We ducked into Grays Harbor waiting for the next good weather window to head south. We are likely to depart on Sunday Oct4th for probably a 36 hr shift at the helm. With 10 kts of northerlies, we hope to test out our hydrovane.
Again, Grays Harbor like Neah Bay is a fishing marina. They tout that Westport Marina of Grays Harbor has the largest fishing charters on the west coast.
At the end of our dock, Anna found this floating "office?" that the Fishery department houses their employees waiting for fishing boats to come in and report their catch of the day. She is very fascinated by it and plans to make one just like it for herself. She has taken measurements, made sketches, and even had thoughts that she needs to end her trip now so that she can get working on building her own floating "office". It can be steered with its 50hp outboard motor.
 |
| Upon examination it does seem very doable to build one of these yourself. I wonder how one gets one of these registered with the state and whether some entity has to approve it as a house boat or a recreational vehicle. |
On our way back from our long search for the shower, we stopped at the Newport Heritage Museum. If I had visited this museum before entering Grays Harbor, I probably wouldn't have due to numerous mega tankers and large fishing boats that landed on its shoals over the years. Actually those were when they didn't have as accurate navigational beacons, GPS, and chart plotters. Thanks to those sacrificial ships we probably have better charts in these areas and of course the satellite technology.
 |
| In front of Westport Heritage Museum which used to be a Coast Guard station until 1930's. |
 |
| Fresnel lens technology (developed in 1700's) used in all light houses to send out light beams to far distances. |
Now that we caught up on some sleep and showered it was time to gorge on some good food.
Tonight's Dinner Menu:
- Pan seared and pepper encrusted tuna steaks (bought from the next dock over)
- Sugar-soy glazed potatoes
- Steamed cauliflower sprinkled with shredded cheese
- Pressure cooked steamed white rice
- Dessert: chocolate cake
 |
| Made them wait so I can take some pictures. Patience is a virtue. |
Sophia learned a new word today, "gluttons"!
Note to the readers: I realized that in the excitement of starting a blog that I felt I needed to document each and every day. As this was only possible due to our stays at marinas, we will probably be spending more time on the ocean from now on. Thank you all for such kind words about our blog. I am hoping to reach a natural and practical cadence to blog updates. If you return and there are no new posts, wait in great anticipation for new pictures and stories will surely surface soon.
-MK
I noticed no one is submitting comments. This will be a trial to see if it works. If it works, I'd love to hear from you. Some times it's a lot easier to reply to comments than individual emails.
ReplyDeleteStill figuring out the comments process, but I'm very impressed with the meal you conjured from a very small kitchen I'm assuming :) great work!
DeleteLove, Julia
Hello Julia. Yes our galley is small but very functional. We have a 3 burner stove and oven that is true to its temp setting. This is very important for bakers. We will have more pictures of food on the next post. Along with wilflife sitings food is a very important component of our trip. I get to bake all kinds of stuff I didnt have time before. Hope you guys are well. -monica
DeleteHello Julia. Yes our galley is small but very functional. We have a 3 burner stove and oven that is true to its temp setting. This is very important for bakers. We will have more pictures of food on the next post. Along with wilflife sitings food is a very important component of our trip. I get to bake all kinds of stuff I didnt have time before. Hope you guys are well. -monica
DeleteThat's a tasty looking meal! Very impressive! How did you make the cake - do you have an oven on your boat?
ReplyDeleteAlso an impressive Fresnel lens. We have two much smaller ones on display at The Lyceum from the Jones Point Lighthouse in Alexandria. I love to gaze at them when I am sitting at the reception desk - it's fascinating to see how they reflect light..
I'm re-reading your blog and don't know if this comment will reach you because of the delay ...? I'm waiting to see a picture of you Monica :). I thought that beautiful food was from a restaurant, wow looks delicious! I enjoyed seeing pic of Grays Harbor having grown up there as a, "river rat" as we called ourselves. My brother in law is a 4th generation fisherman out of Westport and my son Marcus crab fished with him out of Westport and also out of Eureka CA. They made that voyage a number of times. My prayers for your saftey continue.... We miss you at church and want you to know we hold you in our hearts! Bless you :)
ReplyDelete