September 4'th 2011. My sister's birthday. Happy Birthday Wendy... :-).
Some beautiful sights and a clear window for the next 3 - 5 days. Weather is supposed to be 15 - 20 knots from the NW with seas 3 - 5 feet. For the 3 - 5 days. Perfect for a run to San Francisco. So the decision is made. Weigh anchor and head out.
Last time on land for a few days.
Pillars at Cape Flattery. Last cape and buoy we will see for a while.
Peter at the Helm for a fantastic afternoon of 5 - 6 knots.
Nice 10 - 12 knot breeze to enjoy.
Kingsley at the helm - Picking up a bit - now 14 - 18 knots. Doing very well with one reef in the mainsail.
Getting later in the day and picking up a bit more...Hmmm should we be concerned? We are about 25 miles off shore at this point.
In our element. Both happy and having a good laugh. Should be good for overnight...
Good idea to reduce sail some more tho... Just in case.
The night was amazing. Total darkness for a while as there were clouds. To weirdest thing we saw was the bioluminescence showing itself in the breaking waves. Every white cap (which were in the 5 - 7 foot range now) was glowing a brilliant turquoise greenish "angel" as the sea foam dwindled down. Wish I could have got a picture.
every now and again the sky would clear and we'd get a glimpse of the stars. and try and steer the boat to a compass line. Then the clouds would roll in again.. sometimes fog. THAT was fun... totally steering by compass and barely being able tosee the bow of theboat. Good thing for radar. Also - running in this kind of breeze doesn't play well with autopilots.
Yes, this was an interesting first night at sea.
Day 2 - much the same in the morning - a little less. Almost out to the lay line now and heading more southerly. About 100 miles away from shore. Even out here there's traffic. Cruise ship is about 1.3 miles to Starboard. Shows how big they are.
Me, enjoying another good sail on my watch. Yes, it is September and not the warmest temps for the trip. Good thing floater coats are warm as well as a PFD. Funny - haven't worn it since we hit Mexico..... Other foul weather gear, but not the floater coat. Glad we are pointed in the right direction.
Lucy, getting to sit there and watch for whales... Winds died again to almost nothing and the seas flattened. This was basically a day to charge the batteries. Firing up the port engine will give us some head way and charge at the same time.
Through the night - very calm and peaceful...
And on to another beautiful day. Lucy gets great sunrises on her watch. Very erie and sometimes mind numbing.
Couple of sail changes and we are on the run once more... except it's building. And it's building. Stopped taking pictures and paid very close attention to the boat for the next few days.
The seas and winds built for then next few hours. to the point the anemometer (wind speed indicator) broke. Saw a gust to 60 and that was it for the unit. It flew apart. That was the beginning of the worst - or best - 3 1/2 days of our lives. Worst because it was the worst conditions we have ever encountered and best because the boat handled it beautifully. I would have done things a bit differently given another go at it... I'm sure it will happen in a sailors life more than once. We learn from these situations. Not only about what to do with the boat to keep her as comfortable as possible while still making way, but about ourselves and what we are capable of.
This was 3 days of - I don't know what the steady wind was - our gauge broke... But when I looked behind me - my cheeks fluttered. Waves built to 20 - 30 feet. We were running at 6 knots at one point, without any sails up. Was quite an experience.
Our 4'th, Peter, decided he couldn't handle the wheel in such conditions so watch times and positions had to be re-arranged. I fully understand. This type of weather is not what we had in mind. All worked out well with 3 on watch for 4 hours each. then it went to 3, then 2 then 1 hour each.
For the most part we were able to fly the storm jib. A small handkerchief of a sail that is on the inner forestay. Helped to keep the bow down down wind. On the 3'rd day about 3 am (These things always happen in the dark) it backed and popped a couple of hanks off the stay. I called Lucy up to take the helm while I went fwd to fix it. Brought the sail down and re-attached the hanks and just stated "I don't want to do this any more!"
At this time, we were 1 hour on and 2 hours off each shift and we were exhausted. Lucy's answer - "Then let's not!" Judging the seas to down to 15 - 20' by then, I said - you know... Let's just see what happens if we just lie here. I tied up the staysail and went back to the cockpit and set the helm to steer us upwind, just a little bit and we sat there. Boat rising up to the peak, heeling over 20+ degrees and then settling into the trough. Very smooth and easy action and the noise below was reduced to about 1/2. Was like someone turning the volume down from full to 1/4 at an ACDC concert. It almost seemed peaceful :-)
Kingsley went below almost immediately on us determining we were safe. Lucy and I stayed huddled in the cockpit for a bit longer to be sure. When we were sure, we also went below for some much needed rest. I wasn't worried. We had 100+ miles of sea room to the east and we were being pushed south, so not going to hit anything. All lit up and the radar going so if anything comes closer than 5 miles, we get warned.
Next day when we woke - Winds had abated, but there was still much slop. Checked our position and we were 16 miles further in our route from when we "hove to". A very happy thing. With no wind and almost at our correct latitude - it was time to a) clean up, b) get moving again. Upon checking fuel, I noticed that we didn't have enough to make it to San Francisco, but did have for Bodega Bay. So our destination changed and off we went. The art of navigation on a sailboat - Pretending to want to be where you actually end up.
Here is a video of the trip. The reference to Jamie - is to a friend in Nanaimo that asked me to state what my first time out there was like. It was indeed a satisfying and scary experience. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
This little guy came and said hello... Then slept for a couple hours. I'm sure he was exhausted too.
Off we head to Bodega Bay.
Entrance to Bodega Bay. A VERY welcome sight.
View from our slip. We nestled in for a couple of days to re-group then fill up with water and diesel. Then do a major cleaning. Was not kidding when I said our fuel wouldn't last to San Francisco. When we filled - Turns out we only had 9 litres of usable fuel left heading in. That's only another 1 1/2 hours of engine run time. Not the worst we will encounter - but scary enough.
When we tied up to the dock and everything was settled and secure, Peter came up to me and asked if there was anything else we needed him for at the time. Nope I said. He immediately disembarked to the dock, turned and said
"Oh so good to have my feet firmly planted on solid ground once again."
"Peter.." I said
"What"
"This is a floating dock."
His eyes got to be about the size of silver dollars and he turned and ran to shore. We didn't see him again until much later that day. Guess he didn't fair the storm as well as he thought. All good. I was a bit uneasy through it as well.
Looking across Bodega Bay
An artsy shot.... Just because.
More framing with nature. Bodega is a peaceful little town with super friendly people. Really enjoyed ourselves there.
A heron on a post. Thought it was cool...
And there you have an account of the sail we had from Neah Bay to Bodega Bay. A little bit of everything to test our mettle. Consider it well tested and as far as I'm concerned... I'm ready to go out and do it again. :-).
Next stop WILL be San Francisco - or so we thought....
Stay tuned.
Yes John I think it would have been a little scary also, especially at night. But with your experience and your crews you showed you could weather the storm. Waiting for your next post.
Was a little. Once we got to trust the boat to do what she was supposed to, It got easier. Thanks for the comment.
Wow, you know how to grasp our attention, so easy to read and the photos are amazing!
Thanks for the comment dmlo. Sure was a fun trip. For the most part. :-) Stay tuned. Next installment coming up...
Life of a seaman is thrilling... thanks for taking us on this little adventure at sea. I like the photos you took.
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Wow beautiful and also great photography
Thanks. We did get some nice shots. If it matters to you they were taken with a $99 Kodak digital unit. Don't know much more about it other than the lens cover suck at some points. It was a pretty good camera. Stolen in Panama. Grrr..... More further on.... Stay tuned.
Thank you for posting these photos and the exciting adventure you had! I don't think I would want to do that personally, but it is fun to read about your adventures.
Hi Andot. Thanks for the comment. This life isn't for everyone. But is sure is fun to share it with everyone.
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Wonderful that you are able to record your sailing trips so thoroughly John. Great imagery to add to the impression of the tales.
To be away from the land ~ No electricity ~ To see the stars as the clouds part ~ And then the brilliant turquoise bioluminescenc, must be such a beautiful and bonding experience. Bonding with the people you are with as well as the larger out there spheres. 🦋
Hi Allyinspirit. It is an amazing thing. To be totally reliant on yourself and what you have with you. On a clear night - it is spectacular. Zero light pollution and stars everywhere. Thanks for the comment.
Pleasure John. Have been out on the open sea just once, and so I can totally relate. An experience to always be remembered. 🦋
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