It's a GRANDE Life--Living Large

Winter Crabbing 2011

2011-12-28T10:53:00.000-08:00

25 December 2011, MY LAST CHANCE FOR WINTER CRABBING

The last weather report I heard from KIRO-TV for Sunday, Christmas Day, was “breezy”.

Well here I am at anchor in the lee of Gedney Island at 1358 with two crab pots down awaiting the 1600 slack tide. I cleared the Gedney Island buoy on the SE corner at 1252 after an exciting ride.

With little fear of “breezy” conditions I left Lake Union at 0900 hours and cleared the
locks in Ballard by 0945. After pumping-out Whisper’s holding tank at Shilshole in driving rain, “we” (Whisper & I) cleared the north end of the breakwater to find 16 knots of southerly “breeze” around Meadow Point. Turning 2800R RPMs we were making 7.5 knots SOG. One hour later we were between Point Wells and Edmonds where we had to slow down to clear the westbound ferry in gusts to 32 knots.
By this time the seas had built to 4 feet right on the stern and we were surfing. With the ferry out of the way, the winds built to the mid to upper 30s with the highest gust I saw at 46.9 kts. Hitting a high speed of 9.1 kts, six tons of sailboat is a handful!

Surfing down the face of 6’ waves with winds in the 40’s, the side dodger curtains
released their snaps and were flapping in the “breeze”. I managed to wedge the starboard curtain on top of the dodger, under the cockpit cover (bimini). I was
hopeful that I could make the lee of Gedney Island to reassemble the dodger before
some of its parts became jetsam.

As we sit at anchor in the lee of Gedney, all parts are secure, including the skipper. When i have the chance, I resolve to change-out the dodger curtain snaps for twist lock fittings.

With the trusty Ardic diesel heater warming the cabin, it is time for some nourishment and reading until it is time for retrieve the crab pots.

More to come...

CRABBING--Summer Season 2010

2010-07-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

July 2nd, 2010--Yesterday was the opening day of the summer crab season in Region 10, Seattle to Bremerton. I set my crab pot off the breakwater at Shilshole Bay and got skunked 4 times. After setting it for the 5th time, the second in a new location, at 4:00PM, I left it overnight. I spent last night at the dock in Shilshole Marina. While there I opened Adobe Photoshop to collect images from 2008 & 2009 just to prove that I knew what I was doing when I began this blog.

This is NOT from 2008 or 2009! When I retrieved my pot at 10:00 this morning I had company. After throwing back two females, I still had 5 keeper males. All 5 were in excess of 6-1/2", with the largest measuring 7".

Whisper under genoa, sailing to Brownsville Marina for an SSYC overnight, prior to entering Liberty Bay to raft-up for their fireworks on Saturday, July 3rd.

While I had planned to lay-up in Port Madison to clean & cook what crab I had while waiting for slack water in Agate Pass, the wind is good enough that I will sail all of the way to Brownsville and do the crab deed there.

The crab deed is done.

I know, I know. When you think of Joe, it's just "Crab, crab, crab!"

The weekly crabbing days are Wednesday through Saturdays, so since the weather is predicted for the high 80's to low 90's, I plan to crab on Wednesday.

More to come?

Seattle's Opening Day

2010-05-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

OUT OF THIS WORLD was the theme of the 2010 Opening Day of Yachting, sponsored by Seattle Yacht Club.

For the fourth year in a row Whisper turned out to compete in the category of Dressed Sail. The particulars are that you have international code flags arrayed on the fore and back stays in a prescribed order; a champagne bottle just breaking the water from the bow and the crew must be uniformly attired.

Lining both port and starboard rails, Whisper's crew of 17 aliens performed impeccably. Obviously the judges missed something, since in a field of eight, we only got third.

After three years of First Place, it was time to spread the wealth.

WINCH REPACKING--Another Lesson Learned

2010-03-25T04:04:00.000-07:00

Even if your winches are just out of the box brand new, they need to be repacked. Lewmar, and possibly other manufacturers, ship their winches with a heavier grease that needs replacing.

My first focus was on Whisper's two primary genoa winches, since they sit out in the weather in the cockpit.

It's a messy job, but rewarding as well. Here are all of the parts ready for oiling, greasing & reassembly.

The main shaft stripped of the gears.

Care should be taken to keep grease off of the pawls--they only get a light machine oil.

Here is the Lewmar 44 assembled & ready for the drum.

Once assembled, what a difference! They now spin much easier.

My next job will be repacking the Maxwell windlass which must get lots of abuse inside the bow anchor locker. Once that is done I will attack the 2 smaller winches inside the dodger.

If you haven't repacked your winches, you should. If you don't want to repack your winches--give me a call.

The WING is KING!

2010-02-12T09:10:00.001-08:00

In the pre-race maneuvering today, Alinghi 5 fouled USA 17 and was protested by BMW Oracle. A 270 degree penalty was assessed. After stalling above the start line, USA 17 was 660 meters behind Alinghi.

Here BMW Oracle takes off, literally, after Alinghi. In 6-8 knots of headwind, USA 17, same boat, was able to catch, pass and out-point Alinghi.

BMW Oracle passes during the first leg.

AMAZING! With the true wind at 160-165 degrees blowing at 8 knots, BMW Oracle is able to sail at 24+ knots at 26 degrees. Here you can see the panels of the articulating wing main sail. With the boat built in Anacortes, it is a technological marvel!

Race #2 in the best of 3 is now scheduled for Sunday, Feb 14th. It is streamed live on americascup dot com (you know I can't put the link here.

Check it out!

Whisper Splashed--FINALLY!

2009-11-20T14:44:00.001-08:00

With proper project management, Whisper could have gone in the water by Friday, September 23rd. While this image is date stamped November 1st, Whisper did not splash until Tuesday, November 10th.

Even on the 10th, it could have easily been as early as 2PM. With little project management and NO customer service, it didn't happen until 4:45. Do you know how early sunset happens in those latitudes on Nov 10th? Was I going to spend another night in Nanaimo? NOT!

If you want to see what I saw running Dodd Narrows at 6:00 PM, close your eyes real tight. After running into 18 knot winds, I dropped Whisper's anchor in a cove on the north end of Thetis Island at 8:00. Wednesday was a 78NM run to Friday Harbor.

Thursday morning friend Gary Bradley arrived via Kenmore Air. We left Friday Harbor with fuel & water tanks topped off.

You can see from this photo that we had a smooth crossing of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, now a part of the Salish Sea. With a decent ebb current running against us we saw our SOG drop from 6.4 to 2.8 knots. The wind finally came up enough south of Bush Point to unfurl the genoa and motorsail. That strategy got us almost an added knot. It took us 13 hours to run the 60NM through the Ballard Locks to M/V Lucky Dog at Sagstad Marina.

Whisper finished the short trip home to Lake Union on Friday. It was a good decision to make the trip when we did! The next day the storm track settled in & it has been windy & rainy ever since.

Is it good to be home? Silly question, he says.

Winter crab season is open in the Seattle/Bremerton region 24/7 so we will venture out this Sunday in search of Dungeness.

Fair Winds!

Seattle to San Diego--Part 2

2009-10-03T15:43:00.000-07:00

The last leg of our trip was Santa Barbara to San Diego. By leaving SB mid morning we knew we would be approaching San Diego 24 hours later during daylight. The three of us rotated our watches, 3 hours on & 6 hours off watch.

Point Loma lighthouse from inside San Diego harbor.

Furthur is equipped with two radars and chartplotter with Automated Information Service-B. AIS-B uses GPS & VHF technology to notify other AIS equipped vessels with your information. This information includes name, type of vessel, heading, speed over ground (SOG) and your bearing. This same information appears on your chartplotter for other AIS contact vessels. During my final watch from midnight to 0300 while passing seaward of the Long Beach Vessel Traffic System (VTS), I had some challenging excitement.

With no moon but clear skies, we had the lights of Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island behind us on our starboard quarter. Derek was in quarters & Brian was asleep in the pilot berth behind me. At 0200 two blips appeared on radar off our starboard bow six & eight miles out. I watched as they approached our heading. AIS-B revealed that the closest ship was the Orion Express making 16.4 knots, obviously heading NW for the Longbeach Harbor VTS lane. The second ship was the APL Holland, further out to starboard but closing on Orion's heading making 21 knots. Who would get "there" first? But more importantly, how was I to deal with them? Furthur was on autopilot making 7.5 knots, turning 1050 RPMs.

As I plotted my solution, it became obvious, IF NOTHING CHANGED, that we would safely pass between them as they closed on Longbeach. I maintained course and speed.

The lead vessel crossed our bow at 1 nautical mile (NM). The APL Holland crossed astern 1.25 NM. About ten minutes later when our bow began to pitch, Brian woke up. In an excited voice he said, "What did you do, change our course?" Calmly I informed him, "No, that's just the wake of a freighter."

As we near the end of 10 days at sea Derek rejects Brian's obvious show of gratitude and affection.

Are they dolphin or porpoise? I haven't checked yet but we saw hundreds of them. Here are six of them surfing our bow wave.

Santa Cruz knew we were coming & had this stenciled on the dock ramps. No one had told them that ours was a dry voyage.

From Seattle to San Diego by Sea

2009-09-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

I flew from Victoria to SeaTac on Saturday, Sept 19th and boarded Furthur on Lake Union. Furthur is a Selene 48 Ocean Trawler, powered by a 330hp Cummins diesel. Skipper Brian Calvert, a fellow skipper in the Seattle Singles Yacht Club, plans to circumnavigate the Pacific Ocean. The first step is to move Furthur to San Diego & so I signed on. We slipped our lines at 1945 & made for the locks in Ballard.

The 10 knot westerlies in the Strait of Juan de Fuca had built to 25 knots out of the NW, so we ducked into Port Hudson for the night. Leaving the next morning at 0530
we enjoyed this view of the spires of Cape Flattery at 1700.

We ran nonstop to Bodega Bay, north of San Francisco.

We are traveling in tandem with Big Chill, a Selene 43, that will end up in Alabama.

Derek gets ready to photograph a pod of feeding California blue whales.

Here you see these baleen whales feeding on krill.

As I key this in, we are in Santa Cruz, California, having arrived here at 2100 last night. We are docked at the Santa Cruz Yacht Club. We are currently 310 nm from San Diego & will likely stop in Santa Barbara along the way.

After two days of coastal fog, the day is clear. A good day to be on the water!

Repairs Continue...

2009-09-26T07:15:00.001-07:00

On Friday, Sept 4th, I returned to Seattle for the week after Labor Day. Back in Nanaimo on the 15th, the work had progressed.

The hull exterior & keel trunk were being ground down to the new layups on the inside.

This is the "T" beam rewelded in place after gyping in the front portion of timber.

The keel bolt holes have been redrilled through the multiple layers of new glass, amounting to 7/8".

I left Nanaimo on Friday, Sept 19th, to travel from Seattle to San Diego on an ocean trawler, but that is another blog.

In my absence Extreme Fiberglass Solutions will gype & glass in the new bulkhead/stringers, smooth out & gelcoat the interior. When I return to Nanaimo on Oct 1st, we should be close to returning to the marina to reintroduce Whisper to her keel.

YAHOO! The Layups Begin

2009-09-02T15:08:00.001-07:00

After extensive grinding on previous days, today the laying up of layers of various kinds of fiberglass began.
This image shows the first build up of many layers. Initially, several layers were laminated to fill the hole in the forward port side of the keel trunk followed by 5 more layers.

This will be faired out & followed with more and wider layers. The outside of the hull will then be ground down to this new construction to remove all of the damaged layers from the outside.

Stay tuned after the holiday weekend for the ongoing saga...

A Busy Day--A Lot Got Done

2009-09-01T17:48:00.001-07:00

As you can see, a lot of grinding happened today including the removal of two more bulkheads.

This image was taken from the back of the cabin looking forward.

This view is actually from the bow looking back and is two images stitched together.

Tomorrow grinding will begin on the starboard outside of the keel trunk.

It's Monday--another day in Nanaimo

2009-08-31T19:42:00.001-07:00

This the bulkhead/stringer that you saw yesterday in one piece now cut apart to reveal the "T" beam that will be rewelded on either end with new wood & glassed in place.

This is where the new bulkhead/stringer will go. This is looking forward to the head of the keel trunk.

This is that same section from the bow end of Whisper. Tomorrow, Tuesday, reglassing the outside of the keel trunk will begin.

Weekend Work

2009-08-31T06:17:00.001-07:00

Saturday, Toby ground down the port side of the keel trunk to reveal the damaged fiberglass along the entire side. The lighter beige color indicates fracturing. After more feathering to the hull, this area will be reglassed on the outside before the inside is ground to meet the new glass.

This is where the main bulkhead/stringer used to be in front of the keel trunk that supported the compression post & mast. It was removed on Sunday, Aug 30th.

This is the cut out section. Note the "T" beam that shows on either end.

This is the "T" beam that will be built into the new bulkhead/stringer, once it is liberated.

It is now Monday morning. I am eager to see what can be accomplished this week.

...and the Beat Goes On

2009-08-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

This is where it happened on one of the reefs while exiting Porlier Pass. While I put a waypoint on a rock, you will note that the red line to the left goes nowhere near any rocks. The range of this shot is 1 NM from top to bottom.

The red line is the track that the vessel leaves on the chartplotter and cannot be altered. I have traced Whisper's track and she crossed neither reef nor rock according to her chartplotter. You can see this in this range of 1/32 NM.

Apparently, what we have is the discrepancy between the chart datum of 1984 which precedes the introduction of GPS and its accuracy.

LESSON LEARNED: When in tight quarters--SLOW DOWN and WATCH YOUR DEPTH!

The rudder post was bent about 3 degrees to port & has to come off.

The nose of the keel trunk showing the fractures.

The keel ground down for reglassing.

After the insurance company's surveyor inspected on Friday, Aug 28th, the decision was made to truck Whisper to the shop to expedite repairs.

Loading on the lowboy.

Ready to roll through Nanaimo.

Backing into Extreme Fiberglass Solutions' shop.

Whisper is swallowed up by the large interior.

Tomorrow, Saturday, Aug 29th, the next phase begins...

Stay tuned; there is more to come. . .

The Repairs Begin. . .

2009-08-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

After a week of waiting, with no word from my insurance company, I authorized repairs to begin on Monday, August 24th.

Who says repair has to be costly & extensive? Some Sikoflex & Duct Tape and we're going back in the water.

Just kidding...we are going in briefly to remove the mast.

Today we noticed that when the rudder hit it was torqued to port.

On the Travelift to unstep the mast to relieve pressure on the keel through the compression post.

The mast comes off.

Six of the nine nuts are off & Toby of Extreme Fiberglass Solutions works to free the keel.

Exposing the hull/keel joint.

The keel is off.

The mast is unstepped & the keel is off. Tomorrow, Aug 25th, the dust begins to fly.

Summer Cruising Comes to an End--ABRUPTLY!

2009-08-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

Aft of compression post--starboard side fractures.

Cabin sole removed & pan cut away.

Cabin sole pan--prior to cut away.

Keel & hull port side.

Coming out of the water at Newcastle Marina.

What have you just seen? Read on...

While, All good things must come to an end, is a familiar quote, I did not appreciate its recent application!

On Monday, August 17th, I pulled Whisper's anchor out of Conover Cove on Wallace Island at 0640 and made slow progress toward Porlier Pass at 1500 RPM, waiting for the tide to turn. By 0830 with Porlier Pass in front of me, I increased RPMs to 2800 and watched the SOG (Speed Over Ground), normally 6.1 knots, increase to 8.4.

Once clear of the pass with its swirls & eddys and with my route across the Strait of Georgia already entered into my chartplotter, I zeroed in on the location of Musket Island near Jervis Inlet, my day's destination. Having located Musket Island, my gaze shifted to Whisper's depthsounder which had shot from 98 to 20.6 feet. I immediately reduced speed & hit the "Find Ship" soft key on my chartplotter. Simultaneously, Whisper bucked to an ABRUPT halt. Caught in the rocks with a flodding current, we wallowed for about 5 seconds, that felt like forever.

First thing to do was to get clear of the rocks and then to assess Whisper's condition. Whisper maintained propulsion & the rudder worked. I went below to discover chaos. After a quick return to the helm to insure course & safety, I removed the cabin sole to find fractures to the hull all along the starboard side of the keel. The bilge pump was working, but not totally keeping up with the water level. With use of the manual Whale Gusher pump at the helm every 10 to 15 minutes the automatic pump would shut off.

While not in a MAYDAY situation, it was time to contact the Coast Guard. Using my Uniden handheld at the helm I hailed the Coast Guard on Channel 16. Port Angeles Coast Guard responded with Victoria listening. Victoria took over & we switched to 83A; I described our condition. With Whisper making way at 5 knots and winds out of the NNW at 12-14kts, I told them my destination would be Nanaimo. They asked that I aprise them every half hour beginning at 1000.

Wind waves were 1-2 feet. To take them head on would result in too much pounding of the hull and so I quartered them--tacking up the east side of Valdes Island. At the 1000 check-in, Victoria Coast Guard informed me that they had dispatched a rescue vessel from Nanaimo to meet me in approx 45 minutes.

Fearing the wind waves outside of Gabriola Island on the north side rounding to Nanaimo, I chose to go inside of Gabriola Pass and take Dodd Narrows on the flood. As I was entering the east channel of Gabriola Pass at 1130 with Victoria Coast Guard on the VHF, a 25' Coast Guard Canada Rescue inflatable appeared on Whisper's port quarter with a crew of six. Acting as a guide dog, they pointed me through the slowest current. Even at that, turning 3000 RPM which will normally result in 7 knots through the water, at times Whisper was only able to make .3 knot SOG and some of that was crabbing. It felt like we were standing still.

Gabriola Pass has two narrows. Once through the first & most trecherous one, we pulled into the north bay to assess our situation. One of the crew, Eric Ross, joined me on Whisper to give me helm relief while I cleaned up Whisper's interior. Eric gave me the helm for both narrow passages & docking in Nanaimo.

We turned into Newcastle Marina at 1300 with my adrenaline in short supply.

As I post this blog, I am quartered in the Moby Dick motel in Nanaimo with Whisper on the hard a long block away. We got here Monday at 1300. I phoned claim information into my insurance broker to initiate a claim with the insurer. It is now Thursday morning and I am still waiting for that claims adjuster phone call.

In the meantime I have prepped the rigging to lift the mast: removed the mainsail, boom, boomvang & genoa; lifted the cabin sole and cut away the pan for damage inspection.

And now I wait...

Too late am I reminded of the watchword of the U.S. Maritime Academy: ALWAYS KNOW WHERE YOU ARE! Some lessons are too late learned.

Living on the hard & thankful to be safe,

Joe

A CRUISING SUMMER--2009

2009-08-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've been away from my blog for awhile! Gone, but not forgotten.

Whisper & I left Lake Union on June 1st to cruise for 3 months. June was for the south Sound; July was Race Week (adult summer camp) in Oak Harbor from the 12th to the 17th. On Thursday night Alan & Wendy Vogt showed up aboard Blue Fin on their way to the San Juans. We left with them Friday morning to run the ebb tide through Deception Pass. We spent the night at Spencer Spit crabbing as we could.

After 2 weeks with them and other SSYC club boats in both the San Juan & Canadian Gulf Islands, I returned to Seattle. That was a sail motor of 11.5 hours from Spencer Spit through Deception Pass to Shilshole Bay. The occasion was my mother's 94th birthday.

Joining Gail Kalbrener & Dalliance in Poulsbo for the Lats & Atts festivities, we left there on Sunday for our annual buddy boating adventure in the San Juans.

Whisper & I are currently in Friday Harbor. We will overnight in Parks Bay on Shaw Island, leaving with the tide in the morning for Bedwell Harbour (Canadian Customs) enroute to Wallace Island and Conover Cove for Monday night. Tuesday we will cross the Strait of Georgia on our way to a week in Desolation Sound. Alan said the water in Prideaux Haven was 85-90 degrees when they were there in July.

Since internet connections are spotty in Desolation Sound, I thought I had better get this posted.

Fair winds!

An Anchoring Sail Added to Whisper's Wardrobe

2009-05-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

In preparation for leaving Seattle & Lake Union for the months of June, July & August, I came across an ad in SAIL magazine for a Florida company. One of their products is the FinDelta Anchoring Sail. The use of this type of sail dampens a vessel's natural tendency to "sail" with the apparent wind while at anchor. This can be especially helpful in a tight anchorage where one is unable to utilize the Grande' Stern Reel (more later about that).

Here is Whisper prior to deployment of the FinDelta with it still in its bag. This is the first deployment while at the dock to set the line lengths.
Just before the clouds opened up with rain I was able to retension the lines.

This is my other tool for anchoring with stern-to-shore in the San Juan & Canadian Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound. It is a spool of 400' of poly line with a tensile strength of 900#.

If you are interested in the FinDelta, contact Banner Bay Marine. If, on the other hand, you want information on the Grande' Stern Reel--that would be ME!

Within two weeks you will be able to follow my "Sailing Saga of the Summer of 2009" here in my blog.

See you on the water?

...And Then There Was Bike #3!

2009-05-07T13:42:00.000-07:00

I returned from my week in the British Virgin Islands (more about that later) in time to participate in Opening Day of Yachting Season (m.a.t.l.). Having been gone from Wednesday afternoon through Sunday for the Seattle Yacht Club festivities, I returned to my marina home to discover my bike was GONE!

Bike #1, a West Marine Port Runner folding bike, was purchased July 24th of last year prior to my sailing trip to Desolation Sound. It was stolen from in front of the marina on October 27th.

Enter bike #2. Back to West Marine to buy a Montague CX with 26" wheels, 21 speed. That is the bike that disappeared this past weekend.

And now to bike #3. After searching eBay, I made yet another trip to West Marine. Now I temporarily possess a Montague DX, 18 speed folding bike. After two trips to R.E.I. for a lock, lights, rear view mirror, back wheel platform with pannier pack it begins to resemble its predecessor.

With increased security on my part and any luck at all, #3 will remain in my possession for the long term (that means more than 12 months).

Got wheels Grande!

Retrieving Severed Anchor & Splicing Rode

2009-03-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

Saturday, March 14th, Whisper went sailing on Lake Washington to meet up with SURT out of Kirkland. With winds gusting to 28 knots, we reached back & forth between Kirkland & Sand Point. SURT was under genoa only, while Whisper was under only a reefed main. We had a good ride.

The plan was to raft up about 4:00PM in Cozy Cove between Hunts & Yarrow Points. Whisper was first so we dropped anchor in 12 feet of water and paid out 90' of rode (30' of 3/8" chain + 60' of 3 strand nylon). After about 30 minutes, M/V Lucky Dog showed up with SURT following in another half hour. M/V Lucky Dog paid out all chain as we settled into our 3 boat raft.

With our anchor lines at a significantly oblique angle, Gary decided to reposition his anchor. Without a lot of detail, suffice it to say that Whisper came away with no anchor and missing 94' of rode. It wasn't lost since I knew right where it was.

Wednesday the salvage crew set out to retrieve Whisper's ground tackle.

Ron Voss crafted a gaff hook with weights to rake the bottom. With a fender to mark the anchor's location, within 90 minutes Ron was successful.

Now the end to end splice (see accompanying slide show)...

Click to view.

Whisper's anchor locker is filled once more.

"Thank you's" to Gary, Ron, Larry & Darilyn, who came along for moral support AND brought banana bread!

"Whisper" Gets a New Bottom

2009-03-03T09:14:00.000-08:00

We, Whisper & I, slipped dock lines at 1145 on Wednesday, destination--the back bay at Port Ludlow. We cleared Shilshole channel at 1255; passed Point No Point at 1500 & dropped anchor by 1700 in Port Ludlow. With a following wind in the 20kt range we unfurled the genoa to her reef point and motor sailed north. At the peak, winds gusted to 31.5kts. It was a great ride.

I awoke Thursday at 0430 to find 2" of snow on the deck.

It was light enough by 0630 to safely exit Port Ludlow. Over night the winds clocked around to the NNW and were blowing 15-18kts. Since my anemometer froze up for the day I had to guess at wind strength. It was so strong that boat speed fell from 6kts at 2800RPM down to 3.2kts. We reached the Port Townsend Canal by 0800 to catch the strong ebb current. Boat speed went up to 9.9kts and peaked at 10.1kts under the Indian Island bridge.

We arrived at Point Hudson Marina and tied up to the Sea Marine dock to await our 1100 haul out.

After a short wait, Whisper was airborne.

With the exception of a diver scrub two years ago, it had been 5 years since Whisper was last in the air. When purchased in Dec of 2003, she didn't need bottom paint at the time of her survey. It has been 8 years. I am a firm believer in the less hostile fresh water home for Whisper.

While out of the water her hull was pressure washed, hull was washed, zinc replaced, hull was waxed, bottom was painted and packing gland was refilled with Gortex material.

Once returned to her environment, she actually rides higher in the water without the fresh water scum attached to her hull. You can see her white shear stripe clearly to both port & starboard.

Back in the water on Friday by 1630, following the weekly barbecue at Sea Marine, we laid up at the Sea Marine dock for the night.

0945 Saturday, we left Point Hudson for Seattle. By 1700 we were again docked at Westlake Landing on Lake Union. It was a beneficial trip for both Whisper & her skipper.

Winter Reflections

2008-12-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay, so you think June 12th to December 19th is enough time away from blogging? Several friends have chided me about failing to remain current with my blog. Lots has happened since June, obviously!

As I sit at my computer, bundled snugly on a snow shrouded Whisper, it is easy to daydream and reflect on warmer cruising waters.
You can view my Croatia photos on Picasa. June and July included overnights to Lake Washington and Poulsbo with SSYC (Seattle Singles Yacht Club).

The highlight of my year was 5 weeks away from Lake Union. I departed July 25th, spending the night in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island. The next morning, along with Cupcake (Bonnie Rieser) & Gone With the Wind (Larry Gill), we ran Deception Pass on our way to Fossil Bay on Sucia in the San Juan Islands.
An early start on Sunday had us riding the current across Boundary Pass to clear Canadian Customs in Poet's Cove/Bedwell Harbour on South Pender Island.

While Bonnie & Larry decided to make Ganges their homeport for awhile, I took my leave to spend the night in Annette Inlet. I phoned Alan Vogt on Blue Fin to discover their whereabouts. Wendy & Alan were in Smuggler Cove on the other side of the Strait of Georgia on their way to Princess Louisa Inlet.
I decided to chase them & prepared to cross the Strait the next morning with a good flood running. I spent the next night at anchor in Smuggler Cove, fueled up in Pender Harbour & rafted up to Blue Fin right in front of Chatterbox Falls.
You can pick up the balance of Whisper's first trip to Desolation Sound on my Picasa site. When we returned to Lake Union on Labor Day, it was to a new home. We now reside on the West side of Lake Union at Westlake Landing. My new mailing address is 2132 Westlake Ave N, #103, Seattle 98109-2404.

Merry Christmas!

DAY 1: Kremik to Piskera ACI

2008-06-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 25th, we have spent our first night at the Sunsail dock in Kremik, a small port west of Trogir. I have been pleasantly surprised to find that Lola is BRAND NEW, as in we are the FIRST crew to use her. As a Cyclades, she is without a traveler or a rod boom vang, but she does have a Raymarine C80 chartplotter. The Navionics card is incompatible with the unit, but I can use it with the Raymarine software on my laptop. Another major improvement is that we have a genuine refrigerator that will make ice ALL OF THE TIME!

Bruce, Lynn, Walter & I had our chart briefing Saturday afternoon folllowed by our boat brief, so we are ready to depart for ports heretofore unknown. While briefing, the crew completed phase 3 of provisioning (phase 2 having been the Konzum in Trogir). The 4th & final phase will be in Primosten, "around the corner" to the north from Kremik.

The Croatian pennant bearing crests of the 5 counties. You may continue to see the red & white checks as team Croatia progresses in the World Cup.

Lola's layout with ample room for the 5 of us for our 2 weeks.
The first two thirds of our route to Piskera ACI. "ACI" is an acronym for Adriatic Croatia International Club, a network of marinas with which we became all too familiar. Can you say, "Kuna, kuna, kuna"? That's Croatian for $$$.
Aquafile & Mango Tango ride at anchor as their crews complete phase 4 provisioning.
Good bye Primosten.

Mango Tango underway.

Aquafile underway.

The Lola crew awaits their fish dinner in Piskera.

The Aquafile crew is joined by Kate & Cathy in their search for Walter.

Stern tied to the dock in Piskera.

Tomorrow we will walk the island in the morning & then sail the 8 nm to Telascica...

Croatia 2008--Two weeks from Kremik to Dubrovnik

2008-06-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is neither a travelog nor a ship's journal--it is simply a daily collection of images and observations from our recent trip to Croatia. Croatia lies on the eastern shore of the Adriatic across from Italy. You will see a strong Venetian influence in the architecture.

Sixteen Seattlites booked three monohulls for a two week bareboat charter through Sunsail out of Clearwater, Florida. You will learn more about skippers Bruce Connel & Lynn Bain on board Mango Tango, a Beneteau 423, Walter Friesen on board Aquafile, a Beneteau 393, and me on board Lola, a Beneteau built Sunsail (Cyclades) 43.

From many routes & itineraries, 15 of us converged on Trogir on the evening of May 23rd. Paul, who was in Sibenik, would meet us on Saturday in Kremik, where we were to board the boats.

You can see from this photo how patiently they were awaiting Cathy's & my arrival in Trogir. By the time we arrived from the Split airport, they had finished dinner and we were on our own. We are such a close knit group.

This is a 180 degree panoramic shot from the lift bridge over the Trogirski Kanal.

The view of old Trogir from Walter's hotel skylight window.

The first of 4 phases of provisioning, this in the Trogir farmers' market.

The centar (Croatian) Cathedral in old Trogir.

Lunch on the lawn in Trogir. Do you see the grocery bags?
Picked up in Trogir, we have loaded all our gear and provisions on the boats and enjoy our evening dinner together in Kremik at the Sunsail base.

Tomorrow, May 25th, our first day on the Adriatic...

OPENING DAY OF YACHTING SEASON 2008

2008-05-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

With registrations completed months ago, Seattle Singles Yacht Club was prepared to compete is several categories for Opening Day trophies. Seattle Yacht Club brings in a special floating dock to Portage Bay for visiting boats. We had been assigned 140 linear feet of Dock 0 (zero) for our six boats from SSYC. Larry Gill, our SSYC Commodore, and I were the only two skippers from SSYC with boats there as early as Thursday.

Gone With the Wind, Larry's Tashiba 37, was to be our club Bridge Boat for the Saturday Parade. Whisper would compete in Dressed Sail against 7 other boats; Lucky Dog, Gary Bradley's 48' Chris Craft, in Sponsored Decorated; and Surt, Mike Sinclair's C&C 41, in Decorated Sail.

The weather on Thursday & Friday was glorious! We had a club dock party on both Friday and Saturday evenings.

While I would like to say that Saturday began with a beautiful blue sky and sunshine, such was not the case!

With 14 crew aboard Whisper makes her way through the Montlake Cut on the way to 1st Place in Best Dressed Sail for the second year in a row. Below her crew receives the Seattle Mariner/Friedlander Perpetual Trophy.

We hear that it was a real cat fight on Lucky Dog as they brought home 3rd Place in their category.

Kris Anderson to starboard and Dolly Leber to port announced to everyone that something special was coming. Surt won 1st Place in Decorated Sail with a lot of work, energy and the assistance of a 7' dancing elephant.

Gary, Joe & Mike, three proud skippers show off their trophy plaques. To quote Steve Franklin, Past Commodore of Tacoma Yacht Club concerning SSYC, "You guys are FABULOUS!"

Seattle Singles Yacht Club may not be a member of the Grand Fourteen of Puget Sound Yacht Clubs but no one can deny that we bring spice to the table.

Until my next post, which will be from Croatia,

Be Safe.

A Minor Irritation--A Simple Solution!

2008-04-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

This may not even pass the sniff test for most skippers, but as a liveaboard I find it irritating the way my lifeline gate, when open, would slip along the lifelines until they were sitting on the weatherdeck getting dirty. This is/was especially true of the fabric coated cushion on the top one. If I were to pull forward to keep them off the deck, then I was marring the surface of the lifelines. A visit to Fisheries Supply for 3' of bungee cord and 4 - 1" rings and I am off to a solution.

THE STEPS:

1. Cut the bungee cord in half for both starboard & port applications; burn/fuse ends.

2. Stitch the one end together after passing through the ring.

3. Whip the end to cover stitching & to secure the bond.

4. Using a clove hitch, secure second ring in the appropriate position.

5. Clove hitch assembled unit to the midship stanchion.

While it may not be your problem, this is my solution.

This is all a multi-staged process for getting Whisper ready for Seattle's Opening Day of Yachting Season sponsored by Seattle Yacht Club which is scheduled for the week preceding Saturday, May 3rd.

We will be defending our 1st Place in Best Dressed Sail.

My next project is to work on gelcoat blemishes (can you say holes?) that many feet have found that were missed by the surveyor four years ago.

More about both of those topics in future posts...

At home doing my kind of yardwork, I remain...

just Joe, the skipper

Meydenbauer Bay Yacht Club Spring Sail Regatta

2008-03-31T16:46:00.000-07:00

Whisper was an entry in this year's invitational MBYC regatta. Pam Driscoll assisted me in moving the boat to Bellevue for the weekend.

We were assisted by our able crew of Walter Friesen, Don Bernasconi, Kris Anderson and helmsman, Mike Sinclair. With three races on Saturday, the first proved to be a bit of a shakedown for us. While we placed fourth out of six boats in our fleet, our start was less than stellar and further complicated by an unforced tack at the windward mark due to excessive weather helm. Easing the main traveler took care of that problem and we sailed on.
Our starts in races two and three were spectacular. The wind gave us all of the variety we could handle from 16 to 0 knots. We finished third and fourth respectively.
With Sunday's twice around race we thought we might have a chance to move up. Well, close, but no cigar. We held onto our fourth place overall.
Our hosts at the Meydenbauer Bay Yacht Club are to be commended for their hospitality for the entire weekend. To quote Arnold (Ahnold), "We'll be baack."

Whisper moves on this week, making the Friday trip to Langley on Whidbey Island for our annual SSYC Gray Whale Watching. More about that next week.

Seafaringly yours,

Joe

Chasing the Schooner Zodiac

2008-03-20T10:20:00.000-07:00

Temporarily moored on Lake Union in Seattle, the schooner Zodiac prepares to get underway.

With her keel layed in 1924, the 126' schooner is the largest sailing vessel in the Pacific Northwest.
This historic photo from her forward companionway shows her full suit of sails.

Zodiac's topmast just clears the center arch of the I-5 freeway bridge on her way toward the University Bridge and finally Lake Washington.

Zodiac's crew hauls the yard to hoist her mainsail.

Underway in light air.

The view from Whisper's cockpit.

Everyone had a good day...

Joe

A NEW HERO, OKAY ANOTHER HERO...

2008-03-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Today, friend Walter Friesen chided me about not having posted since January 29th. No, I have not been on "freeze frame". Much has happened in the past two months.

We have had Seattle Singles Yacht Club overnights at Bell Harbor in downtown Seattle and at Blake Island. Over Presidents' Weekend we had a "gang" at Stevens Pass skiing while staying at my son's "cabin".

Upcoming will be the Meydenbauer Yacht Club Sail Regatta on March 29-30, with Whisper competing; whale watching in Langley off of Whidbey Island on April 4-6; Tacoma Yacht Club Daffodil overnight in April; Seattle Yacht Club Opening Day on May 3rd, with Whisper defending her First Place in Dressed Sail from last year; AND we will have 3 boats in Croatia, sailing the Adriatic for two weeks from Kremik to Dubrovnik. All of that and Spring only begins tonight.

For over 40 years I have had a hero in Richard Bach's character, Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Jonathan was unique among the flock in that while seagulls fly in order to eat, Jonathan ate in order to fly. It's all about means & ends, folks.

Today I have added another hero to my Pantheon: The Catskill Eagle. After a walking stop at the SPL-Fremont Branch where I picked out four books (yeah, I read a lot), I found him. In a book by that name, author Robert B. Parker, of the Spenser novels quotes Herman Melville from Moby Dick in his foreword:

And there is a Catskill eagle in some souls that can alike dive down into the blackest gorges, and soar out of them again and become invisible in the sunny spaces. And even if he forever flies within the gorge, that gorge is in the mountains; so that even in his lowest swoop the mountain eagle is still higher than the other birds upon the plain, even though they soar.

While I think he may already be there, I invite this same eagle to take up residence in my soul.

Thank you Robert B. Parker, Herman Melville and Walter...

Keep on soaring,

Joe

Getting Storganized!--Part Two

2008-01-29T10:41:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I made my return visit to the Seattle Boat Show to see Theo. During our conversation I began to see Whisper's interior in a new way. I began to see several storage locations in a new way.

THE GALLEY--Provisions in cannisters & boxes on counter tops that go in the sink while sailing so they don't fall to the floor.

The solution was this rack that mounted to the port wall under the cupboard above the refrigerator.

THE CABIN--Above the settee there is overhead space that is never used. While this could be used for paper chart tubes, I chose another solution...
This five jar rack now holds spare batteries, sewing items, light bulbs w electrical connectors & fuses and pens & Sharpies.
THE HEAD--I hadn't even planned on this one, but after my accident prone 2007 (do I hear laughter?), I decided to store bandages, gauze, tape & even sutures where they are air tight and readily available.
The empty area on the forward bulkhead was free space.

With the use of the heavy duty 3M tape there are no screw holes to contend with when either my mind or needs change.THE MAIN CABIN--where it all began. I had underestimated the space that I had on the port side overhead under the weatherdeck.

With three double racks I have lots of storage without compromising the people space on the settee. No one will ever bump their head on these containers. My next task will be to more thoroughly sort my stuff & then label the boxes as to their contents.

I do have a plan for CD jewell cases & DVD boxes. I will use CD paper envelopes for protection & stack them in one of the labelled rack containers. I still have under the nav & salon tables to consider. Last night while turning in I noticed all of the free space in the bedroom overhead...

Enough for now. Now it's your turn to Get Storganized!

Fair winds,

Joe

Getting Storganized!

2008-01-26T12:38:00.000-08:00

Clutter? Are you saying that Whisper suffers from clutter? Well she does.

Yesterday at the SEATTLE BOAT SHOW I met Theo Mittet. Theo is a retired architect and active sailor who has crafted a solution to terminal clutter. Once it is up, you have to check out his website at http://www.getstorganized.com/. In the meantime you can see him and his solutions at the Seattle Boat Show.

While I have created extra shelves on Whisper, now I have an easier solution for all of the open areas in the cabin. Under the nav table (at which I never sit), under the salon table and especially under the weather deck on both port & starboard sides offer tremendous storage possibilities.

I went to Fred Meyer and bought a roll of 3M Extra Heavy Duty Exterior Mounting Tape. No screws. The result speaks for itself...

Having flexed my measuring tape, I am ready to go back to the Qwest Field Annex, 2nd floor, to get more boxes from Theo.

Looking forward to uncluttered sailing, I remain

Seafaringly yours,

Skipper Joe

CRABBING--Part Two

2007-11-21T12:08:00.000-08:00

Now that the weekend is long past and the Coast Guard exams are behind me, more about them in yet another blog, I can get back to the events of the weekend. As I approached the small locks on Saturday a large commercial crabber was entering the large locks. As I motored along I spotted some "debri" in the water. Using my boat hook, I retrieved 3 deflated Norwegian North Sea floats attached to a frayed section of one inch polypropelene line. They most likely were jetsam from the crabber.

When I examined them on Sunday I found that one was cracked and would not hold air. This morning I inflated the other two and they cleaned up real well. Whisper now has some auxilliary floats to join the crab pot float as distinguishing makers.

After posting the previous blog I went out and pulled up the trap/pot to find two crab, one of each gender. The male was of such a size (8") as to make the entire venture worthwhile. With this view to the south past West Point I knew I was in for a good sail to Point Monroe.

Rather than hoist the main I chose to unfurl the genoa and reached for Point Monroe hitting 6.4 knots with steady winds 12-15 and a couple of gusts to 23 knots. Clearing Point Monroe I went searching for the 80' line in the bay outside of Port Madison. I deployed both crab pot and anchor (in that order) and went to other crabbing work, ones that I had previously cooked but not cracked. While doing so the wind backed around to the north northeast and I found that I had rotated into shallow water with 5' under Whisper's keel. I weighed anchor and went searching for the crab float in semi darkness. I found a float, not mine, and with the wind freshening and darkness almost total I decided that the trap would be fine until morning.

With no difficulty I found the SSYC buoy in Port Madison and settled down for the night. I cleaned and cooked the newest addition to my refrigerator and as you can see, cracked same.

My friend Walter Friesen had been in Mexico sailing with Bob Riggle and Phyllis Mackay on board Gaia, a J-109, in the Baja Haha which is a race from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. Bob and Phyllis are continuing to Panama where they will join up with a fleet of J boats that is circling the world. You can check out their adventures at http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/. If it doesn't work, try ".com".

I invite you also to check out Walter's blog at http://www.whereintheworldiswalter.blogspot.com/.

Back to the story-- When I last returned from the British Virgin Islands in March, Walter picked me up at SeaTac and the next day we took his San Juan 38 powerboat to Bremerton Yacht Club to catch up with SSYCers at the March overnight. So this time I thought I would phone Walter to see if he had returned from Sailing School that he and Bonnie were attending in San Diego. As it happened, if I had phoned him five minutes earlier he could not have answered his phone. They had just landed at SeaTac and were taxiing to the gate when his phone rang.

While Bonnie was busy on Sunday, I invited Walter to flex the engines of "Waveguide" and join me for crab with pine nuts in four cheese alfredo sauce over penne pasta for Sunday lunch. He consented.

With the crab refrigerating I opened my text books and went to studying the rest of the evening. Whisper's diesel heater made a cold night cozy and comfortable.

After breakfast Sunday morning I slipped the buoy and went out to check the crab situation. Two females and a sunfish (a multi-tenacled starfish). It is just as well since I came out to study and not just clean and cook crab.

Just prior to noon Jim McCarthy rafted up to Whisper's starboard side and Waveguide followed not long thereafter. Walter and I spent the afternoon catching up.

1500 and it was time to head for home. Waveguide pulled out and I headed for crab trap retrieval. SUCCESS! Another large male that I ended up cleaning and cooking back at Lake Union where Whisper was made secure by 1830.

You'll just have to get used to converting the military time or skip over it.

Trusting you will have a thankful Thanksgiving, I remain, your Skipper, soon to be Captain...

Joe

CRABBING--Part Two

2007-11-17T14:23:00.000-08:00

1423, November 17th, 2007--As I key this in Whisper is riding at anchor off of the Shilshole breakwater. I dropped the hook in 17' and have run back to 40' with 12 knot winds gusting to 16.

Since returning from the Gulf Islands with my great crabbing experience I eagerly awaited the opening of the Winter season on Puget Sound. In order to not lose a day I entered my email in the website for the WA Dept of Fish & Wildlife. In late October they came through! The winter season is to run from Nov 1 through Jan 2. Unlike the Summer season which was open Wed through Sat midnight, this season is 24/7. Yahoo!

I went out the first weekend and got 3 Dungeness and 3 Rock crab. The next weekend with the SSYC Poulsbo overnight, I mastered catching star fish. Boo! On one set I did pull up 12 male Dungeness but they were all small.

The purpose of this trip is twofold. While hoping for crab; the pot is down in 84' of water for another half hour. I will then weigh anchor and pot and head for Point Monroe to reset the trap and overnight on our SSYC buoy in Port Madison. The second purpose is to STUDY! I have completed the course work with the U.S. Maritime Academy for a Master's Inland 50 Ton License. Last night I passed the Charting, Nav General and Sailing endorsement tests. Monday comes the hard one, Rules of the Road. I will cram tonight, tomorrow and Monday for that...

That is it for now. Hopefully there will be crabby photos to include with the next post and a different blog for the Coast Guard licensing process.

Fair winds,
Skipper, maybe to be Captain, Joe

The August 2007 Odyssey--San Juan & Gulf Islands Aboard Whisper

2007-09-05T17:19:00.000-07:00

Some Favorite Images--

This was the final gathering in Port Townsend, Aug 4th.

First stop on August 5th, Roche Harbor.

While Natalie remains traumatized after being forced to fly as co-pilot, Dolly continues to refuse to show her true feelings.

Natalie proves she can sail in Annette Inlet.

First glorious sunset in Annette Inlet.

The next morning Natalie thought Whisper's dinghy was gone. It was. I was out rowing around talking photos.

Alan installs new foredeck hardware for the trip to Chemainus.

Natalie finds a new friend in Chemainus who really has time to listen.

Princess Cove sunset.

An alternative description for Northwest Harvest.

Whisper rides at anchor in Conover Cove.

Sunset from Conover Cove.

Making journal entries while under sail.

A new sign hangs in Wallace Island Cabin.

I still don't believe a 0200 crab feed.

Mount Baker looms over Winter Cove & Saturna Island.

At anchor in Winter Cove.

Sunset from Winter Cove.

Boat Pass between Saturna & Samuel Islands.

A second night sunset in Winter Cove.

Final morning sunrise over the San Juan Islands.

The back bay in Port Ludlow. A 19 boat SSYC raft.

All ready for next year, bring on Desolation Sound.

Disclaimer: this blogger formatting sucks! You're shooting blind and then once you post you can't edit. I hope this looks okay!?!

The August 2007 Odyssey--San Juan & Gulf Islands Aboard Whisper

2007-09-05T13:58:00.000-07:00

Lessons Learned--

We all don't have to make ALL of our own mistakes. It is possible to learn from the public domain, like Ben Franklin teaching us to not fly a kite with a wire in a lightening storm. I have friend Walter to thank for teaching me to check carefully when topping off water tanks to insure that the word DIESEL is not on the filler cap, and now at great personal expense he has taught us that there are times to be sure that DIESEL is on the filler cap.

During this past month I have learned more than my share of lessons! I will recount some of them for you here...

#6. Without a firm floatplan in place, I ended up purchasing three Canadian fishing licenses, one 3 day and two 5 day. It would have been cheaper to buy an annual tidal license, and I will next year.

#5. I can live on 12 volts! Since leaving Point Hudson in Port Townsend on August 5th, we were rafted to Blue Fin or on the hook all but three nights.

#4. While advised that my Yanmar is most efficient running at 3400 RPMs, I discovered that advise to be defficient. Depending upon the currents, we covered a lot of water and nautical miles at 1500, 2200 but never more than 2800 RPMs, UNLESS trying to keep up with Alan Vogt on Blue Fin.

#3. If you have 100' of line on your crab pot it is best to set it in less than 100' of water at highest tide. Seems axiomatic doesn't it? When you set from the dinghy it is not so simple, unless you have a handheld depth wand like Steve Dauzenroth. In the future I will either set from Whisper or at least cruise over the crabbing site to determine depths prior to a dinghy set after anchoring.

Bye bye, buy crab pot.

#2. If you or an acquaintance have a counter-top hinged refrigerator lid on a boat that is not dogged or restrained in some way in the open position, if you care about the count of your fingers, fix it NOW!

This is what the hinged portion of Whisper's refrigerator look like before it came down to remove a piece of the 5th digit on my left hand.

On the counter top to the left are the pieces of my solution: a 9" spring and 2 pad eyes which were installed to look like this. When opened you have to remember to check the spring, which I find to be a good reminder.

Solution installed.

...and now a drumroll for the single most important lesson:

#1. Because of all that has happened, the best lesson is summed up in Wendy Vogt's comment: Joe, just slow down! Thank you Wendy.

With the learning curve of these experiences I look forward to the challenge of the passage to Desolaton Sound next August.

To follow in the next day or two will be a gallery of some of my favorite images...

The August 2007 Odyssey--San Juan & Gulf Islands Aboard Whisper

2007-09-04T22:11:00.000-07:00

Whisper Log 8 --

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 29TH— 0625 The sky is pink to the south as we ride at anchor in Genoa Bay on Vancouver Island.

Since I didn’t get to T&J Café in Ganges to email Whisper Log 7, you may be concerned that we got sucked into some black hole. The black hole is a lack of internet connectivity here in the Gulf Islands.

At the public dock in Ganges I met Arnold & Donna Lyon from Helena, MT. Arnold is a retired periodontist and they like to spend their winters skiing at Silverbow in Montana and summers on Silverbow, their McGregor 26. There will be a winter trip skiing with them in Montana in my future. We compared cruising notes and it set my course to move west from Ganges.
Leaving the public dock I went out to Third Sister Island to retrieve the crab pot. Fresh crab for breakfast! I reset the trap & anchored Whisper.

Monday night was a beautiful moonrise, nearly full, over Ganges Harbour.
In the morning Donna & Arnold were to hit the bakery and then join me on Whisper for crab crepes. I successfully augmented the recipe with pine nuts. Arnold & Donna approved.

The anchor came up and we said our final goodbye to Ganges for this summer. We’ll be back. The crab pot again worked it’s magic and I met MONSTRO the 8” Dungeness. You will hear more about him later in the day.
Fulford Harbour was the first stop for a walk about. It never happened. The marina wanted $5 docking fee and the public dock was both rundown and full. I just left Fulford in my stern. In my cruising record Fulford is synonymous with forget about it. Rounding the south end of Salt Spring Island our next destination was to overnight in Genoa Bay.

The wind piped up to 13 knots, providing us with a great reach & then broad reach across Satellite Channel. While under sail I decided it was timely to clean Monstro & his rock crab companion. With every intention of retaining Monstro’s shell as a record, I was so caught up in my cleaning routine that I only realized what I had done as I saw his shell disappear below the surface behind me. Oh well!

Pulling into Genoa Bay we decided on the shallow NE side and anchored with 16’ under the keel. I dinghyed ashore to discover limited connectivity to the internet. As I was returning to the Avon I recognized Black Cat from Seattle Marina. I walked down the dock to introduce myself to Jeff, my Seattle neighbor.

Back on Whisper we were treated to an aerial ballet as two Golden Eagles were soaring in the thermals above the island. The next tasks were to cook the crab, shell the crab and prepare dinner. On this evening’s menu was penne pasta al dente with Classico Alfredo sauce with pine nuts &, of course, fresh crab dusted with Parmesan cheese. Dessert was to be fresh blackberries with whipped cream.

Really! That is just one crab.

In Jewish tradition, when the Passover Seder meal is served, a place is set for one more than the attending guests in case Elijah shows. Well I followed that tradition in setting YOU a place…
but you never came.

With dishes done and Whisper shipshape, I turned in by 2130 with the full moon yet to rise over the tree line.

After retrieving a crab pot devoid of both bait and crab I made ready to leave Genoa Bay. With the promise of both WIFI & phone service I weighed anchor ready to make for Cowichan Bay a short distance away. On my way out of the bay I noted that the couple on Skaggerak, a Hanse 400 were in the cockpit. I detoured to tell them, I wish I had your boat and you had a nicer one. They smiled and gave me a thumbs up. Under a cloudless azure blue sky we left Genoa Bay in our wake.

Arriving in Cowichan Bay I learned that in Canada all public docks have red railings. I tied Whisper to the dock and went to check in with the harbourmaster (this IS Canada). I further learned that the lime green stripes where I had secured indicates transient moorage, free until 1600.

I went in search of WIFI. As I walked the street of Cowichan Bay I found the Rock Cod Café. Great breakfast with coffee for $7.69 Canadian. I tried the internet, NO LUCK. A short walk to the hotel lobby, and here I am.

Leaving Cowichan I lay a course for Winter Cove. Wednesday night there, a day of sailing in Plumper Sound with explorations of Lyall Harbour, Boot Cove and Hope Bay. Thursday night again in Winter Cove with a farewell sunset.

Leaving at 0600 Friday morning provided outstanding sunrise views over the San Juan Islands.
Here we are clearing the southern most tip of Saturna Island as we enter Boundary Channel.

With the current speeding us along at times up to 8.4 knots SOG, we tied up at the U.S. Customs dock in Friday Harbor by 0900. Again greeting David & Kerry Freeland at our Front Street Cafe, Kerry had just flown in for the transit south, I logged onto the internet to post Whisper Log 7.

Back aboard Whisper, we clear the dock on our way to Cattle Pass. While timing may not be everything, it sure helps when it comes to tides & currents!

Cattle Pass gave us 10.3 knots with casual RPMs. Once in the Strait of Juan de Fuca we found rain coming off the north side of the Olympic Penninsula. With winds of 8 knots on the beam, we altered course to quarter the waves and hoisted sail abreast of Smith Island.

The sails did not come down until the light on the NW point of Marrowstone Island. You can see the current chop in the waters off of Point Wilson that gave us 9.5 knots. Thank You!

Looking over my right shoulder I had this view of blue sky over the San Juan Islands. I was forced to ask myself, Why am I returning?

There is already much to look forward to for next year in parts north.

By 1800 I had dropped anchor in the back bay of Port Ludlow after filling the diesel tank at the fuel dock. Whisper last had her diesel drink on Sunday, August 26th, prior to our last week in the Gulf Islands and she now only took 14.5 gallons. I like the math! We covered a lot of water in that time.

Saturday, September 1st

After sleeping in untill 0800, I went into Port Ludlow for laundry, shower and blackberries. Around 1400 the first of what was to become a record 19 boat raft arrived.

Seafaringly, your skipper,
Joe Grande
joe_grande@msn.com

The August 2007 Odyssey--San Juan & Gulf Islands Aboard Whisper

2007-09-04T19:14:00.000-07:00

Whisper Log 7 --

MONDAY AUGUST 27TH—
0826 As I begin this we are at anchor in Bedwell Harbour. A lot of catching up to do…
Jane & Anita did arrive Friday night at 9:45 and , yes, I did shower.

We stowed their gear on Whisper and headed to the local tavern where the band, Mid-Life Crisis was blaring their version of rock’n roll. We met Steve, Bob & Bud, you can ask the girls about them…. About 0030 I reminded them that I had 2 crab that needed to be cooked. With every intention of just cooking them tonight, we returned to Whisper for a 0200 crab feed.

In the morning it was crab crepes followed by blackberry crepes prepared by the resident chef.

With a destination of Deer Harbor, we left the dock. With the promise of wind and favorable currents our course was laid out along Upright & Harney Channels, through Wasp Passage to Deer Harbor.

While the girls went on safari for blackberries, the skipper set out the crab pot. They were more successful than the crab pot. With the berry larder supplied and a gusty south wind blowing we decided that Jones Island would provide a calmer anchorage. With all of the buoys taken we found a corner where we could anchor with a stern tie to shore. It worked.

Sunday morning we rode the current to Friday Harbor. After fueling & leaving them with their gear, I aimed Whisper to breakwater A (BWA) where there was space on the inside. After securing Whisper, I noticed Sea Star, Bill Rowlands boat just 2 boats away. Walking to meet the girls for breakfast at the Front Street Café I ran into Bill. He turned around & joined my walk. We was awaiting the arrival of his daughter, son-in-law & sister on the same ferry that would return Jane & Anita to Anacortes.

After breakfast, we said our goodbyes and I went in search of parts to construct a spool for 400’ of poly stern line. Although it required walking all the way to Browne’s up by the airport, it was a success. With my power tools aboard I should be able to work on it tomorrow in Ganges.

The current chart directed me on a course up San Juan Channel, taking Speiden Island on the port side and then passing Stuart Island on my starboard. It worked.

Winds were fluky in the channel beginning at 12 knots and dropping to 2. We ended up motor sailing under main until the winds settled in from the NE once we cleared the west end of Stuart.

While passing the south end of Stuart I was forced to alter course as first one and then another purse seiner began to set their nets. With Admiral, the second one, I decided to hang around and watch.

As I mentioned, once the wind kicked up to 10 to 13 knots, the genoa was unfurled and we went to sail. We crossed Boundary Channel in record time pegging 8.4 knots at one point. We sailed into Bedwell Harbor, dropped sail and made for Canadian Customs for a third time.

The plans for this week have changed again. After deciding and sharing that decision via email, Alan Vogt left me a terse voicemail, “JOE, DON’T DO IT!” A cooler head has prevailed and I will explore some new & now familiar anchorages in these Gulf Islands. As always, today we will continue our search for the mother of all Dungeness crabs (although this mother will be a male).

We will weigh anchor here at 1000 with a favorable current and make our way leisurely to Ganges, setting the pot along the way.

1300—The pot is set west of Second Sister Island in 40’ of water and Whisper is secured to the public dock for 3 hours. I will check the pot on the circular trip to set the hook here for the night.

Along the way I encountered the source for one of Jane & Anita’s pet phrases, “Make your move early & obvious.”
I don’t think they were referring to nautical navigation. We will have to see how they navigate at the next SSYC dance.
The now familiar harbour of Ganges.

Off to Thrifty Foods for Reddi-Wip & crab bait. I will see the rafters in Port Ludlow on Saturday.

Seafaringly, your skipper,
Joe Grande
joe_grande@msn.com

The August 2007 Odyssey--San Juan & Gulf Islands Aboard Whisper

2007-09-04T18:50:00.000-07:00

Whisper Log 6 --

FRIDAY AUGUST 24TH—
At 0600 I was on the foredeck pulling the anchor and preparing to slip from Montague Harbor. I didn’t sleep well last night. Too much excitement and opportunities. I took the Hummingbird Bus for dinner. While waiting for it I phoned both Walter Friesen & Bonnie Rieser to invite them to come north, neither of whom answered. I left no voicemail. Twenty minutes later I tried Bonnie again & she answered. They are in Prideau Harbor in DESOLATION SOUND!

At dinner I met and then shared a table with Darlene & Bob Brown from Portland. Bob is a retired engineer and their Catalina 380 is kept in Port Hadlock. THEY are on their way back from Desolation Sound. So do I wait and plan for next year? I think not! After saying goodbye to Jane & Anita on Sunday, Whisper’s bow may just turn further NORTH.

Approaching Active Pass from the west.

By 0800 we, Whisper & I, were passing down the northeast side of Samuel & Saturna Islands opposite Winter Cove, a favorite anchorage, thanks to Alan Vogt, with both sunset & sunrise views.

Saturna foreground with Orcas looming over fog.

Turning 2800 RPMs the speed varied from 4.2 to 7.5 knots. It’s all about the current. Saw several dolphin but no eagles or orcas.

Fog rising over Shaw Island.

Tied up to the Customs dock right at 1145. All in all, good time and a good trip!

Lots to do prior to Jane & Anita’s arrival at 2130: see about propylene line for Desolation Sound, set crab trap off Brown Island, fill propane & dinghy tanks, laundry, retrieve trap, connect shore power, send log 5, compose this and, oh yes, shower.
Is there a sailboat attached to that mast floating above San Juan Channel; is she coming or going?

Seafaringly, your skipper,
Joe Grande
joe_grande@msn.com

The August 2007 Odyssey--San Juan & Gulf Islands Aboard Whisper

2007-09-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

Whisper Log 5 --

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23RD—
The days are counting down. I have already written in my journal this morning and I won’t repeat it here. Where I left off was my leaving Whisper to hang the new SSYC/Whisper sign in the Wallace Island cabin at Conover Cove.

While this photo is from last week, it does show the exterior of the cabin with the only remaining Wallace Island virgins who just happened to be walking by. Notice the walking stick in the tall one’s hand, or could that be a suitor beater?

So the sign is finished and it has found a home in the right hand side of the cabin right below Morning Dew and on the flip side of Blue Fin.

As I write this Whisper rides at anchor in Montague Harbour. There really isn’t very much here and I debated (an easy argument with no one to take the other side) whether to continue on to Plumper Sound for the night. The Hummingbird Bus won out so I will stay here for the bus ride and hope that they have WIFI there.

The current chart says that I will leave here promptly in the morning to catch a strong ebb in the Strait of Georgia which I will run down to President’s Channel on the west side of Orcas. I will clear U.S. Customs in Friday Harbor and take my reserved slip for the night.

This image is sunset in Montague Harbour.

The crabbing for the Gulf Islands is over for this trip since I have four in the refer. Jane, Anita & I will try Saturday in Deer Harbor.

Seafaringly your skipper,
Joe Grande
joe_grande@msn.com

The August 2007 Odyssey--San Juan & Gulf Islands Aboard Whisper

2007-09-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

Whisper Log 4 --

TUESDAY AUGUST 21, 2007—
Today has been a busy day—sure, sure I know not as busy as yours. Woke up & rolled out at 0505 to take my antibiotic and discovered that it was raining rather hard. First decision: take 2 pain pills for the sleeping and go back to bed. At 0800 the moisture was down to a drizzle and then just fog. Went to check on the crab trap of last night. Found one rock crab of size. Relocated trap to deeper water and baited with turkey drumstick. I waited in the dinghy for 25 minutes. No luck so back to Whisper after releasing rock crab.

Pulled the anchor and headed to Ganges to make contact with my doctor of last week. I stopped outside the harbor in 60 feet of water and put down the crab trap. While nearing Ganges I thought I saw Dave Freeland’s boat at anchor. Sighting confirmed, I swung by to say hello.

I went to the public dock and tied up. Stopped at the Chamber of Commerce to get Dr. De Kock’s number and address. After speaking with the doctor, the receptionist gave me a 3:45 appointment. While walking to his office, my phone rang; the doctor had to leave on a call. I picked blackberries on my way back to the marina. I had planned that part of it as I had a 2 qt container with me.
Since the crab pot was at the mouth of the harbor and at 4:00 (1600) you have to be away from the dock or pay for the night, it was time to check for crab. One third of the way and a phone call; the doctor is back and will only be there until 4:30. I u-turn to the harbor (oops harbour since we are in Canada—my spellchecker considers the British spelling incorrect), dropped anchor and dinghyed to the dinghy dock. I got to his office by 4:15 (1615). He is pleased with the progress and that is good news.

Back in the harbour I take the dinghy ride to visit the trap. The roundtrip takes more than a tank of fuel. In raising the trap I figure I either am successful or have another starfish. The results you see in the photo are 8 Dungeness, but 6 of them are female so back they go.

Since there was so much meat left on the turkey bone, I decided to reset the trap within the harbor. I also noticed a nice sandy beach on the Chain Islands to go ashore in the morning in search of driftwood for a sign for the cabin on Wallace Island; more about that later…

With my work cut out for me, you can imagine how I spent the evening. My two crabs and I spent the evening bonding for about an hour & a half. This next image could be called “One down & one to go…” but I prefer “The Harvest”.
Campbell’s Soups may claim that they are “M-M-M Good!” but I will take a Gulf Islands Harvest anytime!

Seafaringly your skipper,
Joe Grande
joe_grande@msn.com

The August 2007 Odyssey--San Juan & Gulf Islands Aboard Whisper

2007-09-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

Whisper Log 3 --

MONDAY AUGUST 20, 2007—
Today’s lesson is ANCHORING. Last night was my 14th night since leaving Port Townsend. Of those 14 nights, 6 were spent rafted to Blue Fin’s port side (Alan has ALL chain), 3 on State Park buoys or dock (I bought an annual pass), 2 nights at docks (Deer & Friday Harbors) and only 3 nights at anchor. When Cathy & I anchored in Roche Harbor on the 11th, a large sailboat dropped within Whisper’s potential arc. Potential became reality later that afternoon as I watched from shore. I got there in time to minimize damage to Whisper’s starboard side. After shortening the rode 30’ and talking with them (Dolly & Natalie were now aboard), we went to bed. At 3:30 their bowsprit was coming at our port quarter so I again shortened 30’.

With that experience, I was a little reluctant to anchor in Bedwell Harbor. A $1.45/ft convinced me it was time to go on the hook. I asked the dock attendant about the bottom and was told it was mud. Good. This diagram shows you the geometry involved.
I dropped anchor in 38’ of water, paying out rode to 120’ below the keel. I attached the cantenary to the line and let it down 30’ to increase the scope. Leaving the chart plotter on I was able to plot the swing during the night. When I awoke at 0505 the water was at 28’.

You will note on the chart plotter image through the clutter that there are 2 arcs. As the tide went out to a low of 1.1 feet about 0400 the larger arc was scribed.

All’s well that ends well, I suppose.

It has been drizzling and there is little wind. With my schedule as it is, there is no need to move in foul weather.
When I was ashore last night I was able to log-on to the Canadian website and purchase a tidal waters 5 day fishing license which covers crabbing. I set the trap last night and pulled in 2 large Dungeness. I left the trap below the surface since I didn’t want to clean & cook crab at 2200. Before I went to bed they had escaped. I now know they are here and will soon reset the trap and begin hauling them in so that I can give some to both Njord’s Favour and Sloop John B.

While I have extended Verizon coverage in Canada for the month, coverage is spotty. If you get my voicemail, just hang up. Since I am patched into an extended network, I can’t retrieve voicemail until I return on Friday. I will be checking email more regularly this week, so please use it.

Seafaringly your skipper,
Joe Grande
joe_grande@msn.com

2007-09-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

Whisper Log 2 --

SUNDAY AUGUST 19th—

This is the sunrise to which we awakened in Winter Cove, Saturna Island, prior to our trip south to Friday Harbor.

This is too funny! All of the detective murder mysteries I read say that Spenser, Harry Bosch and Lou Boldt don’t believe in coincidences. Try this one on…

This morning I turned out at 0600 for my antibiotic, made coffee, put on my rain gear and got ready for Blue Fin’s departure for parts south. We split up at 0645 and I reversed my course for Friday Harbor. After fueling up by 0900 I made for the outside of breakwater A. I went below to test the internet connection; it sucks. A knock on the hull with a dock attendant asking if I spent the night; when we finish, I look aft to see the stern of Njord’s Favour. Dave and Kerry are seeing friends off and are heading to the Gulf Islands. There you go…

As it closes in on 1000, I have too many choices. While I will see Dr. De Kock in Ganges sometime this week, my only commitment is my reservation here in FH for Friday when Jane and Anita arrive on the 9:30 ferry. Do I go blackberry picking in the rain in Deer Harbor? Where do I overnight: Jones, Stuart or head to Bedwell? Dave & Kerry will have an influence on that decision.

Yesterday Natalie confessed that when I announced at the club about “going north”, she didn’t have a clue what that was about. Ask her now what she thinks.
Time to walk the dock to town to get connected to the internet and get this off.

So as I am walking by G dock, my son-in-law sees me from his boat Kae-lin. I talk with Alison & Jim. They are leaving for Rosario about noon. I had seen them yesterday when in Friday Harbor.

Yesterday about 4:00 when we were on our way to Machaye Harbor for the night, Lynn Noble had left me a voicemail. I only had one Verizon bar so the responding phone call broke off. This morning when I was within range of FH, I phoned Lynn and left her a voicemail. Now as I walked past the Marina office, there was Lynn. As it turns out she had phoned me from Friday Harbor yesterday. Coincidence? You already know what I think about that…

Seafaringly your skipper,
Joe Grande

The August 2007 Odyssey--San Juan & Gulf Islands Aboard Whisper

2007-09-04T13:43:00.000-07:00

Whisper Log--

Saturday, August 11th
It has been an enjoyable and eventful time! Cathy arrived on Friday at 900 as advertised. I bought a crab pot and Cathy shopped Friday Harbor shops. We left the harbor at 1230 on our way to Spencer Spit on the east side of Lopez. My first crabbing attempt netted us 2 keepers which provided dinner (photos attached). Saturday we motored down Harney Channel to Deer Harbor. Reset the crab pot from the deck of Whisper and proceeded deeper into the harbor of anchor south of the fuel dock. We went ashore for blackberries and ice cream cones. Accomplished both missions.

Alan Vogt (Blue Fin) phoned asking “Where are you?” I responded, “Where are YOU!” They were in Friday Harbor on their way to Reid Harbor on Stuart Island for the night. We were invited IF we could supply the crab for their butter and wine. Since our steaks and corn could grill in any port, we decided to go for Reid Harbor. I went out to the crab pot to discover 3 crab. One was a keeper in excess of 7.5 inches (it grows with each retelling). So Bruce, the monster crab came with us to Reid Harbor.

With all WA State buoys occupied, we tied up to the state park dock. Blue Fin arrived within the hour. We had crab spread & cracker appetizers and got to see Alan wrestle Bruce. Alan won a crab dinner for two. After dinner aboard Blue Fin, we re-gathered on Whisper at 2200 for fresh blackberry crepes.

Alan’s 0700 departure turned into 0720, but they were off to Bedwell Harbor. With the tide receding we left about 1000. With a slight easterly blowing we motored out of Reid Harbor on a heading toward the international boundary in Haro Straits. I wanted Cathy to have a sail on her last day. With a wind line showing to the south, we hoisted main and unfurled genoa in 6 kts prior to the arrival of winds up to 14.5 kts. We closed reached to the boundary and tacked over to Roche Harbor making the entrance under sail.

As I “type” this, we are sitting on the deck at Roche as my laundry turns in the wash cycle. Cathy will fly out at 5:30 and Natalie & Dolly will arrive at 6:30PM (1830 hours).

Tomorrow(Monday) we will clear Canadian customs in Bedwell Harbor. Tuesday I hope to meet up with John Reeg (Endeavour II) in the harbor by Butchart Gardens for the fireworks. Wednesday Dolly & Natalie will transfer from the Whisper water taxi to Blue Fin at Ganges on Saltspring Island.

Remember that Whisper will be up here until Labor Day weekend and after Wednesday she is crewless…