Spa Day at Rosario Harbor

Today we sailed! Well, we have been sailing, but today we had big winds so we "sailed".

We sailed out of Roche Harbor and passed between Shaw and Orcas Islands. I was at the helm for the first leg and then decided to duck below for a nap. I had just gotten to sleep when we rounded the point of Orcas Island and headed up East Sound to Rosario. I felt the boat tilt and I slid to the starboard side of the v-berth. I crawled back over to my side of the bed and dozed off again. I woke up just in time to catch myself and keep my body from sliding to starboard again. For the next ten minutes, I lay there listening to the sounds of pullies and ropes on the hull. Foot steps sounded above me as I shook the sleep from my head. Awake, I decided to go to the cockpit and see what had transpired.

While I slept the boat had rounded the point and we were hit with very strong winds. After the first big gust, the crew had reefed the main and rolled in the jib giving Tivoli the amount of sail needed for the stronger winds. Everyone did a great job, but I guess the gusts came as a bit of a surprise. I slept through it.

On deck, we sailed in some great wind. We practiced our tacks and enjoyed the speed. I remember Captain Bob saying that the wind was gusting beyond 35 knots. (We actually had a gust of 40 mph!) Trivoli carried us up the sound, we dropped sails and made our way into our night's slip.

"ON TO THE SPA!" was the cry heard across the island. Ryan took the kids to the pool and the rest of the crew boarded the Moran Mansion in pirate fashion. We swam in the new outdoor pool and then took a long dip in the hot pool. Before returning to Tivoli, we enjoyed drinks and garlic french fries in the lounge. No longer pirates, and feeling more like high society gadabouts, we sipped our drinks and rubbed elbows with Rosario high society.

Later we walked to the Mansion and took a self-guided tour. What an amazing place! Such craftsmanship and detail to the fine wood creations.The history was huge.

This excerpt is from the Moran Mansion Museum's web site and explains it best: "Originally from New York City, Robert Moran arrived on the Seattle waterfront in 1875 with a dime in his pocket. He became a ship's engineer and was fortunate to work on several of John Muir's Alaska expeditions. Eventually joined in Seattle by his brothers, Moran formed The Moran Bros. Company, a small family ship repair business that grew into a supplier for the Yukon Gold Rush, then a major West Coast shipyard. The Moran Bros. Company quickly became Seattle's largest employer when it won a naval contract to build the battleship U.S.S. Nebraska in 1902.

By 1904, the stress of business had taken a toll on Moran's health and he was given only a few years to live. He purchased 7,000 acres on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands in Northern Puget Sound, an area originally used as transient hunting and fishing grounds for the Lummi Tribe of the Salish Nation. He began to build his retirement home with the same integrity as one of his ocean going vessels: massive and solid, yet elegant and gracious. Free from the pressures of his business, Moran recovered and lived until 1943!"