Port Townsend, WA to Seattle, WA
A chilly departure from Port Townsend brings views of the snow capped Olympics as we transit toward Elliot Bay (33NM). On April 1st we arrive at the Seattle Yacht Club through the Ballard Locks (10NM). Gumby gives leave at the SYC and the remaining crew quickly spiff up the ship for tomorrow’s arrival of our SFYC ‘royalty’…our past and current commodores and family. We are thrilled to have them on board and look forward to Seattle’s Opening Day festivities, which are claimed to be the largest in the nation.
A cold morning run with beautiful views as we depart Port Townsend
Enjoying the views and still water
A great view of the Seattle skyline from the Elliot Bay Marina
So great to get to visit with Natalie Grant while we are in the Seattle area
Popular tattoo artist turned muralist, Kyle Martz, was commissioned by the Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers for this masterpiece at the Pier 91 Cruise Ship Terminal
Sunset views at Elliot Bay Marina…
…and twilight views. Our days are getting longer as we move north.
Just a 10NM hop from Elliot Bay brings us to Salmon Bay and the shipping canal
A train crosses the busy Salmon Bay Bascule Bridge as we wait for our lock to open
After 45 minutes we are lucky to get into the small lock. It is only a little over a 100 feet long so it’s just us and one other boat locking up. In this photo the doors are closing behind us to allow the water in the lock to rise to the level of Lake Union. The Ballard (Hiram Chittenden) Locks were built in the early 1900’s and according to Wikipedia, carry more boat traffic than any other lock in the U.S. The construction of the locks created great changes to the environment of Seattle and it’s surrounds. The Locks lowered the water level of Lake Washington and Lake Union by almost nine feet, reversing the flow of rivers, leaving piers high and dry and adding miles of ‘new’ waterfront.
I truly thought I would never see another lock after doing 53 of them on the Great Loop. The small lock has a floating wall with ‘buttons’ that you loop your stern and bow lines to. You then just float up 30 feet in approximately 20 minutes.
When told by the Lock Masters, you release your lines and depart the lock toward Lake Union
Entering Lake Union you cross under the Fremont Bridge (foreground) and then the Aurora Bridge (background)
We pass by Gas Works Park, which was once the site of the Seattle Gas Light Company, a coal gasification plant, which operated from 1906 to 1956. The land was then purchased by the city of Seattle in 1962 and opened to the public as a park in 1975.
Busy Lake Union with float planes taking off and landing in front of the Seattle Space Needle
Seattle skyline views recede as we move toward Portage Bay and the Seattle Yacht Club (SYC)
The pretty Seattle Yacht Club, so quiet now… but just wait…Opening Day festivities start tomorrow
With SYC at full capacity we have boats rafted to the Independence
Boats getting dressed up for the Opening Day Parade on Saturday
The Montlake Cut and Bridge, where the Windermere Cup Races will take place along with the Opening Day Parade
Traditional art by an Alaskan artist Chief John Wallace, 1937
A little ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ moment as we cruise by the neighborhood where the 1993 movie was filmed.
Opening Day weekend festivities kick off with ‘The Commode Cup Race’. The commodores from the Seattle YC, the Royal Vancouver YC and the Royal Victoria YC compete in the peddle controlled Mini 12s. The winner has to drink beer from the ‘cup’. This year’s winner is Commodore Mark Owen Flood ot the Royal Victoria YC.
Next up, a ride on a classic boat. Jojo Dailey and I get to ride in a 1938 Split Cockpit Runabout (on the left). On the right is the ‘Conny’, the original launch built for University of Washington crew team in 1932 and named for coach Hiram B. Conibear (“Boys in the Boat”).
I am sitting next to Dick Dow, owner and classic boat restorer. He bought this 1938 Split Cockpit Runabout for $1.00. It was in such rough shape it took him 14 years to restore and was relaunched in 1990 with a 350 MerCruiser in her. She handles amazingly and takes the lake chop like cutting through butter with a hot knife. What a blast. Thank you Dick!
Party time on zero dock with a theme of Pirates and Pursuers
Our past and present San Francisco Yacht Club commodores and family members…Evan Dailey & Jojo, Matt Frymier & current SFYC commodore Jeni Dailey
This is the Log Boom from 1989. The weather is not as good this weekend but there are still a huge quantity of boats on the boom.
Hundreds of boats tie up to logs fixed in the lake and hang out for the weekend to watch the races and the parade
Saturday and the official ceremony of Opening Day at the Seattle Yacht Club begins with all the pomp and circumstance
The Windermere Cup races begin. It is a 1.25 mile course and most races take 10 or 11 minutes. We are perfectly situated at the finish line. This is one of the few courses where the contestants can be constantly cheered on by the crowd as they go by the Log Boom and then down The Cut.
The exhaustion is apparent directly after they cross the line
The contestants then have to loiter in Portage Bay until all the races are done and they can return back up the cut
The National Italian Team was here to race as well. They competed against University of Washington and University of Wisconsin. University of Washington won - go Huskies!
Waiting for the Parade of Boats to begin
The Sea Scouts and the fire boat in the background make a fine start to the parade
The Dailey’s oblige us with a stern photo on the Independence
The entry of the Seattle Yacht Club established in 1892 and originally located in Elliot Bay
On the Montlake Bridge at sunset bidding adieu to Portage Bay
Making our way back to the Ballard Locks. One last view of the Seattle skyline.
Rounding out our experience we get to lock down in the large Ballard Lock
The Lock Masters take your 50 foot bow and stern lines and secure them to the rail as other boats raft against the larger wall boat (us). The lock doors close and the water quickly drops down 30 feet in approximately 20 minutes. The lines are played out during the drop and then thrown back to you as the rafting boats depart and we are given clearance to exit the lock.
Dropped and good to go. Off toward Bremerton, WA we go.