Lots of Sailing Practice

Thursday, July 18 through Tuesday, July 30

We spent one night on the northeast side of  Lumi Island, two nights in Chuckanut Bay which is in Bellingham Bay off the mainland of Washington, one night in Judd Bay, a tiny bay at the end of East Sound on Orcas Island, three nights in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. From those days I remember watching a full moon rising over the water, big and orange then reflecting off the water at the same time. On two different mornings I saw a giant ferry being  swallowed up in the fog. Of course I was watching this from our safely anchored boat in Friday Harbor. We had our friends come for dinner on the boat. One night Lovel and Boyd came, old friends from years ago, when Mike was going to film school and then building our house in Santa Fe. Then another night two old friends who grew up on San Juan Island. a sister and brother, Beth and Joe Hudson. They met Mike in the late seventies in Guatemala. We did a day sail with Joe one day in San Juan  Channel. We had started out in hopes of making Port Townsend but the fog was too thick and hung around too long at the southern end of San Juan Channel. So we enjoyed the nice weather at the northern end of the channel and had a lovely relaxing day sail.

      Well the past twelve days have been full of many opportunities for practicing our sailing and boating skills. Nothing major broke this week, amazing! We fixed a few small things that needed our attention but weren’t urgent. We talked and tried jury rigging a jack line for the next time we are sailing in rough water and strong winds. One evening we practiced setting a second anchor, using the dingy and rowing out to another spot to drop a second anchor. I dropped that heavy 45 pound anchor without going with it over the side of the dinghy. We were then supposed to haul it back into the dinghy but we couldn’t for whatever reason. We rowed back to the boat and hauled it out from there. Quite a bit of work. It makes me tired just thinking about it.

       I am still amazed at how important it is to pay attention to the map, the compass, the wind direction, the water, the land, keeping an eye out for buoys and other boats, all at the same time! The big boats: ferries, barges, tugs towing logs; these all make me nervous. I’ve begun to be able to figure out if we are on a collision course or not, although I need more practice before I can trust my judgement.

      Today is July 29th and we are in Port Townsend since Friday afternoon. We left Friday Harbor around 8:45 in hopes of crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca, famous for its hairy weather, earlier in the day, that way avoiding strong winds and large waves. Luck was with us and we had a sunny day with no fog and only fair winds. We arrived around 2:30. We were tired after the worry of the crossing. The rest of the afternoon was spent napping and reading, then a long walk out through Port Townsend to Point Wilson. It was cold and windy that evening, it felt like early fall in New Mexico.

     On Saturday we did some cleaning on the boat, some maintenance, showers were a joy, we filled water tanks, did a little bit of shopping for some extra docking line, a new outboard fuel tank and fittings (the old ones leaked) and groceries. We were expecting my sister Andy and her husband Jim for dinner and a couple nights stay on the boat with us. Mike discovered a brew pub about a block away from the docks and brought home two growlers of nice dark ale to drink with supper. Another boat owner who also has a Cape George Cutter like ours came by with some information for Mike. He stayed and chatted and had some beer. Andy and Jim arrived and our meal of lentil stew, good bread, and a fresh salad was just about ready for us to sit down to and eat. 

     Sunday dawned gray but cleared up in time for us to do an afternoon sail with Andy and Jim and some young friends from Seattle, Lil and Vince. We ate lunch then had a crazy time getting out of our slip. It was a bit too breezyand luckily Mike anticipated this. He said, if I didn’t have time to jump on the boat, not to worry, he’d pick me up at the fuel dock on his way out of the marina. Consequently I joined the boat at the fueling dock! We had a good sail with winds that got us going at seven knots! Everyone had a chance to help crewing. We never lost our wind the whole three hours we spent in the channel. I find moving through the water with only the wind and the sails very soothing and gratifying all at once. We had dinner out in the cockpit with more good beer from the brew pub nearby. A happy evening.

    Until the next blog everyone,

                         
            Tina

Wednesday, July 17, Point Roberts, U.S.

     On Monday we motored and sailed from False Creek (which winds its way right into  downtown Vancouver), south to  Point Roberts, six hours away when traveling with the current. We averaged about 6 knots over ground. It was another sunny day but as we motored out of English Bay the wind became stronger and the waves became bigger. Pretty soon the waves were breaking over the bow. We passed a big red buoy with a bell on it ringing its warning and I thought of Gordon Bok, the Maine singer/songwriter referring to “gong buoys”. I also thought of rocks, fire engines, sandy shoals, and the shipwreck stories I’d read to my kids before bedtime when they were young. I began to wonder how big the waves could get, the sun was shining after all. Well Mike told me later that the forecast had been for “strong winds”, which means larger waves, maybe 3 or 4 feet, forming whitecaps everywhere with spray, around 25 - 30 knot winds. The wind was stronger and the waves were bigger than anything we’d traveled through so far in our two weeks of sailing. We were glad knowing the current was pushing us south. I definitely felt uncomfortable rocking and rolling through those waves. I know from my reading of sailing accounts that one could eventually get used to such turbulence. (But how long does it take to get used to it?) As we motored out of the bay beyond boat traffic I began to wonder how the boat would do in that wind with the sails up. At one point I asked Mike if we’d put up the sails. He said he wasn’t so sure how the boat would be in that wind. After a few minutes he suggested we start with the stay sail (our smallest sail). So we unwound the stay sail without turning off the engine. The boat did fine and maybe a half hour later the wind seemed less forceful so we felt confident enough to raise the mainsail. The boat was still “thrashing” like a beast in pain but not quite as much as before. Mike asked me if I wanted to try getting the main up. I was scared but excited to try Keke’s method for raising the sail in strong winds. There are many holds on a sailboat for just such a situation and I made sure I was always holding on to something while getting that sail up. Keke’s method worked and Mike and I felt triumphant as the boat moved smoothly through the rough water, engine off, just the comforting sound of the wind in the sails and and water wooshing by. The boat actually moved better with the wind and waves under sail than with the engine.

      I felt like we had gotten through the worst of the high winds and waves. I’d been down below decks several times for different reasons during these strong winds. Things we had not put away, a newspaper. some maps,  were on the floor. I could hear the pots and pans banging around in their cabinet. The boat was rocking so fiercely I had to hold onto the handholds along the walls or fall over. After the first time below I knew I’d be sick if I didn’t get back on the deck fast! It was so disorienting the way our little “RV on the water” felt  like it and myself were experiencing a long term earthquake! I didn’t eat a thing for lunch! I had zero appetite, and it was all I could do to grab some crackers and cheese for Mike to eat while steering the boat.

      Later in the day around 4:30 the wind was almost nothing. We took down the sail and motored into Point Roberts Marina around 5:45. The U.S. customs guy was very nice. He was learning Spanish. When he saw we were from New Mexico he decided to practice. When Mike answered him in Spanish and started asking him where he’d learned his Spanish, he had to tell us that he didn’t really know that much. He had very good pronunciation though. We thought he was fluent. He just glanced at our passports and handed them back to us. What a relief! I was tired and not looking forward to a fussy customs official.

     The Marina people had already gone home so we had to call the security guard. He turned out to be a very kind elderly gentleman. We were dreading having to go into our reserved slip because there was a strong current and wind beginning to blow into the marina. It was as if he read our thoughts and told us it would be fine to stay at the customs dock for the night, they wouldn’t be expecting anyone else that evening. There was even water and electricity on the customs dock! Just dinner had to be prepared. Mike surprised me by suggesting we just go over to the restaurant and eat. So that’s what we did. My appetite was back. I was famished. Our waitress was vey sweet and young and when we asked for a scoop of ice cream, she brought us three! I slept oh so contentedly that night.

Vancouver/Reflections

      We arrived in Vancouver city yesterday afternoon to drop off the German young folks. Mike has a friendly relationship with the broker for our boat and he lives in Vancouver. He told us about a very convenient place to anchor that is situated right in downtown Vancouver. We had to be here because we needed a part to repair something that broke connecting the holding tank to a line for pumping the poo either to the tank or out into the water. It’s very important in harbors and moorages because it’s forbidden to pump it into the water. After five days of sailing, using the diesel engine for an hour in the morning to cool the fridge and get the batteries recharged and then again for an hour or so in the evening when coming into a harbor or bay or cove for the night to charge the batteries again, to cool the fridge, and also to help us anchor and operate the windlass. The batteries we have are old and not very good. We eventually want to replace them, get a solar panel and a mini wind mill to charge the batteries. Then we would use the diesel even less. But what I set out to say, is that this last week the engine has been running well without burning so much oil. So changing the oil and doing a few simple things the mechanics told us to try, really paid off. Yesterday I learned how to use the dinghy with the outboard motor. I really am a luddite by nature but  necessity is a great teacher.

     So we parted ways with Ben, Anna, and Keke yesterday, but told them if they needed a place to sleep they were welcome. So last night they were back around 9:30 in the evening. The sun had just set and we sat outside watching the beautiful colors in the sky and then an orange crescent moon slowly set as well and the stars came out more feebly than they have in the little bays and coves we stayed in the last week. We drank a schnapps or a shooter in gratitude to one another and luck for them finding a used car for a trip north to the Yukon territory and river. They plan to paddle in a canoe on part of it.

Yesterday we bought the needed part for our septic system and this morning Mike had success installing it. So tomorrow we will be heading for Point Roberts to go outside of Canada for a day so we will be allowed to return again without having to take their boat safety course. Apparently they have some rule that if you are a foreigner in Canada and boating for more than 45 days, one has to take this safety course. We have technically been here much longer than that sooo, Point Roberts here we come.

     I had my first real day of sailing in choppy waters with whitecaps on Thursday when we sailed across the Straits of Georgia from Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. It was a little ominous at first because there were lots of clouds the first hour or two and I thought, “oh boy, it’s not only going to be windy but it’s going to rain too!” But luck was with us and the clouds blew away and I had a chance to begin learning how to raise the sails when the wind is truly blowing, not just puffing gently. I learned that one adjusts the boom so the sail is raised to the top of the mast in less time and using less space. This was thanks to Keke’s knowledge of sailing. It was so much easier to raise the sail by raising the boom and tilting it a bit. Then once the sail was up we readjusted the boom so the sail was it’s normal size for optimum speed. Things are beginning to make more sense and come a tiny bit easier to me now. It’s been almost two weeks since we first set sail. Learning so much at once hasn’t been easy, it’s hard on the ego, making foolish mistakes a lot of the time, not understanding the directions given to you to do something,but with patience in myself, it gradually has become easier. All the struggle and feeling idiotic and inadequate are beginning to recede into the background. I’m beginning to have more confidence in myself because all the new stuff I’ve had to learn is a part of the daily routine. Having the young Germans has been good too, because they have been very supportive and I could watch how to do things the right way instead of Mike trying to tell me what to do while he was also busy navigating. For me the watching has been very helpful. Ben pointed out that it takes courage to learn something new and so that has been a thought I have carried with me when I really was feeling stupid or frightened about having to learn this or that. I am in charge of lowering the anchor which didn’t terrify me but definitely made me feel uncomfortable. I’ve made a lot of mistakes learning it, nothing earth rending but frustrating. I definitely need time to learn technical things, it just doesn’t come naturally. However, I know with certainty that no matter how long it takes, I will learn this stuff eventually. 

      The weather continues to be beautiful and sunny with breezes thus far since leaving Canoe Cove almost two weeks ago. I guess this is typical for summer weather in British Columbia. When there is no breeze it is still pleasantly hot although with the water reflection one needs a hat and sunglasses. I hope that soon the summer monsoons are beginning in New Mexico. Are the forest fires still raging? I miss New Mexico and everyone there but I am happy to be around all of this water. We have seen dolphins and seals numerous times, Canadian geese, Sea gulls, and Cormorants. We have yet to see any whales. Until the next entry, in a week or so, all the best to all of you readers,

Tina

Sailing with the Germans...

     So let me see, the last I wrote was last week on Monday evening, July 1. We returned to Sidney on Friday morning. The diesel was burning too much oil and after a day of “beating into the wind” (meaning we had a headwind and had to tack back and forth to make head way sailing) we spent the night anchored off Sidney Island on Thursday night. It took us three tries of anchor dropping before we felt sure our boat wasn’t going to swing into other boats anchored all around us.

     

      By ten we had motored on into Sidney Harbor Marina. It’s a man made harbor with a break water. We had reserved a slip (a boat parking spot) the day before and radioed in to make sure the space was empty at 11:00. 

Getting into that slip wasn’t too stressful because no one was “parked” next to us. Someone came to help us tie up. I was determined to tie up “with dignity and intelligence”. This was not to be, alas, I grabbed the stern line and looped it over the cleat on the dock. Mike said, “ pull in the slack”, I pulled and before I knew it the other end of the line plopped into the water! That end had not been attached to the deck as it should have been. Oh well, so it goes when one is learning, mistakes are inevitable.So many ropes to keep track of. In the beginning it’s overwhelming. No harm done except for my ego, I felt like a total idiot even though I was laughing at the same time.

      The night before coming into Sidney we called Mary, our friend in Pagosa. We had talked to her before about meeting up with my cousin’s son from Germany, he would be on vacation in Canada and later Alaska. Mary was our go-between because my cousin’s son had spent a year abroad in high school with Mary and her family. So Mary filled us in on Benjamin Raab and promised to e-mail him our whereabouts and have him e-mail us while we were in Sidney so we could work out a time and some meeting point. 

       First things first, upon arriving in Sidney, we drained the oil out of the engine and then rode our bikes over to the place that services engines for sailing boats. Mike had a dozen questions for the guy about diesel engines that burn too much oil and we had to buy more oil. It was a very good session with several of the mechanics. Mike gleaned lots of solid information from the mechanics and he explained to one of them, (after Mike mentioned that he was a pilot and the guy voiced his curiosity and lack of understanding of radial engines on the old aircraft) how they work. It was a good exchange. We bought the oil and went back to the boat to put in a new oil filter and oil with good information on getting that engine to run at it’s best. Then I checked our e-mail and found several from Ben. He had just arrived in Vancouver a few days before. Two of his friends from Germany would be traveling with him, and “ Would it be all right if they came along on the boat as well? We will only bring small back packs.” Mike and I thought, well why not, we’ll just take them out for a day and a night. If we all get along they could come longer. So we e-mailed back with a time and place to meet and awaited Ben’s reply. Back to town to get groceries. Then back to the marina for a shower and a beer at a local pub. By the time we got back there was a reply from Ben, “Many thanks for inviting them, they would be on the 8:00 a.m. ferry, arriving in Sidney around 11:00. They would find a way to Sidney and the marina.” On Satureday morning we had our Bavarian flag waving from the mast to help them find us. Around noon they showed up. They had brought some “really bad beer” but it was all they could find. So we had a beer and some peanuts before going back to town to do more errands. They insisted on buying some more food for the trip. Keke, it turned out had worked on a 150 foot sailboat! All three of them are used to working together with young people in the outdoors. Needless to say here we are on Wednesday, counting today, it is four days later of sailing with them. They have been wonderful to have along. Helpful in every way and lots of fun to have around. It turns out Ben and Keke both know quite a bit about sailing and have been keen to learn all about how to sail this boat as well as share what they know about sailing. Anna too has been an avid student of KeKe’s as he teaches her navigation and sailing skills.

Maiden Voyage

     Well we finally left Canoe Cove today, Canada’s Independence Day!  We ended up with an extra day of grace yesterday. Our neighbors in the marina were going over to Sidney Harbor to watch the fireworks last night, (done a day earlier in Sidney). They said we could pull into their slip for the night if we weren’t ready to leave. We were glad for the extra time and chance to practice coming out of our old slip and moving into our neighbor’s slip/parking place. Also Mike had wanted to clean the mainsail before leaving. It was a perfect day for such a task, hot and sunny. So we scrubbed and rinsed sections of the sail.  It surprise me to no end how all kinds of last minute unforeseen chores popped up with the extra time available. 

      We checked the weather, the tide schedule and  how the currents would be flowing. We had picked out a destination the night before but Mike got the charts out that we would need. We checked fuel and water levels. I had asked Mike to explain everything he could about my role when leaving the slip. It turned out we really needed three people to do it. Luckily our neighbor on the other side of us, (also new to boating and very enthusiastic ) helped us from the shore.I don’t know how we could have done it otherwise. This changing of slips (parking space) was so important for us to do/practice.   It gave us a huge boost to our confidence when we managed to do it successfully. 

       Once we were off, motoring out of the cove, another bright sunny morning, at 2 1/2 knots, it felt wonderful. After spending a week and a half of cleaning the boat and doing some basic maintenance like changing fuel filters on the diesel engine, checking the oil, checking sea strainers, buying as much food as we could fit on the boat (maybe 10 days worth), countless trips to town for this spare part, this extra thing to fix this or that.... I was ready to be doing something else, no matter how difficult. 

Difficult and new, big learning curve, is the way to describe our four hours on the water today. We didn’t go very far, maybe 7 1/2 miles but it felt like 200! There wasn’t any wind so we concentrated on figuring out where we were on the chart, steering a heading with the compass, watching for other boats, especially fairies! We did practice hoisting the mainsail and lowering it. My goodness, I had no idea how much strength it would take to get it up to the top of the mast. It is gigantic compared to our itty bitty day sailer! Actually lowering the sail was harder because it has to fold up kind of like an accordion with help from a sailor. Practice, practice, practice, and it will become easier. Then we had to anchor our boat. Anchoring is surely an art that we will need time to master. We think we got it on our second try. It is 9:15 p.m. and we are still in the same place since 1:30 this afternoon. Mike checks the anchor every couple or hours or so. We are so new at everything to do with sailing we are hyper vigilant. Needless to say we took a longish nap this afternoon. After all, we can set our own pace.