Bright sun coming up at 7:30am was a treat, as this is the third day in a row for us for all day sunshine, or at least that is the forecast for today.  Yesterday we left Squirrel Cove around 11am and headed towards Tenedos Bay.  The wind was 1 to 3 knots so we had to motor the entire way, but the surrounding mountains and bays were very pretty to sail past. The water was so calm that at times it seemed like a big glassy lake. The logs in the water were easier to spot and from a greater distance away, so that made it less about concentration and more about enjoying the day’s journey.

When we arrived we all rafted up together, and Dianna and I enjoyed some home made chicken salad courtesy of our good friend Karen Brayton who introduced us to it at their lake house on Lake Tennkiller in eastern Oklahoma. Karen is a very talented host who seems to come up with amazing food out of thin air!

It was a shorter trip than usual, and we arrived around 2:30pm so we had time to get our dingy in the water and go for a ride around this gorgeous area.  The dingy engine is a little querky but we figured it out. We motored around the shore of the bay where rock cliffs seem to go straight up from the water, and there are beautiful Madrona trees growing out of the rock cliffs. We also saw a family if seals swimming around the water and then moving onto some rocks where they seemed to be napping. That gave me an idea and I did the same. Some members of our group went to gather fresh oysters for an appetizer for all of us. The tide was coming back in so there was a sense of urgency about that. They returned in an hour with two buckets filled with oysters.

Two of the boat captains prepared their grills for the oysters, where they grilled them until they opened, then removed one of the shells, added butter and garlic to the now open oyster, and closed the grill until they were done. They were really good and even people that say they don’t really like oysters were pleased with the taste and texture. I have pictures but can’t post them until later today when we get a better signal.

The moon eclipse was to start at 7:11pm and end at 8:23pm so we kept watch.  About 7:40pm we could see just a faint glow coming up from an opening between two mountains.  It was the perfect placement for us to view from our flotilla of boats. Some were eating and came up to see, others, lke us, were cooking dinner. So we stopped and watched as the show unfolded. It was truely amazing to see! I have a couple of pictures that don’t really do it justice but will post anyway.  Dinner was spaghetti and red sauce with fresh grated romano cheese, romaine leaves with mustard vinegarette, and sourdough bread from the oven, with a bottle of Cabernet.  It was really tasty.

Today we are headed back to Teakerne Arm for another view of the waterfalls, then north to Von Donup inlet. We have some new people on board and they wanted to see the waterfalls.  Hopefully we will have some sun for pictures?

The second cup of coffee just arrived from my “saftey officer”. When chartering a boat from San Juan sailing someone has to be designated captain and someone as the safety officer, and with just two of us, well you get the picture. It is so much fun having a beautiful and talented saftey officer on board, and I feel very safe.  Just one more reason why I am the luckiest person in the world!

Cheers!