Cruising the San Juans again

[David Patterson]

My CD25D, #85, has again proven herself capable of the lively waters of the eastern end Juan de Fuca Strait. Crossing under sail from Port Townsend to San Juan Channel, through "Cattle Pass," took careful planning, and the nerve to leave in the fog. The Marine Traffic app that shows AIS data is invaluable for a small pleasure boater in the busy commercial lanes of Admiralty Inlet and the strait. Audible aids to navigation are well positioned and essential when leaving the Inlet entrance in low visibility. Crossing with adequate wind meant slipping between Small Craft Advisories, but was preferable to getting caught in light airs when trying to catch the tidal turns. Been there. Having the first reef taken in of the main, and the genoa at 80%, didn't keep CLOUD GIRL from frequently attaining hull speed and above. I discovered how she feels sailing down the face of waves. From Point Wilson to San Juan Channel I remained on one port tack, blessing her seaworthiness all the way. No photos of the sea state. Too busy. The photo is of a Nor'sea 27 emerging from the lifting fog, north cove of Friday Harbor.

[David Patterson]

Another fog photo, taken as the fog lifted over the north cove of Friday Harbor. Frequent morning fogs this time of year, the deep foghorns of the state ferries reverberate as they ply their routes, vibrating in a sailor's diaphragm. The Pearson Triton in the center is owned and operated by the young couple who refurbished her. In order to leave their dinghy on deck to avoid docking fees, they come and go for cruising opportunities on paddle boards, which they can transport on their car. The tiny orange float is on my 25 lb CQR and 50' of 1/4" chain, now trapped in the remains of an old (yes, charted!) wreck. I fear the anchor is forfeit. A good reminder not to just blindly anchor where others are, simply assuming they know what they are doing. We humans are herd animals, yielding judgement to the group, presuming safety in numbers. That old wreck is no doubt festooned with abandoned anchors, probably to include mine. The chart symbol shows it as partially exposed. It subsided over the years, now being much less obvious. Also hidden beneath the surface in the San Juans are the old pilings left over from the logging days, as far back as the 19th century. Uncharted hazards, mostly sunken logs known as "deadheads" can be anywhere, especially after a few days of extreme high and low tides. Heart-stopping, throat-closing objects to see near the hull when on a passage.

[David Patterson]

Since my "game" is to sail whenever possible, motor as little as possible, a photo of CLOUD GIRL under sail is worth including here. In this photo she is coming into Ludlow Bay, off Admiralty Inlet, after transiting the Port Townsend Canal (75' width, nominally) from north to south, under sail alone. The canal was not as difficult as getting through Oak Bay and around Olele Point in light airs. At the point I "hoisted the iron jib" briefly to finally get around. I persist in making the landsman's error of trying to sail too close to points. My hard dinghy, Windin' Boy, is an 8' rowing/sailing Sinbad from the early '80s, made in Wisconsin. I don't have the boom and sail for it, and am considering a sprit sail. The other sailing necessaries are aboard. See Bruce Bingham's A Sailor's Sketchbook for advice regarding towing a hard dinghy in open waters. With a second bow shackle installed lower on the stem, my dinghy tows well, as when crossing Juan de Fuca Strait in wind waves over 4 feet, when he only shipped less than 1/2 gallon of water. Not the Gulf Stream, but a good test. In this photo you'll notice that CLOUDIE is on a starboard tack beam reach in light airs. The sails are Haarsticks. I yearn for a light air drifter, but get by with main and genoa. She is down on her lines, overloaded like many long-term cruisers. (Photo by Mike Carter)

[David Patterson]

Just a few local photos. One is a generic "sunrise in the anchorage" composition. Still one of my favorite scenes, to open the hatch early in the morning and take in the boats in the slanted light. The other is of a great blue heron against an illuminated rock background. The third is of lower low water slack in San Juan Channel, often a boiling river of counter currents. The lonely buoy is for Reid Rock, charted at 2 fathoms below datum. For the semi-diurnal tides here, my preferred time to cross this channel (especially under sail in light airs, as in this photo) is the lower of the two low water slacks each day. A longer slack period, and fewer residual currents.

[David Patterson]

A photo of a seaplane among some anchored boats in front of the Friday Harbor Labs of Washington University. It is there to take off into the wind. A seaplane had the right of way, of course. The unstated principle behind right of way rules is that the least maneuverable craft is accorded right of way, except in certain tie-breaker situations, which are few. Why that principle is not taught directly is mystery to me. Seaplanes are widely used among the islands of the Pacific Northwest, often the only way to transport people and goods quickly. I've been told that the pilots treat sailing vessels as essentially static objects, as the plane is landing or taking off. Given the relative speeds, they may as well be. Little CLOUD GIRL is to the far left. The row to the dinghy dock is less than 3/4 of a mile. Provisioning is easy.

[David Patterson]

Two topsail schooners anchored near Shaw Island, in this poorly detailed photo. ZODIAC and ADVENTURESS are showing proper anchor lights, rather than the current custom of a masthead light...if anything. At five or so stories above the water, on most cruising yachts, a masthead light may as well be a star when viewed from deck level, coming into an anchorage after dark. All attention is properly to the shape of the anchored boats. No one can do that, while craning their neck up at the mast tops for an ambiguous light high above. No more can a passage be guaranteed to get you to your anchorage during the day. What do the COLREGS say about suitable anchor lights? What actually works?

[David Patterson]

Cruising scenes and views from my little Cape Dory are in no danger of becoming trite, for me. Of the now hundreds of times I've looked out at the pre-dusk sky from beneath the boom tent, each look remains unique. Another sailor might notice the figure eight coil of the main sheet. Hal Roth's writing and photos (in How to Sail Around the World, I think) pointed out that line seems to "want" to coil that way. A very slight counterclockwise turn of the right wrist, when coiling into the left, allows the figure eight's to form. Valuably, the line then uncoils with more ease, less likely to jam in the cleat as the boom swings out. Jib sheets likewise are more likely to run free. A line anchor rode might be prepared in the same way. Small things can make a big difference when single handing. A cruiser under sail becomes a student, even a connoisseur, of the sky. Sunset has the advantage, often, of dramatic color. The sky just prior to sunset can be lovely as well, having the advantage of clarity of light. The moment shown was particularly fine, to me.

[David Patterson]

In Parks Bay, Shaw Island, one of the best well-protected ( except from the NW) anchorages of the San Juans, I've seen several Alberg and Cape Dory examples. Below are photos of an Alberg 30, QUASAR of Victoria BC, and John Vigor's former CD27, SANGOMA of Friday Harbor. The Alberg designs stand out in any anchorage, for their classic salty good looks.

[David Patterson]

Cape Dory 28 DRAGON TALE of Anacortes WA. Seen in Parks Bay, this boat is sailed out of Sydney BC by a long time cruising couple, about 1000 miles a year, down from their previous 1500. Well used and well loved.

[gates_cliff]

Love your photos and information. A few years ago, I was at a wedding at the C Lazy U Ranch, outside of Grandby CO. Driving along and saw a Cape Dory in someone's driveway, could this possible by the same boat? It struck me as how incongorous it was to see a Cape Dory so far above sea level and so far from the ocean.

Your boat is lovely by the way.

Thanks so much for sharing.

[David Patterson]

A fishing boat heads up San Juan Channel to or from seasonal fishing grounds. Fog in the background, from Upright Channel down to Cattle Pass, as the locals call it, after Cattle Point. (See the chart named San Juan Channel, free online from NOAA.) The buoy is a light marking a rock 2 fathoms under datum. Lower low tide slack, so it's calm on the channel. No rips, ripples, whirls, upwellings, or even wind waves are visible, as is more typical. My second reefing line for the main needs to be made more taut, to avoid a knot on my head when the boom switches tacks. I prefer to sail standing, if conditions allow. Good thing I'm only 5' 7". I'm willing to sacrifice a bit of sail shape to have the boom pass over my head. My mains'l is well cut for lighter airs sailing. I rarely adjust the outhaul. The boom height at the mast is fixed, on CLOUD GIRL, so I use the topping lift to raise it a little, of course.

[David Patterson]

There was an indigenous form of fishing, unique to the Salish Sea native peoples, called reef netting. A person would get above the surface far enough to see down into the sea, when over the reefs, far enough to spot schools of salmon (before the overfishing). He would signal when to release the nets for a good catch. I think only native tribes are allowed to fish this way now, or it is illegal. I'm not sure. This photo is of an abandoned reef netter, one of several at the shallow sinuous entrance to Fisherman Bay on Lopez Island. Hard to see it, but a large great blue heron is hulking in the center of the old hull, maybe imagining the good old days. Sunsets are spectacular behind the spit, with the old boats in silhouette. The occasional bald eagle perched on one makes the scene even more evocative.

[David Patterson]

One of the unusual San Juan Islands anchorages is the lagoon-like Fisherman Bay of Lopez Island. A narrow shallow S-shaped entrance leads to a mile or so long 2 fathom anchorage. It is an excellent challenge to get in and out under sail, even when the wind cooperates. I motored in from the fog, into a head wind, for my current visit. These photos show the entrance opening, a sunset, and a calm morning. Many San Juan Island anchorages are justifiably famous for their sunsets, out over the inland waterways toward the Pacific.

[barfwinkle]

Holy Crap David those pics rock!

Fair Winds

[David Patterson]

What a completely gratifying response, Bill. Thank you. All the photos are from my iPhone, and appreciative attention to where I am. I like them a lot too. Finding scenes to share really deepens my own appreciation.