To Friday Harbor...

We weren't on a schedule this morning; breakfast, then we checked out of the inn.  There was one more full dock cart worth of stuff that came out of the room we have been in the past 6 days.

The cockpit before...

Joan was ready to start organizing...

The cockpit after...

Wild Blue, loaded and ready to head out...

Mother Nature granted us a gorgeous day for the trip to Friday Harbor; we're supposed to get some rain by Friday and lasting for 4 or 5 days... but today - beautiful!

Rosario Strait was as calm as I've ever seen it... Izzy came out of the v-berth for a while to check things out...

Of course, on any trip from Anacortes to Friday Harbor, you are likely to encounter a Washington State Ferry or two...

We checked all the electronics and ran the engine at different speeds along the way...

I got that feeling of anticipation as we neared Friday Harbor...

We entered the harbor; as we made our way into the marina, Joan went out on deck to get lines and fenders ready.  Then, into our slip...

Welcome to Friday Harbor!

We plugged into power, put on some water, fed Izzy, and headed towards town for lunch.  Part way up the dock, we ran into our Wyoming friends, Jay and Jo-Lee... and visited for the better part of an hour.  After lunch, we swung by the waterfront to see the little place that will be the office this summer...

It is the yellow one in the middle.  There was no one in the office, so we have no idea how it will be used or whether Joan will be there or at the office at the shop a couple miles inland.  We have a week before we have to check in, so we'll find out in due time.

On our way back to the boat, we ran into another C-Dory friend, George (from Canada)... and more visiting.  We weren't able to get to Friday Harbor for the gathering they had last weekend, so it was nice to catch up with friends.

Back at the boat, we went to work on the satellite TV set up.  Our receiver and cube are different from last year.  We are going to try a different placement for the cube (on top of the boat) to keep from losing the signal when people stand in front of the cube, trying to figure out what it is.  Joan hung the receiver (keeps it from banging around as the boat moves)...

We strapped the new cube (a Tailgater, but the same premise as the previous VuQube) on to a platform I made for the dinghy seat...

Two concerns with that up there: keeping it there when the wind blows, and: will it hold the signal as we move around the boat?  Well, the first concern was: can it even get a signal?  This is a newer generation receiver and cube, capable of multiple satellites and HD signal... I didn't know if it would be more susceptible to movement.

Low and behold, it works!  We have satellite TV in the boat again.  We had to go to the new receiver because the company that provided us with east and west coast feeds of the networks via satellite shut down.  Dish offers "local networks," depending on your location.  We are able to get the local channels out of Seattle via Dish.  We both miss our east/west coast feeds... we could watch the Tonight Show at 8:30 here via the east coast feed - that's a goner.  But, we are happy to have the 4 major networks.

When we are cruising with the boat, TV isn't a big deal.  But, when you are in one place for most of the season, it is nice to make the boat as "home-like" as possible.  And, this is home for the summer.