Oh the sounds of Oro Bay… occasional (and low-level) boats, cars, aircraft, and trains. Wildlife aplenty…and the gentle on and off cycling of a working refrigerator!

Boston Harbor Marina, just north of Olympia, is written up very nicely in the Waggoner Cruising Guide. I’ve wanted to visit ever since we began boating over a decade ago. So after waiting for the tide to come in at Anderson Island, we headed that way.

We pulled in and went to the store to pay. We also grabbed a couple of $2 self-serve soft serve ice cream cones. Delicious! And fun to see just how much a couple of unpracticed soft serve cone loaders can load onto a small cone. I think we got our money’s worth.

We found out there is no power on the outside of the outer linear dock, and even if we were to use an extension and find an open outlet on the inside, the power was out in the entire marina. That was no big deal, we are often without power and do just fine with our batteries and solar panel. However, the vigorous rocking was too much! Lots of small boats in and out and each one of them sent every nearby boat lurching. We promptly requested and were given a refund and were on our way.

The write-up isn’t wrong, it does seem like a nice little community marina, just not a place that caters to cruisers like ours. You never know until you try…

We arrived in Jarrell Cove yesterday (Harstine Island) and took a spot at the nearly empty dock. We talked to some folks that were just leaving and I mentioned a trip to the marina store (Jarrell’s Cove Marina, just across the way) to try and find canned pineapple for our margaritas. Low and behold she pulled out a small pineapple juice for us! It was a tad past the expiration date but we used it – the margaritas were good despite the fact we’re out of Triple Sec (I threw in some agave syrup), and we’re both still alive. Grilled up some nachos and Bob’s your uncle.

We also talked with them about the dearth of boats on the water these days. Seems a lot of people are under the same impression. Might be fuel costs.

This morning we moved the boat from the dock to a park buoy. The low tide here today is -4.0 and we don’t want to end up resting in the mud like this poor guy. (Photo taken by friend Deb in Garrison Bay recently.)

Fridge update: Hindsight, right? Should have put a new fridge in years ago. It’s working great, and although the exterior measurements are a little less than our old Isotherm, we are fairly certain there is more interior space. We weren’t sure at all about the two-drawer configuration but so far it seems very accessible.

We will probably stay here in Jarrell Cove for a couple of days, as we’ve got things to do. We may take the dinghy over to our cabin to dig clams, as well as visit the Fair Harbor Marina, and get a good paddle or two in.

Also, gotta love the South Sound! Smooth, protected waters, less boating traffic, lots of wildlife…doesn’t hurt that the weather is great!