We stayed at Deception Pass State Park for a few days, waiting for our packages to arrive in Anacortes. The park did not disappoint and treated us to great vistas, from the fog gently rolling in, to the whale that twice made a pass right next to our boat.
Trust me that's a grey whale!
With modern logistics we headed towards Anacortes as we received confirmation that our main package was being loaded onto a van for delivery. With good timing at slack tide, and good weather, the pass is narrow but easy. I can only imagine what it could be like with bad weather and strong currents.
Within minutes of docking at Anacortes I got an SMS confirming Starlink had been delivered at the marina's office, so I excitedly went to get it. Unpacking and setting it all up was fast and easy. Within about 10 minutes we were getting our "own" internet at very respectable speeds.
If all goes as we hope Starlink will change our life, and we won't have to carefully measure our internet use. More importantly we should have it wherever we stop in the near future, even in places that have no phone or WiFi connection. Internet nowadays is such an important feature, bringing WiFi phone connection with it, updated charts, communication with marinas and authorities when crossing borders. Family and friends will continue to be reachable, as well as my medical team should there be any sudden need.
I remember when I was 14, chatting with my best friend and extrapolating from current trends into the future. We gathered that one day we'd all have a phone number that would be "ours" and would reach us wherever we were. We wouldn't have to remember 4 different numbers per person, using tiny portable computers of some sort. We'd also be able to read and maybe view TV from those small portable handheld computers, wherever we'd be in the world. Our vision has come true, and Starlink brings it even closer now that we don't depend on phone infrastructure to receive internet. Maybe the next step will be Starlink equivalent that is small enough to be integrated in our phones and everyday machines?
My friend and I are still waiting for our flying cars though... It seems that promise has been "10 years away" my whole life. For the moment we'll be fine with just self driving cars. I understand they've been "5 years away" for a while now.
I mounted the antenna very temporarily on the bow pulpit using zip ties. My intention for the time being is to learn what works and what doesn't: Enfin's mast and booms create a lot of obstructions to viewing the sky and we need the whole aft upper deck to swing the tender freely when we lower or raise it.
We'll probably end up having the Starlink antenna mounted at the top of the mast, but I want to make sure it's the best solution before having it done.
For the time being we're going to stow and unstow the antenna at each anchorage and marina as needed.
We left Anacortes after squeezing a little too much work into a short stay, washing machine runs, washing the boat, changing the generator's oil, topping up on groceries, and much more.
It was a beautiful sunny day with a clear view of the mountains in the background as we made our way slowly -Enfin's only real speed- up the coast to Blaine.
We arrived in Blaine just before dinner time, and were greeted by the same crew we knew from 3 years ago, but this time at the guest dock.
It feels like we're starting anew, as if the last 3 years hadn't been and we're just now getting on the boat in Blaine to start our retirement adventure. Next step will be fueling up across the bay in Semiahoo and entering into Canada.
To the future!
The future is looking very bright :-) Hope you enjoy it to the max. Cx