Stella Maris
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2008
- Messages
- 1,500
- Fluid Motion Model
- C-24 C
- Non-Fluid Motion Model
- Helmsman PH38, 11' Boston Whaler, 9' Boston Whaler
- Vessel Name
- Destiny
I am sorry to have to post the entire tale of our adventure north on one posting however, after the last $400.00 internet bill for international roaming....... I was not about to do that twice! So, below you will find the journal of our journey. In a few days, I will be posting pictures from our trip on our web site.
And Barry, your welcome! We enjoyed having you along!
Friday August 20th
It’s 5:00 am and time to get up. Having not arrived at Karma until 23:30 the night before, 5:00 am came very early this morning. As we gently and quietly slipped the lines and started our trek north, the sun has not yet even begun to light the eastern sky. We glided slowly and carefully through the dark waters of Port Orchard. Once the sky began to glow orange, we steadily increased our speed until we were running at fourteen knots up through Port Orchard Bay and then out through Agate Passage to Puget Sound.
Upon reaching Puget Sound we set our course for Edmonds Marina where we are scheduled to rendezvous with Ken and Sandy on the R-29, Shared Dream. We arrived at the entrance to Edmonds at 7:10am. We soon spied Shared Dream making their way out of Edmonds Marina. Now, it was off for LaConner where we would hook up with Barry and Gill on their R-25, Laxey. The cruise up to LaConner was uneventful with flat seas and no wind! We did however spot what we were told was an Elephant Seal on the eastern side or Whidbey Island.
The Swinomish Channel though was another thing. We hit right at the bottom of the tide and a minus tide at that. And then to top it off, right there in the dead center of the channel was a sailboat aground. With four feet of water in center channel, there was not much room to stray to either side to pass him. We slowed to a dead crawl and passed within 18 inches of him. Only a bit more time and he will be on his way once again.
We arrived in LaConner at 10:00 am. Barry and Gill were patiently awaiting our arrival. We advised them that we were going to top off our fuel tanks. For the run from Port Orchard to LaConner we consumed 50 gallons of fuel. Not bad for an average speed of 13 knots over at total distance of 66 miles.
Karma and Shared Dream were once again fueled and ready to move on. We slipped the lines from the fuel dock and continued our trip north. The Swinomish Channel has a designated speed limit of five knots for pretty much the entire stretch to Anacortes. Once clear of the five knot zone we increased our speed to 11 knots for the crossing over to the San Juan Islands.
Again, the day could not have been better! Clear skies, light breeze, little traffic on the water! Coming through the San Juans was absolutely beautiful!
We arrived in Poets Cove at 14:30 greeted by Bob and Nita on the Nellie Too, Sonny and Fernando on Blessings, as well as Gary and Rosalee on Harbor Ranger. Along with the Ranger Tugs, we also had Anne on “Sea Coaster” a C-Dory 22, and Chris and Willow on their “Cruiser”, “Harbor Cruiser”.
Clearing customs was a breeze this time. A quick call in, answer a few questions, assure the customs agent that my name was not “John” but David, and then question Maureen as to who “John” is……
Once we cleared customs, we moved over to our slip next to the Nellie Too. As soon as all was secure, it was off to the spa for a facial and massage for Maureen while I stayed behind to clean all of the salt off of Karma.
It was not long after we arrived at Poets Cove that we spotted another Tug coming into the harbor. It was Patrick and Gail on their R-25, “That’s It”.
The cocktail and hor dourves party started at 17:30 on the dock. Chris on Harbor Cruiser made a special announcement during “Cocktail Hour”. Today was Rosalee’s 73rd birthday! We all joined in for a round of Happy Birthday for Rosalee. At 18:00 we were joined by Jeff and his family as well as his friend Todd along with his family. With the arrival of Jeff and Todd, our group was now up to ten! What a stir we created in the marina! Tugs, tugs, everywhere!
Tomorrow we will be is off for Gibsons! Planned departure time is 8:30.
Saturday, August 21st
It was 8:00 am and time to cast off and start the next leg of our journey to Desolation Sound. Our route today will take us through Pender Canal out into Plumper Sound. One of the cautions you take prior to entering the canal is to call out a Securete to inform any vessel transiting from the opposite direction of your intentions. The canal is only wide enough for one vessel to transit at a time. I made the call and what do we hear? It is John and his wife on their R-21 “Port Nut”. They are headed south through the canal headed for Victoria! We exchange hello’s and waves as well as a few toots of the horns as we cross wakes. We then bid John and his wife safe passage and continue ours.
From Plumper Sound we make our way to Active pass and out into the big waters of the Straits of Georgia. Coming through Active Pass, we had to negotiate between a couple of BC Ferries. Once out on the Straits though it is amazingly flat. Jeff and a few of the others take off and run at speed across while the rest of us cruised across at eight knots. It was an uneventful crossing that takes us four hours.
We arrived in Gibsons Marina where we took on 62 gallons of fuel. Our burn rate coming across was six gallons per hour. That does include the run from LaConner to Poets which we did at 11 knots.
With running water available on the docks, everyone took advantage of the chance to wash all of the salt off of their boats. Again, we create quite a stir with so many little tugs in one place.
Saturday evening, everyone was invited to Tim and Kim Thompson’s home for one heck of a big crab feed! The Thompson’s were great hosts feeding us all and then leaving a car at the marina for anyone of us to use as needed. Many folks took advantage of it to run to the grocery store or anywhere else they needed to go.
We check the weather for Sunday and it does not look conducive to leaving with strong winds forecast. We will just have to wait until morning to see what it brings.
Sunday, August 23rd
As predicted, the winds are up as well as the seas. We have decided to stay in port for another day. The ladies were all excited as it gives them a chance to wander through downtown Gibsons. While the winds are blowing outside, it is really quite pleasant in the marina. I took advantage of a day in port to get a couple of minor projects done on Karma. Sunday evening found us all out on the dock in our usual positions…. Drink in one hand, snacks in the other!
Monday, August 24th
Wow! It is dark at 5:00 am! There is not even a hint of the sun starting to rise in the east. We need to be up early as our planned departure time is 6:00 am bound to make the 85 mile run to Pendrell Sound in Desolation.
The sun was just starting to light the eastern sky when we cast the lines from Karma and headed out. Some folks have made the decision it is time to turn south while others of us are going to continue north. We bid farewell to Bob and Nita as well as Barry and Gill. Karma is headed north while they have chosen to head south.
The ride started out lumpy but smoothed out once we got north of Texada Island. What incredible country! Islands, trees, blue sky as well as great people in great boats! The run today will take us seven hours at an average speed of 15 knots. Rate of fuel burn is 12 gallons per hour. We will stop in Refuge to take on a load of fuel. At this rate it looks as though we will need about 70 gallons…… Oh well, it is only money!
We arrived at Refuge Cove in Desolation at 12:30. Not bad considering it was a run of 78 miles. We did not take on as much fuel as we thought we would. Total fuel consumed for this run was 65 gallons. The cost of fuel in Refuge surprised us. Only $1.18 per liter or $4.49 per gallon. In a remote location such as this, you would expect to pay considerably more.
After taking on fuel, we headed off to Pendrell Sound to catch up with Lyman and Janeane on Zuma. We found them anchored at the far end of the sound. What an incredible place. Snow capped mountain peaks rising at least 7000 feet from the sea. Along with Zuma, there were another half dozen boats anchored. All had a bow anchor out and a stern line to shore. We talked it over with Lyman and decided the best thing to do was to drop our anchor, and then back down to them. Once we were rafted, Taylor and Daniel ran a stern line to an attachment point on shore.
The boys showed off their stuff by swinging off of a tree with a rope. Once they tired of this, they took to cliff diving!
At 17:30, we heard Harbor Cruisers calling on the radio. We guided them into the back end of the sound. We then assisted them with getting tied up. Sonny and Fernando were the next to come in. We had them anchor next to us. Gary and Rosalee on Harbor Ranger rafted with Harbor Cruiser. Patrick and Gail as well as Ann hung on their own hooks. Ann’s little CD-22 is sure a cute little boat. She is very excited about the days ticking by before she has her R-25.
Once everyone was secured and ready for the first night on the hook, it was time to break out the hor dourves and cocktails.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
I was up three times last night checking the anchors. There was a light breeze blowing over night giving us a pretty nice night. Morning broke clear and crisp. I was up at five to watch a new day dawning. The sun slowly peaked over the mountains lighting the peaks on the far side. I took the dinghy out for a short row just enjoying the solitude of the location. Slowly life starts to appear around me. I look up to see Chris rowing his dog ashore. The little converted fishing boat anchored off of our starboard side also is starting to show signs of life. Karma and Zuma are still quiet with no one stirring. Patrick and Gail are up sitting in their cockpit also enjoying the tranquility of the location. It is amazing. No airplane noise. No car noise. Just the quiet whisper of the fans on the propane heaters I have in the cockpit. It won’t be long and I will go inside and start the coffee. No sense in waking Maureen up until she is ready to get up. That’s what vacations are for.
I watch as one of the sailboats tied at the far end of the sound, quietly retrieves his anchor and starts his journey for the day. You fantasize about where they are from and where they are headed. You see boats up here with hailing ports from around the world. You are truly in the “cruising world” when you come to Desolation Sound. It won’t be long though before everyone starts their trek south as winter is just around the corner. I cannot imagine what it must be like up here once the snow starts to fly.
The coffee has finished brewing. Maureen is still sound asleep. She will be surprised when she wakes up to discover it is after eight.
Maureen finally woke at 9:15. I cannot remember the last time she has ever slept that late. We lazed about the cockpit over morning coffee. About 10:00, Lyman and I began to make the rounds in Zuma’s tender letting everyone know the plan for the day. We are going to remain here in Pendrell Sound for another night.
While speaking with Gary and Rosalee on Harbor Ranger, the conversation turned to the fact that Harbor Ranger was running about 20 degrees warmer than she should. Lyman and I volunteered to change out the impeller for Gary. As Lyman stood on his head in the bilge, I handed him the tools he called for. After an hour and a half, it was determined that the old impeller was not coming out. The decision was made that it felt to be in good condition with all fins still intact. The only thing we can figure is the raw water pickup must be blocked somewhere between the screen and the strainer. By the time we got things buttoned up on Harbor Ranger, it was after 2:00.
Once Lyman and I return to Zuma and Karma, we spot a rescue boat racing in. It pulls up to the sailing vessel that lies just south of us. We cannot see clearly what is happening, but we can tell they leave with additional personnel on board. Hopefully no one is seriously injured.
Today will be the first time I and Maureen have ever swam in a location this far north. Taylor and Daniel assure us the water is warm. What is warm to an 18 year old and a 50 year old is usually two different things! I climb to the roof of the hard top and take the plunge! While the water is not what would be considered cold…. I would also not consider it warm! I swim to the swim steps and promptly climb out. Maureen is next. She climbs along the side deck and steps off. She manages to stay in the water a bit longer than I.
Once again, cocktails and hor douvres take place on Zuma and Karma with all of the others joining us. We gather on the bow’s of both tugs watching the sun set.
Wednesday, August 25th
Another beautiful day has dawned. The sky is clear with just a very light breeze rippling the water. I sit in the cockpit and watch as the full moon sets behind the western mountains, the sky to the east lightens. The plan for today is to head over to Laura Cove around 11:30. The run should be easy as it is only 9 miles.
It is now 11:00 and we are to preparing to shove off. All the gear is stowed safely. The stern lines are pulled in, anchors are retrieved. As we have never been to Laura Cove, we have Lyman and Janeanne take the lead. On our way to Laura Cove, I make up a batch of Brownies while Maureen takes the helm. These will be used to bribe the boys….. It is amazing what you can get for just a couple of brownies!
Upon our arrival at Laura Cove, Taylor and Daniel jump into the inflatable on Zuma while I jump into our inflatable. We race into the cove to check things out. We find suitable locations for all. The first to come in is Zuma. I then hail Harbor Ranger to proceed in. Gary drops his bow anchor while I take the stern line ashore. Once he is secure, we call Blessings in. Again, Blessings drops their bow anchor and then raft alongside of Harbor Ranger. This time though, Daniel makes the trip to the tree line to secure the stern line. Anne on Sea Coaster and Patrick and Gail on “That’s It”, both decide not to raft. I take care of securing Anne while Daniel and Taylor take care of assisting Patrick.
Now that all is secure, it is time to relax. Maureen and Janeanne take to the floating “dock” paddling it over to the others, while Lyman and I take to the Kayaks. We proceed to paddle all through Prideaux Haven checking out all of the other boats. You see every kind of boat imaginable in here from the 150 foot mega yachts to the 25 foot runabout!
Once we return to Zuma and Karma, it is time for my second dip in the water. This one is even briefer as the water is even colder….. It does feel good though after a couple of hours of paddling!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
This morning breaks cooler and overcast. The wind is out of the southwest blowing at about 8 to 10 knots. We are protected sitting here in Laura Cove though to any wind chop or waves that may build. Today we plan to start the trek south. We would like to be in Ganges tomorrow evening. We are not quite sure where we will anchor this afternoon yet. The weather will make that decision for us. The winds are predicted to lay down a bit this afternoon. We will see if the weather gods are listening to the weather man.
At 10:00 we pull the lines and start south. The seas are a bit lumpy with the current 10-15 knot winds blowing. Once we make the turn south around Sarah Point, we pick up following seas. The ride is now much more comfortable. Just as we come into Thumin Passage, Blessing’s has a low oil pressure alarm go off. Fernando immediately shuts her down. With Zuma taking up the rear position of the flotilla, they are the closest to render aid. Lyman and Taylor jump in their tender and head over to Blessings. After adding four quarts of oil the alarm is silent. Lyman stays aboard through Thumin Passage to insure all is well. Once we determine all is well it is back to our cruising speed of eight knots and on to Pender Harbor.
We arrive in Pender Harbor with no other issues. Blessings, Harbor Ranger, Harbor Cruisers, That’s It, as well as Sea Coaster choose to tie up in the marina tonight. Karma drops her hook and takes Zuma alongside. Once all is secure, cocktail hour begins!
We have brief periods of rain but the winds are calm. We have a great evening on the hook.
Friday, August 27, 2010
We awaken to broken clouds and more light showers. Lyman and I run over to the docks to check on the rest of the group to find out what their plans are. They have made the decision to head to McKendrick Island in the Gulf Islands to spend the night. Zuma and Karma are headed for Ganges. We chose to head due west to the Ballenas Islands. If we time it right, we will cut into Gabriola Passage and then run the inside. The weather out on the straits is incredible, just a light ripple on the water, broken clouds. The rest of the group chooses to head south and then cut across. Hopefully their crossing goes as well as ours. By choosing this route, we reduce the amount of time we are out on the big water. The less time out there, the less chance of getting caught in any rough weather.
The crossing of the Straits of Georgia went great! Flat sea’s and no wind! Once we get to the Ballenas Islands, we have to decide which pass we will duck into to get onto the inside of the islands. With time running out, we know we will not make the slack water at Galleano or Porlier Passes so it is Dodd’s Narrow’s. Dodd’s has a nasty reputation which forces a considerable amount of people to avoid it. Looking at the charts, tide and current tables, as well as the guide book, they all caution you to go through within a one hour window of slack water. That window will be very close for us! We set our course towards Dodd’s and increase our speed to 9.5 knots. This should put us there right on time.
We arrive at Dodd’s 1 hour and 25 minutes after slack. We can see the water boiling outside the entrance. Maureen lines Karma up with the entrance and we go in. First we are shoved port then starboard. Maureen applies more power yet we gain no more head way. We are at 2500 RPM’s and only making 3 knots. This means we are against a five knot current. Karma inches her way forward being forced one way and then the other by the boiling rapids and then finally, we are through! Next it is Zuma’s turn! I give Zuma’s crew the low down on what we experienced. But, even then, from my vantage point, I can see the waters turbulence increasing. Their ride through won’t be the same as Karma’s. On top of all of the information we were able to relay back to Lyman, he has to take into consideration the fact they are towing their tender. Zuma approaches the mouth of the opening and disappears from sight. We can no longer see the opening nor Zuma. The radio is silent. I stand in the doorway watching and waiting. It seems like an eternity and I finally spot their roof moving forward above the rocky shore. They are through!
We can now chalk off another of one of the things that a considerable amount of people avoid while boating in the PNW. Dodd’s Narrows, Straits of Georgia, Straits of Juan de Fuca, Deception Pass, and running after dark. In less than a year we have done all of these and many more than once! It is all about timing and watching the weather. With Dodd’s, I would say we pushed the envelope. I am not sure I would have wanted to come through any closer to max current however there we other trawlers that were headed through from the southern end. Local knowledge and experience certainly is worth a lot in these situations.
We set our “guide to” systems for Ganges City Marina and settle in for another four hours on the water. We could not have asked for a better day though! The winds are calm with just a ripple on the water. We proceed down the Trincomali Passage to Salt Springs Island with no issues. We round the southern end of the island and start up the pass to Ganges. We hail the marina to check on space for the evening. The marina is full. Maureen and I check out the public docks while Lyman hails Salt Springs Marina to see about space. Lyman is informed that they do have two spots available if we would like them. We are not so lucky in the public marina. The docks all have boats rafted two abreast. We quickly decide that we would much rather just hang on the hook for another night! Zuma quickly locates a spot to plant her hook. It is not long and Karma is snuggled up alongside her! It is now after five and time to start happy hour! What a great location we have chosen to hang on the hook. We can see all of the vessels coming and going from the marina as well as watch the dozens of seaplanes take off and land! This is far better than hanging out at the marina!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
We have now hung on the hook for five days. Our water is now down to an eighth of a tank. Along with the 76 gallons that our water system holds, we carried an additional 30 gallons in solar showers. We have only used five gallons out of these though. We now know that with a little more conservation, we could go for seven or eight days without having to take on any additional water.
The last fuel that we took on was in Refuge Cove. Since then we have traveled over 120 miles. Our main tank still contains 50 gallons while our auxiliary tank contains 28. With the amount of fuel on board, we can make it back to Port Orchard without refueling.
Our plan for today is to catch the market in Ganges and then head south to Friday Harbor. Once we clear US customs there, we will decide where we are going to overnight. If there is space available, we will stay in the marina tonight. If not, we will hang on the hook. Either way is fine with us!
We arrived at Friday Harbor at 15:30. The Customs dock was clear of any other vessels. While I took care of clearing us back in, Maureen contacted Friday Harbor to check on the status of a couple of slips for the evening. They confirmed they indeed had space available. The decision was made, we would spend the night at the dock. Once on the dock, it was time for taking out the trash…. Actually, it was not bad. After eight days on Karma, we had two thirds of a bag of trash and one bag of bottles and cans. We did a bit of housekeeping and then it was time for the final cocktail hour of the trip. Come morning, Karma would head south to Port Orchard while Zuma would head east to Bellingham.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Dawn broke clear and very crisp. Our thermometer read 44 degrees for the outside temp! I thought it was supposed to get warmer the further south you went! This is the coldest temp we have seen all week!
We pulled our lines and were off the dock by 7:00. Lyman came out to assist us and to say goodbye. We headed south out of Cattle Pass into the Straits of Juan de Fuca. The weather was great! Light breeze from the south, clear skies. Once we got abeam of Smith Island, we started to pick up some wind chop from the south as well as ocean swells from the west. While the ride was bumpy, it was not uncomfortable. We ran across at 14 knots to shorten our exposure time on the big water. We rounded Point Wilson at 9:15. Two hours and fifteen minutes from Friday Harbor to Port Townsend.
We chose to run down Admiralty Inlet to Puget Sound. The waters of Admiralty were flat calm. Not the same though once we reach Puget Sound. The weather has started to turn. The winds were now up to 20 knots out of the south. The wind chop was starting to build. Hopefully it will not get much worse before we reach Port Madison where we will duck into Agate Passage and then into Port Orchard Bay.
Our luck holds. The chop never got much bigger than 2 to 3 feet. We were taking water over the roof and once again ended up with sea weed on the windshield… Once we make the turn south on Port Orchard Bay we spot a green R-25. It is Barb and Benny on Honu Kai. They have had her for five weeks now and berth her in Poulsbo. We pass close enough to wave to each other and then carry on. The weather is not conducive to idling and chatting.
We make the turn into Sinclair inlet and there we spot another R-29. It is Gene and Pam aboard Wolf Pack out for a Sunday cruise.
It is now 1:30 and we have secured the lines to the dock. Karma is back home in her berth in Port Orchard. It is time for a bubble bath for Karma and then a shower for me! While I bathe Karma, Maureen cleans and straightens the cabin. She then ready’s her suitcase as she is headed back to Vegas this evening.
The week in Desolation was great! We spent time with many wonderful people in some of the prettiest country you can imagine! Thank you to the following folks for allowing us to be part of such a great group:
Bob and Nita, Nellie Too
Lyman and Janeane, Zuma
Barry and Gill, Laxey
Ken and Sandy, Shared Dream
Patrick and Gail, That’s It
Gary and Rosalee, Harbor Ranger
Sonny and Fernando, Blessings
Anne, Coastal Cruiser
Chris and Willow, Harbor Cruiser
Facts of Karma’s Trip:
Fuel burned: 332 Gallons
Average GPH: 6.25
Average MPH: 8.75
Miles Covered: 463
Hours Ran: 53
Water used: 70 gallons
And Barry, your welcome! We enjoyed having you along!
Friday August 20th
It’s 5:00 am and time to get up. Having not arrived at Karma until 23:30 the night before, 5:00 am came very early this morning. As we gently and quietly slipped the lines and started our trek north, the sun has not yet even begun to light the eastern sky. We glided slowly and carefully through the dark waters of Port Orchard. Once the sky began to glow orange, we steadily increased our speed until we were running at fourteen knots up through Port Orchard Bay and then out through Agate Passage to Puget Sound.
Upon reaching Puget Sound we set our course for Edmonds Marina where we are scheduled to rendezvous with Ken and Sandy on the R-29, Shared Dream. We arrived at the entrance to Edmonds at 7:10am. We soon spied Shared Dream making their way out of Edmonds Marina. Now, it was off for LaConner where we would hook up with Barry and Gill on their R-25, Laxey. The cruise up to LaConner was uneventful with flat seas and no wind! We did however spot what we were told was an Elephant Seal on the eastern side or Whidbey Island.
The Swinomish Channel though was another thing. We hit right at the bottom of the tide and a minus tide at that. And then to top it off, right there in the dead center of the channel was a sailboat aground. With four feet of water in center channel, there was not much room to stray to either side to pass him. We slowed to a dead crawl and passed within 18 inches of him. Only a bit more time and he will be on his way once again.
We arrived in LaConner at 10:00 am. Barry and Gill were patiently awaiting our arrival. We advised them that we were going to top off our fuel tanks. For the run from Port Orchard to LaConner we consumed 50 gallons of fuel. Not bad for an average speed of 13 knots over at total distance of 66 miles.
Karma and Shared Dream were once again fueled and ready to move on. We slipped the lines from the fuel dock and continued our trip north. The Swinomish Channel has a designated speed limit of five knots for pretty much the entire stretch to Anacortes. Once clear of the five knot zone we increased our speed to 11 knots for the crossing over to the San Juan Islands.
Again, the day could not have been better! Clear skies, light breeze, little traffic on the water! Coming through the San Juans was absolutely beautiful!
We arrived in Poets Cove at 14:30 greeted by Bob and Nita on the Nellie Too, Sonny and Fernando on Blessings, as well as Gary and Rosalee on Harbor Ranger. Along with the Ranger Tugs, we also had Anne on “Sea Coaster” a C-Dory 22, and Chris and Willow on their “Cruiser”, “Harbor Cruiser”.
Clearing customs was a breeze this time. A quick call in, answer a few questions, assure the customs agent that my name was not “John” but David, and then question Maureen as to who “John” is……
Once we cleared customs, we moved over to our slip next to the Nellie Too. As soon as all was secure, it was off to the spa for a facial and massage for Maureen while I stayed behind to clean all of the salt off of Karma.
It was not long after we arrived at Poets Cove that we spotted another Tug coming into the harbor. It was Patrick and Gail on their R-25, “That’s It”.
The cocktail and hor dourves party started at 17:30 on the dock. Chris on Harbor Cruiser made a special announcement during “Cocktail Hour”. Today was Rosalee’s 73rd birthday! We all joined in for a round of Happy Birthday for Rosalee. At 18:00 we were joined by Jeff and his family as well as his friend Todd along with his family. With the arrival of Jeff and Todd, our group was now up to ten! What a stir we created in the marina! Tugs, tugs, everywhere!
Tomorrow we will be is off for Gibsons! Planned departure time is 8:30.
Saturday, August 21st
It was 8:00 am and time to cast off and start the next leg of our journey to Desolation Sound. Our route today will take us through Pender Canal out into Plumper Sound. One of the cautions you take prior to entering the canal is to call out a Securete to inform any vessel transiting from the opposite direction of your intentions. The canal is only wide enough for one vessel to transit at a time. I made the call and what do we hear? It is John and his wife on their R-21 “Port Nut”. They are headed south through the canal headed for Victoria! We exchange hello’s and waves as well as a few toots of the horns as we cross wakes. We then bid John and his wife safe passage and continue ours.
From Plumper Sound we make our way to Active pass and out into the big waters of the Straits of Georgia. Coming through Active Pass, we had to negotiate between a couple of BC Ferries. Once out on the Straits though it is amazingly flat. Jeff and a few of the others take off and run at speed across while the rest of us cruised across at eight knots. It was an uneventful crossing that takes us four hours.
We arrived in Gibsons Marina where we took on 62 gallons of fuel. Our burn rate coming across was six gallons per hour. That does include the run from LaConner to Poets which we did at 11 knots.
With running water available on the docks, everyone took advantage of the chance to wash all of the salt off of their boats. Again, we create quite a stir with so many little tugs in one place.
Saturday evening, everyone was invited to Tim and Kim Thompson’s home for one heck of a big crab feed! The Thompson’s were great hosts feeding us all and then leaving a car at the marina for anyone of us to use as needed. Many folks took advantage of it to run to the grocery store or anywhere else they needed to go.
We check the weather for Sunday and it does not look conducive to leaving with strong winds forecast. We will just have to wait until morning to see what it brings.
Sunday, August 23rd
As predicted, the winds are up as well as the seas. We have decided to stay in port for another day. The ladies were all excited as it gives them a chance to wander through downtown Gibsons. While the winds are blowing outside, it is really quite pleasant in the marina. I took advantage of a day in port to get a couple of minor projects done on Karma. Sunday evening found us all out on the dock in our usual positions…. Drink in one hand, snacks in the other!
Monday, August 24th
Wow! It is dark at 5:00 am! There is not even a hint of the sun starting to rise in the east. We need to be up early as our planned departure time is 6:00 am bound to make the 85 mile run to Pendrell Sound in Desolation.
The sun was just starting to light the eastern sky when we cast the lines from Karma and headed out. Some folks have made the decision it is time to turn south while others of us are going to continue north. We bid farewell to Bob and Nita as well as Barry and Gill. Karma is headed north while they have chosen to head south.
The ride started out lumpy but smoothed out once we got north of Texada Island. What incredible country! Islands, trees, blue sky as well as great people in great boats! The run today will take us seven hours at an average speed of 15 knots. Rate of fuel burn is 12 gallons per hour. We will stop in Refuge to take on a load of fuel. At this rate it looks as though we will need about 70 gallons…… Oh well, it is only money!
We arrived at Refuge Cove in Desolation at 12:30. Not bad considering it was a run of 78 miles. We did not take on as much fuel as we thought we would. Total fuel consumed for this run was 65 gallons. The cost of fuel in Refuge surprised us. Only $1.18 per liter or $4.49 per gallon. In a remote location such as this, you would expect to pay considerably more.
After taking on fuel, we headed off to Pendrell Sound to catch up with Lyman and Janeane on Zuma. We found them anchored at the far end of the sound. What an incredible place. Snow capped mountain peaks rising at least 7000 feet from the sea. Along with Zuma, there were another half dozen boats anchored. All had a bow anchor out and a stern line to shore. We talked it over with Lyman and decided the best thing to do was to drop our anchor, and then back down to them. Once we were rafted, Taylor and Daniel ran a stern line to an attachment point on shore.
The boys showed off their stuff by swinging off of a tree with a rope. Once they tired of this, they took to cliff diving!
At 17:30, we heard Harbor Cruisers calling on the radio. We guided them into the back end of the sound. We then assisted them with getting tied up. Sonny and Fernando were the next to come in. We had them anchor next to us. Gary and Rosalee on Harbor Ranger rafted with Harbor Cruiser. Patrick and Gail as well as Ann hung on their own hooks. Ann’s little CD-22 is sure a cute little boat. She is very excited about the days ticking by before she has her R-25.
Once everyone was secured and ready for the first night on the hook, it was time to break out the hor dourves and cocktails.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
I was up three times last night checking the anchors. There was a light breeze blowing over night giving us a pretty nice night. Morning broke clear and crisp. I was up at five to watch a new day dawning. The sun slowly peaked over the mountains lighting the peaks on the far side. I took the dinghy out for a short row just enjoying the solitude of the location. Slowly life starts to appear around me. I look up to see Chris rowing his dog ashore. The little converted fishing boat anchored off of our starboard side also is starting to show signs of life. Karma and Zuma are still quiet with no one stirring. Patrick and Gail are up sitting in their cockpit also enjoying the tranquility of the location. It is amazing. No airplane noise. No car noise. Just the quiet whisper of the fans on the propane heaters I have in the cockpit. It won’t be long and I will go inside and start the coffee. No sense in waking Maureen up until she is ready to get up. That’s what vacations are for.
I watch as one of the sailboats tied at the far end of the sound, quietly retrieves his anchor and starts his journey for the day. You fantasize about where they are from and where they are headed. You see boats up here with hailing ports from around the world. You are truly in the “cruising world” when you come to Desolation Sound. It won’t be long though before everyone starts their trek south as winter is just around the corner. I cannot imagine what it must be like up here once the snow starts to fly.
The coffee has finished brewing. Maureen is still sound asleep. She will be surprised when she wakes up to discover it is after eight.
Maureen finally woke at 9:15. I cannot remember the last time she has ever slept that late. We lazed about the cockpit over morning coffee. About 10:00, Lyman and I began to make the rounds in Zuma’s tender letting everyone know the plan for the day. We are going to remain here in Pendrell Sound for another night.
While speaking with Gary and Rosalee on Harbor Ranger, the conversation turned to the fact that Harbor Ranger was running about 20 degrees warmer than she should. Lyman and I volunteered to change out the impeller for Gary. As Lyman stood on his head in the bilge, I handed him the tools he called for. After an hour and a half, it was determined that the old impeller was not coming out. The decision was made that it felt to be in good condition with all fins still intact. The only thing we can figure is the raw water pickup must be blocked somewhere between the screen and the strainer. By the time we got things buttoned up on Harbor Ranger, it was after 2:00.
Once Lyman and I return to Zuma and Karma, we spot a rescue boat racing in. It pulls up to the sailing vessel that lies just south of us. We cannot see clearly what is happening, but we can tell they leave with additional personnel on board. Hopefully no one is seriously injured.
Today will be the first time I and Maureen have ever swam in a location this far north. Taylor and Daniel assure us the water is warm. What is warm to an 18 year old and a 50 year old is usually two different things! I climb to the roof of the hard top and take the plunge! While the water is not what would be considered cold…. I would also not consider it warm! I swim to the swim steps and promptly climb out. Maureen is next. She climbs along the side deck and steps off. She manages to stay in the water a bit longer than I.
Once again, cocktails and hor douvres take place on Zuma and Karma with all of the others joining us. We gather on the bow’s of both tugs watching the sun set.
Wednesday, August 25th
Another beautiful day has dawned. The sky is clear with just a very light breeze rippling the water. I sit in the cockpit and watch as the full moon sets behind the western mountains, the sky to the east lightens. The plan for today is to head over to Laura Cove around 11:30. The run should be easy as it is only 9 miles.
It is now 11:00 and we are to preparing to shove off. All the gear is stowed safely. The stern lines are pulled in, anchors are retrieved. As we have never been to Laura Cove, we have Lyman and Janeanne take the lead. On our way to Laura Cove, I make up a batch of Brownies while Maureen takes the helm. These will be used to bribe the boys….. It is amazing what you can get for just a couple of brownies!
Upon our arrival at Laura Cove, Taylor and Daniel jump into the inflatable on Zuma while I jump into our inflatable. We race into the cove to check things out. We find suitable locations for all. The first to come in is Zuma. I then hail Harbor Ranger to proceed in. Gary drops his bow anchor while I take the stern line ashore. Once he is secure, we call Blessings in. Again, Blessings drops their bow anchor and then raft alongside of Harbor Ranger. This time though, Daniel makes the trip to the tree line to secure the stern line. Anne on Sea Coaster and Patrick and Gail on “That’s It”, both decide not to raft. I take care of securing Anne while Daniel and Taylor take care of assisting Patrick.
Now that all is secure, it is time to relax. Maureen and Janeanne take to the floating “dock” paddling it over to the others, while Lyman and I take to the Kayaks. We proceed to paddle all through Prideaux Haven checking out all of the other boats. You see every kind of boat imaginable in here from the 150 foot mega yachts to the 25 foot runabout!
Once we return to Zuma and Karma, it is time for my second dip in the water. This one is even briefer as the water is even colder….. It does feel good though after a couple of hours of paddling!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
This morning breaks cooler and overcast. The wind is out of the southwest blowing at about 8 to 10 knots. We are protected sitting here in Laura Cove though to any wind chop or waves that may build. Today we plan to start the trek south. We would like to be in Ganges tomorrow evening. We are not quite sure where we will anchor this afternoon yet. The weather will make that decision for us. The winds are predicted to lay down a bit this afternoon. We will see if the weather gods are listening to the weather man.
At 10:00 we pull the lines and start south. The seas are a bit lumpy with the current 10-15 knot winds blowing. Once we make the turn south around Sarah Point, we pick up following seas. The ride is now much more comfortable. Just as we come into Thumin Passage, Blessing’s has a low oil pressure alarm go off. Fernando immediately shuts her down. With Zuma taking up the rear position of the flotilla, they are the closest to render aid. Lyman and Taylor jump in their tender and head over to Blessings. After adding four quarts of oil the alarm is silent. Lyman stays aboard through Thumin Passage to insure all is well. Once we determine all is well it is back to our cruising speed of eight knots and on to Pender Harbor.
We arrive in Pender Harbor with no other issues. Blessings, Harbor Ranger, Harbor Cruisers, That’s It, as well as Sea Coaster choose to tie up in the marina tonight. Karma drops her hook and takes Zuma alongside. Once all is secure, cocktail hour begins!
We have brief periods of rain but the winds are calm. We have a great evening on the hook.
Friday, August 27, 2010
We awaken to broken clouds and more light showers. Lyman and I run over to the docks to check on the rest of the group to find out what their plans are. They have made the decision to head to McKendrick Island in the Gulf Islands to spend the night. Zuma and Karma are headed for Ganges. We chose to head due west to the Ballenas Islands. If we time it right, we will cut into Gabriola Passage and then run the inside. The weather out on the straits is incredible, just a light ripple on the water, broken clouds. The rest of the group chooses to head south and then cut across. Hopefully their crossing goes as well as ours. By choosing this route, we reduce the amount of time we are out on the big water. The less time out there, the less chance of getting caught in any rough weather.
The crossing of the Straits of Georgia went great! Flat sea’s and no wind! Once we get to the Ballenas Islands, we have to decide which pass we will duck into to get onto the inside of the islands. With time running out, we know we will not make the slack water at Galleano or Porlier Passes so it is Dodd’s Narrow’s. Dodd’s has a nasty reputation which forces a considerable amount of people to avoid it. Looking at the charts, tide and current tables, as well as the guide book, they all caution you to go through within a one hour window of slack water. That window will be very close for us! We set our course towards Dodd’s and increase our speed to 9.5 knots. This should put us there right on time.
We arrive at Dodd’s 1 hour and 25 minutes after slack. We can see the water boiling outside the entrance. Maureen lines Karma up with the entrance and we go in. First we are shoved port then starboard. Maureen applies more power yet we gain no more head way. We are at 2500 RPM’s and only making 3 knots. This means we are against a five knot current. Karma inches her way forward being forced one way and then the other by the boiling rapids and then finally, we are through! Next it is Zuma’s turn! I give Zuma’s crew the low down on what we experienced. But, even then, from my vantage point, I can see the waters turbulence increasing. Their ride through won’t be the same as Karma’s. On top of all of the information we were able to relay back to Lyman, he has to take into consideration the fact they are towing their tender. Zuma approaches the mouth of the opening and disappears from sight. We can no longer see the opening nor Zuma. The radio is silent. I stand in the doorway watching and waiting. It seems like an eternity and I finally spot their roof moving forward above the rocky shore. They are through!
We can now chalk off another of one of the things that a considerable amount of people avoid while boating in the PNW. Dodd’s Narrows, Straits of Georgia, Straits of Juan de Fuca, Deception Pass, and running after dark. In less than a year we have done all of these and many more than once! It is all about timing and watching the weather. With Dodd’s, I would say we pushed the envelope. I am not sure I would have wanted to come through any closer to max current however there we other trawlers that were headed through from the southern end. Local knowledge and experience certainly is worth a lot in these situations.
We set our “guide to” systems for Ganges City Marina and settle in for another four hours on the water. We could not have asked for a better day though! The winds are calm with just a ripple on the water. We proceed down the Trincomali Passage to Salt Springs Island with no issues. We round the southern end of the island and start up the pass to Ganges. We hail the marina to check on space for the evening. The marina is full. Maureen and I check out the public docks while Lyman hails Salt Springs Marina to see about space. Lyman is informed that they do have two spots available if we would like them. We are not so lucky in the public marina. The docks all have boats rafted two abreast. We quickly decide that we would much rather just hang on the hook for another night! Zuma quickly locates a spot to plant her hook. It is not long and Karma is snuggled up alongside her! It is now after five and time to start happy hour! What a great location we have chosen to hang on the hook. We can see all of the vessels coming and going from the marina as well as watch the dozens of seaplanes take off and land! This is far better than hanging out at the marina!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
We have now hung on the hook for five days. Our water is now down to an eighth of a tank. Along with the 76 gallons that our water system holds, we carried an additional 30 gallons in solar showers. We have only used five gallons out of these though. We now know that with a little more conservation, we could go for seven or eight days without having to take on any additional water.
The last fuel that we took on was in Refuge Cove. Since then we have traveled over 120 miles. Our main tank still contains 50 gallons while our auxiliary tank contains 28. With the amount of fuel on board, we can make it back to Port Orchard without refueling.
Our plan for today is to catch the market in Ganges and then head south to Friday Harbor. Once we clear US customs there, we will decide where we are going to overnight. If there is space available, we will stay in the marina tonight. If not, we will hang on the hook. Either way is fine with us!
We arrived at Friday Harbor at 15:30. The Customs dock was clear of any other vessels. While I took care of clearing us back in, Maureen contacted Friday Harbor to check on the status of a couple of slips for the evening. They confirmed they indeed had space available. The decision was made, we would spend the night at the dock. Once on the dock, it was time for taking out the trash…. Actually, it was not bad. After eight days on Karma, we had two thirds of a bag of trash and one bag of bottles and cans. We did a bit of housekeeping and then it was time for the final cocktail hour of the trip. Come morning, Karma would head south to Port Orchard while Zuma would head east to Bellingham.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Dawn broke clear and very crisp. Our thermometer read 44 degrees for the outside temp! I thought it was supposed to get warmer the further south you went! This is the coldest temp we have seen all week!
We pulled our lines and were off the dock by 7:00. Lyman came out to assist us and to say goodbye. We headed south out of Cattle Pass into the Straits of Juan de Fuca. The weather was great! Light breeze from the south, clear skies. Once we got abeam of Smith Island, we started to pick up some wind chop from the south as well as ocean swells from the west. While the ride was bumpy, it was not uncomfortable. We ran across at 14 knots to shorten our exposure time on the big water. We rounded Point Wilson at 9:15. Two hours and fifteen minutes from Friday Harbor to Port Townsend.
We chose to run down Admiralty Inlet to Puget Sound. The waters of Admiralty were flat calm. Not the same though once we reach Puget Sound. The weather has started to turn. The winds were now up to 20 knots out of the south. The wind chop was starting to build. Hopefully it will not get much worse before we reach Port Madison where we will duck into Agate Passage and then into Port Orchard Bay.
Our luck holds. The chop never got much bigger than 2 to 3 feet. We were taking water over the roof and once again ended up with sea weed on the windshield… Once we make the turn south on Port Orchard Bay we spot a green R-25. It is Barb and Benny on Honu Kai. They have had her for five weeks now and berth her in Poulsbo. We pass close enough to wave to each other and then carry on. The weather is not conducive to idling and chatting.
We make the turn into Sinclair inlet and there we spot another R-29. It is Gene and Pam aboard Wolf Pack out for a Sunday cruise.
It is now 1:30 and we have secured the lines to the dock. Karma is back home in her berth in Port Orchard. It is time for a bubble bath for Karma and then a shower for me! While I bathe Karma, Maureen cleans and straightens the cabin. She then ready’s her suitcase as she is headed back to Vegas this evening.
The week in Desolation was great! We spent time with many wonderful people in some of the prettiest country you can imagine! Thank you to the following folks for allowing us to be part of such a great group:
Bob and Nita, Nellie Too
Lyman and Janeane, Zuma
Barry and Gill, Laxey
Ken and Sandy, Shared Dream
Patrick and Gail, That’s It
Gary and Rosalee, Harbor Ranger
Sonny and Fernando, Blessings
Anne, Coastal Cruiser
Chris and Willow, Harbor Cruiser
Facts of Karma’s Trip:
Fuel burned: 332 Gallons
Average GPH: 6.25
Average MPH: 8.75
Miles Covered: 463
Hours Ran: 53
Water used: 70 gallons