San Juan Islands – Pacific Northwest Confluence

Confluence, its a pretty cool word.  I first learned of it, when someone mentioned it to me as a point of reference for the Gros Ventre & Snake Rivers.  When applied in everyday living, it can make for great experiences.  I was fortunate enough to be a part of a great confluence in the pacific northwest.  Two close friends and I set out on a small San Juan 28, named the Canard.  We left Seattle on Friday afternoon and motored across to Kingston, on the Olympic Peninsula.  En route, we encountered our first hazard.  We hit a massive log, adrift in the Puget Sound.  I have sailed in a lot of places and I have never heard of that happening to someone.  Between the shipping lanes traffic in the Strait of Juan De Fuca and random logs in the sound, we were now fully aware that staying alert was essential.  The next day we set sail around Whitby Island and through the strait, for a wet and intense sail to Anacortes Island.  Unfortunately, the weather kept us in Flounder Bay for two nights and held us back from sailing to Lopez Island.  Eventually, we navigated our way through Deception Pass (a very dangerous tickle, with extreme tidal power).  We sailed through Skagit Bay, wing and wing…as the only boat in the entire bay.  It was a wonderful day.  Our last night was in Langley, on Whitby Island.  4 days in the Puget Sound, with some squalls, some close friends, some brisk, and some solitude can make for the perfect confluence.