The Time Has Come
We awake to a morning very different from the past three
days. The wind has stopped and the rain is gone.
The call from YachtPath was that we are to off-load OceanFlyer at 10am. We are all ready to get this done and start our journey back to Bellingham.
Back to the Coast Hotel docks to board the RIB for a nice smooth ride out to Palembang. It’s 11:30 before we arrive at OceanFlyer. Because of the calm conditions, OceanFlyer had been lowered into the water. The lifting straps are removed and she is held alongside Palembang with some extra straps.
OceanFlyer waiting for us on a very calm morning.
Compared to boarding Lady Jane yesterday in the wind and waves, we all get on OceanFlyer with no effort and start getting her ready. Scott goes below to make his engine room checks and Tom, Martine and myself start removing the shrink wrap and stuff it into the lazarette.
Once we are all ready, Scott starts the engines and we cast off from Palembang. Our first stop is the Coast Hotel docks so I can return the rental car. My three crewmates take OceanFlyer back to the inner harbor docks where Lady Jane awaits. I grab a cab from Hertz back to the inner harbor and we cast off Lady Jane and OceanFlyer and go to the fuel docks to take on enough fuel to make it back to Bellingham. At 1:47pm we make our way out of Victoria Harbor.
The last time I saw Palembang in Victoria Harbour.
It’s been five months coming, and it feels great to be underway. Because of our late start, our plan is to overnight at Friday Harbor. We need to stop here to clear customs, and since we did not arrive until 5pm as the sun went behind the horizon, it was an ideal stopover. Friday Harbor has some great restaurants and we can rest easy having completed the hard part of this ferry trip. Tomorrow we have an easy 2 ½ hour cruise over to Bellingham.
OceanFlyer rests at Friday Harbor docks.
The sun sets over Friday Harbor.
A beautiful sunset predicts a great trip tomorrow to Bellingham.