So much to see, so little time

[Pete]

My wife and I take delivery of our new Ranger 27 in late September in Des Moines marina. Our usual cruising grounds are the Great Lakes and South West Florida. We've also chartered in several locations but I must confess we have never cruised in the Pacific North West. So this is our opportunity to get a first taste of one of the world's great cruising areas.

You folks have already been a tremendous resource for us, both in terms of the wealth of information in the forum and your responses to private messages. Thank you. Now one more request for you North West cruisers. In the week to 10 days that is available to us, what locations would you recommend we build into our cruise itinerary? We don't have a trailer so will start and finish in Des Moines.
Pete

 

[baz]

Do you have a budget as fuel costs and overnights can add up quickly over a period of 7-10 days ?

The most scenic places here are in and around the San Juan islands and up into the BC Gulf islands. Temps will start cooling off as the end of Sep arrives.

I would expect you to get a lot of posts from those of us living and boating in the PNW Puget Sound area.

Maybe some local Tug crew have already planned a cruise during the time you're here, and if so it could be that you cruise with them to see the sights etc.

 

[Bruce Moore]

The San Juan and Gulf Islands are beautiful, but you should consider a nice loop around the Puget Sound. You could experience a nice variety of settings, never back-track any long runs, and get a good feel for tidal saltwater and Pacific NW cruising.

I'd leave Des Moines and cruise up to Bell Harbor Marina on Elliott Bay. You'll be at the foot of the city's downtown core, deal with ferries, tugs, and tankers. From there I'd cruise up the east shore of Bainbridge Island and go through Agate Passage to Poulsbo, a wonderful, walkable, waterfront village. Then, head down Rich Passage and spend a night at Blake Island - you can go inside the breakwater and dock, or grab a buoy. From there cruise down Colvos Passage to Gig Harbor - anchor in the bay or stay at Arabella's. Then head east across Commencement Bay and go down Tacoma's Thea Foss waterway to Dock Street Marina, at the foot of the Tacoma Museum of Glass - a wonderful destination. Then head back up to Des Moines.

That's five nights. Each leg of this route is 2-4 hours. You could extend the trip on the southern leg by leaving Gig Harbor and going down through the Tacoma Narrows to a number of different anchorages and marine parks. Tugnuts could recommend their favorites. Then jump back up to Tacoma for a night on your way back to Des Moines.

Cheers,

Bruce

 

[Nellie Too]

Bruce has a great idea for experiencing the northwest. There are many more places to go but require much more time. You will probably have to come back and enjoy the true beauty of the PNW waters which include the San Juan Islands and the Canadian Gulf Islands. Nita and I live in Anacortes which is the jump off point for the Northern waters. If you decide to go North give us a call at (360) 293-0003.
Bob and Nita

 

[Pete]

Bruce's itinerary sounds great and very practical. But and I recognize the greater distances involved, would let's say, an eight day cruise that included just 2 or 3 days in the San Juans really be unrealistic? Not enough time to do the area justice but at least we'd get a flavor of it. I'm not planning to trailer the boat so unlikely to get back there again.
Pete

 

[Stella Maris]

Pete,
By all means you can do the San Juan's from Des Moines in eight days. My suggestions:
Day 1: Des Moines to Port Townsend, Marina (eight hours)
Day 2: Port Townsend to Friday Harbor, Marina (four hours)
Day 3: Friday Harbor to Reid Harbor on Stuart Island, State Marine Park Dock, Mooring ball, or Anchor (two hours)
Day 4: Reid Harbor to Sucia, State Marine Park Dock, Mooring ball, or Anchor (three hours)
Dat 5: Sucia to Eagle Harbor on Cypress Island, Anchor (three hours)
Day 6: Eagle Harbor to La Conner, City Marina (three hours)
Day 7: La Conner to Blake Island, State Marine Park Dock or Mooring Ball (six hours)
Day 8: Blake Island to Des Moines (two hours)

As you can see, you would have one long day at the very beginning. Watching the tides and currents can save you time or cost you time. You will want to cross the Straits of Juan de Fuca in the morning to avoid the afternoon breeze (wind). Be careful of the Point Wilson rip giving it a wide berth to the north. Check the tides and currents for Cattle Pass leading you into the San Juan's. It can be ugly at times.

This will give you a great representation of what the PNW has to offer. My only caution is, when we brought Solitude our R-25 from Henderson Nevada to the PNW, we never left....... We traded for a R-29 and recently moved to a Helmsman Pilot House 38....... While the mail and the furniture may be in Denver, we live in the PNW. Your commute is going to be a bit further than ours.....

 

[linedoctor]

I like Bruce's suggestion...we've done something similar a few times through the years. Consider buying a Waggoner or Northwest Boat Travel cruise guide. We've never been disappointed with either; their reviews are spot on.

After Labor Day you'll have the South/central Sound to yourselves to learn your new boat and see if you like Northwest Boating. ( I bet you will) The north is more wide open...there's an ocean and a whole additional and wonderful country up there. It's adventureous and time consuming in a very good way. The south is more protected, much slower and relaxed. All these suggestions are great but it depends on your adventure quotient.

The south is also better if you have any shakedown issues.....the factory is closeby.

 

[trailertrawlerkismet]

Pete:

I have an Puget Sound/San Juan Islands chart book you could borrow to take out with you, just let me know the next time your in Traverse City and I'll get it to you.

Jim

 

[Pete]

Thanks again. This gives me an excellent basis for route planning and conveniently my 2 Cruising Guides (Waggoner and another by Michael Scherer) have just arrived. The comment about closer access to the factory is well taken given our previous history with new boats. So I think our final decision won't be taken until after the shakedown and a close look at the weather forecast.
I understand Karma's comment about the draw of the North West. We greatly enjoyed a few weeks of touring and hiking in the region as we considered retirement locations - as ex-Brits even the climate was appealing. It was primarily the location of family on the East Coast that tipped the balance in favor of Michigan and Florida. Maybe Karma's "boat as condo" is the answer but then my wife would demand we trade up to the 31.
Jim, thanks for the offer to borrow your charts. I may take you up on that though I'm always looking for excuses to buy more charts.
Pete

 

[JamesTXSD]

Congratulations on the up-coming new boat! As one who doesn't live in the PNW, but has had the opportunity to spend several summers cruising up here, David's proposed itinerary would give you a great taste of some of the highlights of the San Juans.

As an "ex-Brit", you could chug across Juan de Fuca from Port Townsend and spend a night or two in Victoria (Vancouver Island, BC Canada, and often called "the most British city outside of England") and make it a "two nation vacation."

Or, if you decide to stay in Puget Sound, Bruce's plan will take you to some great places.

All the more reason for you to plan another trip back this way sometime in the future!

Your onboard chartplotter, a chartbook (if you like paper backup), and the Waggoners, and you are good to go. Have fun!

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[GulfSailor]

So much to see, so little time

,

That sounded like it was going to be a last post from your death bed! 😱 😀

 

[baz]

Pete:

Bruce's plan is less 'risky' than David's and would ease you into using and operating the R-27.

If your boating skill level is high (and you do sound as if it is) and your 1st mate's comfort level with a new R-27 is apparent then taking on David's excellent and detailed plan should be easier to accomplish. Water conditions can change rapidly in the Puget Sound so keep that in mind. Fog conditions can also be present in and around the San Juan islands. The radar option is good to have onboard for this.

We bought our MY2010 R-25 in late 2009 and decided to ease into the PNW cruising scene. This allowed us to become familiar with our R-25's operations and capabilities before venturing out on longer cruises up into the San Juan islands and beyond to Canada's Desolation Sound BC. My skill level was based on doing a lot of sailing as a youngster in/out of Southampton, Portsmouth, Solent, Isle of White and Ipswich (passing lots of muddy stretches getting out to the open seas) and the North sea. However,... but that was a long time back and we felt we should go easy at first with our R-25 in the PNW waters.

Given that you are going out in a brand new R-27 I much prefer Bruce's plan as it's safer for you and closer to Ranger Tug's service area -- but discuss/confirm this with Jeff Messmer, Andrew Custis and Kenny -- get their advice on doing either Bruce's and David's planned cruise.

As an aside, my wife and I are also ex-Brits as you might have guessed from the above mention of Southampton etc (we have dual nationality and wife is from the IoM)... came over in 1966 and have never looked back. We've just retired last year in August. We started off living in Georgia, just north of Atlanta in 1966. After 4 years we decided it was too hot and muggy for us, and too far from the sea, so we moved north to Virginia (Newport News - Hampton area)... but again it was too hot/muggy. So we moved further north to Connecticut just north of Hartford to a place called East Granby. This was much nicer with well defined 4 seasons... but again, still somewhat hot/muggy and too much snow at times. So we took the plunge and made the big move to the PNW in 1977 and have never looked back nor wanted to move to another location. We Brits don't like being too far away from the water, right? 😉 The climate is ideal for us, close to same latitude as London, UK. Summer here in the PNW is a hit-and-miss thing and the best sunny weather occurs typically after mid July, into August and September. Right now we are having a hot week with high temps around 85ºF to 95ºF. It cools off rapidly at night to around the high 50s.

The R-27 is a very capable boat and you will enjoy it. If it's your first boat take things slowly and ease yourself into the boating/cruising world... and enjoy your retirement life.

P.S. You can PM me if you like (or Email me "barrysharp AT me DOT com") and maybe we can meet up in late Sep when you're here. If you decide on going to Poulsbo (Bruce's plan) it's an easy ride for us to cruise over from Port of Edmonds to see you there. Shame you can't make the Bremerton Meet (Sep 6-9) where there's likely to be 50 or more Ranger Tugs all in one place with all the owners to chat with and pick up advice/tips etc.

 

[Pete]

Barry,

Thanks, I will PM or email you.

And as to the title of this thread, no I'm not on my death bed but I'm finding in retirement and contrary to expectations, time seems to be passing amazingly quickly.

 

[Wolf Pack]

And as to the title of this thread, no I'm not on my death bed but I'm finding in retirement and contrary to expectations, time seems to be passing amazingly quickly.

Amen to that!!!

Gene R
Wolf Pack

 

[baz]

Pete:

As I mentioned East coast mugginess above, hopefully you've opted for the A/C on your R-27.

Even though we live in the 'cool' PNW we still have this thing/urge about having A/C based on the East coast conditions we lived through. We don't have or need A/C on our R-25 but do have it in our house which for this week is a blessing, plus I like a cool house at around 70ºF to 72ºF. Our two furry Fox Terriers are also glad to have A/C in the house.

Yea... retirement living accelerates the time warp. It's also extremely liberating... and underrated. Do things you want to do now before the aging process takes its toll on the body and mind. Boating keeps the mental process alert. 🙂

 

[Stella Maris]

You know, I would be very concerned if the factory were to recommend not going to far away with a new boat...... We took our brand new R-25 Solitude right from Kent to Las Vegas (obviously on a trailer.....). We used her for two years before we needed to have any warranty work done.

Karma behaved just as well with the one exception of the Hot Water tank blowing a line right after her initial launch.

If I were going to have this boat hauled to Michigan, I would certainly want to put as many hours on her before she leaves the PNW.

I also believe that, if you were to take your new boat and head to the islands and a crippling issue came up, the factory would have a support person sent to your location.

Remember what you titled this thread....... "So much to see, so little to time"....... That is so true in so many ways. We never know whether tomorrow will come or not.

So, "If you live without risk, you risk not living".

 

[Pete]

Wise words. I've printed both your and Bruce's suggested routes and, now that I am temporarily boatless in Michigan, will enjoy planning our September cruise.
Pete

 

[baz]

Hey All... Pete and his wife Sandra have landed... they are at this time docked in the Edmonds Marina with their brand new MY2013 R-27. They've just completed their 2-days with Capt. Mac on the water. I've just chatted with Pete this evening via phone and will meet up with him by 10am to have coffee on their boat and talk about things etc. If you are in the area maybe you can stop by on F dock (slip F33) and welcome them. I'm sure they value locals to give them advice on where to cruise using their limited time here before returning the boat to Des Moines to have it trailered back to Michigan.

 

[baz]

I met up with Pete & Sandra on their new MY2013 R-27 at the Edmonds Marina and had morning coffee and chocolate covered biscuits (cookies) with them. They are a delightful couple and we spent almost 2 hrs chatting away before they left to head north up to Port Townsend. I believe they left a day earlier than intended because of the too frequent train passings in the night blowing their horns. Poor Pete didn't get a restful sleep with those train horns blasting every hour or so as they passed by the marina... 🙁

Anyhows... their red-hulled R-27 is nicely kitted out with the 2013 upgrades which I was interested in knowing about. I was drawn to the new dinette table that folds like on the R-29 and R-31 to make more room in the gangway -- a very nice addition. I also liked the espresso brown/mocha colored leather facing on the helm's console and the adjoining shelf with the thruster control -- along with very stylish edge stitching. This looks very stylish and upscale and enhances the overall look & feel of that part of the cabin. The swim step hull colored co-ordinated locker holds 2 propane bottles and a gasoline tank for an outboard motor presumably. All three bottles/tanks fit into wells cutout of a starboard base to keep them in place -- very well thought out. All seating is faced with leatherette which is quite practical IMO... and of course looks and feels nice. This surface makes it easy to slide onto the seats without there being too much friction compared to fabric surfaces.

There seems to be one extra cabin roof hatch compared to my R-25... this is above the caves holdup navigator's lid. Can someone confirm this ?

Pete mentioned when out with Capt. Mac the boat would move at 21 kts at around 3800 RPM.

Ranger Tugs has certainly done a wonderful job making this R-27 desirable and competitive with other boat products. It exudes quality and attention to detail everywhere you look.

I wished them well as they prepared to castoff to make their way north to Port Townsend. The weather was ideal for them to make this journey as wind velocity was nigh close to zero.

 

[Pete]

In fact 21 knots at 4000 but still very impressive IMO with full tanks and cruising gear. Of course this was in flat calm conditions and a clear blue sky. I understand this is the normal weather around here.
Pretty solid fog crossing the shipping lanes to Port townsend but the locals assure me this is an extremely rare event that we were lucky to experience.
So far so good. What a great boat- but you already knew that.

Pete