Return to Kingston

Pure bliss - that is how I still feel after arriving home from our sail yesterday.  Sun, wind, warm-enough clothes (including fast-drying pants, necessary on wavy days when you forget to put on your foulies before going out).

Trent and I left the house around noon. Destination: Edmonds for lunch. When we originally dreamed about our weekend, we contemplated doing an overnight, but it was more convenient to leave without packing cushions, sheets, sleeping bag, blanket, toiletries, a change of clothes and everything else but the kitchen sink.

As we made our way to Shilshole, the clouds fled, leaving space in the sky for the glorious sun! The wind was from the north 10-15 (hovering around 14 for most of the journey). Jib up, we avoided the Puget Sound Spring Regatta, leaving the two groupings of big boats behind. Surprisingly few other cruisers were about, given the rare combination of sun and wind.

Trent and I both wore our new Rock Lobster shirts, but still needed warm jackets for the upwind journey (the high was 61, but that is definitely not warm enough for summer clothes).

Oh, what exhilaration! To be heeled at a not-too-scary degree in my perfect sailing weather. The sound of Rock Lobster whooshing through the water. The wind vibrating the backstay. The random birds flap-flap-flapping across waves. Bliss, flow, pure happiness.

About two hours in, we realized that we were both hungry and that it would be just a little bit faster to go to Kingston, so we changed destinations. I was a little worried about disappointing my three loyal blog readers by repeating a destination, but c'est la vie.

We arrived near 4 and took advantage of the free two hours of mooring. Because we pulled in right after the ferry did, there was a short line at our restaurant of choice J'aime les Crepes, where we ordered a special (ham, mushrooms, dijon, spinach) and a chicken supreme (lemon artichoke pesto - mmm) and shared them outside in the sun. My taste buds leapt at the first tang of mustard. Someday maybe, I'll actually order a sweet crepe, but so far the temptations of a savory one outweigh allure of nutella or strawberries and whipped cream.

Seeing as we had brought our ever-present Boggle and Bananagrams, we needed a place to play with a little less wind, so we headed off to Majestic Mountain and were dismayed to find it locked, even though it was not yet 5 and the sign read "open". Knowing we still had more than an hour before our parking "expired", we meandered up to town, past the Kingston Firehouse Theater and the Grub Hut, past the coffee stand with only outdoor seating to a business we had noticed the last time we were in town. The Axe Handle Cafe has a surprisingly charming interior for a restaurant in a strip-mall: old window frames and pictures of historic Kingston decorate the walls. Trent ordered a mocha, which he declared "pretty good", while my chai was perfect - foamy and not too sweet. We shared a cinnamon streusel muffin, crumbly and again, not overly sweet and quite good.

After two rounds of Bananagrams (we each won one), we returned to the marina in the sunshine and flowers, the weather such a contrast to our January visit. Heading out, the wind by Kingston had dropped to only 10 (5 in some spots), but when we got farther out, it picked up to around 17. We flew home with a top speed of 9 knots, the asymmetric spinnaker fighting Trent all the way. Such a lovely contrast - sitting on the high side of the boat, wind streaming on the way out, followed by a flat, warm sail, surfing on the waves with the wind at our backs.

By the time we returned to the dock, we were exhausted and already plotting our next sail. I can't let another three months go by without getting on the water again. Maybe the wind will cooperate today...