Cruising the Pacific Northwest

Yes Please rafted up at the Orcas Island Yacht Club reciprocal moorage.

As we cruised along the Southern shores of Orcas Island and squirted through the always entertaining Pole Pass, we saw the entrance to West Sound and were intrigued. With names like Massacre Bay, Skull Rock and Victim Island, we had to see what was really there. We bypassed the West Sound Marina and headed for the small T-dock at the Orcas Island Yacht Club. Another Grand Banks just tied up to the last spot as we arrived, but kindly offered to let us raft up to them.

Sherri and Scott with Yes Please in the background.

We secured Yes Please along side a beautiful GB Trawler and dropped the dinghy in the water and positioned it so the dog could easily get ashore via the swim platforms. We then checked out the Marina, Skull Rock, Massacre Bay and Victim Island. All turned out to be far less interesting than their names. Oh well, you don’t know if you don’t go.

The small West Sound Cafe was just up the street and had excellent reviews from several sources (Active Captain, Yelp, etc.) so we sauntered up the road for dinner and were amazed. The menu was very unique, featuring locally grown/harvested foods. When dinner arrived, it was cooked perfectly, melted in your mouth and tasted so good, that we stayed for two desserts!! Shhhhh, don’t tell anyone!

The sign in front of the West Sound Cafe. It’s worth investing the time to visit.

Forty Five Yachts rafted up at Island Home for the Olympia Yacht Club Foofaraw event.

Foofaraw is an event (established in 1962) put on by the Olympia Yacht Club to honor and appreciate members of our great nation’s military. This year, forty five yachts carried 300+ service men and women along with Chamber of Commerce hosts to a private island for a day of fun. Yes Please joined the armada this year and had members of the Army, Navy and Air Force on board for the celebration.

We departed a little after 0800, into pea soup fog, with all 45 boats lined up, single file to parade past the Olympia Waterfront. The boats and their guests were treated to an amazing display by the local police and fire departments, which lined the Port of Olympia wharves with hundreds of police cars and fire trucks, lights flashing in the fog, horns blaring.

The fog broke as we approached Hope Island and the Dockmaster’s at Island Home did a masterful job of queuing up the arriving yachts and getting all 45 boats secured to or rafted up at the two small docks. Great food was cooking on the firepits, including traditional salmon by the Chehalis Tribe and there were an abundance of games and entertainment available.

Everyone had a great adventure and a beautiful, sunny day of fun and relaxation at Island Home. The Yes Please crew felt very honored to be able to participate and give back to our service men and women that give so much to each and every one of us.