Sail to Whale Rocks in the fog mixed with smokey haze

September 17, 2020 – Fog and the wild land fire smokey haze were at their heaviest today. The effects were mystical as we came through Turn Island Pass. An ebb tide allowed us to drift through and tune in our ears to the sounds of the wildlife we could barely see. Harbor seals were high and dry as the tide had fallen to its lowest with today’s new moon. Layers upon layers of rocks and islands diminished quickly into the fog. Sailing the ebb to Deadman Island where we saw ochre sea stars holding on near goose neck barnacles where black oystercatchers foraged. Harlequin ducks swam in the protected coves.

Sailing out to Whale Rocks and our sense keyed in to the sounds of the Steller sea lions we could not see. Long Island looked like Scotland peering through waves of sea mist. As the current turned to flood we found our way through the whirlpools back into the channel of fast moving water. Deadman Island appeared suddenly before us necessitating hard to port to clear the kelp and then suddenly we were clear of the clouds. A breeze picked up and with the helping hand of the flooding current we had a beautiful peaceful sail back to Friday Harbor.