Jun 22, 2005
Blake Island route
I know it's a little late, but now that I know how to post images, I wanted to put a picture of our route sailing to Blake Island. HOpefully, I'll do it right.
Jun 15, 2005
Jun 13, 2005
Out and About
Yesterday I took my father in law out for a sail. He's from New Mexico so sailing isn't something he gets to do very often. And naturally, I'm always looking for an excuse to go. The original plan was to wait until Noon and then go for the afternoon, but I was so excited to go we left early (around 10:00am).
It was nice to be able to walk down to the boat and be pushing off in about 20 minutes. I remind myself of this every time I get my huge bill from the Marina for the slip.
The weather looked a bit iffy with brisk moving cumulus clouds dotting the sky. I knew the forecast was scattered showers so we took some rain gear. The sailboat has no cabin so especially important to be prepared for the weather. We were glad we prepared because we still ended up being cold. The wind was as strong as I've ever dealt with so far and quite gusty. I've never heard the wind whistle through my shrouds before. It's an ominous sound. It's also interesting how the color of the water can affect my perception of the situation. When the sky is clear and the water is blue, things don't seem as scary. When the sea and sky are dark and gray, everything seems more angry and dangerous.
Anyway, back to the trip.
Due to time, we were going to pick our route as we went along and try not to stray too far away. As it turned out, we did stray a little too far. The wind was so strong and from the southwest (behind us), we were able to fly quickly away from Gig Harbor. We made good time past the point (Point Defiance) toward Tacoma. We turned around and found that we had our work cut out for us. I think 3 things contributed to the difficulty we had getting back to the harbor.
1) The tide was going out and the current going into Colvos passage caught us.
2) My tacking skills are weak.
3) The boat does not sail well close to the wind.
Whatever the reason, we tried our best to tack back to the harbor and we couldn't do it. When I saw we were being "sucked" down colvos passage, we dropped sail and started our tiny little motor. Even with the motor it took an hour to get back. It's not a big motor.
All in all a fun sail. I think I'm going to try tuning my rigging to reduce the strong weather helm. Maybe this will improve how close I can sail to the wind.
I'll try posting a picture (my first) of our route.
It was nice to be able to walk down to the boat and be pushing off in about 20 minutes. I remind myself of this every time I get my huge bill from the Marina for the slip.
The weather looked a bit iffy with brisk moving cumulus clouds dotting the sky. I knew the forecast was scattered showers so we took some rain gear. The sailboat has no cabin so especially important to be prepared for the weather. We were glad we prepared because we still ended up being cold. The wind was as strong as I've ever dealt with so far and quite gusty. I've never heard the wind whistle through my shrouds before. It's an ominous sound. It's also interesting how the color of the water can affect my perception of the situation. When the sky is clear and the water is blue, things don't seem as scary. When the sea and sky are dark and gray, everything seems more angry and dangerous.
Anyway, back to the trip.
Due to time, we were going to pick our route as we went along and try not to stray too far away. As it turned out, we did stray a little too far. The wind was so strong and from the southwest (behind us), we were able to fly quickly away from Gig Harbor. We made good time past the point (Point Defiance) toward Tacoma. We turned around and found that we had our work cut out for us. I think 3 things contributed to the difficulty we had getting back to the harbor.
1) The tide was going out and the current going into Colvos passage caught us.
2) My tacking skills are weak.
3) The boat does not sail well close to the wind.
Whatever the reason, we tried our best to tack back to the harbor and we couldn't do it. When I saw we were being "sucked" down colvos passage, we dropped sail and started our tiny little motor. Even with the motor it took an hour to get back. It's not a big motor.
All in all a fun sail. I think I'm going to try tuning my rigging to reduce the strong weather helm. Maybe this will improve how close I can sail to the wind.
I'll try posting a picture (my first) of our route.
Jun 9, 2005
Our First Voyage of the Summer
Actually this post if full of firsts. It is my first post to this blog. It is my first post to any blog actually. It was our first camping sail trip. It was the longest voyage we've ever taken, and it was the first time we'd included several other people in our adventure. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's back up.
Two weeks ago, we executed our first sailing/camping trip. The plan was to sail from Gig Harbor, WA to Blake Island. We would camp on the island and then sail back the next day.
We invited a friend of mine and his son to accompany myself and my daughter. The kids were 10 & 11 years old and really good friends so I figured it would work out well. And really, it did.
We left Gig Harbor around 10:30am. Temperatures were warm, and the weather was clear and windy which was great. The Wind was from the wrong direction (north) which was unfortunate because we ended up tacking all the way there. We took Colvos passage to the island. It was a beautiful sail despite all the tacking. The only downer was how long it took. We didn't arrive at the island until 5:30pm. That's seven hours in a little boat. We were all very glad to get back on dry land.
Blake Island is a beautiful spot and we couldn't have asked for a nicer evening. The sky was clear with a beautiful sunset to the west and Seattle city lights to the east. The campground a large grassy area next to the beach with trees all around (except for the view across the water to Seattle). We had a very pleasant evening of good food and fun times. The marina was full so we had to moor our boat after unloading. Luckily, we found a spot off the beach from where we were sleeping.
The next morning we ate, packed up and started back home. Clearly, we hadn't planned a long enough stay. The next time I do it, I plan to stay at least one full day if not more. We didn't get a chance to explore anything the island had to offer. There are nature trails, an indian lodge, beaches, etc...
The trip back was pretty uneventful. The kids became very comfortable with the boat and its movements. By the end of the trip, we were looking for large wakes and waves to sail over just for the thrill. The biggest bummer of the trip back was the time. It took us from 9:30am to 5:30pm to get home along the same route. We attribute this to two factors. First, the tidal current in Colvos passage is always northerly or weak. We were sailing against the current. Second, the wind was southerly so we were tacking all the way home. We tried using the motor to speed us along while sailing. I"m not convinced it helped.
All in all it was an excellent and successful adventure. We will plan another one for sure, but we may try something a little closer if we can find it.
Woody
Two weeks ago, we executed our first sailing/camping trip. The plan was to sail from Gig Harbor, WA to Blake Island. We would camp on the island and then sail back the next day.
We invited a friend of mine and his son to accompany myself and my daughter. The kids were 10 & 11 years old and really good friends so I figured it would work out well. And really, it did.
 |
| "The mate was a mighty sailing man..." |
Blake Island is a beautiful spot and we couldn't have asked for a nicer evening. The sky was clear with a beautiful sunset to the west and Seattle city lights to the east. The campground a large grassy area next to the beach with trees all around (except for the view across the water to Seattle). We had a very pleasant evening of good food and fun times. The marina was full so we had to moor our boat after unloading. Luckily, we found a spot off the beach from where we were sleeping.
 |
| Crow baiting |
The trip back was pretty uneventful. The kids became very comfortable with the boat and its movements. By the end of the trip, we were looking for large wakes and waves to sail over just for the thrill. The biggest bummer of the trip back was the time. It took us from 9:30am to 5:30pm to get home along the same route. We attribute this to two factors. First, the tidal current in Colvos passage is always northerly or weak. We were sailing against the current. Second, the wind was southerly so we were tacking all the way home. We tried using the motor to speed us along while sailing. I"m not convinced it helped.All in all it was an excellent and successful adventure. We will plan another one for sure, but we may try something a little closer if we can find it.
Woody
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