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.