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.
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.
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