so many whales!

An orca near our boat - not zoomed in!

Our adventure continued over the next couple of days as we continued to weave in and around the islands. We practiced man-over-board drills, docking, anchoring. We took exams (which we all passed), did navigational study and practice. We cooked and ate food together. I took a solo-hike and a swim in the early morning at Cascade Lake when we were docked at West Sound on Orcas Island. We took the dingy out into a cove glowing with bioluminescence and spun in circles in the dark (another most magical sight). We learned. We laughed. We sailed. 

Greg and the other two crew members learning about dingy driving

West Sound

Cascade Lake

Docking 

Chuckles being a cool guy

Me being a cool guy

On our final day, we received our official certifications and logbooks! I was excited to pass all of the tests. It was a lot of pre-study and reading to make sure I was understanding the technical aspects and rules. Since this was all completely new for me, it was a bit stressful - but we did it! We are now ready to take on sailing together - another adventure awaits.

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