October 18th, Crabbing and Sailing on S/V Our Tern

We were all set to go sailing with Joe yesterday.  In fact, Mark and I were just about to the marina when Joe called to tell us he wouldn’t be able to make the sail due to traffic.  He had been sitting in traffic for over an hour and still hadn’t made it into downtown Seattle.  All of us were bummed but Mark and I decided we were going to head out to the boat anyway.

As we walked along the “A” dock we noticed our neighbors, Natalie and Vaughn Winslow who are fellow Milltown Sailing Association members were outside on their boat, Our Tern.  We said hello and they asked us what we were going to do today.  We said we had planned a sail with Joe that was cancelled.  So they asked us if we wanted to go crabbing/sailing with them.  Mark and I were thrilled to be asked.  So of course, we said yes.  Natalie and Vaughn have sailed with their two children to Mexico and the Galapagos Islands for 2 years back when their kids were teenagers.

We had lunch at the dock before sailing.  We provided the food for lunch because I had packed a large lasagna lunch for Mark, Joe, and I.  After lunch, they gave us their required safety check they give all passengers on their sailboat.  I think this is a great idea.  I learned a lot and really learned how much I don’t know!  Mark and I need to sign up for some classes.

One of the highlights of this trip for me, other than the new friendships we made with Natalie and Vaughn, was learning how to crab from a sailboat!  Vaughn taught me how to hold a crab, identify male and female. measure whether or not it was big enough to keep or throw back, kill it (I didn’t like this part, but it needs to be done if you are going to cook it), and cook it.  We had crab for dinner with the leftovers from lunch and other things Natalie put together.

We then sat and talked for a few hours in the salon of their beautiful boat.  The perfect way to end a perfect day.