Murphy couldn’t stay away this year, but she didn’t ruin an Epic Time.

First, Murphy. Our spring commissioning travails went swimmingly, with one exception: a failed furling motor. For those who don’t know but wonder, this meant our boat was relegated to the dark side, motoring. Without the furling motor, we can’t use the mainsail. Without the mainsail, we can’t sail (mostly), so for most of Leg One we motored. The solution was a new motor, shipped from the Seldén folks in Sweden to our next marina in Sidney, British Columbia. With the help of My First and Only Mate, I was able to install it successfully as Leg One came to a close, ending the season’s shake down on an up note. 

Now for the Epic Time. Far eclipsing Murphy as Leg One’s principal theme was the arrival of the HaWooians, most of whom had never clapped eyes on the Windleblo before.

Who are the HaWooians? Our good friends and neighbors from Colorado. We live in a part of metro Denver called Applewood, which is affectionately referred to as “Happywood” by some. And just as the Lower Downtown area of Denver is called “LoDo” and the River North sector “RiNo,” we’ve begun referring to Applewood as “HaWoo.” Thus, the HaWooians.

Around New Years, our good friend John Retrum put out the call to the HaWooian network for a “Summer Rave” in the San Juan islands. John has been coming to the islands for years and wanted to share them with friends. Plus, he knew the Windleblo would be cruising through, so he synchronized the invitation with Leg One. He admitted a bit of surprise with the response. Initially, almost two dozen expressed interest, with 18 eventually making the trip.

What transpired was a truly remarkable Fourth of July week on San Juan and Orcas islands complete with fireworks, golf, kayaking, hiking, sailing (well, motoring mostly), and lots of eating and drinking. Most priceless for me was the obvious joy and buzz as everyone gathered the first evening at the Windleblo’s Roche Harbor slip for drinks and dinner on the dock. A close second was the “Vagina Cruise.” Instigated  by Brenda Retrum and welcomed by Jocelyn, it was the first all female day for the Windleblo. Jocelyn didn’t feel comfortable running the boat solo so she asked me to come along in support, which meant I got the girls all to myself. I tried to be well behaved and not inject too much testosterone into affair.

We cleared Canadian Customs & Immigration with a simple phone call to the Canadian Border Services Agency and took a slip at Canoe Cove Marina a few miles from the Victoria airport. With Windleblo fully shook out and safely moored, we flew home for a week in the mountains. The beginning of the voyage north is next.