A winter night at Stuart Island, Reid Harbor

My inner adventure clock had been pounding loudly and I could barely wait for our tiny little overnight to Stuart Island this weekend. On one hand it is a pathetic facsimile of the sorts of adventure I truly crave and once enjoyed, and on the other hand it is a perfectly acceptable bit of happiness within the self-imposed boundaries of my current life. It turns out my clock was pretty reasonable because upon a check of our boat journal it had been since my return from Comox, BC that I had been out overnight on Aeolus. We have had quite a few wonderful day sails since then, but nothing overnight. It was high time.

Jones with Justis Family

Our dear friends came up for our annual reciprocal Thanksgiving reunion and we took advantage of the spectacular Friday weather and went to Jones. The last time they were here we went to Jones but it was very cold. On this trip, it was sunny and fairly warm, with temperatures up to about 50 and much warmer in the sun.

Anchor riding sail

Last year on our attempt to make it out to Barkley Sound by way of the Straits, we made it as far as Becher Bay near Sooke where we stayed for 3 days while 40 knot winds tore up the waters. While at anchor, we were swinging around so much that it was truly unpleasant. I ended up setting a stern anchor just to stop the swinging, which worked so well that the little danforth dug in so deep I bent the shank when it came time to pull it out. I swore I would make an anchor riding sail and that time has come.

Replaced sewage Y valve and etc.

I make a point to excercise all the various valves on Aeolus fairly often, just as matter of routine. I went to do this to the Y valve that controls the flow of sewage and the handle cracked. I am certain it is orginal to the boat and is also made of a plastic wtihout reinforcement. No surprise it's day had come.

I replaced it with the new Jabsco model which seems beefier and I hope to get 20 years out of this one too.

Let me say, replacing hoses on the sewage system is a true test of will. Although I have taken to using tank treatment, it is still a nasty proposition. Most of the hoses around this system have been replaced and upgraded with better stuff, but as you can see in this picture, the main supply hose from the head itself to the Y valve is still original and fairly thin walled. I've ordered the new hose to replace it too.

Upgrade to AC system

Aeolus is typical of production boats of it's generation in that it has an occasionally adequate and occasionally abysmal electrical system. I've already documented here my many upgrades to the DC system to compensate for inadequate breakers, fusing and connections. Now that I comfortable with my DC systems being in close compliance with ABYC standards I am turning my attention to the AC system.

New boom topping lift

The last wire on Aeolus that had not been replaced was the boom topping lift. It's been on my mind for a while as it showed some obvious signs of corrosion, and is 20 years old. I bought some Amsteel as a replacement for the opportunity to try it out and use a lighter line. As most know, this stuff is stronger than steel, doesn't stretch, resists UV fine and is super lightweight.

This weekend I have made the switch. Splicing the small diameter Amsteel is not possible by the recommended full bury method of the larger stuff. I looked around and found a method that is fine for this low load smaller line where you just weave it into and out of itself for a while.

Nice to have this done and not worry about a catastrophic failure of my boom topping lift while I am trying to reef my mainsail or powering into rough seas with my main down and relying on the tension between the topping lift and the mainsheet to hold that boom still.

Back to Jones, our home away from home

As hoped, we were able to take Aeolus away from the dock on Sunday. I did a furious boat clean up and by lunchtime we loaded some friends onto the boat and headed off to Jones on a warmish and sunnyish day.

This exact formula produces marvelous results every time: sail to Jones, dinghy to beach, play on beach, hike around Jones, return to beach, return to boat, sail home. Perfection every time.

It was not that warm by the thermometer, but with a small dose of sun on that south facing beach, it was very comfortable. The recent rains have reawakened all the smells and the grasses have all burst green again.

The motor ran and sounded fine and so my alignment must have passed the test. No funny vibrations or noises. I'm happy.

By the way, the reason Elliott has no pants is because the boys played in the water and we made them take off their wet pants before getting onto the boat. Never mind that the water is quite cold, the kids had a blast. 

She's running again!

Ha! Went back to Aeolus today and after connecting this, that, and everything else, I started her up for the first time in about a month. Filled her with oil, filled her with antifreeze, changed all her filters (fuel and oil), attached the new heat exchanger and whamo! she purred like a kitten.

I have never had trouble starting my Universal diesel after the lines have been cleared. I pull the stop switch and crank her a few seconds to prime the oil system. I loosen the bleed valve on the injection pump. I turn the key on and let the electric fuel pump do it's job until it builds up pressure and stops. With all this, she always starts as always, on the first crank.

Now I have a massive boat cleaning job to do, but I might be able to pull her out of her slip just to take a short jaunt tomorrow! Yippee.

Engine alignment and other reconnecting tasks

I haven't had a lot to report over the past few days as I was away for travel and the work of aligning the engine is tedious. I think I was spared the worst case scenarios associated with engine alignment because now that I am done, I would estimate it took about 6-9 hours of time and a lot less donated skin than I anticpated. Not too bad really.

My transmission flange and prop shaft flange were already within reasonable tolerances when I dropped the diesel back down onto the new mounts. I had eyeballed the new mounts to match the old ones, as you would, and got lucky. However, when you need to get two surfaces within .003", being close is not much reassurance.

Replacing engine mounts

For some time now I have recognized that it was time for me to replace my engine mounts. They are orginal to the motor installation in 1988 and by any criteria it is high time to replace them. In addition, I have known I have an oil leak somewhere, and it was either my rear main oil seal or something related to the oil pan, neither of which can be accessed without raising the diesel off its mounts.

Once we had returned from our amazing August trips into British Columbia, I figured it was a good time to launch into this major project because I had satisfied my need for sailing time and wouldn't need to be out on the water for a few weeks.

Bringing Aeolus home from Comox: 15 hour day

What a journey. Aeolus was sitting up in Comox, BC waiting for me to come get her. If you have read the previous entry you will see that we left her there after crossing the Straits of Georgia in the Labor Day storm. On Friday after work I chartered a flight up to Comox to begin the journey of bringing her back home.

We've been having bright sunny warm weather, and Friday's flight was incredible. In a Cessna 172, we flew at 2-3,000 feet over the San Juan and Gulf Islands right up Georgia Strait to Comox. Man, I love flying! I've got too many interests to fulfill them all. The flight only took 90 minutes, and it had taken us 7 days to reach Comox on the Dad's trip I described earlier. We flew at 125 knots of SOG and so about 20 times faster than our 6 knot sailboat SOG.

Comox-Desolation Sound-Comox: What a week!

A prelude:

I'm sitting in a cozy leather chair near the fireplace in my lovely home with dry clothes and clean dry skin and nice moisturizer on my hands and the big speakers playing nice music and my stomach filled with large amounts of food and my hands still looking around for hand holds...

Anyone who has returned from a sailing cruise, especially one with some exposure to rough seas, can relate to what I say above. My wife and I woke this morning with all the disorientation of being home after a week aboard Aeolus. We have residual impulses to grab for handholds in our kitchen and Amy even said she was worried about running out of water while she was letting the sink run this morning doing dishes.

Oh, the greatness and oddity of being at home on land.

Friday Harbor to Comox, BC with the Justis boys

I'm just back from a trip so wonderful it certainly surpasses any attempt to render it in words. My close friend Cleve and his two boys Galen (5) and Daniel (3) joined me and my two boys for a week of voyaging north into Canada. It was a men's trip. Or, given the age of the men, a boys trip. Our wives thought we were crazy to go on an extended boat trip with four boys under the age of 8, but Cleve and I are the sorts that value adventure together so highly and for our boys that we'll pay just about any price.

The trip took us from our home port here in Friday Harbor to Comox, BC on Vancouver Island, via the Gulf Islands and Lasqueti Island in the Straits of Georgia. Besides being an incredibly good time of swimming and playing with our boys, it included some of the finest and most enjoyable sailing I have ever experienced.

New Poly-Planar speakers

I finally got around to replacing my ancient cockpit speakers. The covers had fully decomposed in the UV and the sound was bad. I replaced them with some new Poly Planar speakers that are beautiful and have great sound. Their construction is also nicer in that they have a SS screen and the speaker material is not styrofoam, as it was in the old ones. Now my music sounds lovely and the cockpit isn't marred by nasty looking speakers.

Solent Stay Installation

Where to begin?

I've been putting off writing this post until I had some measure of conclusion to what has been a fascinating and difficult process. As boat projects have gone, the design and installation of a solent stay on Aeolus has been the most technically difficult and, in some ways, the most physically demanding of all the numerous projects I've done thus far. This first picture is the view from where I spent most of my day today: at the top of the mast. Actually, this is looking toward my daily dinghy commute from my neighbor's dock to Aeolus. Not a bad way to get to a boat eh?

I'll start at the beginning, as my own search for information on solent stays only turned up one or perhaps two things on the web that were of any use. To honor the original intent of this blog, I will do my best to make this entry useful to others.

Weekend in Victoria

Just back from a weekend away to Victoria and what a great time it was. We left Friday afternoon and went against a strong flood just to be on the water. Did all of 2 knots through Cattle Pass and 4-5 across to the Discovery Islands with no wind and motoring. We went into Oak Bay that night as it is about an hour closer and we really like the pedestrian friendly environs. The marina folks were very nice but somewhat ignorantly put us on a slip in shallow water, I think not realizing we were a 32 foot sailboat that draws the better part of 6 feet. Good thing we left early in the morning as we couldn't have moved at anything close to a zero tide. We got there just at 9pm and had time to take the short lovely walk into the village for a great dinner at Penny Farthing. I recommend that pub to anyone venturing into Oak Bay for great food and great pub atmosphere.

Islands as portals

The calendar said it was Sunday and the chart says Jones Island. Nothing else about the experience had the certainty of place/time. Something about the alchemy of perfect summer days in the islands has the effect of transporting us through a portal into a world apart.

As E.E. Cummings says in one of my favorite poems "Listen, there's a hell of a good universe next door, let's go!".

Something about the way we move and think and be on these days takes us across to this universe next door. We play pickle on a hot sunny clean beach with the boys and find ourselves slipping away. We build a rope swing and take turns and slip further away from this world to the next. We row back to the boat anchored in the cove and jump off the pilothouse top into the cold water again and again, and the waters wash away the dust and detritus of our structure clinging. By the time we take an adventure hike around the east side of the island we are unbound by the gravitational pull of the old familiar world. The tired familiar world. The burdensome world.

Instead we inhabit a nameless place of bliss with no better description than a universe next door. The mind, to the extent it is engaged, is a pure sine wave. The softer senses flutter with happy recognition of enlightened clarity. Nothing foreign, nothing known, nothing other, nothing non.

I have no need to pin this down. It is a thing too light and diffuse and massive to suffer reductionism.

My family journeyed together to a nearby island, and returned a while later. What happened in between was, well, too utterly perfect to mar with pictures or more words.

Thank you Aeolus.

To Jones and Stuart Islands with Jim

One of the best parts about living in the San Juan Islands is that everyone finds some excuse to come visit. That is, for people like us who love to have company, this is one of the fringe benefits. If, on the other hand, you were like my mom, this would be hell on earth. Living in a somewhat remote place is made all the more splendid when you can count on all manner of friends and family passing through the door at some point during the year. No one lives anywhere else so nice that it isn't worth a vacation here in the islands.

Another great benefit to having so many guests, besides the guests themselves, is that it gives us an excuse to go sailing! Most everyone is eager to get out on the water and yet feel that discretion requires them not to ask too forcefully. Little do they realize that there is nothing we would rather do than take people out on Aeolus.

The next in the long line of great guests was Amy's uncle Jim. This was his first trip to the islands I believe and so we dialed up a trip to some of our favorite places. Jim is an athletic and adventurous sort and so there were no limitations to what we could do.

The plan worked beautifully. The poor guy arrived on a red eye but we threw him on the boat the same day he arrived and left that afternoon for Jones Island for our first overnight. It was just the boys and I plus Jim, as Amy stayed behind to finish some work. We left and headed up San Juan Channel and even had the chance to sail. I always try to give my guests an early opportunity to take the wheel and experience the thrill of "sailing". A side motivation is that I am eager for them to understand the basic boat controls so that in the event of an emergency I can rely on them to play a role in handling the boat. Jim had a steady hand, unlike most others, and kept the boat on a steady tack without a bunch of weaving around. Faster and more fun that way.

We went to the north side of Jones as SW winds were forecast. After dropping anchor off the NW corner of the state park dock, poor Jim dropped straight to sleep at whatever it was, like 8pm, as he had been up and traveling since 4 am or something like that. Owen went down too. Elliott and I were still spunky and so we dinghied over and hiked around and played on the beach and had a grand old time. Sure enough the lovely south cove was getting some good wind and our stay there would have been bouncy. Good call to stay on the north side.

In the morning, after a deep and wonderful night sleep for all, we went to shore and took Jim on our favorite walk around the West side of Jones. He was as impressed as everyone is with the views and it was a perfect start to a perfect day.

We then went over to Roche Harbor to pick up Amy, where we had arranged to have lunch before heading over to Stuart. We got to sail most of the way there on a nice beam reach before the wind died and the always strong and contrary currents in Spieden channel forced us to rouse the iron horse. As this was a Saturday in summer, all the face dock space at Roche was taken and we dropped anchor as near to there as possible.

Blue sky, hot sun, light breeze. If there is a better place, a better feeling, a deeper good on this earth, I have not yet found it. I've found equal, but not better.

We navigated the garden of mega yachts by rowing (OH MY GOD!) our dinghy like the hoi polloi we are and found Amy on time for a well deserved lunch at the newly expanded cafe. Roche Harbor is such a bizarrely obscene and yet wonderful place. The history is tragic, both ecologically and socially, and the new resort atmosphere wreaks of plasticine wealth, and yet the old hotel and the setting and the happiness that pervades the harbor counteracts all that and leaves you with a pleasant feeling of happy tranquility.

Satisfied, we shuttled our bodies and enough food for fifteen for a week over to Aeolus. No sooner had we raised anchor practically than we were able to raise sail. The wind was a steady 15-20 from the SW and coming right up Haro Straight. We took a tack headed over toward Sidney BC to take advantage of the great wind on a beam reach. After touching our toes into Canada (OH JOY), we headed back to Reid Harbor for our afternoon hike.

We grabbed one of the mooring buoys in Reid because we wanted to be near the State Park dock and between space restrictions and eel grass concerns we don't like to anchor here. We took Jim, who by this time is nearly stupefied with island pleasure, on a hike to a high point on Stuart that is especially sublime. Views all over and a feeling of being on top of the world. On this hike we gain something approximating 1,000 feet and cover a good handful of miles, but little Owen our 4 year old has never known anything different and just motors right up to the top and back with a negligible amount of fussing.

After a BBQ dinner and all the joy of sunset in Reid Harbor, we settled in for another great night sleep in preparation for our trip to the lighthouse at Turn Point the next day.

Having done this walk a great many times by now one would think it might have lost some charm the way familiar things sometimes do. Not in this case. The walk out to Turn Point remains my most favorite walk anywhere in the county and has lost none of the fascination and excitement it held upon my first trip back in 1998 or so.

So we get there, dumbfounded with smug happiness, and while pondering our good fortune Amy spots the whale watching boats nearby. A sure sign whales are in the area. Sure enough, an entire pod of Orcas is headed our way and over the course of the next 30 minutes or so we watched as they passed by doing every trick in the book.

It was hilarious listening to the excited banter between our boys and Amy about the whales. You know you are raising your kids in the islands when conversations sound like:

Elliott: "Hey, Hey, Mom, that was a flipper flap, a flipper flap Mom"
Amy: "Yeah, so cool"
Elliott "Hey, A breach! A breach! That one breached! I saw it breach!"
Amy: "Yeah, it breached, did you see that!"
Elliott "Yeah, so cool, it breached right there! and hey look at that one spy hopping!"

It was stunning to be in that unbelievably picturesque spot, on a blue sky warm sun day, with Orcas passing by and the world to yourself and nothing more to do.

We enjoyed our hike back and enjoyed our dinner and enjoyed our sleep and enjoyed our sail back to Friday Harbor. I've run out of superlatives.

There is nothing more wonderful than sharing great times with great friends, and Jim helped us create another wonderful memory aboard the good ship Aeolus.

New Storm Jib from Carol Hasse/Port Townsend Sails

I'm like a kid on Christmas Day with the receipt of our new storm jib from Carol Hasse and Port Townsend Sails.

It is a work of art and my experience with her loft has been top notch.

From the beginning of my contact with her business I have been treated as a valued customer and kept well informed of where things stand. I wish I could say this about all the sailing businesses I have used. When I sent them an email, I got a full response within a day. When I called, they spent time talking to me like they had nothing better to do. When Carol came to Friday Harbor to do a boat inspection, she was not only the diva of boat knowledge I expected, but warm and friendly, even to a relative novice like me. No attitude.

I say all this because when I am paying good money, and their sails are not cheap, you expect this kind of service, in addition to a superior product. Carol delivers both.

Look at some of these pictures and note the craftsmanship. I have a new mainsail by North, and a genoa by a now defunct Portland sailmaker. Neither begins to compare in quality.

We decided to go with Carol for our storm jib because when you need that sail, you really need that sail to not fail. Being a smaller sail, the cost differential was also not as great when compared with the corporate lofts. If we had more piles of cash, we would have had her make our new mainsail too, but her work is about double the cost of the big lofts who get their stuff made in Asia and shipped back.

The tack, clew and head are just beautiful. The hanks are sewn on with elegant line work. Note the hollow leech to minimize flapping. See also the triple rows of stitching between panels. The eyes at the corners are held on somehow with a woven roving that goes around an eye with a groove and feels bomb proof, and not a pressed in eye as on our main. I don't even know enough to point out all the details, but know outstanding quality when I see it. Like being able to appreciate the elegance of Porsche, without a clue how to make one.

Can't wait to fly this sail. It will be flown off our solent stay whenever we finally get that installed. Am waiting for parts from Brion Toss to complete the installation myself.

I can't speak highly enough of my customer experience and the quality of the work I received from Carol and her crew at Port Townsend Sails. We are fortunate to have her perpetuating these amazing skills.

To Stuart Island with friends

We ventured off after dinner on a Thursday night headed for our favorite stomping grounds in Reid Harbor, Stuart Island. From experience we know it is a two hour motor from our slip in Friday Harbor to anchor in Reid Harbor, and wishing to arrive before it was too dark, we left at 7:30. There was no wind to speak of and so we motored up San Juan Channel, but for a change of pace, we went up Spieden Channel to the west of Spieden rather than through the Cactus Islands east.

As always, this trip, even motoring, is magnificent. Spieden is a real jewel and the waters around it teem with life. We arrived at Reid during an amazing sunset and decided to use the state park dock for the first time since we were meeting colleagues from the San Juan Preservation Trust there the next day to do a hike with members of our organization.

It is strange to be on a dock, and a little unsettling, compared to the freedom and safety of being at anchor.

The next day we had the morning free and so I went for a run around the state park trails while the boys climbed trees and tossed rocks. There is nothing more satisfying to me as a parent than seeing my boys run wild and free around a natural area, creating games and being adventurous. This gave Amy some nice time to herself.

Folks arrived a little later on and we went for our hike up to a spectacular spot on Stuart that is not accessible to the public. The land is privately owned and we had special permission due to our work with landowners in the area for conservation easements and other preserves we own outright. The day was glorious and the views out of this world.

After a long, rugged and invigorating hike, we were back to Reid Harbor and saying goodbye to everyone who had to head home. We were staying another night. Our friends Kathleen and Chad and their son Evan were coming back to join us and before too long they had dropped folks off at Roche Harbor and come back with goodies. They have a very cute power boat named "Scout" that takes them wherever they want to go in style. It is just big enough for the three of them but can still be put on a trailer easily.

We had a fantastic night with great food and roasting smores. The boys were boys and had the run of the place pretty much. Elliott is quite good at rowing now and so is trusted to go just about anywhere. In the morning the boys went off to the other side of the isthmus, completely out of sight and sound. This made Kathleen and Chad a little nervous about Evan, but Elliott is a good big brother to any little kid and though he is only 8, he is quite responsible. They came back happy and healthy.

We wrestled with whether to hike out to the lighthouse as we love to do, or to take the day to sail down the west side of San Juan and up through Cattle Pass. We decided to sail, as there seemed to be good wind, but when we got out to Henry Island what little wind there was blew right onto our nose. We still enjoyed a great trip along Henry and down San Juan past Lime Kiln and False Bay. Right on time, as we turned into Cattle Pass to head home, the wind came up and we got to broad reach all the way home at good speed. There was a steady 10 with occasional gusts to 15, and that was enough to keep us above 5 knots SOG.

Home safe and sound after another incredible trip aboard Aeolus.

BC Ferries are so far better than WSF!!!

One picture says it all. BC Ferries are so, so much nicer than our lame Washington State Ferries that it is a laughable comparison. Theirs are new and well maintained, and ours are literally antiques and rusty buckets. We have great staff on our boats, but the boats themselves are pathetic. Look at this ferry that even without the Olympics would be glorious. Oh well, we Americans get to give more money to Colombia for "Drug interdiction".

Memorial Day trip to Salt Spring Island and environs

We're just back from a much needed voyage to Salt Spring Island for a get away. Between boat projects and some health issues, we had been stuck at the dock for too much recently and we are not happy campers without some real adventure in our regular diet. So off with the lines and despite lingering excuses not to go, we set forth upon the seas and cast our lot with the wind. We had never sailed into Ganges Harbor and knew from visits by land that it would be fun and beautiful. Sure enough.

We left at the start of the flood but once again were disappointed by the lack of help going north. There are so many eddies and funny currents that you really need a good current chart or deep perosnal experience to play them expertly. We did alright, and motored into a headwind all the way to Bedwell Harbor, South Pender Island to clear Canadian customs. This tanker is typical of the traffic you cross in Boundary Pass going over the border. No sooner had we tied up at Bedwell than Owen starts to pee as I took a picture. It wasn't planned that way! As always, clearing customs was quick, polite and simple. God I love Canada. The resort there at Poet's Cove imported some mega million tons of white sand for the beach and they let low life sailing scum like us enjoy it without a suit and tie. It was nice to stretch the legs. It is about 2.5 hours from FH to Bedwell on Aeolus.

From there we shot off to Ganges for the night and dropped anchor at about 7pm. There is tons of room to anchor and despite many mooring balls near to town, there is still room to swing among them. Despite the hour, we jumped into the dinghy and rowed to shore for a little terrestrial exploration.

I have to add that the weather has been extraordinary for days and days, and this night was also sublime. As close to a warm summer night as we ever get around here. There is a Rotary sponsored dinghy dock downtown at Ganges and above it is a park and the main market. Perfect. We met some acquaintances from Friday Harbor there who have two girls the same ages as our boys and that was the evening. The kids ran and frolicked while the parents did the "Damn I like BC and it is so much nicer and better than Washington and I've got half a mind to find work here..." talk. It always happens. All the quality of life and more that we have in the States, plus universal health care and no national tendency toward militaristic fascism. Oh well.

The next day we went over for brunch and happened upon the Salt Spring Inn. On the way I got this picture of Elliott in front of the mermaid at the Rotary dinghy dock. He called her the "freaky lady". I can't recommend this restaurant highly enough. We had great meals, really friendly service, cheap prices and a nice atmosphere. The food was very high quality, not cheap. Fresh. Meals were like $6 Canadian, and would have easily been $10 in Friday Harbor and been half as good with bad service. Yet another reason to like BC is that even their tourist towns are nicer than ours. Amy, tea lover, was pleased that her tea came with a clever little tea pot. The British in British Columbia makes her very happy to have tea in BC. Yet another reason to like it here. I tell you, the list goes on.

Anyway, we had a great morning and then left Ganges for a tremendous sail toward our next stop at Portland Island. While Amy and Owen slept, I raised sail and had a rare opportunity for a long sail with many tacks. The wind, as always, was on the nose, but at least there was wind. We had probably 10-15 knots, and with full sail that moved us along at about 5 knots close hauled. I was so very happy to sail those three or so miles tacking back and forth on this exquisitely beautiful day. We were not alone. At one point I counted 22 other sailboats within sight of our position with sails up.

The highlight of the sail was needing to navigate around some closely spaced islands under sail and against a strong current. On one tack I was able to skim past a rocky headland with maybe a few boat lengths to spare, while heeled over and loving every second. Beautiful day, beautiful sandstone islands. Truly incredible experiences. On the approach to Portland Island Elliott jumped into the dinghy we were towing behind and enjoyed a nice roller coaster ride.

Portland Island was all she always is. We anchored in Royal Cove and immediately jumped into the dinghy to go to nearby Arbutus Point to our favorite beach. This soft sandy beach is our favorite beach anywhere in the Salish Sea. It is just so friendly and beautiful and interesting and quiet. You can swim and play in the soft sand, and the uplands have great trails and forest.

Today was a very low tide, and we caught the end of the ebb south after a morning walk to Princess Cover on Portland. We left Royal Cove at 11:30 and arrived at Friday Harbor at 3pm having motored the whole time. Once again, the wind was on the nose and we did not have time to sail those tacks home. The currents near the south side of Spieden were once again incredible. We knew from experience that despite the strengthening flood, there would be an eddy here that we could ride and sure enough, we did 8 knots for quite a while. Nowhere else in the San Juans has quite the tumultuous current that the Cactus Islands behind Spieden possess. Just crazy water that never seems to stop.

A perfect trip and we needed and enjoyed every second of it. The boys were great and had a blast and Amy and I nourished our spirits.

New hatch finished!

I'm happy to report that my new Lewmar Ocean 70 hatch is finally installed and done. Replacing the sliding bow hatch that came on the Gulf 32 was a necessary project due to its age and design. I liked many aspects of the sliding hatch, but it was not a great design for offshore use as the drains were easily overwhelmed.

Anyway, the new hatch is on and looks great. It is anchored securely and I used butyl rubber as the sealant. It passed a high intensity hose test at all the seams and edges. My epoxy job around the existing coaming did the trick and provided the necessary width to accomodate the slightly larger hatch. I need to touch up a little paint and clean up some old caulk and dirt from the old hatch, but otherwise she's complete.

Another thing off the list...

New bow hatch coming along

I've finished all the epoxy work for my new bow hatch and am now finalizing the priming and painting. This job won't be too pretty up close, but from normal distances she'll be just fine. I used an epoxy prime coat as a fairing agent and topped with Brightside. Next, I can mount the darn thing and call this project done.

I used epoxy to build up the sides, with rope to provide strength and fill. I only needed about 1/8 inch on all sides to fit the hatch, but this will give some more strength and rigidity to the area.

Gulf 32 "Jester" passes through

Yet another Gulf 32 passed through Friday Harbor this weekend. I was on Aeolus working on my bow hatch when two guys walk by and comment on my boat. They said they had a friend with a Gulf and sure enough, they had just pulled in to Port together. "Jester" is a somewhat unnamed Gulf that has apparently gone through several name variations without one sticking. The current owner, Jake, has not quite settled on a name yet, but his friends call her "Jester" because that is the name on one of the cushions.

In any case, she is a beautiful Gulf 32 and Jake does a remarkable job of keeping her shiny. She is the first Gulf I have ever seen that has a polished stemhead fitting. The fitting is brass, and corrodes instantly in rain, and yet he keeps his shiny by constant attention. Amazing. He also has his ancient gelcoat looking like new, and does the hard work to keep it that way. She is an older Gulf too, like "Merry Me" that passed through last week. It's pretty amazing how many changes they made in their layout and details between his 82 and my 88. Too many to list.

Jake is off to explore Jones and Stuart Islands, world class destinations, and have a grand time cruising around for a bit. I'm happy for him, and glad to have seen his Gulf. I learned a lot that will be of use to me on Aeolus.

One thing I'll mention is that he installed a flat screen TV in a way that lets him see it from the main salon and Vberth. It is a Sharp Aquos, and he got it because it has an external transformer, which he cut off and runs directly off his 12V system. Awesome. And, he has a CD/DVD car stereo for music and movies. How great is that?
Jake was a great guy and I appreciated his willingness to share his boat ideas. Yet another Gulf 32 here in the NW.