Committing to the real work of rebuilding a 1951 wooden Lightning sailboat liberated me from my screen life and habitual reporting on our recent short and sweet cruises. The years seem to speed by (as my daily productivity wanes). Remembering these breaks from the routines of home and boatshop work makes me smile.

South Sound, August 16-22, 2025

We’re on Morning Light in our favorite cove in South Puget Sound. Jarrell Cove is part of one of the area’s favorite state parks. Strangely, we are the only visiting boat in a sea of empty mooring buoys at this Washington State Park. I wonder why this once teeming, popular destination has gone quiet.

I ask Harry, a fellow volunteer and one of my gurus at the Northwest Maritime boatshop. He spends his summers in a convivial community at Jarrell Cove Marina across from the large public campground. “A new sheriff in town,” he says. So some park ranger has dampened the spirits of the large, lively families and boisterous kids that traditionally filled the space with joyous mischief. Sad.

By late afternoon, however, we have stylish company. Two wooden vessels flying Classic Yacht Association burgees motor in. Closest to us is Maranee, built in 1940 at the Chris-Craft plant in Algonac, Michigan. I do not even hear the noise of her restored, original twin engines. Beyond is Reverie, a 1952 sister ship. I never paid attention to this brand of boats when I was a kid; they were just new, flashy, and beyond the budget of anyone I knew. But now I admire the lines and understand the work that goes into the maintenance of any wooden classic. (For a look at what is at stake and what Port Townsend’s shipwrights can achieve, see the restoration of Riptide, a much older classic.)

San Juan Islands – July 1 – 18, 2025

This is Jack’s favorite cruise and one he wants to do every year.  He’s been trying to get us out on the water for weeks, and I’m ready to escape the boat shop. The labor of fitting the old benches into Firefly’s new hull is still ahead but this work calls for Cindy’s wordworking skills, not my getting in the way. I beg her understanding, and we cast off.

We start out as we did last fall, heading straight past Victoria, BC to Stuart Island in the U.S. San Juans. An excellent way to start any vacation is with an Internet purge. The only phone service to which we can tether is Canadian, complicated, and expensive.

It so happens that my account of our 2024 San Juans cruise attracted the attention of the editor of 48º North, who needed a bit more copy for the April issue. With his request email, came my text shifted into journalistic past tense. I did a quick edit, excised my screed against the car ferry chaos of Thacher Pass, and took up the challenge of captioning my photos. Not only did the cover feature Morning Light with my hand-built (and repaired) wooden paddleboard on the bow, the May issue of 48º North pictures Ruby, a Sid Skiff designed by Ray Speck that dozens of us collaborated on. “A New Boat from an Old Mast” is the story you must read to understand the appeal of the Northwest Maritime boatshop.

Hat Island and Langley – June 13-16, 2025

Hat Island is a tiny private island in Saratoga Passage between Whidbey Island and the mainland. We hop on our second PTYC cruise because they have permission to land. Life in Port Townsend is seriously interfering with overdue boat chores, so we allocate time for them mixed in with new vistas and convivial potlucks. The real surprise comes with our visit to Langley, a sweet little town on Whidbey Island. It shares some of the charm of Coupeville, also reachable from Port Townsend by walking on the ferry and then hopping on a free Island Transit bus.

Hood Canal to Alderbrook Resort – February 5-8, 2025

A short winter excursion take us down Hood Canal. Jack and I have driven along the west coast of this long fjord on Highway 101, but have never sailed its waters.

Bell Harbor, Seattle – Dec 3 – 5, 2024

There’s nothing like cruising into the heart of a big city like Seattle or Vancouver. A nudge from the cruise captains encourages us to join a Port Townsend Yacht Club gathering. They reserve the slips in Bell Harbor, take our lines on arrival, and even treat us to a superb Middle Eastern meal! What a way to celebrate my birthday and the prospect of sailing into old age.