Mother Goose Leg 3, Day 8 – Scow Bay to Goddard Hot Springs

The extra distance that we cruised to take us to Scow Bay significantly decreased the distance we would have to cruise to reach Goddard Hot Springs, our destination for today. Because we did not have far to go and almost all of our cruising would be through protected waters, we did not depart until 10 am. As the radio reports had predicted, the weather had deteriorated a little further. A misty rain fell all around us and visibility was greatly reduced. Fortunately, we had been practicing using our radars when the weather was good so we had no trouble keeping ourselves oriented.

By the time we reached our anchorage at the Goddard Hot Springs, the mist had lifted and only a light rain was falling. After we set our hooks and settled in, Jack and Casey went ashore to check on the state of the hot springs. The Goddard Hot Springs are natural springs heated by volcanic activity deep below the earth’s surface. As the hot water bubbles up, it is collected in a reservoir and channeled through pipes into two large, round tubs. Water from a nearby cold-water stream is also brought in through pipes, so the temperature of the tubs can be regulated. The shore team drained the tubs and refilled them with nice warm water before returning to the fleet to ferry people to shore.

Everyone visited the hot springs and spent at least an hour soaking the warm water. Each of the tubs is inside a small wooden building, which sits in a lush meadow on a hillside overlooking the bay. The sheds are open on the side facing the bay, so the beautiful view is visible when soaking in the tub. All too soon, it was time to return to the boats and prepare for our last supper at sea.

The last supper was held on Deception and Mystic Eagle, which were rafted together. As usual, there was an over-abundance of incredible food. We started with a great spread of delicious appetizers, continued on to an amazing variety of delicious main courses and finished with some unbelievable desserts. After dinner, we held our traditional talent show. Each boat put together some kind of submission, whether it was a reading from a book, a poem about the trip, a skit, a video or a song. We are always amazed at the hidden talent within the groups we have and tonight was no exception. Finally, at about midnight, we returned to our boats with full bellies and high spirits.