Alaska Flotilla: Leg 6, Day 19 – Montague Harbor to Friday Harbor
What a day! To start things off, today was Jack’s 92nd Birthday! Jack and Annette are chartering Bonum Vitae this trip. It has been a running joke that Jack will only drive the biggest, fastest boat in the fleet. Jack is truly an inspiration. His energy, intellect, and good nature would be admirable for someone of any age. We would all consider ourselves lucky to age with half the grace that he is.
On top of celebrating the 92nd Birthday of a beloved member of the crew, today was also the solar eclipse! What an amazing way to experience this astronomical phenomenon! We were cruising along through the Canadian Gulf Islands and watching as bit by bit the sun disappeared into a small crescent. The sky grew darker, the air took on a chill, and the water had a beautiful earie quality to it. An experience that none of us will ever forget.
As we crossed boundary pass, we reentered the US. It felt good to be coming home! We wound our way through the northern San Juan Islands and down to Roche Harbor in order to clear through customs. It was a busy day out on the water, and there was an air of excitement and celebration all around. After clearing through customs, it was off to Friday Harbor for the night.
On the way, we cruised close to Speiden Island in order to see if we could spot some of the exotic creatures that live there. These exotic deer and sheep are remnants of a failed business attempt from the 1970s. Two brothers tried to start a game reserve where clients could come out and hunt for trophy animals. Sure enough, lying on the grassy slopes of the island were herds of Japanese Sika Deer and Fallow Deer.
Once in Friday Harbor, each group took the afternoon to go explore the town. Friday Harbor is a fun town to walk around in and window shop. There are many local art galleries, restaurants and gift shops. At 5pm we all met back on Deception for a happy hour and departure logistics meeting. This gave us a chance to recap our voyage together, share memories and photographs, and to prepare for our arrival to Bellingham.
