ToG departed yesterday morning for Deception Pass. We made a quick stop at the Skyline fuel dock to pump out. I took a short walk up the dock and stopped to talk with a guy who was working on this boat:

She’s a 50-something foot replica of a Viking boat. Just beautiful! She’ll have a mast, oars, and two electric motors. They plan to have her out on the water in a few weeks, and she’ll be based in Poulsbo. I believe he said her name is Valkyrie, and that you can find info online at NW Viking Boat – however, I haven’t been able to find that. Hope to see this boat again!

Waters were good during slack through Deception:

We motored on to Penn Cove and the Coupeville Wharf. As we entered, I saw some big splashes ahead. Soon we were able to pick out a small pod of Orca whales cavorting not far from shore. They calmed down and began moving south as we approached, and we never got all that close. I missed seeing the belugas in the Kenai River last week, so this kinda made up for that!

Whales, several research vessels, and three jets engaged in touch-and-go maneuvers – lots of activity!

We walked through town and up to the grocery store. On the way back, we stopped in at Hidden Treasures, a well-curated thrift store, and picked up this gem!

Nice to see a robust sea star colony around the dock:

Not sure what our plan is from here. May hang out for another day, or may move on.