wind vane installed

After about 35 hours of work, the Hydrovane self-steering system is installed! Fitting the lower bracket to the underside of the transom took most of that time. A pad of teak had to be shaped to match the compound curve of the hull on one side, while providing a perfectly level and straight surface for the mounting bracket on the other. Far harder than it sounds! I used a small angle grinder to do most of the shaping, otherwise it would have taken much longer. The bolt holes were so close to the waterline, I had to position the drill inside a bucket, pushed down into the water. But once the lower bracket was bedded, the upper bracket only took about 2 hours, and bolting on the rudder post and windvane another hour. We weren't able to test it, as we wanted to let the bedding compound harden for a few days.
You can also see the outboard motor hoist we had fabricated by a local welder. He is also helping us to construct a mounting system for solar panels that will eventually live on top of the bimini.
We also exchanged our 33lb Bruce anchor for a 55lb Rocna. Luckily the larger anchor fits perfectly onto our anchor roller.
Finally, we have also been working on cosmetics. We hired a detailer to clean, wax and polish the hull and topsides, and we put on new vinyl lettering for the name and hailing port.

SSB radio installed

After several days of "bilge yoga" I've got the single sideband radio mostly installed. This will allow us to check in with various cruisers' nets as we make our way down the West Coast. Vicki helped me fish a battery cable under the cabin sole to connect a keel bolt to the RF ground - definitely the hardest part of the installation. Using a temporary "long wire" antenna hoisted via the main halyard. Permanent antenna will either be an insulated backstay or a fiberglass whip. Still need to test the transmission, but we didn't want to leave the marina yesterday.

winter!

Yes, we're having a "real" winter this year in Oregon, complete with snow. Here's poor old SC at the dock in Portland, dreaming of summer days. Sad to say, but the snow found its way inside as it melted, dripping onto the table, floor, and cushions. More reasons to sail south!

passage to Oregon

After a layover day in Port Angeles, got underway at 0630 on Saturday, with Jon and Caroline from Victoria as crew. Thick fog, with viz sometimes down to 1/8 mile, kept us glued to the radar all the way out the Strait. We rounded Duntze Rock Buoy about 4 PM, and within a few hours we were in the clear. Conditions on the outside were very mild, and we had an uneventful night under the waxing moon and a starry sky.
Soon after sunrise on Sunday, we were able to kill the engine, and we sailed wing and wing most of the rest of the distance to the Columbia River Bar. The air was very clear, and the Olympics were clearly visible most of the way. The wind picked up as we neared Cape Disappointment, and especially after we rounded up to a port reach, but we kept sailing across the Bar on a gentle flood tide. Spent the night at Astoria. John on Fairanne was just a few hours behind us.
Monday we got underway about 0730, but unfortunately an offshore breeze kept the motor running all the way to Longview. At least we had a lot of shipping and scenery to occupy our attention. After turning the corner, we had the usual N wind and ran under the genoa to Martin Slough, where we anchored for the night. The depth sounder showed as little as 2 feet under the keel near the entrance to the basin. After watching the sun go down, we realized that we should check the tide for morning. Uh-oh! The tide program showed a 6ft drop by the next morning! I knew that couldn't be true, and occasional glances at the sounder confirmed there was little fluctuation. All the same, we decided to get underway at first light. The depth hadn't dropped even a foot since the night before, and we made it back out without touching bottom. Sailed to St Helens, where we filled the fuel tank, then tied up to the Sand Island dock and made breakfast. The last few hours to Portland were a mix of sailing and motoring. The railroad bridge obligingly opened before we had a chance to sound the horn, and we tied up in Tomahawk by 3 PM.

Port Angeles

Took the picture of Adventuress at the dock in Friday Harbor after yesterday's post was already finished. Got underway from Friday Harbor this morning at about 0745, motoring south through Cattle Pass. About an hour across the Strait, the wind had risen enough to kill the engine and sail on a close reach toward Green Pt, east of Port Angeles. The fog soon settled in around me -- thank God for radar. As I neared the inbound/outbound shipping lanes, I checked in with Seattle VTS. Later I hailed the tug Elisa Ann to make sure they had me on radar. Once I closed the coast, the fog lifted and I motored the last 6 miles to Port Angeles. Layover day here, new crew tomorrow, outbound for Portland Saturday morning.

One more time around the block

Took Amtrak to Anacortes on Saturday, leaving poor Vicki to face the start of another school year. Spent Sunday getting the boat ready, and headed out on Monday with high school buddy Greg. We had fair winds to blow us all the way to Sucia, where we picked up a mooring in Fox Cove and enjoyed a lovely late summer afternoon. Where are all the people?
On Tuesday, we motored over to Patos, and then let the ebb carry us down Boundary Passage toward Stuart, hoping for orcas. Nope, but another nice day. We rounded Turn Pt, cranked up the engine and motored the last bit to Reid Harbour. Instead of doing the usual walk to the lighthouse, I hiked the trail to the "Tiptop" of Stuart, with a fine view SW over Haro, and of course no camera to prove it. The best reward was seeing a large pod (~40) of orcas coming south from Turn Pt. Their breathing was clearly audible, and several of them were spyhopping and jumping out of the water.
Today, we floated down San Juan Channel with up to 2 kts of current and about the same amount of wind! No rush, not too far to go. We picked up a mooring at Turn Island, and dinghied over to Friday Harbor for lunch, email, etc.
Tomorrow Greg will take the ferry home to Anacortes, and I'll singlehand across the Strait to Port Angeles, awaiting new crew Jon and Caroline for the passage back to Portland.

Anacortes

We have had a hard time figuring out how to end this trip. We had left our car in Bellingham, so we had hoped to find a temporary moorage there, or at least stop and pick up our car. But there are no slips available and the Customs and Border Protection folks reminded us that we have to clear in at one of the 5 designated ports of entry, which doesn't include Bellingham. So we have ended up in Anacortes for now. We had a nice visit with friends Greg and Dina and their granddaughter Kendall before heading on down the road for home.