Monday, February 21, 2022

Fetch is not your friend, but courage is!

We flipped the switch and went to Aeolus this weekend despite the normal 1,000 reasons why we "shouldn't". It was a truly incredible trip, and we are just home and assessing what has been. The weather had a little bit of everything. We went up Saturday afternoon to Friday Harbor and it was benign. Sunday dawned mostly clear and the day was perfect for February. Our journey to Stuart was a magic carpet ride as usual. So much wildlife in Spieden channel. Sea Lions, birds. Mostly sunny and highs pushing 50 in the sun but cold in the shade. We did a favorite hike once we got to Stuart and enjoyed an all around wondrous day. Owen brought a friend and they spent the entire day, until dark, romping around and exploring. There is nothing better for young men than a day of aimless exploring in wild places together. Stuart isn't fully wild, being mostly private property, but it's undeveloped enough and has park and land trust lands in places you can explore. The entire island was clear cut to fuel the kilns in Roche Harbor, but the second growth trees are gaining some stature. We played games all night, ate great food, and enjoyed the warm boat. 
Spieden never disappoints for interest, now if they would only sterilize all those damn sheep so the plant life could recover and flourish! 



We used the new Cubic Mini all afternoon and it is such a game changer. So much heat out of that thing. And very little smoke with the compressed wood logs we use. Keeps the boat around 73 and it was a chilly 35-40 most of the later day and evening.
We sit together, the mountain and me, until only the mountain remains


Going back to Friday Harbor was festive this morning, as the wind was blowing 30-40 NE.
Cranking out the heat!

You are sheltered along Spieden, but when you pop out to head down San Juan Channel you are exposed to the full fetch of President's Channel in those NE winds. It was a choppy 3-4 sea. Aeolus just smiles. She puts her shoulder down and just cruises along. Fetch is not your friend, but experience, preparation and the right vessel and these things are routine. People stayed away by the millions and once again, we didn't see a single other recreational boat out in the islands, despite us having such a lovely trip. 

When we got back to the actual Port of Friday Harbor, which takes two hours at 5-6 knots by the way, the NE wind was shouting straight into the Port. At the breakwater there was awesome CLAPOTIS! Both one of my favorite words, and things, on the planet.  There were surf scoters hanging out in the maelstrom of random wave explosions. Once inside the breakwater, the problem is that wind was blowing straight down the fairway. I knew I had to maintain steerage while keeping my speed low. I used reverse throttle several times to bring myself to a dead stop, only to quickly get going again to try and stay between 2-3 knots. It was blowing a solid 35 down the fairway. I knew I had to get into the slip with a certain approach.
The luckiest people on Earth

Our family knows what to do. I entered the slip a bit early and at a much higher speed than normal. I must've been doing 3-4 knots. I had to maintain steerage. But right as maybe 1/4 of the boat was in the slip, and before we had calamity, I gave full throttle reverse just as Owen jumped off with lines. It was a thing of beauty. A helpful gentleman appeared as well and took a line. We never touched the dock or a damn thing. High fives all around. This is precisely why I always get starboard ties in FH, so you can come in hot in a stiff wind and not get pushed into your neighbor. 

Thank you Aeolus. 

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Cubic Mini Grizzly installed--Wow!

 Since we've had Aeolus, she has had a Force 10 kerosene heater that I have kept going and suffered through. It was obnoxiously loud, made the boat smell like kerosene, and put out only enough heat to slowly heat the boat about 30 degrees above outside temperature and so in the winter, to a tepid place. 

While I have pursued endless other boat projects, I have fantasized about what I would replace that old Force 10 with many times. Finally, this winter, I read about the Cubic Mini stoves and found my answer. After considering a new kerosene stove from Dickinson, I decided to go the wood route since we cruise in the great wooded PNW. 

The Grizzly. You can see the fiberglass blanket for heat protection. 

This won't be a full installation story because honestly it was quite straightforward. You get all the equipment with your purchase and just have to make sure you have the proper amount of vent pipe and top cap you need. On Aeolus, since I already had a kerosene heater, I didn't have to do any changes to the deck hole or fittings since they were already of the specified size for the Cubic system. 

On a Gulf 32, the best and only place if you have a dining table on the starboard side, is to mount it on the port bulkhead. The Cubic Mini instructions specify how much draft you need, but you will find that you can fudge this down a bit and do fine. The challenge is heat radiation, and rather than doing some major surgery to my cushions for fire hazard, I decided to purchase some fiberglass welding blanket and lay this over the cushion and have found it works great. The fiberglass blanket gets hot, but with a small air gap between it and the cushion, the cushion does not. 


I've been burning some local highly condensed wood sawdust logs that are made here in Western WA. They are super dense, and pack a lot of btu in their space. This is important since storing wood is an issue on a small boat. I am using two plastic bins with sealing lids to store the wood, and bought an empty paint can to store and transport the ashes. 

Let me tell you, it is a transformation of the boat. It puts out so much heat that we actually talked about turning it down! We took our fleece off! We took our hats off! It was warm. Not only radiating warmth, but temperature warm. The boat was 76 degrees and felt like 86. It's a game changer. We've always sailed year round, and with special love of winter trips, but now, it will be so deeply comfortable that we will find even more joy in our journeys. Our winter swims will be easier to contemplate! And it is a dry heat. So deeply dry. The little thermoelectric fan does a great and nearly silent job of moving air around. I wish I had made this change years ago and thank Cubic Mini for making a solid and functional little heater! 



Teenage boys and Jones

 After too long, I finally stole a weekend away and had Owen and his friend along. There is nothing like a get away to the islands and the boat. The long journey is instantly rewarded once you arrive. The disconnection from syphilization does wonders. I've written repeatedly here on this boat blog about this necessary component of my life. 

The boys
On this particular trip I had reason to reflect on how we have raised our boys on this boat, doing these trips, and letting them be feral. Even as teenagers, it is so deep in their bones, they just drop their phones and disappear into playful wild places. Amy and I met doing environmental education, and there has never been any doubt that getting your kids into wilderness as much as possible pays priceless dividends to their well being. 

This was a garden variety trip to Jones in winter. For us, routine. And yet, there was no one around. As usual. The island is wonderfully abandoned and wearing it's winter coat of fallen branches and trails hard to find from debris. But we know them blindfolded. 

Sky and Sea

The weather was benign. The boat performed flawlessly. The food was yummy, the conversation lovely, and the boat sleep as special as ever. 

Heaven on Earth-with Garry Oaks 

To Jones we go on the map. To bliss we go in our mindhearts. 
A happy me