Sailing Adventures of David and Kathy Kane: La Push to Port Angeles

Monday, May 23, 2016

La Push to Port Angeles

May 23, 2016
Currently underway in Puget Sound from Port Angles to Anacortes

La Push, Inside the bar and approaching the Marina.

Inside La Push Marina and looking at fuel dock. Fuel dock is open 24/7 if you have a credit card, it has a card lock machine right on the dock. However, bee ready to pump fast as you have about 30 seconds from card approval to start or the machine times out and you get to start over. After 3 tries, my bank put a hold on my card and I ended up paying cash.

Narrow opening from river to Marina, what you can't see is about 18 eagles on the beach across the river.

La Push still has an active fishing fleet, so best to call ahead for reservations.

Heading out of La Push and nearing the bar.

Westerly winds filled in for a few hours and unfurled the sails for long overdue sailing. The wind diminished, so I went inshore to take in the details of this spectacular coastline of rocky spires and thundering waves.

At Cape Flattery and I took the 'Hole in the Wall' short cut between Tatoosh island and the Cape. Definitely something to avoid in the dark, but easy to navigate safely in daytime with settled conditions.

Approaching Hole in the Wall from the south. Tatoosh Island on left, Cape Flattery on right

Exhausted from month long journey single handed sailing up the coast, once I turned into the Strait of Juan De Fuca I could hardly keep my eyes open. I considered a stop at Neah Bay, but pushed on another 25 miles to Pillar Point and dropped the hook. I thought I'd stay the night, but it was not the perfect anchorage, so with just enough hours left in the day pushed on to Port Angeles yet another 30 miles.

As I type we are underway for Anacortes, where I rendezvous with Kathy tomorrow.

Out of the corner of my eye I just saw a huge splash from a breaching whale, so altered course a bit to check it out. I am now touch typing as I look out the window, hoping to catch more of the show.

Speaking of whales, when I arrived in La Push, the friendly owner Jim of the charter sport fishing boat 'Epic' took my lines as I pulled up to the dock. Jim had a great story about encountering a pod of Killer whales earlier that day. The Killer moms were apparently teaching their young calf's how to hunt and kill as they toyed with a 600 pound sea lion. The sea lion was the underdog in the story and after looking at over 200 photos from the day and some great video, I was feeling sorry for the sea lion who was repeatedly tossed in to the air and smacked around by the Whales. Apparently, the show went on for nearly an hour and then they finally ate him, talk about playing with your food.

If you want to go ocean fishing these guys are the best in the business, they try harder and catch bigger fish. Give Jim Miller on the 'Epic' a call (253) 606-5517 www.epic-fishing.com All Whale photos courtesy of Jim Miller.