Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Time Warp

The fine weather continues. This is generally good, except that during these good summer weather spells, the west wind blows a gale through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We are trying to travel east through the strait as we head for Barkley Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Yesterday, we were motoring directly into 25 knots of wind, taking lots of salt water over the bow, when we encountered the scene above. It was like entering into a time warp (except, of course, for the red pilot on the left, which is definitely a 21st century craft). We had the good fortune to end up in th midst of a dozen or more tall ships which had just left Victoria.

We traveled with the ships for several hours, and the wind and seas continued to build. Snapping photos was a challenge, as we were continually dunked and slapped around by the waves. But our strong diesel motor gave us a steady course directly into the wind, while the tall ships had to tack back and forth. It was awesome to see the feats of sailing.
Once we were anchored in Port Angeles, we walked to the city pier where a half dozen of the ships were tied up and open for visits from the public. Most of the crew members are college age, wearing outfits that combine 19th century sailors garb with 21st century climbing gear. We felt as if we had sailed into the past.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I understand that feeling of a time warp. On rare occasions Coos Bay hosts some replicas of old sailing vessels, and we look out across the bay and see them sailing in or out of the harbor. They seem so beautiful, yet frail against the horizon. And to sail in one of them into the unknown in centuries past must have taken such courage, or a truly gargantuan spirit of adventure

July 06, 2008 2:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Getting caught up on all the wonderful pictures and experiences while sitting in O'hare. The iPhone does your blog very nicely.

Summer is moving fast. Weather in the heartland has been spectacular with little humidity. Bryant and Lesley are enjoying diving and swim meets as well as a golf.

The Fourth of July was great with friends. This August marks 10 years in Springfield. Hard to believe. I have to say that although what the area lacks in up front beauty, it has been a great place to raise a family. We have made many good friends and our busy lives are very managable. Small wonders.

We will be off to our place in Northwestern Maine in a few weeks. The brookies are waiting for me.

Well, safe travels! I will be in touch.

July 14, 2008 6:22 AM  

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