Worsening forecast threatens trip

Well, damn. The pleasant forecast of winds SE 15-25 has now changed to a forecast of SE 25-35. Sailors know that the force of the wind does not grow in a linear fashion, but in fact relates to the cube of the velocity. Meaning, 30 knots of wind is not twice as forceful as 15 knots, but about 9 times more forceful. Practically speaking, having sailed in winds up to 40 knots, there is no comparison between winds of 25 or less and winds of 30 or more. Especially in the open waters of the Straits of Juan de Fuca.

If this forecast holds through tonight, I will not be heading north tomorrow after all. No need to suffer that much. My Gulf is as seaworthy and solid as a 32 foot boat can be, but I have seen the steep seas that kick up in the Straits with winds over 30 knots and it is pretty rough.

I'd go the Swinomish channel route except it is too far from Bainbridge to a decent anchorage like Deception Pass to make it in one day. That area is rather tight to sail at night without more local knowledge than my few trips would provide. Plus it is just way more fun and beautiful to go the Port Townsend/Smith Island route.

Anyway, I'll have to check my calendar for the next attempt and spend the next few days doing something else like go for some long hikes. 

Excited about journey north December 26th

Here it is Christmas Eve, and my thoughts turn back and forth from the holiday and my boys to my upcoming trip north on Aeolus. The day after Christmas I will hop aboard that trusty boat and captain her back to her home waters in the San Juan Islands.

The forecast is for S to SE winds in the middle range of 10-25 knots. Should be perfect for a trip north. I'll go first to Port Townsend and spend the night, which is only 30 miles from Bainbridge, and from there hop over to the islands either via Rosario Strait and Lopez or straight up San Juan Channel. It depends in part on my appetite to wake up and catch the pre-dawn flood, and the amount and direction of wind.The total journey is about 60 miles and I will split it over two days this time of year. The current is ebbing most all day Sunday, which along with a south wind should mean I do a hearty 7-8 knots to Port Townsend. Quick trip. Looking forward to a night in that fun town.

It will be great to be out, to be away, to journey, to feel the wind, to be in the wilderness of the sea, to inhabit the wilderness of me, and to simply be upon our boat.

Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas to all!

Dove and replaced zinc and removed barnacles

I check the shaft zinc on Aeolus every few weeks as just a part of my boat routine, much in the way my house plants don't die because I habitually check them to see if they have enough water. My recent check of the zinc showed that it had come time to replace it, and a check of my records showed that it had indeed been 10 months since it was last new. I also noticed that the propeller was heavily fouled with barnacles. Little bastards.

Today I dove on the boat and did the works. Though saying "dove" might give the wrong impression as I am not SCUBA certified but was merely snorkeling. The water in Puget Sound is probably somewhere in the mid 40's and fortunately my wet suit is an arctic model lined with merino wool.

It keeps my core perfectly warm and is nearly a dry suit in the way it fits. Glad I haven't gained weight since I got it because it is really tough to get on and off as it is.

On the subject of shaft zincs I must say that I have developed a preference for those that have a slot for a standard screwdriver instead of only an allen head. The reason is that fitting an allen into a corroded head is not nearly as easy as finding the slot for a screwdriver. It is easier to get the old one off and the new one on during my short times under water if I don't have to fiddle with the allen wrench. The allen might allow a smaller increase in torque, but I've never had a zinc come off that was screwdriver tightened. 

The shaft on Aeolus is a 1 1/8, which I believe is standard on all Gulf 32's. Just for reference.

When I got around to scraping the barnacles off the prop I must say it is enormously satisfying. The little buggers must wreak havoc on prop efficiency and there is little I dislike more than poor mechanical efficiency. My biolove takes a back seat to my boat love in this case, and the barnies got scraped off with a happy vengeance.

Boy it felt great to be in the water and taking care of Aeolus. Whole thing took maybe 15 minutes, and is slowed mainly by my time underwater while holding my breath. I manage around 20 seconds per session even though I can hold my breath on land for two minutes or more. Anyway, a quick job.

Day sail to Blake Island and decision to move Aeolus back to Friday Harbor

Not sailing for a sailor is like being put into a deep cave. You know there is a bright beautiful light out there somewhere, but it feels so distant and inaccessible. As much as I might like to explain how hard it has been living away from San Juan Island in terms of our sailing life, I don't know that the words would suffice. I was just reading some Les Miserables again, a book I return to often for inspiration, and came across a line I underlined when I first read the book years ago. Hugo said "conscience is the chaos of chimeras...". Wow. Nothing I have read is more true than this statement, and this truth explains why I cannot accurately describe how much I miss our sailing life in the San Juans.

Notwithstanding that our Life on Bainbridge is far better suited to our overall happiness and well being, it will never satisfy my desire for wilderness and nautical exploration the way our almost daily experience of these things did around San Juan. As this blog can attest, our lives there revolved around constant sailing trips to fantastic islands that had amazing hikes. That is a simple formula for my bliss.

Trip to Gulf Islands through Swinomish Channel

We are just back from yet another amazing trip aboard our good ship Aeolus, and boy was it heaven. Having moved to Bainbridge we were not sure whether the time it takes to get up through and past the San Juans would leave enough time on a one week trip for real enjoyment of the Canadian Gulf Islands, but it did. We left Bainbridge on a Friday afternoon headed north to DeCourcy Island just below Dodd Narrows and Nanaimo. Due to gale wind forecasts in the Straits of JDF we opted for the Swinomish Channel route.

That first night was about a five hour trip from Eagle Harbor to Langley. When we arrived at Langley, which we had read was a marginal anchorage, we found a stiff 15-20 knot NW wind was turning the anchorage into a trampoline. Oh well, we knew we were in for a rough night. As has happened many times before, our robust ground tackle saved us from trouble or real worry. We anchored in and among quite a few other boats and slept pretty well through the 2 foot chop.

The next day we motored up to the southern entrance to Swinomish channel at the start of a rising tide and when just starting to head in, several outbound boats urgently told us to turn around as several other boats had just run aground. Glad for the advice, we turned around in the tight channel which was showing about 8 feet of depth where we were and circled around outside the entrance for about 30 minutes to let the water rise. We watched the grounded boats float free and figured we were good to go as well. The channel is a lot of fun in some places, and tedious in others. It is like a portal from Puget Sound to the San Juans.

Aeolus is now at Bainbridge Island

My new work has kept me away from this blog longer than I would like but such is life. Just this last week I moved Aeolus from Shilshole Marina over to Bainbridge Island because after a look around Seattle for our new home, we are going to give Bainbridge a good try. Finding a new neighborhood is a bit like choosing clothing. Some look good, some don't, some you try on, and then decide they look bad, and others you try on, and purchase. We are in the "try on" stage with Bainbridge and so have moved Aeolus there as the advanced guard.

I've been out sailing a few times recently, both to bring her over and just to get out one day. Even though my work is keeping me busy these days, I'll soon be back to boat projects and trips and will continue this blog for all it has ever been: fun for me, fun for my family, and perhaps useful to a few fellow sailors.

Trip from Friday Harbor down to Seattle

As I motored away from Friday Harbor that day, I was well aware of the significance of it all. I took this parting shot of the area even though there is nothing to see in it.

The trip was enjoyable and uneventful. I had a weather window that cooperated pretty well. By far the roughest weather on the whole trip south was what I experienced on the south side of Lopez. It is about one hour from Friday Harbor down to Cattle Pass, and with the currents being in my favor I did so quite easily. I then turned into the maze of islands that make up the area on the southern tip of Lopez and soon dealt with the remnants of a strong west wind going against a strong ebb. It was a typical confused bit of heaven and hell on the water. Bouncing clapotis of about 3-4 feet, which is just enough to make any boat plunge and hop. As always, Aeolus puts her shoulder down and handles it very gracefully, despite the conditions being pretty unpleasant. I surely wouldn't have wanted to be out in a flat bottom Hunter or power boat in those conditions.

Aeolus moved and back from travels to Rome and Corsica

I think this has been the longest I have ever gone without posting on this blog but that's what being on the other side of the earth from your boat will do to you. We are just back from three weeks of traveling in Rome and on the island of Corsica. This is a specialty blog just about things involving Aeolus, but I will post one picture (from a 14th century Genoese watchtower on a headland about 1,500 feet straight up from the Med) and state that Corsica is a paradise for explorers and I cannot recommend it highly enough for anyone who loves ocean, mountains, hiking, French food, or Mediterranean history/culture. Rome was, well, thoroughly and enjoyably Roman.

Moving Aeolus to Seattle

Well, the big news in our world is that we will be moving Aeolus down to a slip in Seattle. In fact, this weekend I will be moving her down if the weather on Saturday does stay below 25 knots SE. Hope to go the Admiralty Inlet route but it exposes me to more fetch from the S. We'll see.

The reason for the boat move is that I have begun a new position in Seattle and will use the boat as a crash pad on some nights. Although I will miss having her here in Friday Harbor, it will be a lot of fun to join a more active sailing community and explore a different region. Sailing around an urban water front was always a ton of fun when we learned to sail in San Diego, and I look forward to that in Seattle too. One thing is for certain, it will be a whole lot easier and cheaper to buy parts at Fisheries Supply and not need them shipped!

This blog will begin to be filled with stories about sailing the greater Seattle environs instead of Jones Island and the San Juans. I'm sure we'll still bring the boat up for trips in the San Juan and Gulf Islands, but it won't be our backyard anymore. Oh the changes that make up a fascinating and fulfilling life...

Adjusted engine valves

I knew it had been a while since I adjusted the valves on Aeolus and I had started to notice some unusual knocking and pinging. Adjusting valves is both fun and easy, and I launched into it today. It was a bit rainy and though there was some good wind, I chose to maintain rather than sail. The boys read books and played with figurines while I was sprawled around the diesel. Overall the valves were in decent shape, with some not needing any adjustment at all and several needing minor corrections.

This photo shows the identical parts of a Universal diesel, though it isn't one.

New cabin heater, bilge hoses, windlass batteries and..

Given the sheer volume of projects I pursue at any one time on Aeolus, it is easy to forget them when I sit down to update this blog. But to honor the purpose of this blog, I really should try to include at least a few of the smaller things I am doing all the time to make Aeolus a better boat.

Three day sail, high winds, no kids

While our boys are away with the grandparents for the week, Amy and I jumped at the chance to go on a trip. It turned out that Friday also had high SE winds and that determined our sail plan for us pretty well. We had toyed with the options of going to Victoria or Port Townsend or up into the Gulf Islands. All good choices. Turned out that Friday had 30 knot winds from the SE and so heading out Cattle Pass wasn't going to be much fun and so we headed north, with the wind.

It was fantastic. We put out a handkerchief of genoa and still did hull speed of 6.5 knots downwind all the way to Prevost Harbor on Stuart Island. Around Spieden Island things got pretty choppy as the waves reached 2-3 feet and gusts were reported to hit 33 knots. Aeolus handles that stuff gracefully and Amy did all the steering in the beautiful conditions.

New cabin lights with ABI fixtures and Sensibulb LED bulbs

Lighting has been on my list of next projects for a while and I am finally tackling the challenge. My existing cabin lights are cheapo plastic RV fixtures that used a 20 or 25 watt incandescent bulb. I wanted to upgrade the appearance of the fixtures, improve the overall lighting in the cabin, and greatly reduce my electricity draw. I did all three!

Being Wild Things on Jones Island

With Amy away for a few days coordinating our local leadership group, I grabbed the boys and sailed off to Jones Island for an overnight of being Wild Things. Leave work, pick up some firewood, some potatoes (you'll see), grab Owen from pre-school, grab Elliott from his after school Origami class, and we're on our way by 4:30pm on Friday. Civil twilight at 5:30 pm, one hour trip, should just make it. We just made it. Motored on a gorgeous calm evening through the dappled glory of our water world to arrive on the north side of Jones as last light was fading away.

We jumped into the dinghy and once on shore, we started up our fire in one of the fire rings and were Wild Things. We beat our chests a bit, and were transfixed by fire.

Deep sleep, next day, circumnavigate the island. Two and a half hour walk, about 4 miles, lots of stopping and laying in the sun. Warm, deep heat. Boys are amazing beasts. Not a word of "complaint", not even from Owen. It is what we do. Who we are. We skipped, threw rocks, sang songs, told jokes, watched bald eagles, were mesmerized by the water and altogether absorbed in being ourselves, and together.

Shaw Island, County Park

On what is expected to be the last nice day for a while, we jumped aboard Aeolus with no particular destination in mind. The sun was shining, and the air had warmed nicely to over 40 degrees, which is no small thing in January. After considering our old favorite of Jones Island, we decided to mix things up and go to County Park on Shaw Island.

New stern cleats for sheets and drogue

Today I completed the installation of two new Schaeffer stern cleats to use for sheets and drogue anchoring. Gulf 32's come standard with stern cleats for dock lines, but they are down below the level of the coaming and not able to be used for sheets.

New exhaust pipe and ball valve

On Aeolus the exhaust runs to the stern in a 1.5" hose and upon reaching the stern lazarette it rises up a few feet and goes through some pipe and back down to the through hull. This U shaped approach somewhat prevents sea water from filling the hose/water muffler and engine block. Nothing worse than a following sea filling your engine block with H20 and then going to start your motor to find that you just demolished your rods.

The pipe was showing signs of rust, and knowing a thing or two about rusting iron I knew it was time to at least pull it out and check for bigger problems. Turns out the pipe had partially disintegrated in places and it was high time to replace.