Just to clarify, Friday Harbor, with all its crowds and "fashion" and fancy people and rental car agency and dry cleaner, is called "Sin City" by the rest of the islanders. It does give one the impression of fast, loose, high stakes, and lavish living, if one has been spending one's days mostly surrounded by sheep.
xox
one-fingered on my phone
Wouldn't you know it, the one time hitting send was accidental, the message went through first try.
Resuming:
A trip to Friday Harbor on your own boat can be an anxiety-inducing experience for anyone. It has a huge, popular marina full of large, fancy boats. There's a ferry dock, and a customs dock. You have to use your VHF radio to get a slip assignment, while you're milling about at idle speed with ferries, fishermen, and big fancy boats also trying to get slip assignments.
We rarely use our radio, and it's scary to ask for something in such a public forum, particularly of you don't remember the proper protocol. What do we call ourselves? How do we hail the marina? Our name first, or their name? I, literally, almost had a panic attack after my successful call (gotta get this anxiety under control!).
We were directed to a transient dock (free for four hours), and we managed to make landfall without injuring ourselves or anyone's boat. Shaky with relief and shock at the crowds and crowds of tourists (as if everyone from yesterday's Orcas ferry mayhem had simply gone to San Juan), we made our self-conscious way to a picnic table and had some lunch.
In the event, King's Market did *not* have sheets, although Ian bought a nice Patagonia shirt on sale. The Ace Hardware *did* have sheets, even in the right size, but they were Pepto Pink and polyester. Instead, we bought a soap dish and a 3-pack of fly swatters. We returned to the boat via a Lopez Island Creamery agent, accepted help leaving our moorage from a kindly stranger, and high-tailed it back to tranquil, mild West Sound.
Spotted today: a harbor seal and pup, fish jumping.
xox, Calin
one-fingered on my phone
On Aug 12, 2013 6:33 PM, "Calin Taylor" <nilact@gmail.com> wrote:
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