Tuesday, July 28, 1992 - Port Angeles, WA

(Replica of 19th Century schooner, Port Angeles, WA)
We had thought our trip to Port Angeles would be a cakewalk, since we'd be following the shoreline down the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with a west wind and waves pushing us along, but it turned out to be a little trickier than that. A strong outgoing tidal current held us back, so even though we were making 6 knots through the water, we were only doing 4.4 knots over the land. Then we ran right into a very thick fog. Thank goodness for radar! We could see only about 200 yards. Once, a tiny motorboat with four fishermen in it suddenly materialized 30 feet from our starboard bow! It hadn't appeared on radar at all. Fortunately, the tide turned around 11 o'clock, and the fog burned off by one, so after that it was a cinch. With the tide pushing us, we zoomed along at more than 9 knots over the land!
Two submarines and several small naval vessels passed to port.
A strong breeze came up when we were almost to Port Angeles, so we were able to sail into the harbor. We were amazed how strong the wind was in the harbor. There were whitecaps all over the place. We went over to the entrance to the marina, but it looked small and crowded, and the wind would have made maneuvering very difficult, so we looked for a place to anchor. Not able to contact the Harbor Master, so I talked with the Coast Guard on VHF and was told we could anchor next to the City Pier. Went over there and found a sheltered area with public docks behind the pier. Most of the docks were too small for the Jofian, but there was one long dock, so we tied up there. This is a really neat place. There's a pretty little park here with green grass and trees and a playground. There's also an observation platform on the pier.
Walked over to the Visitors' Center and got a bunch of brochures. Then we walked two miles to a restaurant, where we got a delicious buffet supper for less than $5!
Bus fares here are less than any other place we've ever been. Even less than in Mexico City. They're FREE! (For people over 65.)
In the evening, we watched the Victoria Ferry unload and load. We were amazed how many vehicles fit on that ferry. It was like the old circus act where fifty clowns pile out of a little Volkswagen. An endless stream of cars, trucks, RV's, and trailers poured out of that ferry, to be replaced by another endless stream. We couldn't believe our eyes!