Lyn's Log, 28th August 2008
Washington coast.

Gray's Harbor, Washington
N46º55', W124º07'
18,511 miles.

Leaving Neah on 27th August and getting round Cape Flattery reminded me of leaving La Coruna in north-west Spain to get round Cape Finisterre. It is either foggy or the winds are on the nose. After three nights in Neah we thought we could leave. The winds were forecast as west and not too much rain. After waiting for a foggy shower on the morning of Wednesday 27th August, and filling up with diesel, we left around midday, motoring into the west wind and an increasing west swell. As we turned south, so did the wind. Wind waves from the south meeting the swell from the west caused a choppy and confused sea that often knocked into Sentinel. We were making only three knots even with the engine. We had it on for nearly 30 hours, by far the longest non-stop run under engine we have ever done in open water. Fog had descended in the early hours of Thursday and persisted all day. We were among he shipping, and on the radar we could spot large ships passing us by not half a mile away that we couldn't see.

When we reached Grays Harbor in southern Washington, we radioed the coastguards to find that the harbour was closed due to the height of the swell over the bar, but as we made it sound like we were coming in anyway, they agreed to send a vessel to check, and eventually they agreed we could come in. Still in thick fog, unable to see from one buoy to the next, made for a nerve-wracking entrance. As we reached the bar, the sight of breaking waves ahead was rather alarming, but luckily we managed to spot the next buoy before we were among them. Eventually the harbour wall loomed out of the fog, we rounded, and it was all easy. The coastguards were waiting for us inside and insisted on doing an inspection. At last we settled down for the evening, but having suffered from the terrible motion of the yacht on passage, I now felt the yacht was continuing to roll around when it was stationary. I swear Andrew said he didn't care if he never went to sea again, but he denies it absolutely!

Grays Harbor is a major fishing port and we were moored among the fishing boats with lots of noise and mess. Ashore were large fish processing factories for crab, tuna, salmon and halibut. There were also a number of seaside type gift shops and cafés. There was an air about the place of a holiday destination out of season and yet we were there over the Labour Day Holiday weekend, traditionally the end of the summer holiday. There was nowhere to buy supplies other than a mini-mart attached to a gas station on the main road out of the village, a half-hour walk from our mooring.