Salish Sea Cruising 2014

[David Patterson]

Returning to CLOUD GIRL, Cape Dory 25D #85, slipped in Friday Harbor of the San Juans. On a sunny day of a warm late January, this view presented itself through the state ferry windows. A small mooring field of interesting sailing craft, it is near the village of Orcas, Orcas Island. The store at the dock still sells large and very good sandwiches, as they did to the old salmon fishing crews. One is more than a meal.

[David Patterson]

I spotted this coracle-like dinghy tied up in Friday Harbor. Some kind of oiled or plasticized canvas product over a wood frame. Farley Mowat has written that boats of this type were sea-going vessels of 50' or more in the north of Britain, and in the Channel, at the time of Ceaser's invasion. Hand hewn oar locks. In fact the only metal I could see on her were those two hose clamps on the port oar locks. I have a couple more photos of her, if someone wants them. She is only 8 or 9 feet long. Notice the laced together breast hook.

[pete faga]

David nice pictures and narrative as usual.
Looking forward to more.
Never saw oars shaped like that but I am sure they are functional.Probably not Shaw and Tenney!!
Best pete

[David Patterson]

Thanks, pete, I find this boat fascinating. I may go leave a contact note. It has been there a bit. Notice the ten gallons of water in her, though that could be only a heavy rain or two. She exudes a high quality artisanal look when viewed up close. Mowat says walrus hide was the preferred skin two millennia ago. I wonder how this boat's stitching was sealed. Would love to take it for a row. I'd even bail it as an exchange. Now I'm imagining what the owner's yacht is like.

[David Patterson]

I have just recalled where I read the most about this sort of construction. Timothy Severin has a book titled something like The Brendan Project. He sailed a skin boat to North America from Ireland, with a crew. A sort of experimental anthropologist, he has made a series of similar adventures using rebuilt ancient craft. Excellent reading for nautical types.

[tjr818]

I have just recalled where I read the most about this sort of construction. Timothy Severin has a book titled something like The Brendan Project. He sailed a skin boat to North America from Ireland, with a crew. A sort of experimental anthropologist, he has made a series of similar adventures using rebuilt ancient craft. Excellent reading for nautical types.

The Brendan Voyage...great book.

[David Patterson]

Restricted to the dock (as I will be for a few more days) a cruiser naturally examines what is nearby. I am struck by how lax some owners are when slipping their boats. The water doesn't freeze here, staying at roughly 45 degrees, but wind and waves continue if not worsen. Below is a photo of a boat without a counter acting bow line, though a cleat is available. The spring line, bow to midship, acts to pull the bow over toward the steel electrical box, with no restraint on it, no opposing force. Ideal would be to be between two finger docks, but few marinas offer that for smaller boats. Then there are the cleat hitches. An elegant and simple device that tightens on itself under load, yet is easy to release, it is often improperly done. Below are photos of one done properly and one done improperly. At the moment when a line must be tightened, or cast off, a tangled hitch will be difficult to release. If possible under strain. Besides, as one stone mason remarked on viewing an amateur's dry-laid stone wall, "It just hurts the eyes." Each bad choice I notice reminds me of my own learning process, and I wonder which ones I am still making.

[Sea Hunt Video]

That is certainly a properly done cleat hitch but if that is supposed to be a Flemish Flake I think it needs to be "tightened up" a bit.

[David Patterson]

Yeah, not much of a Flemish Flake. Back to that dinghy shown before. I spoke to the builder. It is his second small boat, the first being a 12 foot umiak. No design to guide him, he said he scavenged all of the materials except $50 worth of fasteners for the frame. The skin is from a roll of discarded pond liner, and the oar locks are carved of black locust. Most of the wood is from the beaches near Bellingham. He said it rows okay but wanders a bit. Laughing, he said he once had 9 (!!) people in it, leaving about an inch of freeboard. Ah, to be young again. The yacht that DINGUS is a tender for is a yellow cedar on white oak and black locust William Garden sloop from the '60s, which he and some friends rebuilt over 2.5 years. AQUILA. About 30'.

[David Patterson]

Once more on the dinghy theme: I proposed to the purser the notion of a little Trinka or Fatty Knees for the Captain's gig. He just gave me a level unblinking gaze and chuckled sardonically. My next try might be for one of the Orca series. Manufactured in the NW of fiberglass and carbon fiber, I find them exceedingly handsome, and moderately priced, as good dinghies go. A bit more substantial than the nonetheless well thought-out Walker Bays. Less expensive than Gig Harbors, I think. Maybe I can jar the purser loose for one. Hard dinghies of course can be rowed, an important point for my type II diabetic lifestyle needs, when cruising. Besides, I've kedged out an anchor in 20 plus knots rowing an inflatable before. Never again. One friend tells me I cruise like it's the '70s. I pointed out my boat wasn't built until 1982. Besides, I have a GPS on board. Below: an 8 footer and a 6.5 footer. I've no connection with this company. Looks like they would tow well. The builder of the primitive dinghy pictured above said it tows like a sea anchor.

[David Patterson]

Another in this flurry of postings I have made here. I'll slow down. I've sailed out of the Friday Harbor port marina, though I needed to back away from the slip under power into a slight stern wind. The frost on the sail cover was no deterrent. Even ghosting, as I was, gave sailing pleasure. Below are a winter look over San Juan Channel, a view of Friday Harbor from the water, and that William Garden '60s boat mentioned above. Notice the bowsprit, clipper bow, stern overhang, scuppers, and chain plates, all traditional sea boat design features of half a century ago. An unusually flat sheer. It is a cutter, not a sloop, obviously. Being anchored out is distinctly satisfying after the docks. It is possible to cruise year-round here, but December and January are the coldest months.

[Sea Hunt Video]

David

What website are you using for your photos - Picaso, Photo Bucket, Flicka, etc.

I am getting ready to once again try to learn how to post photos and would like to sign up with a photo website that is easy, simple and does not cost a lot to join.

Thanks,

[David Patterson]

Robert, I'm embarrassed to say that I post to Facebook for family, and here on capedory.org for public consumption by cruisers. Bob Dugan and others have kindly encouraged me to continue posting here, though I fear I over do it. Please let me know what you discover. By no means do I post all of my photos.

[Sea Hunt Video]

David:

No, I did not ask my question correctly. Sorry.

It is my understanding that you (or anyone who wants to post photos on the CDSOA website) have to contract with some company - Photobucket, Flicka, Picaso, etc. and upload ( ) your photo(s) to that website. From there you somehow convert or move the photo(s) that you posted to Photobucket, Flicka or Picaso from that website to the CDSOA website.

What I am asking is what website are you contracting with to upload your photos - Photobucket, Flicka, Picaso or other The reason I am asking is because your photos are beautiful but take a very long time to show up on the screen. Others who post photos seem to have photos show up very quickly. I am trying to understand the reason for different speeds.

I know I am not using the right terms, language, etc. Sorry. I ain't much on computer language.

[David Patterson]

I simply post from my iPhone camera roll, with no intermediary website. My guess about the slow loading is that they are being sent at a high resolution. I'll check to see if I can alter that on my phone. The quality may suffer, however. Thanks for letting me know about the loading speed problem. I didn't know, and I am not tech savvy.