We couldn't have had a better day for going to Neah Bay. Both the wind and the tidal current were with us, and it was sunny and fairly warm. There wasn't much wind, so we had to use the engine, but we zoomed along at close to eight knots over the ground. Left Port Angeles at 7 a.m. and arrived at Neah Bay around 3:30 p.m.
The only floats appeared to belong to a seafood company, but a man on a fishing boat said they were public floats and we could tie there. He also said there was a space on the other side of the wharf, so we went around there. Had a little difficulty docking, because the wind was blowing, and I was rushing around as usual, changing lines and fenders from port to starboard, so I wasn't ready when the boat reached the dock, and we had to make a second pass. That time, I threw the small grappling anchor and caught the dock on the first try. Also, the man who had told us we could tie up there came down and tied the bow line. We put out a lot of fenders and lines and soon were secure, but after all that work, when we went to the office, the woman said the floats were only for commercial fishing boats and we couldn't stay there. Roy asked her if we could stay for an hour or so, and she said that would be all right, so we walked to the general store and bought a few groceries. Then we moved the boat to an anchorage.
So now we're only six miles from Cape Flattery, but it looks as if we'll be stuck here for several days, as gale-force winds out of the southeast are predicted for tomorrow and Wednesday. When we were heading north, the wind was out of the north, and now that we want to go south, it's out of the south.
Neah Bay is a small village. There isn't much here, but the harbor is well-protected. All we need is patience -- and we want it right now !
By the way, the entrance to Neah Bay is between Waadah Island and Baadah Point. No kidding. If you don't believe me, look on a chart.
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