More Pictures

Here's our friends David, Barbara, and Kirstin Rogers from Zoe. They kept us amused and brought vodka tonics and cookies. Good choice in crusing buddies.





Here's their lovely boat, Zoe, a Fantasi 44, in Hole in the Wall.

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Rebuilding the head

There's always something that needs to be done, and here was today's challenge: rebuilding the head. Here the beast sits before I yanked it out of its moorings and took it to the cockpit for a rebuild. I can now field strip a Groko Model K-H head blindfolded during an artillery barrage. The instructions (here being studied in close detail by me) consist only of an exploded parts diagram, printed in microscopic print and very little detail. Hmmm... must be British.

Pictures from the trip

"We don't your stinkin' garbage" seems to be the mantra of the ShorePeople when cruising. And there's no dumpster on a sailboat. Bags of garbage get stuffed into the cockpit lockers until there's no room left. Fortunately there are a few entrepreneurs who find treasure in other people's crap. For a mere 2 or 3 or maybe even 5 dollars (Canadian, eh?) you can drop a bag of garbage. This was the nicest one I've ever seen.

Log of Southern Cross

8/21/05 (Sunday) Motored from Ganges harbor to Nainamo, where we got the last slip at the public marina (the one with internet access).

8/22/05: (Monday) Washed the boat and dinghy while Mich did shopping on shore. Walked to the chandlery to see if they had the stuff I needed, got a hat and some charts but no hose menders. Lugged back all that plus three gallons of Delo oil for the engine. Heard from David Rogers, who had now caught up with us and was continuing to head north “since there’s still day left”.

Got out of there later than I wanted due to all the crap that had to be done. Managed to score a root beer float and a cheeseburger at the A&W before we dropped out lines, though.

Punched into a head sea and wind on the Strait of Georgia north to Texada Island and dropped the hook after dark in a little anchorage near David and Barbara on Zoe. It was good to catch up with them.

8/23/05: (Tuesday). Took off in morning to make our way in concert with Zoe north. Had to beat to windward north up the west side of Texada Island—David stayed closer to Texada while we motored over to clear Hornby Is in order to get a reach to windward to the top of Texada and then further east to Lund. But all our sailing was to naught—the current kept pushing us back so our VMG was trivial. David motored up the west side of TExada and made it to Lund while we were still struggling. I motored a little and when we turned the corner east the NW breeze let us sail for a couple of hours before we were headed in the channel near Mystery Reef. It was too late to stop at Lund—everything would be closed, so we went a bit beyond and anchored near Zoe in the Copeland Islands, taking a lot of care to avoid the rocks that are on the chart but hard to spot. Fortunately a nice Canadian marked the mid-channel one with an orange bouy.

8/24/05: (Wednesday). Motored back to Lund to get fuel and groceries, but the NW wind was too strong to land on their fuel dock, and no other reasonable docking opportunities presented. Lund is completely open to a NW wind, and the tiny fairways between docks posed a real threat that we would get sideways to the wind and be pinned against the pilings. No place to anchor to send in the dinghy, either—and the thought of the home-made pastries at Nancy’s was tough to abandon. But abandon them we did and headed north into Desolation sound proper, to get to Cortes Bay and try the BBX internet connection, the only one in the Desolation Sound area. Alas, we spent about 2 hours trying to get a signal before we finally got one. Called and left numerous messages on their phone lines to learn where their antennas were—no one has ever called me back yet (one week later). Met Zoe at Mink Island where we again rafted to them. Very nice to share munchies in their spacious cockpit, but David reported still more troubles with his new windless—it would come up, but wouldn’t stop when he released the deck switch. He was having to have Barbara shut off the power when the anchor was about 10 feet down and retrieve it the rest of the way by hand.

8/18/05 03:40
The alarm went off with a terrible clangor at 2:30, pulling me into wakefulness and uncertainty. I shuffled into the saloon and pulled on some warm clothes while Michelle made a couple of cups of cocoa. It was high tide one day before the full moon and we had a spring tide to deal with. The ebb current should carry us nicely north to Port Townsend and then across the Strait of Juan de Fuca before it turned to a flood and carried us farther north, with our goal for the first day to make it to


0355
I think I love radar. There was a blip just off Shilshoe but I couldn’t see anything. Was it noise or was there something there? I scanned with the binocs, but nothing. Radar said it was just to port, I was passing it. It didn’t appear to be moving. I looked harder—wait, is that a light? Then I saw it, like a ghost, a boat with no light showing except a faint green glow like the glow from an instrument on the bridge. It appeared to be dead in the water. I stared but could make out no more details. Perhaps a powerboat, perhaps a sailboat with no mast? I could have easily hit it without seeing it on radar. The key, I’ve learned, is like the NASA mantra: no unresolved anomalies. If I see it on radar, I need to see it visually, either on the chart as an aid to navigation or as a boat of some kind.

0410
The beautiful full (well, almost) moon has set, and it’s a lot darker now. I can see a lightening in the east, but is that Seattle or the beginnings of dawn? If it were June, it would be dawn for sure. I’ve probably got at least an hour and a half of dark before predawn starts to do any good.

It’s hard not to stare constantly ahead. We’re perhaps conditioned to do this from driving cars, but at this speed in a boat it’s not really necessary. Every couple of minutes I take a look around. First at the radar, set at 4 miles, to see if anything new has shown up. Then at the chart display on the PC, to see where the heck I am.

0420
Big freighter just passed me to port. I’m staying to the right of the north-bound commercial shipping lane, and it’s a good thing. I never saw this guy coming. All of a sudden I’m looking for a blip ahead—nothing, and here are all these lights in the binocs—the freighter. He zoomed past me, going no doubt to China or Russia or somewhere like that. Did he leave now to catch the same tide as me? Five minutes the wake hits us and rolls Michelle awake. Shit is falling and banging around.

I was talking earlier about keeping a lookout. This boat is perfect for that. WE have two entrances—or companionways—into the boat, one from the cockpit into the aft cabin, which is a usual place for a companionway, and another from the side deck down a cute spiral stairway right to the nav station. This little spot is perfect for prairie dogging—sticking my head up and peering around. I can even sit up there—under the dodger if I want, and stay out of the wind and cold.

0445
Starting to get a pickup from the ebb tide. My speed over the ground has increased from 5.8 kts to 6.2. This is a good thing. Approaching Edmonds from the south. Can see the tankers on shore.

0500
Dawn is coming. Can see pretty clearly to the east without help. Still dark to the west. Nothing new. Getting a bit tired—eating an orange. Mich back asleep after the wake woke her up. Bet you can’t do that with any other verbs easily…

0525
Looks like a fog bank ahead. This is a bad thing. Feeling tired and sleepy. Must…stay…awake….

0600
Fog. Visibility is maybe half a mile, maybe more. Can’t see shit. Using radar completely. When I prairie dog all I see is waves and gray. No ship traffic since the freighter. Making almost 8 kts now, about 2 of which is from the current. This is good. I can just make out Whidbey Island, about 1 mile away. Everything else is gray.

0620
About to catch a big ride on the current. According to Tides & Currents, I’ll be hitting Admiralty Inlet in time to catch about a 3-4 kt favorable current. Now the pain of getting up early is seeming like it will be worthwhile. I should be able to get across the strait before the flood sets against me. Once across, the flood will be in my favor. Oh how I love the currents when they help instead of hinder.

0710
Off Bush Point on Whidbey Island we’re making 9.2 kts over the ground, so we’re getting a 50% speed boost by riding this current. Visibility is down to about ½ mile. Good thing for radar, although I haven’t seen but that one commercial ship, if you don’t count the Edmonds ferry. Michelle arose about 30 minutes ago and made some nice strong coffee.

Just stuck my head out and visibility is probably less than 100 yds.

0730
Still doing 9.6 kts. Hit the big currents in Admiralty Inlet at just about exactly the peak of the ebb. Couldn’t have timed it better. I think by the time we get to Haro Strait we’ll be picking up the flood to carry us up. I wonder what Vancouver would have done in a current like this without wind. Marrowstone Island is steep to at the northeast side—he could have been pulled in with no where to anchor. Scary.

0855
The combination of a strong ebb current against the NW wind makes Michelle a bit queasy. I pull out my enormous yacht medical bag, and discover that there is no medicine for seasickness, although I’m well equipped for any crew who need emergency appendectomies.

1000
Finally the fog lifts as we near Cattle Pass, between Lopez and San Juan islands. If we time this right, we’ll get there at the end of the ebb and just in time to catch a ride with the flood tide.

1100
Picked up a nice favorable current as we headed up Cattle Pass and San Juan Channel. Showing over 8 kts over the ground. We’ll swing into Friday Harbor and pick up some supplies and try to connect on the Internet.

12:30
Drop anchor in Friday Harbor, just outside the marina in 45 feet of water. I’m wasted so I have to lie down for a couple of hours. I’m awakened by a call from the fridge guys, who want to troubleshoot the problems we’re having.

1700 We head into town in the dinghy. After several calls, we are a little closer to identifying the problem with the fridge. Mike needs advice from Mark, who originally installed this system. He wants me to call him tomorrow morning.

Friday Harbor: pick up a couple of tee shirts (I managed to pack zero shirts; last trip I packed zero undershorts). We have a mediocre dinner at Haley’s Bait Shop and Grill. So far we can’t connect to the BBX site because the boat is anchored too far out and when we went into town we brought my notebook, not Mich’s laptop. My machine doesn’t have the right drivers (we can’t find the install CD and suspect it got taken to the house in the packaging). So tomorrow we have to go back with Michelle’s laptop, connect at the marina park or somewhere, then download the install stuff for my itty-bitty machine, and finish off. Jesus.

8/19/05
Spent the night in Friday Harbor, had a mediocre dinner at the Bait house and grill. Spent Friday morning looking for a hat for me and a way to connect to BBX. Finally was able to connect sitting on the dock… Took off about 12:30 to catch the current up to Nanaimo.

8/20/05
19:00
Took a lot damn longer than I thought to get to Nanaimo. Last night we got to Ganges Harbor and asked pretty please could we spend the night there, since we weren’t going to get to Nanaimo before 2 or 3am and it was a long damn way out of the3 way to go back to Bedwell and check into customs. The customs boat met us in the anchorage and cleared us through, but not without scolding us first and letting us know they were putting a not in our “file” and that this couldn’t happen again. Spent the night, slept well.

This morning Michelle and I were up on the foredeck taping some sound deadening material to the bottom of the shower sump when this Halberg Rassey 43 comes up right next to us. Surprise, it’s Scott Macbeath at the helm—a friend has loaned him the boat and they are returning from Desolation Sound. We dinghy into town and hook up with him and Fran for coffee and a stroll through the Saturday market. Then he has to leave and we take off.

Weather forecast is for small craft advisory in the Strait of Georgia with SE winds, which are perfect for us. It's certainly blowing strongly up the channel into Ganges Harbor from the SE. WE get the anchor up with a bit of difficulty and a lot of mud, then stop mid-channel once we're free of most of the boat traffic and wash it off. A fast ride back out through Active Pass but then no wind in the Strait!

Just after sunset we make Nanaimo, where I decide we can use the fresh water and get the very last slot in the big marina, which features Broadband Express! We have to slot the boat into a shoehorn of a space, and how exactly we'll get out tomorrow I don't know. After a lot of screwing around I get the new PCMCIA card and antenna to work on my laptop, so I can download my email and finish this post. I'll put some pictures up tomorrow.

11:20pm: Just finishing this up. Still screwing around with the fridge and freezer--if I remove the freezer solenoid and put it on the fridge valve and turn on the system it will chill the fridge. So I may have to swap them every day to keep things cold until we get back and they can figure out what is wrong.