Friday Harbor, WA, July 3-5, 2008.

We drove up to La Conner a day early, so that we could put away provisions and wash the boat and dinghy.  We enjoyed the rocking of the boat when we went to sleep, but on Thursday, we woke up to rain.  This wasn't your normal Northwest drizzle: this was rain falling so hard and so loudly on the metal roof that you could jump up and down on the wooden dock and not hear yourself make a lot of noise.

Rain in La Connner

Still, we didn't convince ourselves to not go, so we went slowly up the Swinomish Channel.

Refinery in Anacortes

cargo ship

Our route went south of Guemes Island and then through Thatcher Pass.  The weather in Rosario Strait was not calm, so there are no pictures here.

We arrived in Friday Harbor without incident, and unsurprisingly, there was a wait to get a slip.  We had not called for a slip assignment on VHF 66 before we arrived, so we ended up #13 on the list.  She was honest with us, and also said that it was unlikely that we'd end up with a slip.  With so many boats going in and out of Friday Harbor, the water was lumpy.  However, with a long wait in our future, I dropped an anchor just northwest of the breakwater.  Luckily, Garry and Loraine of Eagle Lady sent us an MMSI message and told us where we could raft to them.  Fortunately for Mary, the marina inside the breakwater had smoother water.  She slept through the anchoring experience.

Finally, at 4:20pm, we could have Ms. Pac-Man burgers for lunch.

Ms. Pac-Man burger lunch

Friday Harbor is a busy place!  Where else do you see the Victoria Clipper, a Washington State Ferry, and a float plane all at once?

Victoria Clipper, float plane, and WA state ferry.

a tribute to Popeye, the harbor seal

Relaxing on the boat

There were a number of interesting boats in the harbor.

We took out the West Marine/Advanced Elements inflatable kayaks for a paddle.

the Puget Sound view from the bow of the kayak

On the Fourth of July, we walked a few blocks to see the parade.

Fourth of July Parade

The parade became political rather quickly.

Back to the Future was also in town.

On the way to the picnic at the San Juan Historical Museum, we stopped and enjoyed some street music.

xylophonists

Finally, we were ready for fireworks!

For the trip back to La Connner, we took Peavine Pass to the Rosario Strait and went around Cypress Island to the Swinomish Channel.  Much thanks to Garry and Loraine for allowing us to raft to their boat and enjoy their company.  Many more anniversaries to them!