We LOVE Astoria!

After several delays, we were at last able to leave Portland on Monday morning. The trip downriver was peaceful until just past Longview, when we were hit by a nasty squall. It was shortlived, but we were soaking wet as we pulled into the tricky entrance to Cathlamet, where we spent the night. We moved on to Astoria the next day after going to breakfast with Ken and Linda, another cruiser couple who lived next door to Sandy at Tomahawk Marina until last fall when they left for Mexico. They had been at the annual cruiser's reunion at Cathlamet, an event which we had hoped to attend, until the problems with the forestay happened.
Mary and Michael arrived last night about 8:00. After we fed them, we plied them with wine, and then I got everyone to play Catchphrase. Didn't go to bed until midnight. We had already checked the weather off shore, and it looks nasty for the next several days. A storm blew in last night that had the boat rocking and rolling, and wind howling all night. It was pretty nice this morning when we went up to take showers, but now it has started to rain again, so I just got done yanking all the towels off the lifelines and bringing them down here. We plan now to wait in Astoria until we get a favorable day to leave. We're thinking maybe Monday. That's a lot longer that we had planned to be here, but there's no reason to take a beating on the ocean, when we have the time to wait for better conditions. Everyone but me has gone into town to shop. First to the chandlery (sp?) to see about some boat items, and then to the grocery. We are planning to do some jobs on the boat. Still lots of things to work on. Until later.