Cape Flattery to Grays Harbor



Approaching Cape Flattery & Tatoosh Island

Fuca Pillar at Cape Flattery

Entering Westport Marina in Grays Harbor

We spent three nights at Neah Bay waiting for good sea conditions to round Cape Flattery and head down the Coast.  A good weather window had arrived and we departed at 5:45am on May 5^th for the long 14 hour cruise to Grays Harbor.  “I guess we’re really doing this!”  “Humm let’s see, keep the land on the portside, and the horizon at starboard.”  The weather report called for 5 foot swells eight seconds apart, nothing dangerous but that still meant rocking and rolling the entire way.  After a few hours, we settled into the rhyme and Java found her usual secure corner for a nap.  We were surprised by the variety of conditions at sea – some sections were lumpy, some more smooth, while other sections had the usual ocean swells.  We were also impressed by the dramatic columns of rock along the Washington coast, including Fuca Pillar at Cape Flattery and other “sea stacks” at Cape Alva and the Native village of LaPush.  We cruised about 4 miles off shore along Washington's coast and finally reached Grays Harbor at a favorable time to cross the bar but still encountered some strong current.  We pulled into a slip at the south end of Westport Marina around 7:30pm only to find the dock covered in what appeared to be a scene from “Wild Kingdom.”  After hosing a variety of bird, fish, and shellfish remains off the dock, we finished securing the boat, made dinner and then collapsed into bed.  The following day, we went window shopping and checked out the cute ocean-side shops in historic Westport.  We also visited the Maritime Museum which houses farm equipment for processing cranberries, historic town photos of Westport, and early period rescue equipment for mariners.  The museum building itself served as a “life saving station” in the 1940’s.  A highlight at the museum is the magnificent Lens from the Destruction Island Lighthouse, which is displayed in a separate building on the museum grounds.  The Lens was built in France in 1888 from the design of Augustine Fresnel and was installed in 1891 for the Destruction Island Lighthouse located north of Westport.  The Lens operated until 1995 when it was replaced by an automated device.

Maritime Museum at Westport

Fresnel Lens from Destruction Island Lighthouse