May 31. 2006-The Last Thirty Miles

Sailing The Last 30 Miles to Singapore

Sailing the last thirty miles back to Seattle was fun in the old days, back when we did that trip three or four times a summer. You picked a weekend when there was a big flood tide on Sunday, and, after a week in the islands, you'd hit Point Wilson on the return trip about 11:00AM, when the sea breeze is starting to fill in, and you could set the kite and jibe on each bend of the Sound, and come all the way home going eight knots. It was glorious.

We used to drink on that trip, and arrive at Shilshole bay in the late afternoon tired, sunburned, and slightly drunk, with wine or rum bottles rattling around in the aft cockpit like trophies. It might have affected our judgment. I remember one time when we came steaming into Shilshole on port jibe, pole on the headstay, going 10 knots, rounded down right at the north entrance, dropped the kite and sailed in under main, excited and jubilant, only to find the marina filled with boats with people sitting in the cockpits, afraid to go out because the wind was too strong. We didn't even notice it.

The ship traffic on Puget Sound wasn't too bad either, although I remember one time when I was down below yelling on the radio at a tow boat skipper who came out of his lane to cut the corner at Double Bluff and left us nowhere to go while Judy sat topsides watching helplessly as the spinnaker wrapped itself four times around the headstay.

No mostly there was plenty of room to avoid the ships.

Not like Singapore. The last thirty miles here won't be exciting sailing. It is hot alright, hotter than summer in Seattle, but the wind just isn't here. And the ships come by about one every 5 minutes. You have to be sharp to dodge them just right.

Today we are coming into Singapore, and we do have the tide with us, but we are motoring, or else we wouldn't get there by night fall.

At least we're here.

Singapore Flag

Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Singapore

PS: Since I wrote the above we had a nice little squall blow through, 25 knots, and we had a pleasant sail, if not exciting. We arrived in Singapore at 16:00, cleared customs, and we are in a marina at Sentosa Island, Singapore

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