SeaFair, Argggggg

SeaFair was the target of this trip. Dave, Mike and I got ready to move the boat from Tacoma to Seattle. It was a long motor up Clovis Pass with flat seas and no wind. To pass the time, the AIR CHAIR came out as the autopilot took over and keep us headed north. When we finally cleared Clovis Pass abeam Blake Island the north wind kicked up. We did get a good sail in making 4 large tacks into Elliott bay and back out around West Point to the entrance of the Ballard locks. It was getting dark as we motored passed Shilshole marina and right over some fishing nets that were blocking the entrance to the locks. With Dave at the helm, he maid the decision to take the boat out of gear and make a quick U turn. It worked and we harmlessly rad over the nets. The fisherman were not amused though. It was dark when we finally entered the locks.The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks are in Seattle's Lake Washington Ship Canal.
The locks serve to maintain the water level of Lake Washington and Lake Union at 20.6 feet above Puget Sound's mean low tide and to move boats from the water level of the lakes to the water level of Puget Sound, and vice versa. It was a long wait to enter the locks and make the trip up 20 feet. Once clear of the locks we went on to Fishermen's Terminal to tie up for the night.

The boat had to stay at the terminal a few days while we did a week of work. Once back on Friday it was time to go. We had four draw bridges to go under to make our way through Lake Union and into Lake Washington. There was not much wind so we had to motor all the way around Mercer Island. Hoku Pa’a has a 43 foot mast and cannot make it under the majority of the bridges in Seattle. It actually was getting hot, so I did a little aqua man. It is not quite water skiing, but then again we are only moving 5 kts. It was a long motor around Mercer Island in Lake Washington, but the weather was great.
We made it around the south end of the island just in time to find a place to anchor in Andrews bay. This is the only place that you are aloud to anchor in Seattle and it was like a parking lot.
The grill and drinks came out and Dave and I even got up to taking a warm bath in the lake. Early the next morning we were kicked out of our quiet anchorage by the coast guard. They said that everybody neede to be clear of the area for the Blue Angles. We took this time to motor down to Renton to pick up more people. Around noon we got back with a full load of people to the area behind the log boom. On one side of the boom was the Hydroplane Boat races and on the other, hundreds of boats.
The blue angles did an air show and fun was had by all.