Update from Westport

It is Thursday, May 3 rd and we are waiting for the tail end of the southerly winds to pass. We expect to leave tomorrow morning. Having learned what it is possible to eat on the way here, saltines, baby cookies, and cans of fruit have been moved into the most accessible cupboard. Nadia had dinner of 20 or so baby cookies one night at sea! Yesterday was Peter and I's wedding anniversary, Nadia wrote us two lovely cards and we opened the gift that my mom and dad had stowed on board. An infusion of
cash (your kids never stop costing you!) and a great pair of shorts and t-shirts for both of us. Thanks! So far we have been dressed in heavy weather gear most of the time (I slept in my foul weather gear for 2 nights and Nadia wears her snow pants while in the cockpit). I keep telling her it really is going to get warmer. People here have been really friendly to us, Nadia so far has been given an inner tube (from the Billings Montana family), a necklace, and 4 postcards (two of which people have
addressed to themselves and want posted in New Zealand). Perhaps they don't think we are going to make it? Westport, Grays Harbour, is a commercial fishing port (that stinks! says Nadia) that is moving towards tourism including sport fishing, surfing and kite flying. When the sport fishermen come in, they throw the guts of the fish into the water, triggering fights between the sea gulls and the sea lions over the skins and carcasses. There are also loons in the bay and, in the state park just south
of here, we saw brown pelicans, sandpipers and deer. Nadia got a certificate for climbing to the top of the highest lighthouse in Washington state (135 steps). I thought the volunteer guide was going to have a heart attack and Nadia and I were going to have to carry him down. Nadia zooms around on the pavement using her Razor. Peter discovered that it is very upsetting to try and use the computer (he was getting weather info) when the seas are large (we had a 12 foot swell and 4 foot wind waves on
the way here with about 20 to 25 knot NW winds. We sailed under double reefed main and staysail the whole time averaging about 5.5 knots). Dale was brilliant off the start, I had to lie down for 4 or 5 hours after rounding Cape Flattery and he helmed until Peter and I recovered in the early evening. The forecast is for better conditions as we leave here but I don't expect there to be much communication until San Francisco. Finally, thanks to everyone who has posted comments to our blog and sent us
email. We enjoy hearing from you.
Brenda.