Blog, July 7, 2018

     Hello dear readers. We have set out on another summer of “cruising” this past Monday, July 2. We left the dock in Port Townsend for a short motor across the bay to Morrowstone Island and it’s lovely little Mystery Bay. To arrive at the bay is rather round about. One has to motor around a large sand spit then carefully navigate between a series of red and green buoys so as to avoid too shallow water outside the channel. It is only six and a half miles from Port Townsend but because we have to motor slowly through a rather shallow channel with “s” curves through Kilsut Harbor before arriving in Mystery Bay; it takes at least an hour. 

     We had a delightful two days in the little bay. It was a much needed time to relax after the push of the last ten days to have the boat ready to go into the water on the date we had given ourselves.Then there were three more days on the dock doing all the last minute things that can only be done while the boat is in the water but still on the dock. There is the last minute grocery shopping to do using the car. All the tools not needed on the water have to be taken to storage in exchange for life jackets, cushions for our settee and quarter berth (another place to sleep on the boat when we have the kids or a friend), etc. Before a boat our size can go back in the water a large vehicle, a bit like a crane, has to cradle the boat and carry it to the water. It’s called a travel lift. The travel lift in this boat yard is not the largest and for this reason boats our size have to loosen the “stays” (stays are metal lines that support the mast on sailboats), fore and aft on the boat so as to fit on the travel lift. Once the boat is back in the water those “stays” have to be tightened again before going sailing. It can be awkward physically adjusting these essential lines and may take a day or so to tweak. Sometimes sails have to be put back on the mast, which was the case for us this year. So the last two weeks before one can truly sail the boat, are intense and full of work filled days.

      On Wednesday morning we’d pulled up the anchor by 7:10 and were on our way, sailing with an outgoing tide across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It was an easy sail. The winds were gentle, the waves were tiny, and we averaged about 4 1/2 knots or 5.4 mph. By early afternoon the tide was with us as we neared a tranquil harbor by the name of Mckaye on Lopez Island. We “dropped a hook” (sailor speak for dropping the anchor) for the night. Time was slowing down now that we were on our way. It took us 7 hours and fifteen minutes to sail 30.2 miles!

      The next three days were spent in Friday Harbor. We have friends there so even though this harbor is not ideal in terms of noise and water traffic, i.e. there are many seaplanes, power boats, ferries, and tourist boats, we usually stop in to visit these old friends if they are home. We also had a minor electrical problem with the electric windlass (a windlass raises the anchor) on the first day. We didn’t know it was minor. Mike patiently did as much trouble shooting as he knew how to do, but by 3:30 in the afternoon he couldn’t figure it out. So we called a local boat electrician who agreed to come look at it if we brought the boat to the dock by 7:00 am. the next morning. We were up at 5 or so to eat a quick breakfast and pull up our anchor manually and then we motored into a vacant spot on the public dock. The electrician was there promptly at seven. He went on to tell us how during boating season he works 16 hour days but in the winter he barely has any work. “Feast or famine”, were his words.

     On Sunday we were off to one of my favorite islands, just on the border with Canada; Stewart Island sits on the edge of Boundary Pass. I’m sure I’ve written about this island before... it has a lighthouse on it since the late 1800’s and some of the island’s families today have ancestors going back to the some of the original settlers on the island. They have gone out of there way to keep the old one room school house and “teacherage” maintained as a museum and a library. They also renovated and furnished the old lighthouse keepers home as a museum and gift shop. So people still live on this island but they are responsible for their own electricity and phone. We the public are able to hike on the island because part of it is a marine/state park. There are two harbors, one on the north side and one on the south. We usually go to the harbor to the south but this year we met up with friends we’d made in the boatyard in Prevost Harbor. It was fun to meet up with friends on another boat. We shared dinner with each other the two nights we spent there. On Monday we hiked the island together, talking about this and that. I walked with Suzie the wife and Mike with David. Suzie and I are more of the hiking type so we walked longer and further. She and I have similar taste in books and talked about favorite books we’d read. She was a teacher of 35 years so we have the teacher experience in common as well. Another element that bonds us is the fact that we are both doing this sailing experience and can talk to each other about it and understand each other completely. 

     On Tuesday we both left for Canada at the same time and arrived at South Pender Island to clear customs. For the first time ever our boat was boarded by the Canadian customs patrol. Usually all we do is call a number at the dock and give them our passport numbers and boat documentation information over the phone. They must have been looking for alcohol but we didn’t have much left after sharing dinner with our friends the two nights before. 

      After clearing customs it was time to anchor, flake the sail, and do all the other little chores that go with anchoring a sailboat for the night. We had a late lunch when Suzie came on the radio asking if we’d like to go to the grocery store with them in their dinghy. They have a larger dinghy than ours, plus we haven’t tried putting an outboard on our dinghy yet. It was a pleasure going with them. They can handle Mike’s sense of humor and have their own unique humor as well. The next day we went over to this little cove with a resort. Suzie and David had scoped out the place last year. Because it has an outdoor pool, there were public showers. So we all went and had showers! Mike and I have been going there for the last four years but never figured out the shower situation. Our friends left the next day around noon. In the morning Suzie and I had rowed over to the footpath that one can take to the top of Mount Normanon South Pender Island. From there we made the hike, talking all the time about different experiences and friends in our lives. It was a very companionable time. It reminded me of when I must have been ten years old. It was summer time in upper New York state. Our family was on it’s annual car camping trip in the Adaroundeks. We were at a favorite spot, Cranberry Lake, only this time it was different because two other families met us on that trip. Both families had daughters close to my age and the three of us went off on a hike together up some “mountain”. The woods in BC are rather shady with mottled sunlight because the trees are large and tall. It was the same kind of woods back East that the three of us went hiking in.The same sense of being able to talk about all kinds of things with friends was present both times. It is one of the best things in my life. My life is rich with such moments and I’m so grateful for that.

     When we made it back to our dinghy, it was still high up on a rock strewn shore.  Together we clumsily lifted the boat up over the rocks and carried it to the water. Suzie is a petite person but she assured me she would be fine and we were. We managed all by ourselves which was rather gratifying to say the least. They left at 12:30 to go visit friends over near Victoria. I was a little sad to see them go. I have to admit I do get homesick for all my family and friends in New Mexico while we are cruising. It’s not  a constant feeling. It tends to sneak up on me when we are around strangers in a new place. Such are the hazards of traveling far from home. Perfect times with friends are a temporary state, that’s for sure. I suppose thats what makes such times so precious.

      We spent the rest of the day doing odds and ends with the boat. There is always something to be done that isn’t too pressing but will be needed in the near future. Mike discovered he needed to download an app for the new wind and sun generator system that he engineered on the boat in June. So we rowed into the resort and went to the restaurant/bar to see if wifi was available. There was wifi, so we each had a beer while Mike had a frustrating time creating the “ideal” passwords. He finally got that set up, only to find they wanted his credit card info, even though the app was free. We only had cash with us of course! The next day we sailed over to North Pender Island where there are grocery and marine stores in Port Browning. We had to return some engine oil Mike had bought only to discover it was the wrong kind. There was a nice bakery/cafe with wifi and in less than a minute Mike, armed with all his credit card numbers, had downloaded the app. Modern day life is so full of these technological miracles!

     We had a very nice sail half way over to Port Browning. The wind had us going 5 or 6 knots without having to tack and never made us uncomfortable or  had us thinking we should reef (make the sail smaller when winds are too strong for the whole sail to be used).

      The following day, we left early, around 8:00, so to have the tide pushing us as well as any wind out there on the water. It was a good wind, mostly coming over the beam ( the middle) of the boat so we made good time plus we had the outgoing current  pushing us along to our next destination. Around 11:30 or so the wind began to slow way down and we were just moving through the water finally by the outgoing current. We ate lunch in the warm sunshine and watched our slow progress until about 1:30 when the current started to change direction and we started going backwards. It was time to turn on the engine and finish the trip by motoring to the next anchorage south of Sydney (town) to Saanichton Bay and Cordova Spit. This is a place we’ve anchored in at least twice before.The spit has always been deserted in the past but not this particular Saturday afternoon. At least two thirds of the spit was full of people with cabanas and their picnics and their was some kind of racing going on because we could hear the guy announcing things. As we were setting the anchor and putting stuff away we started listening. There were traditional indigenous paddle boats racing one another. We decided we would row ourselves over to watch some of the races up close. I think people were curious to see us there but no one stared or was rude. We were the only Anglos there. A few people smiled or said hello. People were relaxed and obviously enjoying either being in one of the many races or watching and socializing. We saw races with different age groups, ten years old and under, thirteen year olds and under, sixteen year olds and under, men and women doubles, teams of six adult men, teams of  

five women with one man, teams of eleven women in big paddling boats, and teams of men and women. The boats were not like a traditional canoe. They were much narrower and very light, some of fiber glass, others made of wood. We actually saw one team of two, capsize. We watched for an hour or so on the beach but headed back to our dinghy just in time as the tide was coming in and the dinghy was beginning to float. As we were eating dinner the eleven person teams were racing and the course for this race became a large oval that passed way out into the bay by our sailboat and went all the way out to the end of the spit. It was so amazing to see these six or seven boats racing each other, each team paddling hard and in unison with each other. The racing ended just about at dusk. 

     Sunday morning we woke up to another sunrise. It’s pretty special for a part of the world that is often overcast, foggy, or rainy. This past week has been high summer in the Northwest. I could actually get down to a t-shirt on the boat if the wind wasn’t blowing. It is now Tuesday, July 17th and the nice weather continues.

      Well it is Wednesday, July 18th. We are in Sooke Harbor waiting out high winds/gales before we head further out the western end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We would like to make Barkley Sound again and perhaps go further north up the western coast of Vancouver Island. That's weather always weather permitting. I’m going to post this blog for now. Lots of free wifi cafes around. Until the next post, be well everyone.

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October 13, 2017

      This is the final entry of the sailing blog for this year. We are now home, back in Santa Fe since Sunday afternoon, October 8. I wanted this year, to bring all you readers up to date with the last of our sailing time.This summer manifested itself inwardly and outwardly as being a time of relative calm for me, free of too much busyness, our centering focus always the boat, a bit of a retreat from our sometimes over busy life in Santa Fe. Please don’t imagine we were totally isolated from friends and family. Originally this had been a worry of mine but it has never been the case. In fact we have made some new friends in the Northwest but they are all connected to boats in one way or another. We even had some friends from Santa Fe, the husband also a sailing enthusiast, visit us in Port Townsend. Outwardly our sailing was minimal. We encountered very little wind except for the glorious Sunday in Port Townsend Bay.

      The broken windlass and the baptism at which we had agreed to be godparents broke up our relatively short sailing time this year. A month on the water is what we had when usually it is a couple of months, some years even more than that. Plans to sail to Canada were quickly put to rest when the windlass failed. We explored new places in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands instead. Because of the baptism we spent a very relaxing four days in Seattle with some of Mike’s family. We got to know our Godchild, Thea, a little better. She is a darling eighteen month old, full of curiosity about everything including the appearance of another set of adults in her life. When it was her bedtime she didn’t want to go. The presence of her grandparents and soon to be godparents was just too interesting! 

        After the baptism we returned to the San Juan’s for a few days. When we crossed the Strait of Juan de Fuca to get back to the Olympic Peninsula we arrived a day ahead of ourselves. On a whim I convinced Mike to go to a semi secluded bay for the night. It was a peaceful uncrowded anchorage and we had a lovely sunset. We both thought we’d be in the marina in Port Townsend  the following day. That was not to be the case as it was with so many things this summer. That saying, “ How to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” was almost a daily reality. 

           The next day as we pulled up anchor it was calm and sunny with clouds building in the southeast. As we motored toward Point Wilson it clouded up completely. Next thing we knew it was beginning to rain. We quickly donned rain gear as the wind picked up.  At first I thought we would have one last chance to sail this year. The wind however, kept building and rapidly. Just as we reached the outer buoy for Point Wilson we encountered waves smashing into the bow and spraying us way back in the cockpit. It was wild. The tide was on it’s way into the bay and the wind was from the opposite direction out of the southeast. We were dodging wave after wave, ducking behind the dodger. For the next fifteen minutes or so as we made our way past Point Wilson, I wondered if the wind would be less or equal once we were inside the bay. The tug of war that one felt at the outer buoy where current and wind seemed to be doing battle subsided a bit but the wind and wave action continued as we slowly made out way into the bay. It became apparent to us that it would be impossible to get into the marina. So it was decided that we would keep going to the head of the bay and find some sheltered spot in the lee of the land to drop the anchor for the night. 

       As we made our way slowly through the storm, we came upon three boats drifting with no one on board. All three had dragged their anchors. One was becoming grounded on a sandy beach. The other two were just floating wildly in the wind and waves. We  called the coast guard and reported the boats along with their registration numbers. The coast guard in turn would notify the owners of their boats whereabouts.     

      Slowly we made our way down the bay to Port Hadlock and found a place out of the wind. The anchor was lowered and hot coco along with a snack was prepared in record time. There had never been a minute to stop and eat lunch that day. By the time we’d finished eating and drinking we could see the weather was already beginning to calm itself. By the time dinner was prepared it was calm again. The stars came out that night and the next morning was chilly but the sun rose through the mist. We arrived in the marina mid morning to begin getting the boat ready for haul out the next day. Our bedding had gotten soaked the day before when the waves kept breaking over the bow and splashed through a hatch which we discovered was not water tight. So out came all our bedding to dry on the boom in the lovely warm sun. After a rather windless month on the water we finally had one wild and windy day on the water!

Sunday, August 27, 2017

           Spent Saturday afternoon sailing around little Mystery Bay in our dinghy with Mike. It was fun but I also wanted to try sailing the dinghy on my own. Mike also saw this as a good idea but in lighter winds than what we’d sailed in that afternoon. So this morning I sailed the dinghy all by myself, with no one on board. For me that was a great triumph. I was extremely cautious. I didn’t want to have to deal with a capsized boat. The breeze was gentle so really there was nothing to worry about except my lack of experience. The only remedy for a lack of experience is to get out there and do whatever it is you need the experience in. I knew this intellectually, but I really had to call on my willpower to make it happen in the real world. I can only learn mechanical and practical things in a hands on way.

             This afternoon we went out into Port Townsend Bay and the head of Admiralty Inlet to sail in the 38 footer. It was a good wind so we had the mainsail in one reef (made smaller) while the wind lasted. Toward the end of the afternoon it began to lessen and we had the whole sail out. We are anchored behind a sand spit close to the foot of the bay for tonight. All in all it has been a very satisfying day.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

          We are currently anchored in a bay off of the Hood Canal, called Port Gamble. It is densely hazy today. We awoke to a very light coat of ash on everything on the outside of the boat. The sun shining through the haze and some cloud cover (?) creates an eerie light. It is mid day but the light looks like sunset. It is just above us but an orangey reddish hue. There are forest fires all over the Northwest right now and the wind is blowing the smoke to Puget Sound and area. We sailed across Puget Sound and back two days in a row and were so tired by yesterday afternoon. So here we are in Port Gamble for a day. 

      We left Port Townsend last Thursday in the morning with new windlass parts installed but not working! As we sailed south down Admiralty Inlet, Mike talked with one of the parts dealers and he suggested he check a few more things before sending it back to the dealership. By evening in the anchorage of Port Ludlow he’d finally gotten the windlass to work. We’d spent three days in Port Townsend. First to pick up the new spare parts, then install them, then find it not functioning properly, then a day spent trouble shooting, i.e. trying to find out why it wouldn’t work. 

          On our second day we heard from Kieran, recently back in Seattle. It happened to be his birthday as well. He was in the midst of getting ready to drive back to New Mexico to pick up his and Betsy’s dog. We convinced him to come the two hours out of his way to celebrate his birthday with us and a couple of good old college friends of his also living in Port Townsend. He arrived in the early afternoon and went off swimming with his buddies. Mike continued to struggle with the windlass still not working even with brand new parts. It was now an electrical problem, no longer mechanical. Very frustrating. I’d spent the morning doing laundry and grocery shopping. This is much more satisfying a task as nothing can really go wrong. I caught up on texts and phone calls at the laundromat and happily took my time with the groceries. When I got back it was to a bewildered Mike. Another puzzle to be solved. Luckily we were distracted from the windlass in the early evening. We were off to Kieran’s friend’s house to celebrate his birthday. They had the grill going and there was wine, a huge pasta dish, a delicious salad full of vegetables from Greg’s garden. The evening was full of stories about Kieran and his friends, lots of joking and laughter. It was thoroughly enjoyable. We got back to the boat around 11:30. Mike went to e-mail Australia, where the parts are made. I read a book. Didn’t get to bed before 1 in the morning. 

           Kieran took off around 10:30 the next morning. Mike went back to trouble shooting, to no avail. We had discussed with Kieran and his friends; all experienced sailors, what to do  if the windlass refused to work. We finally all agreed that we should just get on our way and make due with well protected harbors and bays and our secondary anchor attached to a rope. We spent three days in Port Ludlow. I sailed the dinghy again two of the days. Gradually I’m building up my confidence. The first two days were clear and sunny. Saturday night was calm, clear, and with a moon almost full. We went rowing in the moonlight to a part of the bay with an island. Behind this little island is another secret little harbor. I had sailed around it the day before. Earlier in the day we’d seen a boat like ours sailing into the big harbor. We were doing something and were momentarily distracted. We went sailing and couldn’t find it. But at night rowing we were like kids finding a lost toy. Behind the island was the sailboat we’d seen earlier but couldn’t find. We rowed around it and the people on board came out and invited us onto their boat. They were very nice and we chatted an hour or so before leaving. Calm, warm evenings with a full moon are magical.

Sailing, August 25, 2017

      We were set in the water by the travel lift last Monday, August 14. Today is Thursday, August 24th, which puts us ten days on the water. We would be in Canada now but only made it as far as Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands. On last Saturday as we were pulling up anchor our windlass broke down on us. Since the anchor is attached to 50 meters of chain and we still had 20 more meters to haul out of the water as well as a 50 lb. anchor we were a bit frantic for a few moments. Luckily Mike had thought about just such a situation arising and once it was established that the darn windlass was really useless, he got busy jerry rigging a system using two mooring lines and one of the large winches we use for the fore sail. It took an hour or so to haul chain and anchor in but the system did the work for us. I’m happy to say, neither one of us had a back ache the next day. I was surprised to observe how happy Mike seemed throughout this episode. I guess it makes sense, after all. In the face of this little crisis there was a quick solution to be tried out in the real world in the face of dire circumstances.

             That following Sunday, Mike spent the day taking apart the windlass to see if he could figure out what was wrong. It wasn’t an electrical failure but a mechanical one. Some of the gears were completely gone, ground to a fine powder. The windlass is 26 years old and maybe it’s time had come to up and break. On Monday we headed back to Port Townsend to await new parts that he ordered using his cell phone as we crossed the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It was a very calm day on the strait. It was also the day of the eclipse of which we noticed only a small difference in the amount of sunshine but very much noticed a drop in temperature. 

         We are still waiting for parts to arrive but decided to leave marina land in Port Townsend and anchor in Scow Bay, across from Port Townsend. We had a lovely evening, after a short sail up to Admiralty Inlet then a third of the way down Port Townsend Bay to Kilisut Harbor, between Indian and Morrowstone Islands. The wind picked up that night and since we were using our secondary anchor, (only 25 lbs, and on a rope) and the wind blew straight down the harbor to the little bay we anchored in; it was a rather sleepless night for Mike. He was up three times making sure the anchor was not dragging which would have allowed us to drift into too shallow water and the shore. The following day was a “take it easy” one, reading aloud a mystery we both enjoy. We did some minor repairs using epoxy where the wood had torn off on the bowsprit when the windlass was removed. Our day in Scow Bay was restful, sunny, even hot for an hour or so, but we decided to check the forecast for wind that night. The wind was supposed to do the same thing it had done the night before. We decided to try our luck in the smaller and more protected Mystery Bay. Our moving the boat to the smaller bay payed off; we slept very peacefully last night even though the wind was blowing again.

         Today I varnished the spots on the bowsprit we had repaired with epoxy, having also lost varnish when the bowsprit was being taken apart. 

Saturday, August 26, 2017

             We rowed in our new little dinghy up to the general store in the late afternoon yesterday and were surprised to find a little postoffice there as well. Mike has been busy in between boat sailing and a broken windlass, mailing copies of his book; interviews of people from a farm cooperative in Guatemala, off to people who helped him with it’s 

conception in some capacity or other. By five he had another fifteen books addressed and ready to go. We’d thought it would have to wait for our return to Port Townsend but this morning we rowed back up the bay and mailed them from a tiny postoffice. Rowing around in the dinghy I like to imagine what it used to be like for folks before automobiles and motor boats. The pace was definitely slower from what we are used to. Sailing slows down life also. At first it takes some getting used to. Once accustomed to the change it is charring at first to move back on land. 

                       

              

August 21, 2016 - Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, Washington

     A sunny windy day today in the harbor. Yesterday we took Mike’s sister Ann and her husband Barry for a day sail in the channel. It was a clear sunny, hot, day with light winds; perfect for conversations and lunch out in the cockpit. Ann and Barry are visiting their daughter and her young family for a couple of weeks in Seattle. 

      Since my last blog of a month ago we have made our way back to the Gulf Islands where we spent a week. We explored Saanich inlet further. Last summer we had visited small secluded Tod Inlet and visited the famous Butchart Gardens with our grandson, Johannes. This summer we went as far south as possible in the Saanich inlet, to Finlayson Arm. It almost felt like a fijord with few houses dotting the shore. We anchored in late afternoon to absorb the quiet of this place only to discover that the major road out of Victoria passed right by this body of water! The guide books made  no mention of ths noisey road at the end of the arm! There was consolation in the fact that Goldstream Provincial Park was within walking distance of where we anchored. We spent a leisurely day walking along the Goldstream River and into old rainforest. It was one of the first hot days of the summer but cool and shady on our walk through the woods. On the return, we stopped at the vistor center/ hands on museum/ bookstore. When we’d left the boat to go on our walk we’d only brought water with us. We were like little kids when we discovered ice cream available at the visitor center. The museum part was created to engage kids with lots of touching and visuals. After walking all day we found the museum refreshingly different from the average museum geared towards adults. 

     From Saanich Inlet we sailed north to Bedwell Harbor, a favorite spot for us because of it’s pretty little beaches on South Pender Island, lovely walks through the woods and a steep climb up Mount Norman. From the top of Mount Norman one has a birds eye views of the islands all around. The day we spent anchored in Bedwell Harbor we decided to hike over to Port Browning on North Pender Island. The islands were connected to each other by a natural causeway until the late fifties, I believe, at which time they dredged a channel, dividing the two islands by water and built a bridge for cars. This made it much easier for boaters to access the two harbors, Bedwell and Port Browning. We had a lovely walk through the woods, it felt like summer instead of spring. Eventually the path came out on a main road which we followed for a mile or so. About that time we realized the other harbor was a bit further away than we anticipated. We kept walking, undecided about what to do when we came upon a bench on either side of the road with maps of the roads and various public facilities on the island. The bench was a place to sit and hitch a ride to wherever one needed to go. After about fifteen minutes a nice couple on vacation stopped to give us a ride to the local shopping area on the island. It was a nice bustling little center with a hardware store, a nursery, a grocery store, a bank, a liquor store, a book store with cart loads of used books for sale, some kind of tourist shop full of beautiful things crafted locally on the island, and two restaurants. We ate lunch and had good beer on tap at one of the restaurants. Then we made our way to the bookstore where we loaded up on  mostly used books for our boat reading time. I’ve read several books this summer that in contrast to the mystery novels I like to read  were often serious, historical and disturbing.  Some of them Mike and I read aloud to each other; one about late twentieth century north Korea, The Orphan Master’s Son, another one was an intertwining of the Roman Empire in England and the dawning of Camelot, The Singing Sword. In the evenings after a day of sailing or on a day when we needed to rest after several days of sailing nonstop, Mike and I would take turns reading to the each other while dishes got washed or dinner was prepared. 

      After purchasing our books we went and sat down on the bench beside the road and waited for our next ride back to the path that would take us through the woods to where we’d left our dinghy tied up. I spotted ripe blackberries across the road and picked a few handfuls to be eaten on our walk back to the boat while we waited for someone to stop in their car and offer us a ride. It was only a few minutes, a handful of blackberries in my staw hat, before someone stopped. Such is island life. On our way to the dinghy we came out of the woods onto a deserted pebble beach. The sun was shining and we were hot from our walking. Even though the water has a reputation for being icy cold, it looked so inviting we stripped down and went for a quick dip. It was just enough to cool us down without getting the uncontrollable shivers. We hadn’t bothered putting the little outboard on the dinghy and the row back to the Pinniped was a good way to get warm again.

September 11, 2016

     Dear Readers, our time in the Northwest will soon be over. We are planning to haul the boat out of the water a week earlier than planned, perhaps the twenty first of the month instead of the first of October. We have had a good summer of sailing with more wind than we knew what to do with at times. It has been good. Hot summer days by New Mexico standards, finally arrived the last week in July. August was hot, although being on a boat in the water is always much cooler than it is on land. I actually wore shorts and short sleeved shirts on the boat in August! We sailed across the straight of Georgia the end of July to Blaine, Washington to meet up with family for a week. Our sail across was quite windy with waves crashing against the boat from the northwest. We reefed the main sail twice initially and only used our small stay sail for a jib. Then as we grew accustomed to the wind and saw it wasn’t getting any stronger than it already was, we let out one of the  reefs and sailed with a reefed jib. The Strait of Georgia where we crossed was about 25 miles to Point Roberts on the U.S. mainland where we had to check in with customs. We figured the waves were rough and high from lots of wind the day before. It takes time for waves to build and when we came through Active Pass the wind was blowing but not near as much to match the height and roughness of the waves. Some things will remain a mystery for us until more experience is gained.

     Well, I will sum up our adventures this summer a little bit more in one more blog but this is it for now. We have to leave this little coffee shop and get back on the water. Kieran is finished with his mountain guiding job for the summer and is sailing with us for a few days.

     

Monday, July 4, 2016

     Independence Day in the U.S. We left the spit in Sanichton about 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning. We motored the first part of the morning south to Victoria. We raised our sails just after the current changed from outgoing to coming in. We were making good time when we came up on Esquimalt Harbor, it was 11:45 or so. We decided to continue on to Race Rocks and Race Passage. About a third of the way to the light house on Race Rocks the current became stronger. We lowered the sails because the current was stronger than the wind at this point and we were being swept with the current back to where we’d come and then we fired up the diesel engine. We decided to go through Race Passage instead of going around Race Rocks. It would be shorter that way and the headwind was less. We came through Race Passage with no problem but there was rough water up ahead. We decided to try motor sailing and raised a reefed main sail. Luckily for us the wind and the current were both against us. If the current had been going out we might have had bigger wave action. As it was waves were spraying us all the way back to the dodger in the stern. The sun was shining and the wind was chill ( I’ve never experienced a warm wind here on the water in the Northwest). We decided to make for Becher Bay where we’d been last September with Kieran and Betsy. It was only four miles away from Race Passage to Campbell Cove, a protected spot in the bay. It ended up taking us a good hour before arriving in the cove. The wind was out of the northwest and was funneling into the bay which made our passage to the cove even rougher than out on the open water. I was really glad we had a dependable engine for these circumstances.

     We are still in Becher Bay waiting for winds to calm down to the point where we are comfortable continuing on. We busy ourselves with little projects we never seem to get to otherwise. I’ve learned a new skill, how to sew whipping on the ends of rope to help them not fray and slip through the outer sheath. It looks nice and really works. It’s not hard to do, a kind of sewing with waxed thread, a strong sail needle, and a sailmakers palm, (a piece of leather that fits around your hand with a plastic and metal spot used to help push the needle through a thick rope, heavy sail, or canvas fabric). 

July 11, 2016

     We are in Barkley Sound now since Friday late afternoon. We finally left Becher Bay on Tuesday the 5th. The sea had calmed down, there was no longer whistling of the wind through the standing rigging when we went to bed the night before. It was a relief to leave the cove. The two days there had been very windy even though there was no wave action where we were anchored. The noise the wind makes in the rigging distracts me to no end. It is funny though, on the second day I was able to block it out as long as I busied myself with some activity.      

     We arrived in Sooke Harbor around 1:00 p.m. It was a short trip, motor sailing with one reef in the mainsail. When we came to the mouth of the harbor it was low tide. The entrance at Sooke is tricky with a narrow channel and very shallow water. We turned around and waited another hour before coming in. There is a public dock in Sooke which means it is mostly full of local fishing boats. We lucked out and found an empty spot along the dock to tie up. We were happy to have the opportunity to fill our water tanks, listen to music, charge computers, use electrical outlets on the boat that we can only use when we have shore power. We put away all the paraphernalia needed during a sail; life jackets, lines coiled and stowed in their proper place, radios and electronic navigational stuff (depth, wind, and knot meters)turned off and covered, binoculars, water bottles left on deck. Then we gathered up our dirty laundry, a weeks worth of trash to deposit on the dock in a dumpster, and walked the half a kilometer into town.

     The next day was a 32 mile stretch of water along the western end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There is nowhere for a boat our size to go if conditions are bad so we listened closely to the weather broadcast on that stretch of the strait the night before. We motored out of Sooke with overcast skies that quickly cleared with a nice breeze. We put up the sails and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Sailing was slow and carefree with the outgoing current giving us some momentum. We only tacked maybe five times total. By the time the current changed the wind was no longer strong enough to make any headway so down came the sails and on went the engine. By then we were three quarters of the way to our destination for the night, Port San Juan. Port San Juan isn’t the most ideal place to anchor, it is open to winds out of the west and northwest. As we started into the inlet a late afternoon wind started. We were just able to anchor in water beyond the worst of the wind. Happily for us the wind died down about 7:00 that evening. It is still light at 10:00 pm in these parts. Maybe it was 8:00 or so when I heard the motor of a boat and some clanking under our boat. Mike ran out on deck with me following close behind. There was a metal fishing boat collecting it’s crab pots. We had drifted over the crab pot that they were trying to retrieve. There were three young guys and they were amazingly close to our boat. As they brought up the crab “pot” ( really a wire cage that traps the crabs) they almost drifted onto our boat. Suddenly they were pushing themselves away and Mike was pushing them away and I grabbed a fender which was not needed in the last moments after all. Phew! Talk about evening excitement! These young fishermen didn’t seem too worried about this situation. They were friendly but not apologetic. We had drifted over their crab pot after all. Alls well that ends well was their attitude.

     The next day dawned foggy and rainy with gale warnings along the southwest coast (where we were headed), so we resigned ourselves to staying another day in Port San Juan. We busied ourselves once again with projects needing attention on the boat. Although we had sketchy phone coverage we tried checking in with certain family since they had left a text asking us to call them. We managed to contact my sister and brother in law who live next door. They needed to know what we wanted done with a leaking pipe in our house. Our electronic chart plotter was acting up so Mike fiddled with that a huge part of the day. I had a good book to read and some chores, can’t remember what they were. In the late afternoon we realized the refrigerator wasn’t working properly nor the salt water wash down pump. Another puzzle to be worked out. We checked different things, trouble shooting as they say. After an hour we realized that something must be blocking the “through hull”, ( an opening in the keel of the boat that allows salt water to be pumped into the boat for the operation of the refrigerator and a pump for bringing salt water to the deck for washing off the chain and anchor when being raised out of the mud). We decided someone needed to put on a wet suit, snorkel and mask and have a look at this through hull and try to unblock it. I volunteered. The water wasn’t that cold but their were swells rocking the boat and my wet suit made me too buoyant to dive under. Also I was afraid in the swells that I might bump my head on the hull. I came out of the water and in the cockpit Mike explained that I needed to use a weight belt. By then I was getting cold and basically disoriented by the swells and wet suit. So we quit for the day.

        The following day we were able to leave, the gale having blown itself out. We washed off the chain and anchor with buckets of water. There were low clouds and rain awaiting us for the rest of the day, no wind, but plenty of large swells left over from the gale the day before. This day was the longest leg of the journey, 42 miles, and the one with the Pacific Ocean right there with us on the left, Vancouver Island on the right. No more Strait of Juan de Fuca. As we started off, two Orcas appeared about a hundred yards off and swam along with us for a little while. They were an encouragement and I hoped a “good omen” as well. The boat rocked and rolled all day in the swells that were sometimes rather high. There were moments when the boat was in the trough of the swell and one couldn’t see beyond the crest. When I would look through the binoculars at lighthouses or other land marks on the Island the sea was so fluid and unstable it was a bit erie. It was also amazing to see and experience the ocean in such a state. In spite of my feeling of nausea all day long I was determined not to dwell on the discomforts. When Cape Beale came into sight and we were sure it was Cape Beale I was so relieved. A calmness came over me even though it was still an hour or so off. That sense of calmness was a gift because just about that time the waters really became confused, there being swells coming from three different directions as we neared the cape. One was the swells that are constant to the west out of the Pacific, swells from the northwest because the prevailing winds are often from there, and third, swells from the south because of the gale the day before. The waters off the cape are shallow and break on rocks. It’s very dramatic and a scary kind of beautiful. The importance of lighthouses is now a concrete part of my experience. I never dreamed I would see a lighthouse with breaking water all around it from off shore. Mike and I had eaten breakfast that morning but we didn’t eat anything the rest of that topsy turvy day until we were safely anchored at Bamfield Harbor in Barkley Sound. It was one of those first experiences, like child birth, the first birth was a trial, and my initial reaction was “ no thanks, one kid is enough; or one day on the ocean like this is all I ever want to experience”. However I went on to have five children and perhaps I will travel more on the Pacific in the future.

     We spent a week in Barkley Sound, exploring a bit but also taking relaxing walks through tiny unpretentious Bamfield town. We took a walk to a local beach with windblown trees and lots of rocks.  We found a place called Poett’s Nook and spent two whole days there. It was a lovely salt water cove, so hidden from the coastline with a narrow opening that one could easily overlook it if one didn’t know it existed. It was on the chart and so we found it. Once on the inside of this cove we felt like we were on a small lake in a forest. Huge cedars and firs surrounded the water. At one end of the cove a small stream opened into a small meadow on it’s way to the cove. It was in this meadow on a lazy sunny day that we were watching a small flock of Canada Geese and a Great Blue Heron when a black bear lumbered out of the woods. It proceeded to turn over rocks and rotten logs, looking for something to eat. It saw the birds and ran towards them. All the birds took flight even though we knew that bear wasn’t trying to catch one. Those geese and the heron weren’t going to take any chances! We were in the dinghy observing it all.

     We spent three different days sailing around the area, exploring and trying out different sail configurations to match different winds. Barkley Sound us a huge area. I hope we have a chance to visit the place again and explore it even further.

July 22, 2016

Esquimalt Harbor ( six kilometers from Victoria)

     We are on the return leg from the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, Barkley Sound. We arrived here after only two days of motoring and sailing plus one day of doing laundry and grocery shopping in Sooke. The mornings started out foggy. For a good three hours the waters were calm except for some gentle swells and all we could see around us was soft grey. We were totally dependent on our compass and the radar. Much to our relief, traveling on the western coast one doesn’t have to worry about ferry traffic or the big freighters that ply their way up and down the Stait of Juan de Fuca. Sometimes we could see a half mile ahead other times it was only a few yards. Then around 10:30 or so the sun would seemingly melt a hazy hole above us in the sky. The fog would still be surrounding us but the grey water would begin to glisten. Pretty soon a patch of blue would appear near the sun, a slight breeze would come up, then suddenly we could see the dark green fur covered mountains on Vancouver Island, the shore still lost in fog. Then our visibility would lengthen and broaden disclosing the coast at last, sunshine, and blue sky, with only wisps of fog fast disappearing. Once the fog dissipated the wind would come up from behind us and we had such awesome downwind sailing with only the jib pushing us along at six and a half knots. That’s as fast as our engine can go but sailing is so much more peaceful. Only the sound of the boat making it’s way through the water. It still delights me to no end. Sailing is really not a very practical way to travel. One has to love it to do it with all it’s inconveniences. For example: waiting for bad weather to pass, not having all our wondrous modern conveniences,( i.e. cell phone and internet service, electricity for lighting and appliances) always available when you want or “need” them, sailing 55 miles to get to a place that is only 32 miles away but because you are tacking while sailing your day will involve more time and miles on the water. Sailing has no place in our practical world, much like mountain climbing, dance, surfboarding, sky diving, and so on. The process involves the whole person. We have to carefully plan ahead so as not to be overwhelmed by the elements, such as wind speed, water currents and their speeds, weather (rain, fog, sun, clouds, temperature), learn different kinds of knots to tie and how to use them, learn specific  vocabulary only used in the boating world . One has to physically raise and lower the sails, haul them in when changing directions and adjust to changes in wind direction. We are outside in the wind all day long in all kinds of weather. A good sailing day isn’t necessarily sunny. 

     Today is our second day in Esquimalt Harbor because there are gale force winds out in the strait but the sun is shining! Yesterday was hot, and clear most of the day. It would have been fine to leave but I wanted to go visit the oldest Canadian light house on the west coast, Fisgard Light House, at the mouth of this harbor. It is still operational but it’s automated so the structure is also open to the public as a museum. We had to get there using the dinghy and our little outboard. It was well worth it but the weather turned during the night and here we are again waiting for winds we can confidently sail with. The sun is out which is good for the spirits.

       Yesterday morning and this morning we have been visited by a Great Blue Heron. He lands rather clumsily on the rail at the stern of the boat. He looks at us and we look at him for a few quick moments and then he takes off. This bird has a long neck that folds in on itself when in flight with long stork like legs. It is a large bird to be landing on ones’ boat. He made three stops on our boat yesterday, that is, if it was the same bird. I suppose it could have been another bird each time.

Sailing in the Northwest, 2016

Blog 1, June 20, 2016

      Today our boat was moved out of the boatyard by this big machine called a travel lift and placed in the water. Except for a few more chores, we are almost ready to leave Port Townsend and sail down to Seattle. We had new sails made there this past winter. The sailmaker wants to see them on our boat and make sure everything is just right. The sailmaker is actually two brothers. They are not just sailmakers but also sailors. I’m sure they will have some good pointers for us in the handling of the sails relative to our unique boat.

Blog 2, June 29, 2016

     Today we are in Reid Harbor off of Stuart island for the rest of the afternoon and night. The day has been clear and sunny with great sailing wind.This is one of my favorite spots in the San Juan and Gulf Islands. This harbor is filling up fast. I’m not sure if it’s because of all the wind on the water this afternoon or if it’s in anticipation of the July 4th weekend. At the moment there are 4 boats of kayakers, hugging the shore and paddling into the harbor. There is a lovely park with campsites and sandy beach at the head of the harbor. There is a man whose been sailing around in a little rubber dinghy. He sails in and out of all the large sailboats and powerboats. It looks like it would be a lot of fun. I can hardly wait until we finish building our own little dinghy that will fold in half on itself, can be rowed or sailed. Even in this protected harbor it is quite breezy today. The wind is out of the east by southeast and that is very close to the lay of this harbor. We are still quite protected compared to how it is blowing on the open water.

Friday, July 1, 2016

     Yesterday we sailed from Stuart Island in the San Juan’s  across Harrow Strait into the Gulf Islands of Canada. I imagine The San Juan Islands and the Gulf Islands are all part of the same archipelago. The difference is that we cross this imaginary line and are now in Canada. We are in Sanichton Bay formed by Cordova Spit, just south of the quaint town of Sidney on the southeast side of Vancouver island. It’s fairly protected from the winds that have been blowing out of the southeast this week. We had to stop in  Sidney to clear customs. As can sometimes be the case at a dock, especially customs docks on a weekend; there was a bit of a traffic jam as well as a breeze blowing boats into the dock. So it was a stressful necessity that couldn’t be put off or avoided. This is the sailing world, not any different from the rest of life. Ups and downs, work to be done, some enjoyable and some just drudgery, time to relax when the sailing goes just as hoped and planned for, other times, as at the customs dock, when things just are a cause of anxiety and discomfort. Tomorrow we are off to Esquimalt Harbor on the other side of Victoria as long as the weather cooperates. We will be sailing out the western end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the southern end of Vancouver Island. We came this way last fall with Kieran and Betsy. This year we hope to sail to Barkley Sound. It is the first sound on the Pacific side of Vancouver. Hopefully our baptism of the Pacific will be gentle.

Monday, July 4, 2016

     Independence Day in the U.S. We left the spit in Sanichton by about 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning. We motored the first part of the morning south to Victoria. We raised our sails just after the current changed from outgoing to coming in. We were making good time when we came up on Esquimalt Harbor, it was 11:45 or so. We decided to continue on to Race Rocks and Race Passage. About a third of the way to the light house on Race Rocks the current became stronger. We lowered the sails because the current was stronger than the wind at this point and we were being swept with the current back to where we’d come and then fired up the diesel engine. We decided to go through Race Passage instead of going around Race Rocks. It would be shorter that way and the headwind was less. We came through Race Passage with no problem but there was rough water up ahead. We decided to try motor sailing and raised a reefed main sail. Luckily for us the wind and the current were both against us. If the current had been going out we might have had bigger wave action. As it was waves were spraying us all the way back to the dodger in the stern. The sun was shining and the wind was chill ( I’ve never experienced a warm wind here on the water in the Northwest). We decided to make for Becher Bay where we’d been last September with Kieran and Betsy. It was only four miles away from Race Passage to Cambell Cove, a protected spot in the bay which took us a good hour before arriving. The wind was out of the northwest and was funneling into the bay which made our passage to the cove even rougher than out on the open water. I was really glad we had a dependable engine for these circumstances.

     We are still in Becher Bay waiting for winds to calm down to the point where we are comfortable continuing on. We busy ourselves with little projects we never seem to get to otherwise. I’ve learned a new skill, how to sew whipping on the ends of rope to help them not fray and slip through the outer sheath. It looks nice and really works. It’s not hard to do, a kind of sewing with waxed thread, a strong sail needle, and a sailmakers palm, (a peice of leather that fits around your with a plastic and metal spot used to help push the needle through a thick rope or heavy sail or canvas fabric).