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| May 2007 |
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Thanks for the Opti Opportunity - Who'll be the Lucky Kid this Year?
Dear Mr. Christiansen, (North Sails) Thank you so much for the opportunity to sail in the Northstar Scholarship Optimist dinghy provided by North Sails. It was a great experience and I have learned so much over the summer. I had so much fun sailing out on Wollochet Bay with the rest of the race team and I will always remember this experience. I had the most fun at the JAM Regatta on Bainbridge Island, when it was fairly windy and there were some decent sized waves, I actually had to hike out. We were getting towed back in by our coach when he ran out of gas and we had to sail back to the beach with very little help. My first race was the Junior Olympics which was the first official series of races I had ever been in. For my first race and-a-half, I was in the novice class. I won the first race and was on my way to victory when they told me I wasn't in the novice class anymore. I will continue sailing on a Laser from now on, but I will always remember this experience. Anyway, thank you so much for the experience and the fun that came along with it. Sincerely, Chance Busey This truly is a great opportunity for a lucky kid, and thanks to Jack and North Sails Seattle for making it happen. Renamed the Scott Peck Memorial Optimist Scholarship, the North Sails annual program of making a fully equipped Optimist available to a qualified junior sailor is again up for grabs for 2007. This fully equipped Optimist, complete with rig, blades and sail optimized for the sailor's weight, will be provided to a lucky junior, selected by a panel of sailors active in the Northwest sailing community. Eligible sailors must be residents of Washington and be between the ages of 7 and 15. To apply, applicants must write a letter (not the parents) to North Sails Seattle, describing his/her enthusiasm for Opti and Junior sailing, anticipated sailing schedule, need for the boat, and parent's contact information. Applications, are still being accepted for the 2007 season. Send to: Attention: Optimist Award North Sails Seattle 1900 N. Northlake Way #255 Seattle, WA 98103 Any questions, contact Jack.Christiansen@northsails.com 206.632.5753. Columbia Comments Regarding Mike Rose's story in the April issue of 48° North, "I Love the Sheriff." The article doesn't indicate a date for Mike's trip up the Columbia River. But if it was done in the last 10 years, the article is a bit mis-leading. He states "... there is no diesel fuel available between Cathlamet and Portland..." There is indeed diesel fuel available between Cathlamet and Portland; one in Kalama, Washington at the marina's fuel dock and another at the Fuel Dock in St. Helens, Oregon. In Rainier, Oregon the Foss Tug building was just three or four blocks away. They likely could have helped. I was a bit confused by Mike's comment about calling "The bridge tender." The only bridges he would been able to call were those in the Willamette River in Portland, or the railroad bridge at Vancouver. None of which would have been very helpful nearly 50 miles away. He didn't say, but I assumed, he must have called on VHF 13 to get the bridge to respond. Did he try a call for assistance on ?VHF 16? All that said, I'm glad to hear that his experience ended happily. May I offer a chart I've authored of facilities (Moorages, supplies and anchorages) from Portland to the Columbia River Bar? It may be helpful to anyone who is on the river for the first time or who may want to spend more time along it. Free to any river sailor who contacts me: rahseln@comcast.net Further, I'll second the salute to the several County Sheriff's River Patrols along the Columbia River . They serve the boating community well. While their duties aren't the glamorous kind the Coast Guard may have, they are important stewards of the Columbia River. One of their jobs in particular, while odious, is vitally important to us all. They respond to calls by phone or VHF to reports of abusive or unsafe river practices. The patrols will deal with boaters who are noisy, exhibit boat rage, or drunk. And, as was experienced, often will give a helping hand to those who may need help. A sincere thank you to them! Uniform Whiskey, Ralph Ahseln Gresham OR Catalina 27, Oblio Yes, this story had actually happened to him a few years back. Thanks for the updates. It's always good to get the latest local knowledge. We've got another Columbia River story in this month, "Novices on the Columbia: from the Bar up to Cathlamet." Please Don't Keel-Haul Me, Bill In re-reading the second letter I sent you, I think I owe Bill Schafer of Ohana, and the rest of the P-30 class, an apology. The letter sounds like I have issue with those sailors. I do not. My intent was not to take issue with people and the efforts they put in to improve their sport, but rather to bring to light the negative impact of those efforts in an otherwise overlooked area. I don't believe any of the sailors in the P-30 class were previously aware that their class was causing a PHRF ‘vacuum' and making racing difficult for some of us. My comments should actually have been directed at the race organizers making up the class breaks. Ironically, by the time my letter(s) ran in 48° North, the race organizers were already privy to the problem and seem to have made the adjustment. Recently our boat has been put in some very competitive classes without regard to P-30. I understand and fully support what the P-30 class is trying to do…as long as it does not come at the expense of other boats such as mine. As previously stated, WIRW and distance races represent just two venues that can accommodate a P-30 class adequately. I hope/trust that race organizers will consider the points raised in my letters when considering class breaks. I further hope that Bill and his P-30 comrades won't keel-haul me at the first opportunity! Sincerely, Rocky Horror S/V Time Warp Oh the horror, Rocky. Actually a pretty good exchange of thoughts between you and Bill regarding why you're both so passionate in your positions. That's probably what makes you guys such good competitors. We'll be watching Time Warp and Ohana for the big "begrudge" match. Pillar Point is West! I hate to be picky, but I think Pillar Point is west of Port Angeles. Burl Romick, Portland Picky, but astute. It was a couple times, once in great big type, of course. The Best and Worst of Puget Sound in Three Days My family recently moved to San Juan Island from Portland, Oregon and so we needed to move our Gulf 32 to her new home. I decided to truck her up to Olympia instead of making the outside passage due to being anxious to get her up north sooner than the weather may have permitted. Neither she nor I were ready for a winter trip from the bar to the Straits. So, in late March she arrived in Olympia and I readied her for her journey north up the Sound here to Friday Harbor. My crew and I enjoyed a fabulous trip north. We experienced every type of weather, from drizzly mornings to T-shirt afternoons. We hit Tacoma Narrows at max ebb and hit 11 knots in our 32-footer. Not bad for the fully keeled, rough bottomed lady. Blake Island was very nice for the first night and after going up the inside of Whidbey, we enjoyed our second night at Cornet Bay just inside Deception Pass. We had scheduled our departure on Monday, April 9th to coincide with the slack water at Deception Pass at about 7a.m. It was quiet in Cornet Bay, and our approach to Deception Pass itself was fairly calm with light winds. Being at the pass at slack water was the last good news of the next two hours. Once below the bridge and in the middle of the pass, the waves became quite large, and we started to thrust upward and plunge down with the still fairly mild swells. By the time we headed toward Northwest Pass to make our cut to Lopez Pass, it became clear that the pass was not going to be the rough part of this trip. Waiting to greet us just a few hundred feet outside the pass was the full force and fury of gale winds and chaotic angry seas. Winds were severe, ripping the tops off waves and sending spray lashing us from all sides. Without a wind gauge on board, we could not be certain of the speed, but my lifetime of exploring on the water told me the winds were unusually high. I later confirmed from the Smith Island Coast Guard station which is near to Deception Pass, that winds were 35 gusting to 38. As most know, it's rarely the wind alone that causes problems. Waves are the real culprit. The effect this strong west wind had on the Straits of Juan de Fuca was predictable. We were fighting our way through steep, breaking waves well over 6 feet in height. The period was very short. This wind had the advantage of the full fetch from the west to build these seas. To add insult, it began to sleet. We were taking the seas at about 15 degrees off the wind and swell, which was roughly our necessary course to the lee of Lopez. Fortunately, as this was also about the only safe and manageable course to steer. The risk of taking seas on the beam was severe, as once in a while a wave would strike from near beam and toss us violently into the hell that is particular to a sailboat rocking in beam seas. My steering was critical to our passage. I had to edge enough north to get out of this violence and into the lee of Lopez, but this risked taking the waves on the beam. My tactic was to edge north as waves allowed, which was for maybe 5-10 seconds, then steer back to catch waves at this 15 degrees off the straight away angle. There were times when it did not seem we would make northward progress, but we had no choice. We had to get away from land and the lee shore of Fidalgo Island. Turning around was at that moment a very scary proposition. Even a set or two of those seas taken fully on our beam might have done serious damage or worse to crew or boat. Fortunately, we were saved great suffering, or worse, because our motor never faltered. Keeping the Universal 32 hp diesel in great tune and having new filters and a three blade prop might have saved more than fright and frustration. She performed beautifully. We were able to manage a SOG of about 1.5-2.5, which in those conditions was pretty damn good, but depressing. Inching along at that speed meant a long and tedious amount of suffering. Slowly and imperceptibly Lopez began to look closer than Fidalgo. I was warm enough, but getting face fulls of solid cold water over and around the dodger as I did the gymnastics of riding the waves. My thighs burned from all the work of staying steady in the pitching and poling. The Gulf 32 handled these seas as well as any boat her size could have, and much better than most I would say. Her slightly more buoyant than normal bow may slow her down a bit, but kept her from plunging too deeply in the front faces of the waves we pierced into. Her stiff demeanor, heavy and full keel, and excellent tracking made the voyage safer and more manageable. We made it across, and the feeling of relief as the seas began to lessen was indescribably good. A lifetime of wilderness adventures behind me, but this was the most intense and harrowing experience I have had. Why, you naturally ask, did we head out into Gale conditions and a Small Craft Advisory? I failed to listen to the morning VHF forecast. I can't believe I didn't as it is so unlike me, but I didn't. The calm conditions inside fooled me. I wouldn't have gone had I known. I'm alive today because I have an unwavering habit of putting the odds in my favor when it comes to safety. In this case, however, I didn't. The odds, I'm unnerved to say, seemed against us at times. I know the more veteran of 48° North readers are both amused and perplexed at this tale, but I tell it in order to remind people to do the obvious with checking forecasts, and to be particularly aware of west winds when leaving Deception Pass. The rest of our journey weaving around the islands to Friday Harbor allowed us to have fun with the 38 knot gusts. By the time we pulled into our slip, the sun was out and T-shirts were in order. A lesson learned in spades. We experienced the best and worst of Puget Sound in our three days up her passages. My bond with my boat is now far deeper, and she earned my profound respect for her ability to deal with such nasty conditions. Brian W. S/V Aeolus Ah yes, welcome to the Straits. It's always like that but you'll get used to it. Just kidding. Yes, we've all been there at one time or another, having forgotten to check the forecast, or choosing to ignore the forecast which is even worse. Grannies Lurking on Sucia? Just a little nit-picky thing regarding the "Washington State Parks" page on the web site. I've been to Sucia Island a number of times since we sail out of Point Roberts and, although I'm sure that a lot of grannies do sail over there (as a matter of fact, I always have one with me!) but I doubt that there are grannies there, next to the 'nooks', eh? "Sucia Island is crescent shaped, with sheltered bays, tiny satellite islands and almost-tropical beaches. There are several areas in which to moor, with a total of 51 moorage buoys. It is probably the most popular park in the San Juans, but still has some nooks and grannies to get away from the bustling crowds in the major dock and buoy areas." Bob Beda s/v LaBoo Vancouver, BC Ha, that's true. However, it's kind of like trolls hiding under bridges. You never know when there's a grannie lurking in a nook, probably having breakfast. Who do you suppose puts in those mysterious knots that appear in your sheets when you're not looking? That's right – the mystical grannies of Sucia Island. Thanks for the heads up. Ginger Hi, I would love to tell you about Ginger. She was a 14 year-old, Shepherd/ Lab mix, and she loved sailing! A salty old girl. She was known all over the Puget Sound. She was two years old when we bought our boat in Poulsbo, 1984, a 1968 Columbia sailboat. We headed to the San Juan Islands, cruised for three years straight. We wintered from Hartstene Island to Bellingham, where we now live. 
Ginger was our Dead Head watch. She would run the decks and bark at anything that might be floating in the water. She would stand on the side where the dead head was and bark till we saw it, which saved our hinnies several times! She would get sick of being at sea and when we would get to a dock, she would abandon ship and run – she was in every dog pound from Olympia to Friday Harbor! Everybody knew Ginger. Often we would be sailing and someone would sail by and say, "Hey, there's Ginger. She knew more people than we did.
It didn't matter what port we would be in, she knew where all the places were that gave out free biscuits. She loved to swim. She would jump from the boat and go potty all on her own, swim back and scratch the boat to get back on. Every year when we saw the Orcas come home, they always came right up to the boat to say "hi" to Ginger! She was our best friend, our swabbie, and First mate. A poem David wrote I lost a friend today, the kind you can't replace Looking at her empty, bed I can still see her face I know she is in a special place Our Lord has for such special friends Where meadows, fields, and flowers help make them whole again. I know she will be with us when we cry, So with one more kiss on her beloved head I told her goodbye with this poem. We put it in a Rum bottle and threw it out to sea for her last and finale voyage. David and Vickie Barone S/V OrcaSong, Bellingham, WA
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