It's a calm, sunny day during the Labor Day weekend and so Inga, Stephanie, Freya, Robbie and I pack up and head for our boat. Yes, it does get a little cozy in a 22 footer and we stop at REI on the way down to Olympia so Stephanie can outfit herself with a sun hat and shirt. Thus equipped, she sits out in the cockpit in the sunshine and works on her embroidery while we motor North up Budd Inlet at low speed. As we approach Boston Harbor at the mouth of Budd Inlet, we spy two sailing vessels that do not fit in with the usual blend of recreational boats. They are the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain, 18th century replicas that are based out of Grays Harbor, a Washington State port on the Pacific Ocean. The Lady Washington has appeared in several films including "Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl" and "Star Trek - Generations" but encountering her on the water is a whole different experience than seeing her on film. Her grace, beauty, complexity and size are breathtaking and conjure up a truly romantic notion of sailing on such a vessel but that is soon countered with the realization of how much hard work must have been required to operate it and the marginal accommodations for the crew. Start thinking about being a crew member on board a couple of hundred years ago out on the Pacific Ocean in a nasty storm and the daydreaming dries up real fast. Nevertheless, it is an absolute joy to be on the water with these magical ships.

The two ships have come into Olympia for the Harbor Days festival and are giving the public rides. As we approach, the ships engage in a mock sea battle, firing off cannons that despite their small size, produce prodigious amounts of smoke and concussive blasts much to the delight of the people on board and those of us in boats around them. After awhile, we continue North to Boston Harbor with the intention of docking, taking a break and walking the dogs a bit. But due to the holiday boating crowd, there is no room at the dock so we decide to head back to Olympia knowing that in a couple of weeks, we will have very few other boaters to share these waters with. After Labor Day, the casual Summer time boaters disappear leaving just the occasional fisherman, sail boater or year-round enthusiast like us, despite the plentiful, sunny Fall days.

We catch up with the big sailing ships on our way back South to Olympia and again, we can not help but loiter a bit and admire them. We continue on and Stephanie decides to take a nap so she makes her self comfy in the v-berth and dozes off to the gentle rocking of the boat and the quiet, rhythmic chug chug of the diesel engine. Along the way, we spot a lot of harbor seals bobbing around and one even causes a large salmon to leap out of the water right in front of us in an attempt to not end up as lunch.

Once we dock at our marina in the East Bay, we walk a few blocks over to Olympia's West Bay and check out all the tug boats that have come for the annual tug race. As usual, a delightful mix of working, vintage and retired tugs are on hand to admire. Click here to see photos I took of the 2005 tug boats. After some dinner, we head back to the boat, pack the gear and dogs back in the car and head North to Seattle. It's been a wonderful day and once again, we marvel at how being on the water is so peaceful, restful and timeless.

Thanks to Stew handing me a book to check out this weekend, I found a quote I'd like to share with you.

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer

– Scott Bruce Duncan */:-)