Blake Island State Park

We had not visited Blake Island for many years and were pleasantly surprised to find the park and moorage in great shape. "Greta" got a great spot on the eastern dock. At high tide we had a great view of the Seattle skyline including the Space Needle.

There was a welcoming committee, a family of racoons bold enough to board boats looking for goodies. I was told the racoons are able to open ice boxes and cabinets.

We did discover the source of some mystery water in "Greta's" bilge during our trip between Port Madison and Blake Island. On several past cruises, occasionally 3 to 5 gallons of water would appear in the bilge after several hours of running. After an hour of "bilge yoga" I noticed water splashed around the domestic hot water tank pressure relieve valve.

What seems to have been happening is the engine cooling circuit that heats domestic water is overheating the domestic hot water tank creating an over pressure condition. With the domestic water pump turned on there was no place for the pressure to go but out the relief valve.

The short-term solution is to turn off the pressure pump then open to hot water tap in the galley. This seems to prevent the over pressure condition. This winter I will be back in the bilges updating the 1956 Groco expansion tank and looking into moderating the amount of heat the engine cooling circuit adds to the hot water tank.

The Blake Island State Park has land side camping sites, covered picnic shelters, a 3-mile walking trail, and clean, well-maintained bathrooms and showers. We very much enjoyed our visit and we'll be back again soon.