Skyline Marina, Anacortes to Friday Harbor , San Juan Island

Well, it finally begins.  We are heading out today.  First task is to put the car away in the shed (where our boat spent the winter).  We have to leave this marina on a high tide because the opening hasn’t been dredged and we won’t clear the bottom on a low tide.  We are all put away at the marina and we start the engines at 9:30 AM.  The sun is out and the water is smooth.  Unfortunately Merlin does not have his sea legs yet.  He wants to be held constantly.  He weighs 16 pounds now so he gets a little heavy.  He is very startled when we hit any patches of rough water. Hopefully he will become more accustomed to the engine noise.  We don’t have to dodge any ferries today.  We pulled into Friday Harbor about 12:30 PM.  It was a slow trip, about 5-6 knots/hour.  There is only one other boat at anchor here.  What a treat!  We intend to stay anchored here and take the dinghy into town.  After lunch we put one of the new Aquila signboards up on the port side on the upper helm.  This was so exhausting we both got a headache and took a nap.  We’ll go into town tomorrow.