Beyond My Known 2017

[David Patterson]

As San Juan Island passes can go, the dog leg of Obstruction Pass is fairly benign. Peavine Pass, south of Obstruction Island, has stronger currents. Still, when transiting at a boat speed of only 4 or 5 knots, 2 knots of current can be a real help or hindrance. Five years ago, almost to the day, I entered the San Juans through Peavine Pass, an uninformed pilgrim with not much idea of even what I needed to know. Today I tied the knot, somewhere in Rosario Strait, on my long track (for me) in the Salish Sea. My varied "motorboat passage" met the current changes well, as a northerly breeze sped up when I crossed the bottom of fiord-like East Sound of Orcas Island, and the open outlet of Georgia Strait into Rosario. The 20 mile chart track took me from Friday Harbor out of the San Juans, across Risario Strait, and along Lummi Island to Inati Bay. (Sorry for the blurry screen shots. A suitable chart is Juan de Fuca Strait to the Strait of Georgia.) The second photo shows an 8:30 AM scene toward Lopez Island about 3 hours after sunrise, as my phone camera saw it, the air heavy with smoke from BC fires. The last photo is of a happy gentleman, rowing his 20' or so sloop for pleasure and perhaps exercise, completely around an anchorage at least a tenth of a mile across. His engineless boat is set up with a sliding rowing seat and perfectly designed and balanced oars. At times he very leisurely rowed at a knot at least. In response to my query he apologized that he didn't have his hearing aid in, but his face had no difficulty conveying his satisfaction with boat and life. I think the peak of his jib was left up as a riding sail when at anchor...maybe.

[David Patterson]

A weekend trip to Bellingham (some locals call it Boatingham) yielded great benefits, for NAVIGARE was in the skilled hands of John, off the CD40 MINTAKA. He recognizes what a cruising pilgrim I still am, guided the work, and in fact did most of it. I was a motorboat-with-a-stick both going and coming, partly for direct routing and partly because she's still not fully set up to sail, mostly in the cabin. SOG can actually be slower motoring, but courses are certainly more efficient. One yard in Bellingham seems to be a place for big wooden hull restorations. The first photo block shows a burned hull, maybe a former tug, ready. Another tug, Canadian, is on its way to life as a "lounge boat" (restaurant/bar) in Mexico. Built 1911, she survived to enter the tourist trade. Note her very large prop, set up for powerful torque and not speed. The second photo is from the top of Rosario Strait, looking toward the mighty Strait of Georgia, beyond those islands. Early in the ebb, I'm motoring a course to port, once I pass Boulder Reef, expecting aid in crossing toward Orcas Island. That fog bank almost 7 miles away dissipated in time for me to transit Obstruction Pass with good visibility and nearly two extra knots from a following current. Last are some mostly wood boats in my anchorage, at the end of my 20 mile passage. Two large gaff-rigged topmost schooners happened to be in together, their paying crews hollering their delight at the meeting. ADVENTURESS is nearest, ZODIC is farther. Both frequent this protected convenient anchorage. I tell them apart at a distance by the fact that I've never seen ZODIAC with her fore topmast up. The small s/v looks like a Kettenberg to my inexperienced eye, but the owner told me she is an Alden, designed in '36, launched in '41. A modern Canadian builder does motor yachts like the one also pictured. Maybe this one is recent, but how classic she looks.

[David Patterson]

Two reliable cruising pleasures, for me, are observing the variety of sailing craft in these waters and the making of passages...even short ones as a motorboat. With two of my daughters aboard for crew, I took them for exercise and diversion to a very popular marine park. Our motoring route returning to a protected anchorage also illustrates part of the interior of the San Juan archipelago. Out in San Juan Channel we were overtaken by 160' LOA ZODIAC, making 6 knots in a 10 knot breeze, under plain sail except for that inner jib. In a rare night in a slip (for getting one daughter introduced to being aboard without much water motion or swing) NAVIGARE was among the smaller sailing craft also in, though several were smaller. In the generally benign conditions of July and August in the San Juans, small sailboats gather in the San Juans and Canada's Gulf Islands, sure of a fine cruising experience and of excellent anchorages. The middle left may be an Alberg design. In the composite photo you might also note NAVIGARE's current robust bow anchors (many thanks to John). Since she anchors out almost exclusively, anchor options matter, as does security on the hook. Not every month here is as typically mild as July and August, that is certain.

[David Patterson]

Sky and sea-scapes hold continual fascination for me, enhancing my cruising and my life aboard. I've had many a fine moment absorbed in the scenes available to me in the Salish Sea and above. A recent glance at the sky in my current anchorage in the San Juans held me rapt, until I finally picked up my phone camera for a photo. The same was true of the second photo, which was from my first season here in 2012. I made a first circumnavigation under sail of Sucia Island, capturing the November afternoon sky. That was back when I was under the delusion that everyone with a sailboat actually sailed her, so I was determined to sail mine, even in these frequently difficult waters. It was a mild fall, thankfully, for I was also unfamiliar with the possible NW winds of autumn, essentially unoriented. The saying that god takes care of fools comes to mind. The last photo was from early June of 2016, above the Salish Sea, in the Discovery Islands. The scene is looking up little-visited Nodales Channel toward the coastal range of BC mountains. I had hoped to get farther north than that this year, but it's not to be. Maybe in 2018.

[David Patterson]

In fine Ewing Cove of much-loved Sucia Island, NAVIGARE rafted with CD40 MINTAKA for two days of visiting. Each of our CD dinghies were along: NAVIGARE's little 7' 7" LAGNIAPPE, and MINTAKA's restored CD14 SKREVNÅL, which sails beautifully. The first photo is of my route into the current-swept cove. Second is the two larger boats rafted stern to bow (out of respect for ship wakes possible out of Rosario Strait). The third is a limited look at the dinghies. Overall, a small group of three Cape Dory builds and of two Alberg designs.

[David Patterson]

Passage planning in Salish Sea waters means attending to winds, tidal currents, and crew cababilities at a minimum...even if one intends to be a motorboat. Having crossed the east end of Juan de Fuca Strait from San Juan Island's Cattle Pass/Middle Passage at least a half dozen times now (usually under sail) I'm familiar with the considerations. Right now I'm looking at Monday Sept 4 as a date to cross. The prior ebb is ending by about 8AM, the subsequent flood beginning about 2PM. Winds are to be 5-15 knots NW, or Force 2 to Force 4 on the Beaufort scale, with wind waves at 2' or less. Not only fair for a crossing, but with the currents. Crew capabilities -mine as a single-hander- matter because the distance is 28-30 nautical miles from Fish Creek of SJI to Port Townsend in Admiralty Inlet. At 7 to 9 hours the passage can get very tiring, especially without auto steering, as is currently true on NAVIGARE. At a proper point I'll likely heave to for rest and lunch. Preferable timing is to exit Cattle Pass at the end of the flood, riding the ebb to Admiralty Inlet, entering there just before the young flood into the Inlet. Early arrival can be problematic, given wind-over-tide conditions at the entrance. Been there; didn't like it. (Thereon hangs a tale of near-gale winds and square-faced 3' waves.) So, a well-paced crossing is preferred in a small sailing craft, even if motoring. First photo is of the currents at the end of the flood. The current running east to the south of Lopez Island is the one I hope to catch. Soon after, all of those cubic miles of sea water ebb south, aiding the crossing. Six hours later, in the second photo, a beginning east-running current before the flood sets up along Whidby Island, on the NE of the Inlet entrance. I like to try for that to boost me in, and to avoid being pulled toward potentially rugged conditions by Point Wilson. No fun there. Once in the Inlet, another 8 miles remains across busy shipping lanes. One hopes for good visibility. Freighters and cruise ships move at 20 knots there, long tows at 3 or less. The last photo is of an ideal passage route which avoids hazards, minimizing time in shipping lanes and staying off the Whidby Naval Station's small arms range. This 2016 passage was long at almost 7 hours of motoring in very light airs followed by 2 hours of sailing in more favorable winds. 28.7 nautical miles at a 3.2 knot average. The timing was excellent, for once. My tiller pilot was invaluable for that crossing. I'll miss it (and the tiller!) on my coming crossing. If I motor, my average speed will be higher. Still, timing counts.

[David Patterson]

Anchored for the 40+ year old boat festival in Port Townsend, I'm glad to have had a comparatively uncomplicated set of passages. The festival, young by some standards, is a highlight of the cruising year in the Salish Sea. Three passages at or before first light brought me across Juan de Fuca Strait from the San Juans: first one to Friday Harbor from a more quiet anchorage, then one from Friday Harbor to near Cattle Pass/Middle Passage, followed that evening by one through the pass to the old Lopez Island port of Richardson, and on the third morning a 27 mile 6 hour passage across Juan de Fuca to Port Townsend. For various reasons from health to winds, all were motorboat passages. The first photo is of the old wharf at Richardson, once one of the busiest in the San Juans due to proximity to the Salmon Banks. Exhaustion of the fishing, followed by a fire, put an end to its functioning. The remnant is a random collection of residences, primarily, becoming more sought after as housing becomes more scarce locally. Not to mention vacationers. Alone in the anchorage, I left with the tide in the dark wee hours, aided by starlight. 80% of the world's population cannot even see the stars due to ambient light interference, I read. Starlight can provide a meaningful % of daylight level light, without much manmade light around. So it was for me as I took my pre-planned compass course out among the rocks and dark islands. Careful protection of my night vision by using red lights helped. Once well into the Strait, in the second photo, I witnessed the very moment of dawn through the smoke of western fires. The front edge of a fog followed me, astern, for the first few hours. The last photo is a chart (not much detail) with the track of my crossing. My route minimized my time in the traffic lanes, useful in low-light conditions. Looking at it's complexity, I'm reminded that a certain literacy with charts must be built up to cruise safely. Nor will some chart plotters function as a fair substitute. The Standard Horizon plotter that came with my current boat has graphics that are so crude as to be laughable. But it gives me the accurate time and speed over the ground. My iNavX app (I've no association) yields the chart itself. By the way, the Marine Traffic app provides AIS info for those of us without an AIS receiver aboard or who simply would like a backup. It's easy to get so focussed on electronics screens as to miss the floating logs in these waters. Or other boats. Ask the Navy. I crossed Admiralty Inlet from Admiralty Head to help me manage the 2.5 knot current running out of the Inlet, since I had arrived early. [For the dozen or so of you who follow me regularly, be ready for affectionate photos of fine old boats and high craftsmanship from the festival...if I have time.]

[Steve Laume]

That looks like the chart I would see in my nightmares. There is a whole lot going on there, even without the currents tossed into the mix.

Be safe and thanks for posting, Steve.

[David Patterson]

These are not showboats, part of the festival, only small local boats in a marina. Port Townsend may be the most sailing and wooden boat oriented community in the Salish Sea. First is a Scamp, designed at the Maritime Academy with the input of the adventurer Howard Rice. Fun to build, sail, and even cruise, they are increasingly seen. I wouldn't be surprised if one had participated in the Race to Alaska. Another sleek hard-chine boat is someone's good craftsmanship. Notice the rake of the mast. Last is a true log raft. "I just launched it today!" the builder called out as he meandered by. Steering a course is not its strong point. Doesn't take much to get on the water. The festival boats will gather in the old Coast Guard basin for the festival, starting tomorrow. That odd light in the first two photos is from smoky air. Large western fires are burning, one pretty close.

[tjr818]

"...Another sleek hard-chine boat is someone's good craftsmanship...."

Could that be a Thunderbird? I have seen that shape before.

[David Patterson]

Variously, a halibut schooner from around 1910, a spectacularly done rowing shell (Whitehall?), and a fairly extreme stern overhang. Notice the smoky sky over the schooner. And yes, Tim, I believe that to have been a plywood Thunderbird.

[David Patterson]

The Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend is slightly muted this year, yet well attended. Below are photos of the boat basin before and after the boats arrived. Another shot shows a line of schooner masts from the other end of the basin. My presentation on Surge Narrows under Sail was satisfactory. I look forward to more attention to the gathered boats in the next two days.

[David Patterson]

An area of the festival in Port Townsend is given over to classic yachts of the Vito Dumas and Pardey's sort. VITO DUMAS was in again this year, for a chance to study a boat that typifies that of his WWII circumnavigation, his claim on freedom of the seas in wartime. Likewise a boat was in (didn't get her name, sorry) built on the Lyle Hess plans for the Pardeys' TALEISIN, designed classically by Lyle Hess. At 41' overall on a not quite 30' hull, her shippy look belies her modest hull length. One detail I noted was the bronze drip channels installed in the cabin skylight. A built-in solar panel is also evident. From the 80's came TUMBLEHOME, her Jetsons styling including all sorts of innovations, from a swiveling foil mast to a hard dodger to a very retro-looking small microwave in the galley.

[David Patterson]

Some leftovers from the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival.... Details of the 68' 107 year old schooner MARTHA. Illustrative of another age, and a venerable survivor.

[David Patterson]

I'll post a few more random photos from my limited cruising life recently, a couple more times before I stop. NAVIGARE goes to her winter slip on 9/15, among fishing boats and the CG Cutter OSPREY, in the commercial basin of the Port of Port Townsend. Two weeks to settle the boat and I'll be off on winter family visits, hoping to be back by early January. My cruising rhythm gives me 250 plus days a year on the hook, away from the forced propinquity of marina life (which I'm aware many cruisers seek and prefer). This cruising year was "beyond my known" in unanticipated ways, mostly limited by health issues now (hopefully) behind me. I'm yearning for a more free 2018. The first photo is just for the beauty of it. A smoky sky diffuses early morning sun over someone's schooner, anchored out in broad Port Townsend. Second, a folkboat at the dock reminds that Alberg's designs, though having far greater hull volume, are allegedly foakboat-based. Third is a photo of the forward keel of an old wooden work/fishing boat. That iron fitting intrigues me. For catching a log to keep from riding up over it? A line or net catcher? Neither or both? The L-shaped repair has a desperate air about it, perhaps due to hitting something. A difficult leak, no doubt. (Thanks, John.)