New Boat 4 Sled

[sleddog]

With rain spitting down, and gale warnings hoisted, I've taken a page out of Comfortable Cruising Onboard Small Catamarans and decided to "never leave a good harbor on a bad day."

I've moved WILDFLOWER forward 50' along the dock, and am now viewable on the Friday Harbor webcam. http://www.islandcam.com/fridayhrbr.html You may need a magnifying glass to see WILDFLOWER on the upper left.

Action today should come when the 130' waterjet propelled, passenger catamaran VICTORIA CLIPPER arrives from Seattle. At 30 knots, the CLIPPER brings her 230 passengers comfortably north, enjoying Deception Pass whirlpools and a little whale watching enroute. http://www.clippervacations.com/seat...n-juans-ferry/

Just inshore on the main dock is the Friday Harbor Fishmarket, home of legendary "Popeye" the one eyed harbor seal. Beloved Popeye has been enjoying crab, calamari, and shrimp salads while entertaining tourists for 25 years. They've even built a granite statue of Popeye in the town's waterfront park. http://oldsite.sanjuanislander.com/port/fh/popeye.shtml

WILDFLOWER and I enjoyed an unexpected visit from Popeye last year when she popped her head into our cabin when the Aquarium hatch was open below. Surprise!

[sleddog]

Happy First Day of Summer!

The baro is rising, and rain has ended, having given a good drenching to Washington State. In its wake comes building high pressure and a "Super Moon." The year's closest proximity of Earth to Sunday's full moon will bring extreme tides, from -3' to +8', and strong currents.

I'm headed north to Sucia and Matia Islands, sandstone fingers lying athwart Boundary Pass, just south of the Canadian Border. The chart shows many anchorage
possibilities. But a reminder to self to anchor in water deeper than 6' at low tide.

[sleddog]

Congrats to all Long Packers and to those that made it possible!

Sucia Island is something special. Lying in the NE quadrant of the American San Juans, Sucia is composed of sandstone eroded by wind and water, creating fantastic shapes, caves, and cliffs.

WILDFLOWER and I pulled into legendary Fossil Bay after a three hour sail from Friday Harbor, not knowing what to expect. What we found were 30 boats flying pirate flags tied up to the two State Park docks, and a yacht club party about to start. After tying up, I took off hiking to the other side of the island to visit Fox, Echo, and Shallow Bays, and see what my options were.

After a two mile hike through a lovely forest, I emerged onto the white sand beach of Shallow Bay. There were two Beaver float planes on the beach and a wedding party on a nearby point. Unlike Fossil Bay, Shallow Bay was serene and almost completely landlocked. With only 5' of water depth throughout on the upcoming low tide, Shallow Bay looked like a less populated option if the partying got out of hand at Fossil Bay.

Hiking back to Fossil Bay, I found the potato cannon wars and amplified music had begun: potatoes were being launched out of PVC cannons, using ignited hairspray as the charge.

I anchored WILDFLOWER out of range, and settled in for the evening wearing foam earplugs. My plan was to move the next morning to the more secluded waters of Shallow Bay.

[Santana20Vixen]

Oh I bet that was a true "Popeyed" surprise through the Aquarium hatch... and were you reading the paper at that moment too? Duck Duck - Goooooose.

[sleddog]

Saturday 0900 I pulled anchor. Not difficult, as the tide had dropped to -2.2' and I could see large crabs on the bottom under the boat. Sailing clockwise around, it was less than two miles between Little Sucia and Sucia, through Fox Bay, and into Shallow Bay. Only one other boat in Shallow Bay. I motored in until I had 5', set the anchor, and made a potato, bacon, and cheese omelette.

The day proved the best so far. With building high pressure, the sun was out and the sand beach was nearby. I inflated the dinghy and went for a row. Several bald eagles watched from their roosts on nearby snags. Kayakers began to appear. One kayaking group appeared to be under dictatorial command. The leader, in a voice that could be heard across the Bay, kept repeating "rudders up! We are going ashore to put on more sunscreen and drink water. Remember, drink water!"

I took the time to clean the waterline of Friday Harbor's scum. White (Petit Vivid) bottom paint was not a good choice of color. Especially as my 22' cat has 84 linear feet of waterline to scrub. But all came clean as nearby harbor seals watched with baleful eyes.

The "Super Moon" was so bright reflecting off Shallow Bay's calm waters I awoke at midnight, thinking it was morning, and began to dress.

Remember, drink water.

[AlanH]

These are the kinds of pictures and stories that got me to design, then buy a sail and oar boat.

We have a project for you and Wildflower if you're back before August.

[sleddog]

If it's Tuesday, it's thrift shop day in Anacortes. On the short list are more plastic food containers, the ones that have six sides, not round. Round food containers offered by markets are hopeless. Not only do round containers like P-nut butter, jelly, and mayo jars offer 20% less storage volume for the same shelf space, but they tend to roll if laid on their side.

With three days of rain, living aboard with 32 sq. feet of floor space has taken a less than romantic turn. I need to get RED SKY up here to fix the radio waves. Congrats to Brian for figuring out how to contact Long Pac racers 150 miles at sea via VHF. He'd have his work cut out up here. The only VHF weather I can receive on my handheld VHF radio is from Canada, is in French, and is metric. Bon chance!

Cap Sante Marina recently spent nearly a quarter million $ upgrading their Wi-Fi system to attract marina visitors. New 60' aluminum towers surround the docks. The Harbor Master's roof looks like an electronic eavesdropping convention. Now, after a year of fine tuning, Cap Sante Wi-Fi only works at high tide. RED SKY would probably have this little glitch for lunch.

All is not for naught. Dogs love this place. Most boats have at least one. The dog park is right across the street. Yesterday, I had three Shih Tzus (Stan, Alice, and Iris) visit aboard. With all sorts of cozy compartments, they thought WILDFLOWER was the coolest dog house. And they didn't want to leave.

The rain is supposed to end tomorrow. I'll be headed back north to my new favorite island, Sucia. I'd better post this before the tide begins to drop.

[Wylieguy]

Sucia is nice, but Shallow Bay can be mean in a stiff NWer - lee shore. Too much company on the other side at lot of the time. Have you tried Stuart Island? Prevost Harbor on the North side faces Haro Strait and across to B.C. Turn Point Lighthouse is a nice walk with even nicer views. Bald eagles, etc. Prevost Harbor is better protected, but not as scenic, I think.
Pat Broderick

[sleddog]

Thanks, ELAINE. Post #75 on page 8 talks about Prevost Harbor, the delightful hike to Turn Pt. Lighthouse, and the surprise awaiting there.

The upper level low pressure funneling in all this rain is forecast to move west this afternoon, bringing dryer and warmer weather to the PNW.

WILDFLOWER's cabin is a cozy retreat, replete with tropical curtains, prayer flags, a library, and the smell of coffee.

Seeing the SC-27 SOLITAIRE, winner of the first SHTP, down the way reminded me of all the things I've seen on boats over the years. In the first Singlehanded Transpac, one of the entrants, intending to cruise Down Under and support himself by doing landscaping, was carrying a lawnmower lashed to the mast.

Some of you may remember the Olson 30 STILL CRAZY in the 1990 SHTP. Ron's crew of a well patched blowup doll was a source of amusement. But of equal amazement was STILL CRAZY's compact cabin being dominated by a saddle and spurs. The skipper supplemented his sailing habit by riding broncs in rodeos.

[sleddog]

Hiking three miles to Turn Pt. on Stuart Island is always fun. Yesterday's weather was warm and clear. Gary and I watched a small plane takeoff from Stuart Island International Airport. The runway is angled down, is grass, and disappears into the woods. I'd say pilots have to have local knowledge to use this field!

Post hike, Gary and I had cold beers aboard his beautiful Peterson 34, JURA. (photo below) Then some Trader Joe's chili. Prevost Harbor, landlocked in all quadrants, was calm and quiet. Except for an armada of about 30 geese cruising the main.

This morning JURA and WILDFLOWER upped anchors for Blind Bay on Shaw Island. In mid-Channel I spot an odd looking craft heading north. I altered to pass close, and discovered it was good friends Russell and Ashlyn Brown on the proa JZERRO from Port Townsend.

We shut down engines and gammed for a few minutes. JZERRO is headed north to Desolation Sound with a boat full of boat parts for Josh Sunderland, who is building a 40' cat on Maurelle Island.

It's a small world in these parts