How to Moor a Boat

After a lovely day exploring the nooks and crannies, bays and coves of Lummi Island's south eastern coastline Sunday, and finding no available buoys to try and buoy to, we decided to head for the moorings found near in to Fairhaven at the south end of Bellingham Bay.

By the time we had reached Fairhaven and the mooring buoys the sea had freshened a great deal and holding course among the buoys and other boats already moored became very difficult. We had purchased and installed a new hooking system which we attached to our boat hook. It seemed easy enough to utilize but between the heavy sea and our inexperience we had a devil of a time attaching. My wife even tore some skin from one of her fingers in the attempt. The wound looked pretty nasty. She was demoralized and hurting and I was feeling bad for her. In debriefing we figured we just hadn't planned this through well enough and that trying to moor on a day other than a flat calm one was just foolish. Live and learn.

So we headed home. I at the helm and my wife soothing her wounds. Both of us pretty shaken by the experience. We asked for advice from a couple of well experienced boaters who both suggested we should attach to the buoy and then either shut down the engines or at least put them in nuetral. Then simply allow the wind to bring the bow of the boat around to the direction of the buoy, draw up the line and tie it securely to the bow cleat. Oh, now you tell me.

Next time, we will be prepared and we'll get that buoy. But it will be a very calm day when we try.

Electronics Upgrading

Our beautiful Bayliner came with a lot of gear including a full list of electronics. However, some of the electronics is either outdated or not dependable or both and needs replacing. Where to begin?

We currently have two VHF marine radios both of which are older and I discovered the one on the flybridge isn't even receiving or sending. So we decided to replace it with the out of date but much newer radio currently at the main helm. Replacing it will be a brand new state of the art Standard Horizon Matrix GX3000S Fixed Mount VHF radio. This one brings us up to date with all the latest options. It includes a large display that will show the current channel and time, as well as our GPS position when connected to the new GPS we will eventually get. The rotary channel knob makes changing the channel just a quick turn. Digital Selective Calling, or DSC, allows us to send for help if needed. With DSC we are not only able to send a distress signal but will also be able to monitor channel 70 for any incoming DSC calls from other boats. The radio has dedicated buttons for 16/9, weather, and PA/Foghorn. When we are ready to replace the radio on the flybridge we can add a RAM+ or RAM3 mic, that allows us just plug it in on the flybridge. This handy mic has most of the controls as the base station without the cost of the whole system.

Our next electronics purchase will be a GPS or global positioning satellite device. Our current one is black and white and has a small screen making it difficult to see and read. The new one will have a significantly larger screen and be in full color.

We are currently looking for a new rigid inflatable boat or RIB to replace our our current fiberglass dinghy which doesn't carry enough payload. We are looking to be able to haul 1,000 pounds or so and 4 people to and from shore on excursions to the San Juan Islands many of which are not reachable without a small boat capable of carrying 3-4 persons.

Rough Ride to Semiahmoo!

Saturday morning dawned partly cloudy but with great promise for a beautiful day. The weather station on my VHF radio indicated things were going to get better as the day went on and so the decision was made to cast off all lines and back the the Key of Sea out of her berth at Squalicum harbor. We had spent some time perusing our current and tide charts ahead of time and discovered we would have favorable currents all the way to our planned destination of Semiahmoo, a resort with a small marina 38 nautical miles north of Bellingham and our almost home had the Squalicum berth not opened up. We made a quick stop at the dump station in the marina and then headed out of the harbor. The wind was calm, the sun shining and Bellingham Bay unusually calm. What a day lay ahead!

We steamed southwest for about an hour towards the tip of Portage Island and then, rounding the point, headed north into Hale Passage. As soon as we entered the Passage we almost immediately picked up speed. From our usual 7 knots we jumped to nearly 9 as a result of the current and tidal forces helping us along. And for the rest of the day we took advantage of these conditions. However, as we exited Hale Passage and ventured out into the Strait of Georgia, we were buffeted by the swells and white caps coming at us from the west. The rest of the way up the coast to Semiahmoo was a bit rough but we were excited by the fact that we had judged the currents correctly and were taking full advantage of them. We were able to make the journey in only 4 and a half hours instead of the 5 plus hours we had expected saving not only time but valuable fuel. Rounding the point and heading up the inlet towards Drayton Harbor, home of both the Semiahmoo and Blaine marinas, we noticed a sqaull line off to the west.

We reached the harbor entrance just as rain drops began to fall and the wind also picked up rather significantly. Lowering our engine speed to the posted 4 knots we were able to quickly locate the waterway leading to our assigned berth in D17. I slowly inched us towards the berth and began to maneuver the boat into the slip when Leslie hollered that I was headed into the wrong one. I reversed engines and began to maneuver into position to head into the correct slip when I was suddenly hit by a wind gust that sent us heading into a boat on the opposite side of the waterway. I gunned the engines to stop our progress astern and managed to get out of the situation. However, I noticed the boat hadn't responded the way I expected. I was clear of hitting any other boats but now I was being pushed by the wind into an empty slip on the wrong side of the water way. Gunning the engines again to help counter the wind gust still blowing me willy nilly, I noticed my port engine was not responding in reverse. I was in territory I'd never been in before and at the mercy of the wind. Fortunately, the boat was drifting perfectly into position to move into the empty slip and so I made the decision to go where the boat and the wind seemed to want me to go. We inched into the spot with no further problem which gave us the opportunity to then regroup and think about how to move to our assigned berth across the way. Another boater saw our delimma and came running over to help. We explained what had happened and he grabbed the stern line and tied us off. He told us the berth we were in was probably vacant and we could stay there if we wanted. I was happy to at this point especially considering the weather situation. With the aid of our new friend we went ahead and tied off the boat.

I was shaky from the experience and needed to sit down for a bit. When I was feeling a little more like myself we decided to go ahead and head over to the resort for dinner as we'd planned. The walk across the marina to the gate was a bit wet as it was still drizzling but the weather was obviously starting to calm down. Packers is the bar at the Semiahmoo Hotel Resort and the view across the Strait of Georgia is breath-taking. The walk from the marina was only a few hundred yards so we were there in no time. We took a table right along the massive north-facing windows and took our first deep breathes since docking. I ordered a plate of pasta with an alfredo sauce combined with BBQ sauce and a grilled chicken breast. Big mistake! The food tasted fine, nothing spectacular, no garnish. The food just laid there uninspired. Plus everything was ala carte so it wasn't a complete meal. My wife ordered a hamburger. Much better idea. Her meal arrived with a heaping portion of fries AND onion rings, lots of veggies on the side to either add to the burger or eat on their own. The patty was obviously hand formed and it had a beautiful layer of cheddar cheese and two thick slices of bacon on a very nice roll. We each had a beverage, she a glass of beer from their nice selection of micro-brews and I had a bourbon and 7 (overpriced at $8). Service was warm and friendly.

After dinner we drifted out onto the lawn area behind the hotel and sat in rocking chairs watching the sun set. The weather had calmed significantly now and other than an autumn chill in the air, the sky had cleared and the wind calmed. Walking back towards the boat we wandered through the resort shops and checked the menus on the other restaurants. Back at the boat we battened down for the night, closed up the curtains so as the close up the fish bowl effect and settled onto the setee for a few games of Yahtzee. By 9 o'clock, exhausted by our experience we went downstairs to our stateroom and off to bed.

Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful. There was no sign of the foul weather from the afternoon before. Our current and tidal charts suggested if we left around 9 am we would have favorable currents heading south towards home. So we decided to skip the fancy hotel breakfast and stop in at the marina grocery to pick up a few things for a simpler meal. A couple of small boxes of Raisin Bran, a pint of milk, a banana, a muffin and two coffees. A fine, cheap breakfast and we were on our way. We paid our fees at the harbor office then headed back the boat. A quick breakfast aboard and then we started up the engines.

We cast off the lines and to our surprise, reverse was working fine again as we inched out of the berth. We headed out of the harbor and turned our bow towards home. The trip home took advantage of the currents only in reverse this time. Fascinating! Suddenly, we felt one of the engine's speed drop off for no apparent reason. Oh, God, now what? I throttled back on both engines to 1800 RPMs. Everything settled down fine. We debated over whether to turn back to Semiahmoo but decided to go on.

Later on the journey home Leslie decided to go up on the flybridge to take in the sun and views. When she got up there she noticed the canvas cover over the bridge had loosened. She figured out that when the canvas came loose it had hit the throttle on the starboard engine causing our scare. Whew! Well done Admiral! The rest of our passage across the Strait of Georgia was speedy but included a nearly constant sideways back and forth movement from the swells rolling through on their way into the shore. Only when we entered Hale Passage did the water settle down to nearly flat calm. The currents were helping hurry us along the whole way at nearly 9 knots again.

Seeing Bellingham spread out before us never looked so good as we turned the point at the end of Portage Island. Our confidence is growing with each adventure we take. We are actually thinking about a cruise to Friday Harbor next weekend, weather permitting of course. Getting a little help from our current chart would be great too.

A Cruise to Anacortes

Today we headed down to the harbor with friends Fred and Peggy and pointed the bow of the Key of Sea towards Anacortes, Washington, a quaint community on the water's edge out on Fidalgo Island. I've been to Anacortes many times over the years and even watched as other boat owners came and out through the breakwater at the marina there. As soon ago as this summer I spent 3 days at an adjacent education services building overlooking the breakwater. I ate my lunch everyday while wondering if I'd ever get my own boat.

Today we headed out of Squalicum harbor about 9:30 am and turned due south winding our way through and between islands and green and red buoys marking the deep water and channels along the way. We crossed the long reach of Bellingham Bay in the usual hour it takes us at 7 knots. At the southern edge of the bay is Eliza Island, a small privately owned patch of sand, rock and pine trees owned by a few residents who have built a variety of summer homes, even an air strip. Keeping Eliza well to our starboard, we crossed the southern reach of Rosario Strait, past Vendovi Island on our starboard and Samish Island on the port. We zigged and zagged between buoys in a long lazy "S" on into Padilla Bay.

Ahead and to our starboard was Guemes Island, our last major obstacle before Anacortes. Just before turning east around the southern most tip of Guemes, we threaded between tiny Saddleback and Huckleberry Islands. Turning southeast and crossing Padilla Bay we also crossed the western opening of the Guemes Channel before rounding Cap Sante Point and entering the channel leading into Cap Sante Boat Haven Marina at Anacortes. I had called before leaving Bellingham to inquire about a guest slip. This was a first for us. A friendly lady at the marina office assigned me to slip D4 right at the front of the marina near the gangway and in amongst much large craft in our 55 foot slip. I was able to taxi up the broad waterway to my guest berth easily and just as easily turn into the dock. Our 40 foot overall length looked dwarfed by the dock space and the other boats around us.

We closed everything up and headed for town. We had earlier found out that the weekly Farmer's Market would be going on so we walked the couple of blocks over to the market where we sampled cheeses and fudge and wandered through the colorful booths. We noticed a sign on the corner indicating Croatian food another block away. All being foodies we were instantly taken in by that prospect. An easy block away down shady "R" street to the Croatian Cultural Center the four of us sat in a lovely courtyard and ate a lunch of Kobasice, a pork and garlic smoked sausage Croatian sandwich topped with a sweet onion sauce. We also shared a Cevapi another torpedo-style sandwich stuffed with sausages and grilled onions and veggies. To quench our thirst in the 80 degree summer day we also ordered a round of delicious Strawberry Lemonades.

On the walk back to the boat and our 2 and a half hour cruise home we stopped at the W T Preston Sternwheel Snagboat and museum which was open to the public free today. It was a fascinating look into the past and a beautifully maintained ship.

We cast off and moved out through the harbor entrance about 2 pm headed for home, a nearly identical voyage only in reverse. We arrived back in Bellingham around 4:30 pm exhausted but very happy with our navigation skills and the great adventure we'd had.

Cruise to Sucia Island

Last Saturday we cruised out to Sucia Island with friends Rick and Jean Scribner and daughter Kate and her husband Nick. It was our first "real" cruise since owning the Key of Sea.

We left Squalicum harbor at 9:30 am and sailed south towards the southern tip of Portage Island where we rounded the tip and headed north through Hale Passage which offers views of Portage on the starboard and Lummi Island on the port side. The tide was flowing in our direction that morning so we were able to take advantage of it easily increasing our speed from 7 to 9 knots.

We broke out into the Strait of Georgia and across the shipping channel to the little hand-shaped isle of Sucia, an extremely popular state park and a part of the San Juan archipelago. As usual the main moorage spots in Echo and Fossil bays were filled with weekend boaters. We slowly cruised along the shore, and tucked into a small inlet I spied what appeared to be a buoy floating in the middle of a quiet little cove. Our binoculars proved me right and we nosed in towards it finding ourselves completely alone in what I have since found out was called Snoring Bay, a narrow inlet dead ending at a perfect crescent-shaped beach and with 40-50 foot high sandstone cliffs all around topped with native Madrona and other pine trees. We tied up to the lone buoy and let the wind slowly turn the boat into what wind there was.

Here is a photo taken from the cliffs above Snoring Bay of the moorage we had. This is not our boat. It does show you what the spot looked like. Wow!

A lunch of ham and turkey sandwiches, cole slaw, and various libations were served before everyone settled down for an afternoon nap. The silence was broken only by the light breeze and an occasional group of hikers who stopped at an overlook above us and looked down on what had to be a pretty beautiful site, a 32 foot Bayliner yacht moored in the middle of this perfect little cove with all aboard living up to the name of Snoring Bay.

Late in the afternoon, we reluctantly untied and headed on a new route home. We headed south back across the Strait of Georgia and Boundary Pass and into Rosario Strait. After passing Barnes and Clark Islands on our port side and Orcas Island on our starboard, we crossed the shipping channel and tucked in close to the towering mountains at the south end of Lummi Island, rounded the tip and into Bellingham Bay. On our starboard was the private Eliza Island dotted with summer cottages of all shapes and sizes. Ahead of us, some 9 nautical miles away was the skyline of the city of Bellingham.

Our cruise to Sucia had lasted only about 2 hours while our return took nearly 4. However, we were also able to claim having circumnavigated Lummi Island and to have moored on our first island. What a thrill it was to cross all that water, take in the natural sites of seals, birds and dolphins. The salt air as well as the pine air near the islands drove home the reasons we live hear in the northwest and why we own a boat.

We docked the Key of Sea just as it neared sunset. Washing the salt spray off her as the sun went down and buttoning her up for the night, I felt a real satisfaction for having accomplished something very real. Out there in the elements the weather can change within moments, the icy cold water can be hundreds of feet deep, rocks and shoals and reefs and floating logs await anyone unaware enough to venture near. Whales rise from the deep unexpectedly, eagles soar overhead, dolphins accompany your wake and I can't wait for our next adventure at sea.

The Yacht is Ours!

Today, Monday, August 18, 2009 Leslie and I became the proud owners of our dream boat--a Bayliner 3216 Motor Yacht.

After struggling with the details, issues, near disasters and repairs for nearly the entire summer, the former owners turned the keys over to our broker and accepted a check for the agreed on amount. After all that either went wrong or nearly did the actual moment transfer of ownership took place was really quite anticlimactic.

Our boat now sits in the Squalicum boat harbor here in Bellingham, only 10 minutes down the hill from our house. Our broker found a way to get us into one of his slips in this harbor making it unnecessary for us to moor up north at Semiahmoo marina about a half hour from home. This is a really big deal for us as this harbor provides all the necessities, fuel, repair, parts, waste removal, etc., that one would expect from a good marina and did I mention it is only 10 minutes from home? It isn't a permanent berth but will be home for Key of Sea for at least the next year. While there are still lots of things needing doing to the boat this will be a handy location to get them done. Meanwhile, we will place ourselves on the waiting list to get into this harbor permanently.

Key of Sea. Yep, that's her official name. The old name will be removed soon and the new one put on. There is apparently some sort of ceremony which must be performed in order to beat the curse that can follow a boat which has had its name changed. We will have that done and then proceed. No point in pressing our luck.

Curt, our broker has very kindly agreed to spend some time with us on docking and navigation procedures. We have signed up for a 6-week Coast Guard sponsored boating class that begins in September. We have also signed up to have the boat inspected by the Coast Guard Auxiliary in the next couple of weeks so we can find out what safety items need to be on board. So we are already playing it safe.

So, for all our friends and family, we do plan on going out a lot in our boat and inviting you to accompany us on our adventures no matter whether just a jaunt around Bellingham Bay or more distant destinations in the San Juan and Canadian Gulf islands, north through the Inside Passage or perhaps even further on to Alaska. Who knows? The fun is just beginning. Bon Voyage!

Annual Canadian Fishing Trip

For the third year in a row I spent 5 glorious days in Ucluelit, British Columbia, a small fishing community on the west coast of Vancouver Island fishing for king and coho salmon and halibut. And for the third year in a row I returned home with my limit on all three.

Rick Scribner, our guide and sage for all things having to do with the sea brought mutual friend Ken Marshall and I to this stunningly beautiful spot out on the edge of the world. Our goal was to enjoy the beauty of the place, the camaraderie and especially the fishing. We weren't disappointed.

It takes the better part of a day just to get there from Bellingham requiring a border crossing, a ferry ride and a drive across the wild interior of Vancouver Island.

We berthed at the government marina and left for the big bank 20 plus miles off the coast at dawn the second day. The weather was near perfect. The cloud cover burned off by mid morning and left us bathed in sunshine. The sea was near flat calm allowing me to stand to reel in the fish instead of my traditional sitting position on days when the sea is less than calm.

We caught lots of Halibut, fought with pesky Coho who frequently attacked our lures as they descended searching for the Kings. I felt especially accomplished catching my first Halibut and then proceeding to catch all the Halibut for our group. A few others were caught but wound up being too small.

Ken caught a 28 pound King which was thrilling for him. I have included a bit of video of his experience. Not until the final day and the final hour of fishing did I catch a 32 pound King which turned out to be the biggest fish caught during our expedition.

We caught our limits, released lots of native coho (you generally can't keep the natives) and spring salmon (often too small to keep). We also caught two 28 inch Ling Cod a Red Snapper (too small) and several Perch (too, whatever). We kept the Cods and threw all the others back.

We fished off the islands in Barkley Sound with little luck except that I lost my entire set up when a large King hit my line and I stupidly began frantically reeling him in before the fish was ready to quit. The King suddenly took off and I didn't get my hand out of the way quick enough. Sad!

With little happening in the sound we decided to move on and headed towards South Bank, an area only a few miles off the coast of Ucluelit. We stopped in an spot none of us had fished before. Several other boats were there as well and had their nets in the water which was a good sign. So we joined in the rumba line and began trolling. It was here that my 32 pound adventure occurred. After about an hour of fishing we had filled out our limit and headed for home.

We had great fun. Got a sunburn and chapped lips and returned home happy hunters with freezers full for the winter.