We cut the lines that tied us to the docks on Sunday, August 29th, and left Port Townsend on our journey south. Olena did the cutting. It was a day we will surely remember.
A day earlier, we had onboarded our crew - Steve and Drew, who will accompany us to San Francisco. Drew flew in from Ontario, Canada. Steve only had to drive from Shilshole Marina in Seattle. We finished stowing away all our possessions and food provisions, reviewed our safety procedures with the crew, and on Saturday, Aug 28th, we left Seattle. We had to make it to Port Townsend by 4 PM, so it meant mostly motoring. The reason for the 4 PM deadline was a meeting of Coho Ho Ho skippers and crews, before the 2021 fleet send-off. If you are not familiar with Coho Ho Ho, it is a cruisers' rally that helps cruisers/sailors like us connect with other boats embarking on a similar journey south, starting from the Pacific Northwest. The Coho Ho Ho is intended to help sailors go from Puget Sound south to San Francisco and San Diego. It's a great group of people - both organizers and participants - and being part of it definitely helped us to stay focused on our goals and to find encouragement from others going through the same process. We participated in online and in-person seminars, raft-ups, and numerous informal encounters that provided us with a wealth of valuable information and helped us prepare for departure day.
The skippers' meeting gave us a chance for one more get-together with many of our friends. Some of the Coho boats decided to leave earlier, but many were present, and we all had a great meeting at Port Townsend Pourhouse. We were humbled by how many people came to see us off - Laney and Mark, Susan and Andrew - thank you!
Sunday morning came, and it meant the departure. All Coho boats and organizers gathered in the Boat Haven marina for the fleet blessing and the send-off. The wine was poured into the water, and the gods of winds and seas were asked to give us a safe passage. The conch shell was sounded. And then we cut the lines. Olena severed the last line holding us to the dock. It signified the importance of that day. From this moment, we became voyagers.
