48° North - July 2024 - Digital

Coming to our dock for your inspection. “Compass Pass” is a well maintained Convertible Motor Yacht. Equipped with recently serviced twin Detroit diesels and fully enclosed flybridge she is ready for all weather NW cruising.

Gardner-Brown

COLUMNS

THE COVER: The scrappy and well sailed Hobie 16 of Team Tips Up starting Race to Alaska in Port Townsend. Teammates John Ped and Kaila Pfrang have already covered

sailing.

Hobie

Photo by Joe Cline.

Background photo courtesy of Ryan Samantha Carson.

Editor

ON BRINGING UP SAILORS

One of the mistakes parents, like me, make these days is to overinflate our perception of influence with our children and their interests. As boat folk, deeply held hopes that our children will love time on the water can shift away from encouragement and exposure to boating and toward more heavy-handed pressure— so often ensuring the opposite of the desired outcome.

I’m no parenting expert (is there really such a thing?), but as someone privileged enough to have just welcomed his second child this spring, I think about stuff like this quite a lot. I also spent some time this month on the periphery of the Race to Alaska circus, and was floored by the number of young teams involved—two teams made up entirely of teenagers (both skippered by girls!), as well as a team of 20 year olds (two of whom have already finished at least one R2AK), and a young woman in her early 20s making the run to Ketchikan solo on a Hobie Tandem Island (a sailing kayak with outriggers). These kids’ parents must be so damn proud and, I assume, holding their breath too—all these teams are still out on the course at the time this magazine goes to press.

I don’t know these young sailors very well, I can’t give you the common thread that all of these kids share, other than their spirit of adventure and skills to make it safely. But it certainly leaves me reflecting on how they got there.

As is so often the case with sailors who impress me, these young people possess a special combination of competence and confidence. One take on the genesis of these attributes can be found in this month’s Youth Sailing Beat column (page 24), in which Solvig Sayre shares a detailed example of how skills facilitate fun for young sailors, and that confidence in those skills is central to enjoyment.

Having only experienced non-competitive sailing in my own childhood, I look back on my early sailing days as an exercise entirely in fun (and ok, occasionally, fear). However, since a lot of that background was sailing scows at a summer camp, there were clear pathways for skill progressions already in place, and success at each level gave access to more ways to go sailing and have fun doing it. To me, that’s where this notion really takes flight—that the ember of desire is given oxygen by skills, a clear and effective path to advance provides fuel, and fun is the warmth of that fire, ever-present but burning ever-hotter.

I am certain that not one of these young sailors was told to do Race to Alaska by a parent. It’s not as if they didn’t have help along the way, but the desire and decision to go, the preparation of the boat and themselves—it’s ultimately their own and that’s the only way it works. There’s not a youth sailing program in the world teaching kids to race engineless boats for a week-plus through such challenging and unforgiving waterways. And yet there they are. How inspiring is that?

Volume XLIII, Number 12, July 2024 (206) 789-7350 info@48north.com | www.48north.com

Publisher Northwest Maritime Center

Managing Editor Joe Cline joe@48north.com

Editor Andy Cross andy@48north.com

Designer Rainier Powers rainier@48north.com

Advertising Sales advertising@48north.com

Classifieds classads48@48north.com

Photographer Jan Anderson

48° North is published as a project of the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, WA – a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to engage and educate people of all generations in traditional and contemporary maritime life, in a spirit of adventure and discovery.

Northwest Maritime Center: 431 Water St, Port Townsend, WA 98368 (360) 385-3628

48° North encourages letters, photographs, manuscripts, burgees, and bribes. Emailed manuscripts and high quality digital images are best!

We are not responsible for unsolicited materials. Articles express the author’s thoughts and may not reflect the opinions of the magazine. Reprinting in whole or part is expressly forbidden except by permission from the editor.

SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS FOR 2024! $39/Year For The Magazine $75/Year For Premium (perks!) www.48north.com/subscribe for details.

I’ll see you on the water,

Joe Cline Managing Editor, 48° North

And that’s where all of this leaves me. My love of sailing, alone, is not directly transferable to my children. I appreciate that helping my kids be exposed to boats and boat folk and boat life can lay crucial groundwork. But when I think about fanning the flames of the passion I hope they have, I’ll think about how to help them chase the competence that breeds confidence, and to dream big, fun dreams. One last note— these R2AK teams are made up of friends. To whatever extent skills are the foundation on which fun and freedom and opportunity can be built, community and camaraderie are what make that house a home.

Prices vary for international or first class.

Proud members:

Response to Andy Cross’s “Sea Feasts of British Columbia” from the June Issue

Hi Andy,

A quick question, and possible suggestion: When cruising in British Columbia, is it necessary to get a non-resident fishing license before harvesting sea critters? When we brought our boat back to Alaska (1997) I assumed that we needed one so did not do any fishing there.

And the suggestion: If a fishing license is required, you might add that information in articles on traveling (whether cruising or passagemaking) in the future. It may keep someone from getting in trouble if they don’t have one.

Great article, by the way. I really enjoyed it!

Kees van Weel

Sadly landlocked in Ohio

Model Shown Beta 38

Engineered to be Serviced Easily!

Beta Marine West (Distributor)

400 Harbor Dr, Sausalito, CA 94965 415-332-3507

Pacific Northwest Dealer Network

Emerald Marine

Anacortes, WA • 360-293-4161 www.emeraldmarine.com

Oregon Marine Industries Portland, OR • 503-702-0123 info@betamarineoregon.com

Access Marine

Seattle, WA • 206-819-2439 info@betamarineengines.com www.betamarineengines.com

Sea Marine Port Townsend, WA • 360-385-4000

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Deer Harbor Boatworks Deer Harbor, WA • 844-792-2382 customersupport@betamarinenw.com www.betamarinenw.com

Auxiliary Engine 6701 Seaview Ave NW, Seattle WA 98117 206-789-8496 auxiliaryeng@gmail.com

Hi Kees,

Glad you enjoyed the article, and thanks for the questions and suggestions. Yes, we bought a fishing license and felt that it more than paid for itself. Since fishing regulations are subject to change, our best recommendation is that you check on the local policies with official sources prior to any trip.

Cheers, Andy

Trivia Appreciation, Etymology Edition

Dear 48° North,

Etymology is helpful and I appreciate Bryan’s column. (48° North, May 2024, page 16). Your magazine is interesting and worthwhile to read.

Robert Gregory Semi-retired Schooner Captain

Kudos from an Editor and Sailor

Hi Joe, Andy, and 48° North writers,

I really love the magazine. I’ve been a regular reader since about 2012, when we bought an old and rather decrepit Catalina 25 from Windworks at Shilshole. I knew nothing about sailing at the time; it was my wife’s dream to own a boat and I was just kind of along for the ride. Although that changed somewhat during the few years we owned the boat, I’ve still never become an accomplished sailor. But I do love reading and dreaming about cruising and about one day improving my skills. And I’m consistently wowed by all aspects of your coverage.

As an editorial professional, I’m particularly impressed by the quality of your publication’s writing and editing. The stories are always engaging and conversational while still coming across as authoritative, challenging, and real.

Thanks,

Richard Howard

and

of

Fidalgo Bay, Anacortes, Washington.

your American Sailing 101,103 and 104 certifications with us in the heart of the season!

have open spaces in our Cruise N Learn courses July, August and September and also have room in our ASA 101-106 courses throughout the peak 2024 sailing season. We run ASA instructor clinics throughout the year.

News from Northwest Maritime

48° North has been published by the nonprofit Northwest Maritime since 2018. We are continually amazed and inspired by the important work of our colleagues and organization, and dedicate this page to sharing more about these activities with you.

MARITIME CAREERS

The end-of-the-year celebration for the Port Townsend Maritime Academy (PTMA), Northwest Maritime's Career and Tech Education program, was an evening filled with pride, inspiration, and validation. Northwest Maritime developed PTMA in 2018 in partnership with Port Townsend School District and Bremerton’s West Sound Technical Skills Center. Next year, two graduates will attend the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, another will be fishing in Alaska, and two more will join the workforce in Port Townsend's vibrant marine trades community.

Port Townsend Maritime Academy is the culmination of a series of Northwest Maritime’s programs for young people. As they grow, they advance through summer programs, eventually reaching the Maritime Discovery Program—a hands-on maritime capstone experience for nearly all 7th graders from the Port Townsend, Chimacum, and Quilcene school districts. Those who are most interested in maritime continue in afterschool programs, expeditions, and, in the case of these students, high school.

One of this year's graduates began taking programs with Northwest Maritime as a 5-year-old, progressed through the years, and is one of the student's pursuing boat building education in the fall. This student’s experience exemplifies a sequence of engagement and maritime-focused learning that has been at the heart of Northwest Maritime's programming for many years.

Now, the organization is working to expand these efforts regionally under the banner of the Blue Schools Initiative, coalescing its career-connected curricula

around vessel operations/maritime skills, marine construction and trades, and marine science and restoration. These efforts are in concert with Washington State's commitment for students to have pathways to great careers, and is even making waves at the federal level (Northwest Maritime would like to thank US Senator from Washington, Maria Cantwell, for including the Blue Schools Initiative in her 2025 appropriation request!).

Northwest Maritime's programs in Port Townsend and those at Maritime High School in Des Moines, WA, have been laboratories for developing this progression of skills, knowledge, connections, and opportunity. Whether students' next steps are post-secondary training such as college or maritime academies, specific training programs, or a path direct to employment—each student gets to choose their own adventure and is equipped with tools, resources, and a foundation on which a successful career may be built.

Next year, there will be a record 22 students enrolled in PTMA from multiple school districts. Northwest Maritime is humbled to continue to be a home-base for developing maritime talent!

PORT TOWNSEND BAY TOURS

“Best way to see the Bay!” Saturdays, June 28-August 31

Northwest Maritime Welcome Center All tours are 1 hour in length.

OFFICIAL WA STATE BOATER CARD CLASS

June 29, 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM

September 21, 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM

$40 non-member, $29 member

INTRO TO SAILING: SAILING ESSENTIALS

July 5, July 19, Aug 2, Aug 16, Aug 30, or Sept 13 | 2 - 5 PM

Three-hour Intro Class

$99 non-member and member

BASIC KEELBOAT FULL COURSE

July 1–5, July 8–12, July 15–19, July 29–Aug 2, Aug 5–9, Aug 19–23, or Aug 26–30 | 9 AM–4 PM

Basic Keelboat certification in 5-day course

$1100 non-members, $1045 members

BEYOND BASIC KEELBOAT: SKILL DEVELOPMENT

July 6, July 20, Aug 3, Aug 17, Aug 31 or Sept 14 | 12 - 4 PM

$199 Non-member, $179 Member

* Basic Keelboat Recommended

BEYOND BASIC KEELBOAT: DOCKING

July 7, July 21, Aug 4, Aug 18, Sept 1, or Sept 15 | 1- 4 PM

$149 non-member, $134 member

* Basic Keelboat Recommended WOODEN BOAT FESTIVAL September 6-8 Northwest

low tides » News & Events

PACIFIC NORTHWEST SMALL BOAT FESTIVAL COMING TO PORT LUDLOW

Join the Pocket Yachters and fellow boating enthusiasts at Port Ludlow Marina July 26-27 to celebrate small craft—from sailboats to rowboats and more. The Pacific Northwest Small Boat Festival (SBF) will showcase 75 small boats in the water and an additional 25-30 on land. With terrific views of the Olympic Mountain range, and protected waters, Port Ludlow is ideal for small boat gatherings. As a bonus, SBF organizers have secured virtually all guest moorage slips in the marina, assuring that they'll be able to display a wide range of small boat designs along one contiguous dock, and in one upland area close to the boats that are in the water.

During the SBF, participants with in-the-water boats will be free to row, sail, paddle, pedal or motor their boats around the bay—offering rides if they wish, or having their boats photographed for a video documentary by Off Center Harbor, the Maine-based production company.

Organizers are planning for a few areas of special focus— electric small craft and human-powered small boats—so there will be designated areas for those boats. There will also be related presentations on subjects like the increasing practicality of electric power; comparisons between rowing, paddling and pedal-powered small craft; and tips on how to get beyond day use and start camp-cruising your smaller boat.

The SBF is open to wood and fiberglass, and the focus of the event will be on attractive and functional designs. Festival

BoatUS OPENS GRANT PROGRAM TO REMOVE ABANDONED AND DELERLICT VESSELS (ADV)

In a nationwide effort to remove abandoned and neglected boats from our waterways, the Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatUS) Foundation is seeking qualified, diverse, and experienced organizations to submit projects for funding. Applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of intent between June 10 and August 12.

Removing ADVs is costly, often averaging more than $24,000 to remove a single boat. For many communities, there may be no local funding for removal of vessels. By removing the associated pollution, navigation and safety hazards ADVs can cause in waters for years, the 20-75 awardees of this grant program will have a lasting, positive impact on the environment and our waters locally and nationally for years to come.

» www.boatus.org/advgrant

organizers expect many older fiberglass production sailboats, as well as home built wooden watercraft. Everything from SCAMPs to slippery full-keel classics; and from rowing, paddling, pedaling and engine-powered boats to canoes, custom kayaks and other small craft.

Boats will arrive at Port Ludlow on Friday, July 26, and the SBF will take place all day on Saturday the 27, with the public invited to attend between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Registered skippers and their crews will enjoy dinner in the marina’s pavilion tent Saturday evening, along with raffle prizes and visits from some luminaries in the world of small boats.

» www.pocketyachters.com

SARC UPDATE: MORE N.A. TASAR EVENTS NOW INCLUDED

The Tasar dinghy class has attracted some of the region's finest sailors for many years, and the list of World Champions based in the Seattle area is truly extraordinary—most recently and most prolifically Jonathan and Libby McKee, who brought home their fifth World Tasar Title at the 2024 Championship held in Sandringham, Australia.

48° North typically includes major Tasar events on SARC, but apparently has missed some other great local Tasar fleet events. They include:

June 29-30 Tasar Orcas Open

Sept 7-8 North Americans at Jericho

Sept 21-22 Summertide, Hood Canal

The full Tasar North America schedule is available, but it's worth noting that all events are in this region: sites.google. com/view/natasar/2024-schedule

And you can always check for updates at:

» www.48north.com/sarc

IN THE BIZ: SWIFTSURE YACHTS WELCOMES CALEB PAINE AS BROKER

Swiftsure Yachts recently announced the addition of Caleb Paine to its team of yacht brokers. Paine is a California native who began his sailing journey on the waters of Mission Bay, leading to a distinguished career marked by achievements such an Olympic bronze medal, World Championships, America’s Cup campaigns, and earning the title of Rolex Sailor of the Year. His early exposure to sailing has deeply influenced his approach to yacht brokerage and the maritime industry. Caleb is thrilled to be a part of the Swiftsure Yachts team, working alongside professionals who share his enthusiasm for sailing and commitment to client satisfaction.

Swiftsure partner Ryan Helling said of the hire: “Caleb’s depth of knowledge and experience speaks for itself and he will be a great asset to our clients.”

» www.swiftsureyachts.com

CROSSWORD AND TRIVIA

DID YOU KNOW?

by Bryan Henry

Sailors should feel at home in the nave of a church, the main part between the two side aisles, because the word comes from the Latin navis, ship, which its shape sometimes resembles.

From the Latin navis we get navy, naval, nautical, navigate, and nausea—literally “ship sickness”— what we call seasickness today.

Portugal was originally called Portus Cale, the region behind the port city of Cale, and Port wine is so called after the Portuguese city of Oporto or Porto, which was the shipping center of it.

The words steer, stern, starboard, and steerage were all derived from Old English steor, rudder. Thus steer means to use the rudder. The stern of a ship is so called because that’s where the steering oar or rudder of Viking ships was.

The Latin portus originally meant passageway, doorway, and later gateway and harbor. From its meaning of harbor or gateway, we get port and the port in seaport and airport. From its meaning of doorway, passageway, we get portal and the port in porthole and portside (the left side of a ship as one faces forward, because the deckhouse entrance and loading doors and gates were on this side in ancient vessels).

Torpedo is from the Latin torpere, sluggish, or numb. Originally, a torpedo was an electric ray, a fish that paralyzes with its sting. Robert Fulton, of steamboat fame, named his invention a torpedo in 1807. His torpedoes were actually submarine mines which were towed or moored or sometimes allowed to drift toward an oncoming enemy ship.

Mediterranean literally means “in the middle of the land,” because the Mediterranean Sea is almost surrounded by dry land and was in the middle of the ancient world.

At one time tarpaulin was a slang term for a sailor’s wide-brimmed storm hat.

The full-rigged ship Bethia , built in 1783, was purchased in 1787 by Great Britain’s Navy Board to be fitted out as the HMS

The pirate Bartholomew Roberts’ much-feared Jolly Roger showed, on a red ground, Roberts and a skeleton toasting each other with a flagon of rum.

© Victoria Kellogg

low tides » Products News

» MUSTANG SURVIVAL KHIMERA PFD

Sailors looking for a PFD that combines the security of foam with the slim profile of inflatables should take a hard look at Mustang Survival’s hybrid over-the-head entry jacket. The Khimera PFD offers a unique dual flotation system and lightweight and lowprofile design that enhances mobility and comfort. The PFD eases re-entry into your boat if you go overboard and if additional flotation is needed in an emergency, you can simply pull the inflation handle or use the manual tube to add 14 lb of additional buoyancy. Adjustable shoulder and waist straps create a snug, close-to-body fit that helps the Khimera stay secure during water entry. A front storage pocket holds an extra cylinder (not included) so you’re always prepared. Re-arming on the go is simple; just squeeze the air out of the inflation cell and add a new CO2 cylinder. Reflective shoulder patches increase your visibility in low light and rescue situations.

Price: $199.99 » www.mustangsurvival.com

» WICHARD MARINE SOFT SNATCH BLOCKS

Whether you’re a racing sailor or cruiser, having a snatch block or two in your rigging arsenal is a must. Wichard Marine’s collection of soft snatch blocks are an essential piece of kit that can be used for flying sail furling, furler terminals, sheet or control line deviation, barber-haulers, and more. The blocks are made from anodised aluminum, making them both lightweight and robust. And the Dyneema loop ensures easy installation on padeyes or toe rails, and they are easy to open and close, thanks to a secure Velcro strap. The block range comes in six rope sizes: 8mm, 10m, 14mm, 18mm, 22mm, and 30mm.

Price: $217.50+ » www.marine.wichard.com

» BLUE SEA SYSTEMS M2 MONITOR

Keeping track of the systems aboard your boat can be crucial to cruising success, but it also doesn’t have to be difficult. Blue Sea Systems recently launched their new comprehensive display that monitors four systems in one compact LED digital monitor. DC System Monitoring: One input monitors the DC voltage, state-of-charge, current for one battery bank and another input monitors the voltage of an additional battery bank. Alarms include high and low voltage, high current, and low battery. AC System Monitoring: Monitors a single AC voltage, current, and frequency. Alarms include high and low voltage, high current, and high and low

frequency. Bilge and Tank Monitoring: The two inputs that can be configured as a bilge or tank monitor. When configured as a bilge input, monitoring functions include pump active, cycle count in the last 24-hours, average cycles in a typical 24-hour period, and total cycles. High alarms can be set for both the minutes of run time in the last hour as well as the number or cycle counts in the last 24-hours. When configured as a tank input, tank status can be represented in both capacity (gallons or liters) or as a percentage of capacity. Custom tank shapes can be autocalibrated or programmed. Both high and low level alarms can be set for all tanks.

Price: $409.99 » www.bluesea.com

or Pleasure, AquaDrive will make your boat smoother, quieter and vibration free.

The AquaDrive system solves a problem nearly a century old; the fact that marine engines are installed on soft engine mounts and attached almost rigidly to the propeller shaft.

The very logic of AquaDrive is inescapable. An engine that is vibrating on soft mounts needs total freedom of movement from its propshaft if noise and vibration are not to be transmitted to the hull. The AquaDrive provides just this freedom of movement. Tests proved that the AquaDrive with its softer engine mountings can reduce vibration by 95% and structure borne noise by 50% or more. For information, call Drivelines NW today.

CLOSE TO THE WATER 20 BACK TO THE DOCK

by Bruce Bateau

Back in 2016, the Dock was the place to be. Designed for launching kayaks and rowing shells on an urban stretch of the Willamette River in Portland, it soon became the de facto summer sunbathing spot for the city’s young and beautiful. Arriving early on a Saturday morning, I would push my rowboat down the gangway on its wheeled cart, mount my oars, slide the boat into the water, and row away.

The Dock’s 100-foot gangway led to a grippy fibergrate landing attached to a wave-washed wooden dock that sat about four inches above the river’s surface. This final section

provided easy access to the Willamette without the headache of competing with motor boats and their macho trucks at the launch ramp a few miles upstream. But sunbathing hipsters made returning to the Dock later in the day a challenge. As I noted in a 2016 article: “I pulled up alongside the dock in the shadow of the Hawthorne Bridge in my rowboat and there they were, feet dangling in the water, sunglasses hiding their faces, staring towards downtown. Do they even notice me? I think not, because when I attempt to bring my boat to the edge, they don’t budge.”

Looking back now, it’s hard to believe there was a time when scantily clad, tattooed young people were the biggest obstacle to accessing the Dock.

In 2019, the non-profit Portland Boat House (PBH) reached the end of its lease in a building at the top of the riverbank near the Dock, where it had served as a home base for various rowing clubs and as a small boat storage area. With the PBH gone, the bustle of crews carrying 10-person shells and long oars to the river was no more. A few dragon boat teams still moored there. While a few recreational kayakers and canoeists could be found on nice weekends throughout the year, the Dock’s fortunes had turned.

In April 2020, conditions reached a new level of absurdity, when someone drove a car onto the Dock. I didn’t believe the story at first. The Dock was a tight space, one where someone carrying a canoe could just squeeze past another person on the ramp. How could a vehicle have made it past the bollards, along the waterfront path, around a 90 degree turn, down the

The author does a test launch of his new Portage Pram at the Dock.

gangway, and along two sections of dock? Then a grainy picture appeared on the Internet. There it was: a black compact car improbably parked about 15 feet from the end of the Dock, its front wheel jauntily dipping into the river.

Maybe the car was the final straw for the lowest portion of the Dock. Gazing at it from a nearby bridge 10 months later, I could see that this section was holding on by a thread of chain. The Willamette coursed over it, and for a few forlorn days it bobbed up and down like a leaf in the current. Surely someone in charge had noticed and would come to the rescue? Alas, the low-freeboard section simply disappeared, never to return.

With the pandemic, the Dock became the closest place for many of Portland’s inner eastside residents to launch a small boat, and the space took on a new life. Offering an escape from the grind and fear of illness, the Dock was vital once more. But its increasing decrepitude made access a continual challenge for small boat folks. The sandpaper finish of the remaining fibergrate deck, so useful for walking on a wet day, was a mortal threat to small boats. Nevertheless, we persisted. I laid an old bath mat on the edge of the dock, using it as a protective cushion when I slid my rowboat into the water. Boaters with old beater canoes simply shoved them right off the edge, the new scrapes adding character. A few dragon boats remained, secured to the dock with locks and cables, their crews showing up when health conditions allowed.

As the pandemic waned, summer hipster sunbathers returned, albeit in smaller numbers. Kayaks came back, too, and teenagers like my son and his friends, who didn’t hesitate to dive into the Willamette’s waters to escape the heat. Bright beach towels and pink flamingo inflatables brought life and color to the scene. All that activity, compressed into a smaller space, made it even harder to get in and out of the water, but I was grateful for the positive presence.

The last time I went to the Dock, it was mid-winter. The river was the color of coffee with a generous helping of milk. Blackberry vines had grown across a portion of the gangway, graffiti marked the pilings, and I was reluctant to walk down to the bottom. The current pushed messy piles of sticks, branches, and trash against what remains of the Dock. A bevy of homeless boaters had pulled anchor and taken over the perimeter to avoid

being washed downstream. The sound of a tattered sail flapping in the wind sent me hurrying back up to the riverside trail.

Recently, hope for the Dock’s revival emerged with a proposal in the Portland City budget for a project intended to address issues of equity and racial justice around access to the Willamette, including funds for habitat restoration, a trail— and acquisition and replacement of the Dock, currently owned, but scarcely maintained, by a local business association.

This discovery brought me back to a hopeful moment from early fall, when the dock was mostly deserted again, save for what appeared to be a skateboard ramp pointing off the end. I puzzled over this for a few days, until I ran into a colleague at work and we started talking about his childhood.

“Yeah, we didn’t have enough money for boats when I was a kid,” he said, “but we still used the river a lot.” When they outgrew their bikes, he told me, he and his friends turned them into “river bikes,” using them to launch themselves off a dock and into the water.

“But how did you get the bike back out?” I asked.

“Oh, we just tied a life preserver over the handlebars and hauled it back to shore.”

At that moment, I figured out what that ramp was doing on the Dock. Sure, it took up real estate for sunbathers and boaters, but it meant that people were figuring out different ways to enjoy the river.

Isn’t that the whole point of having a dock?

Bruce Bateau sails and rows traditional boats with a modern twist in Portland, Oregon. His stories and adventures can be found at www.terrapintales.wordpress.com.

North of the Strait of Georgia and Desolation Sound and south of Johnstone Strait, the Discovery Islands fill most of the area between the British Columbia mainland and Vancouver Island. The area is a postcardperfect cruiser’s paradise, and one of the dream destinations for this region’s boat folk.

The gaps between the Discovery Islands are small, which makes for passages that have strong tidal currents—notable among them are Seymour Narrows, Dent Rapids, and Hole in the Wall. Piloting these passages in a small boat requires careful attention to the tide and current charts, and transit at the time of slack water is strongly advised. Once through, there are opportunities among the islands to get off the boat and enjoy a hike. Some are genuinely spectacular.

QUADRA ISLAND’S NEWTON LAKE

Newton Lake is near Granite Bay on the northwest corner of Quadra Island. Being a water girl at heart, Karen requires at least one swim on every trip; and Newton Lake is often the place. It’s in a beautiful wilderness setting with several rocky areas on the shoreline that make perfect places to launch into the water and dry in the sun after. Unusually for such remote places, there are three different ways to get there from a boat (and one by car).

After passing through Seymour Narrows you can anchor in Granite Bay and walk up a gravel road followed by a rocky old logging road to the lake. This is the way to the lake if you were to drive to Granite Bay after taking the ferry from Campbell River. But there are, we think, better ways if you are arriving by boat.

The Octopus Islands on the northeast

by Michael Boyd

HIKES FOR BOATERS 22 DISCOVERY ISLANDS

corner of Quadra Island are a very popular destination with good, though sometimes crowded, anchorage among the islands. Most people get there by passing through Surge Narrows or Hole in the Wall. Once there, we usually head for nearby Waiatt Bay, which has space for a large number of boats over a flat mud bottom and, though it is somewhat open if the wind should pick up, the holding is excellent. The well-used trail to the lake leaves from the head of Waiatt Bay, first crossing a narrow isthmus to Small Inlet then climbing gently to 400-foot-high Newton Lake. It is about 3.7 miles round trip depending on which site you decide to use for your swim.

Our favorite way to get here, by far, is from Small Inlet on the west side of the island just north of Granite Bay. When there are 70 boats at the Octopus Islands

Photos by Karen Johnson

Enjoying the Newton Lake hiking trail.

and Waiatt Bay, there may be just two in Small Inlet. The entrance is narrow and somewhat shallow; deep draft vessels should use caution on lower tides. The innermost cove has room for only a couple of boats, so it’s very intimate. Getting into the inner cove does require caution as there is a curving passage with hidden reefs to be negotiated. On the south side of the inner cove, the shore juts out. We land our dinghy there and take a short path to a junction with the trail coming from Waiatt Bay. From Small Inlet, the round trip hike to Newton Lake is just 2.5 miles, another benefit of anchoring here. But wherever you anchor, Newton Lake is a wonderful hike with the bonus of a glorious freshwater swim.

STUART ISLAND’S BIG BAY

Big Bay, on the western shore of Stuart Island, sits at the conjunction of major rapids—Arran Rapids to the north, Yuculta Rapids to the south, and Gillard Passage and Dent Rapids to the west. You can’t get to Big Bay without passing through one of them.

This open bay is surrounded by large private homes and resorts, here for the fabulous salmon fishing in the nearby passages. While mostly out of the main current flow, the bottom is largely rocky and not conducive to anchoring; we always stay at the Stuart Island Community Dock and have never found it crowded; most boaters just pass by on their way to somewhere else. But Big Bay is worth a stop.

From the public dock and small store, a gravel road leads north to a turnoff for Eagle Lake. A well maintained trail goes to the lake and beyond to Basset Cove on the east side of the island. It’s about

4.5 miles round trip to Basset Cove. The star, though, is Eagle Lake, which is very well named. As we hike around the lake, we usually disturb the bald eagles in the surrounding trees. We’ve seen more than 50 take off at one time. This is their quiet place to rest when they aren’t hanging out near the rapids doing their own salmon fishing. As a bonus, there is a swimming float in the lake and a row boat on the shore that anyone can use to get out to it.

SHOAL BAY OFF CORDERO CHANNEL

Opening onto Cordero Channel at the northern end of East Thurlow Island is Shoal Bay. There is a government dock here with a caretaker and some nice facilities on land. The anchoring is somewhat marginal as most of the bay shoals rapidly from being too deep to being too shallow. We usually only stop here in June or September when space at the dock is more readily available.

There is a hike here that’s somewhat hard to find. It starts near where the creek enters the bay and climbs to a fabulous viewpoint looking north up Phillips Arm to snow covered peaks. There’s even a bonus; a long abandoned gold mine that is a short climb from the viewpoint. But if you find it, don’t go exploring without a good light; about 15 feet in from the entrance is a vertical shaft in the floor.

BICKLEY BAY

As you continue north, a new form of hiking opportunity becomes predominant—abandoned logging roads. Once active logging is over and trees are beginning to fill in the spaces but before the roads themselves become overgrown, they make for excellent

hiking. Sometimes they even open out to views. And it’s hard to get lost since you are following a road. Bickley Bay on the north side of East Thurlow Island is a good introduction. When nearby Shoal Bay is full of boats and anchoring is difficult, Bickley Bay will have at most two or three boats and anchoring is easy. We definitely prefer it during the busy time of the year.

Near the bay entrance on its west shore is an obvious, abandoned logging dump. Dumps like these make good places to come ashore; there is a nice gap in the shoreline vegetation and the water is deep enough to get close to the shore at all tide levels. The logging road at Bickley Bay heads south into the interior of the island and there are side roads that can be explored. On our last hike here, we stopped when our road met one where recent logging had taken place; meaning lots of stumps but few trees. It felt like a good place for a break before turning around. This particular hike was 6.6 miles of easy walking and a maximum elevation of only 440 feet, but there is lots left to explore. We have hiked this logging road a number of times and have never met anyone else.

As you cruise this summer, whether you’re passing through the Discovery Islands on the way to or from somewhere farther north, or this region is your primary destination, these hikes and others in the area offer so much of what draws us onto our boats and subsequently ashore for splendid walks in the woods.

Michael and Karen have been cruising the Salish Sea and beyond for more than 20 years, hiking every chance they get. For more resources for hikers visit their website at https://mvmischief.com/library/

Eagle Lake's "public" rowboat to access the swimming float.

Tying up at the Shoal Bay dock.

YOUTH SAILING BEAT 24

Sailing is many things, encompassing an astounding array of diverse skills and avenues, but nobody would say it is easy. When you step foot into a boat you’re captaining for the first time, it is not unusual to spend time stuck in irons or spinning in circles—which is neither fun nor does it entice sailors to come back to try again. Whether your sailing passion or inspiration comes from the freedom to harness the wind, the possibility of a grand adventure, the challenge and camaraderie of racing, or something else entirely, your ability to control your boat in all conditions will allow you to have an experience that is both safe and, importantly, fun .

Youth sailing programs are currently struggling with sailors dropping out at high rates. One commonly cited reason is the heavy focus put on racing, and that racing is not fun for everyone. As a result, there has been an increasingly strong emphasis on fun in recent years. I believe that having fun is a crucial aspect of youth sailing success, but it’s also important to understand that a strong foundation of skills gives sailors the

TILLER EXTENSIONS A FUN-THROUGH-SKILLS CASE STUDY

tiller

by Solvig Sayre

confidence to be safe and succeed—which will enable them to have fun. While sailing can offer lifelong enjoyment, it is complex and is accompanied by serious safety risks. Still, when they are well supported and are empowered by strong sailing skills, it is incredible what very young sailors can accomplish in tiny boats, while having an absolute blast along the way.

The proper use of a tiller extension provides a great example. I am pleased to say that US Sailing is now having dinghy sailing instructors teach the tiller extension on day one. The reason is not simply because they want to get more sailors to progress in racing, but because the habit of using (or not using) the tiller extension is extremely hard to break; and not using the tiller extension is limiting for many types of sailing.

I taught an intergenerational keelboat class at a previous program. The grandfather in one family had a ton of sailing experience, but had never learned how to use the tiller extension. In order to be operated safely in windy conditions, the family's boat required use of the tiller extension. Since he also couldn’t adapt to using the tiller extension comfortably, the grandfather found he could not sail the boat effectively with or without the tiller extension, and was rightfully frustrated and frightened by this impasse. On the other hand, we all felt very safe with his much less experienced 12-year-old grandson driving because he had been using the tiller extension since he started sailing.

When I came to that program, there were lots of sailors who had been sailing for a long time without ever learning to tack with the tiller extension properly. We spent a challenging year trying to steer away from some of what was taught to them by previous instructors. In that year, several sailors quit because it was so hard to break a habit that made them feel safe and in control. How many of you have seen a sailor hugging the

Using the

extension allows sailors to be more dynamic and sit farther from the helm while maintaining full control. Photo by John Beaver.

Photo by Evan Kestenbaum.

tiller with the tiller extension folded back in a 15 knot gust? Understandably, the sailors felt discouraged that they had to completely relearn how to tack in order to progress.

You might ask why I would force these kids to learn how to tack with the tiller extension, even at such a cost. But the answer is clear, sailors not using this key tool and skill struggled to keep both speed and control, and safety concerns increased as the wind built. After a few years of sailing, the limitations that go along with this lack of skills—tight supervision often in a small sailing area, and a smaller window of wind when they can safely and enjoyably sail—will cause many people to get bored and leave sailing anyway. In a way, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, since the limited skills prevent learning fun things like trapezing or spinnaker sailing. But for some, unlearning the limiting habit seems more difficult than the prospect of fun those activities afford.

On the other hand, the sailors who gained control of the tiller extension in all conditions had my full confidence and got to have lots more fun on the water. They were able to get much more out of their sailing experience, from pure enjoyment to competitive success, from deeper learning to more confidence to use their boat however they chose.

We started teaching all the 8-year-olds in the learn to sail classes how to use the tiller extension and they took to it right away. In the time that followed, we began seeing boat owners lending out their keelboats to children, trusting their skills and competence. These sailors had immense freedom to continue to learn and pursue their passions in sailing. I trusted them to

ULLMAN SAILS

Developing skills with the tiller extension opens many doors, including the ability to sail faster, more complex, and (most would agree) more fun boats. Photo by John Beaver.

be able to keep control over any boat and stay safe. They were able to earn and develop true confidence, and that led them to have even more fun.

However we take to the water, sailing teaches lessons about freedom, independence, resilience, and self-reliance. Without a set of essential skills, as a coach, I cannot give you independence because I cannot trust that you will be safe. If you cannot control your boat, how can you learn new things or have the confidence to go on an adventure? Strong sailing fundamentals, such as the proper use of a tiller extension, are not about helping kids be better racers, but instead help them be safe sailors that can have fun trying new things.

Solvig Sayre is the Youth Sailing Director at The Sailing Foundation, where she works with programs around the Pacific Northwest. She has extensive experience on the US Sailing Team and leading youth programs around the country. Check www.nwyouthsailing.org.

DIESEL DEEP DIVE 26 MECHANICAL SURVEYS

THE ART OF A QUALITY INSPECTION

When spring arrived, vessel purchase and selling season in the Pacific Northwest was upon us. I could tell because my phone exploded with phone calls from folks reaching out to me shortly after buying their boat with concerns that something wasn’t right.

Many people purchasing vessels are very diligent about hull surveys during the purchase process, but few go much

Complete dezincification

further than that. Hull surveys are extremely important, whether it’s for insurance or pre-purchase, and a good hull surveyor can help you avoid big problems and the big bucks that are often required to resolve those issues. However, depending on the surveyor you’ve hired, a hull survey is somewhat limited in how deep it can go. To gain the most insight, there are more specific inspections and surveys that cover certain systems in detail such as rigging, electrical, and mechanical, which are very handy when trying to understand everything you can about a boat. Very few inspectors can provide expertise in all these fields, so that is why you may want to bring in these specialized professionals to help paint a more complete picture of what you are about to get into.

MECHANICAL SURVEYS

A mechanical survey is an inspection that is typically performed alongside the hull survey during the purchase process. It also can be done after the purchase of

by Meredith Anderson

a vessel to help determine the needs of the vessel’s propulsion plant and what steps come next in terms of maintenance or repair.

Mechanical surveys should only be performed by certified marine mechanics, marine engineers, or specialists for the type of propulsion plant the vessel has. What that means is your handyman neighbor who fixes cars probably isn’t the one to call when it comes to performing this type of assessment. Mechanical surveys are normally written up in similar fashion to a hull survey and should cover the engine compartment components in depth with pictures, descriptions, and recommendations.

When performing a mechanical survey, I’ll typically work with the hull surveyor during the haul out of the vessel, and our surveys will overlap on a few things. Many times, the hull surveyor and I will collaborate on our reports so they make sense to our clients. The more complete any survey can be, the better: this means that a cold start of the engine(s), haul out, and sea trial is pretty important for gaining the most information you can. If all those things aren’t possible, a good marine mechanic that is familiar with the engine will be able to spot a lot of things you may not have even noticed based on its appearance, function, and serviceability.

A marine mechanic or engineer who is familiar with the specific brand or model of engine can also advise you on some of the more predictable ownership struggles you may potentially encounter. These can include potential lack of new or used parts, or support for the engine in today’s market—which can be a deal breaker regardless of how well the engine may run at the moment.

ELECTRICAL SURVEYS

An electrical survey is a type of audit and inspection of the vessel’s electrical systems; very similar to that

of a mechanical survey. This should be performed by someone who is a certified marine electrician, or marine electrical engineer, or specialist who is familiar with these components and knows what to look for.

The electrical survey focuses primarily on AC and DC systems, and also will overlap with the hull and mechanical surveys. Typically, during a mechanical survey, I will inspect the engine’s starting and charging systems, and the panels and other components related to the drivetrain of the vessel, but I won’t be inspecting behind the main electrical panel unless I am asked to include that. A hull surveyor may also look into aspects of the electrical system, but not necessarily cover everything in their report either. Inspections like this typically are done after a purchase to help owners get a scope of work that needs to be done, but also can be completed during the prepurchase survey process.

WHY ARE ALL THESE INSPECTIONS IMPORTANT?

On most vessels that I have worked on, the engine and electrical systems are by far the most expensive to repair. While other components such as rigging, decking, fiberglass, and sails can be “up there” in price, in relation to a new engine or a complete rewire, they don’t really compare. A good hull survey is based on the experience of the hull surveyor, and I have been fortunate to work alongside and, importantly, learn from several of these folks. I have also gotten to include their knowledge in my findings to help people determine what they need to do and whether they are up for the task. No one wants to buy a vessel with hidden problems, so this is really helpful for determining whether to walk away, create a task list or scope of work that you can be prepared for. The up-front expense can seem daunting, but having the ability to walk away knowing you’re avoiding disaster is absolutely worth it.

These inspections also provide the client with the opportunity to learn about the systems, ask questions about serviceability, and begin inquiring about where they can take the vessel to be repaired. If owners are stuck on a

decision and are asking me what I think after the survey process, I can’t tell them yes or no; but I can tell them to imagine they already own the vessel, and to start reaching out to gather information as if they needed to fix the boat right now. Sometimes that can really help them get a feel for where to find parts, who to hire, and how much it may cost to have the work professionally completed. A wise friend once told me this, and I have followed this advice as well as shared it with many folks, “Boats are like buses— don’t get in front of one because there is always another one coming.”

Whether you are purchasing a new-toyou vessel, or are planning a complete refit and looking to get a scope of work to be done, it is always wise to have an inspection done to answer some important questions you may have. A good inspector will be unbiased, but they can offer some great insight into what the vessel may have in store projectwise. From cheap boats to expensive yachts, learning as much as you can before you make any decisions will pay off in the long run, and can ensure you have an

Exhaust hose that has been severely overheated to the point of blistering.

enjoyable experience out on the water. Ask as many questions and glean as much information as you can before moving forward. This alone will help you build a foundation for a rewarding boating experience.

Meredith Anderson is the owner of Meredith’s Marine Services, where she operates a mobile mechanic service and teaches hands-on marine diesel classes to groups and in private classes aboard clients’ own vessels.

PROA POWER

A DREAM REALIZED IN THE HOME BUILD OF A BROWN/BIEKER PROA

by Ryan Samantha Carson

The atmosphere aboard the Schock 40 hurtling upwind in the dark through the Johnstone Strait was trepidatious, as the gentle hum of a motor carried forth on the lips of the churning sea, a sound barely audible above the howling, 30-knot wind. Lurching out of the tumultuous night was a vessel lacking navigation lights, thoroughly perplexing Team Angry Beaver as they approached—you guessed it—Beaver Point.

As the spritely craft drew closer, it became evident that this was no ordinary vessel. A Russell Brown creation captained by an enigmatic friend of the Port Townsend legend, the boat that snuck up on the Angry Beavers was a 25-foot power outrigger. This hyper-efficient craft was extraordinarily stable with its ama, and casually did donuts around the team as they thrashed against the heavy wind and sea state on their way to victory in the 2019 Race to Alaska.

For one Angry Beaver in particular, Gavin Brackett, this chance encounter with Russell’s design was particularly inspiring, sparking the inescapable question: “How do I build one?”

There was boatbuilding precedent in Gavin’s family, cultivated before he was born. In 1987, Gavin’s parents, Bruce and Julia, as well as his older brother, Angus, began the painstaking, 10-year construction of the family’s 40-foot wooden cutter, Fiona, a beautiful vessel and story which deserves an article all its own.

When it came to Gavin constructing his own boat, he wanted to pursue a route simultaneously traditional and unconventional—a wooden vessel, much like the craft his family built, but also something unique, efficient and most importantly, fast. Fortunately, Paul Bieker and Russel Brown would come to develop plans for a 25-foot outboardpowered outrigger that checked all of those boxes, while simultaneously honoring the traditional Austronesian sailing proa, the world’s first ocean-going vessel dating back to at least 2200 B.C.

manual—but this was truly a puzzle worth solving.

Deciding to complete a puzzle is, of course, the easy part. The challenge of how to make it logistically feasible is, inevitably, much more difficult. The preliminary conundrum for Gavin in the Surf Scoter endeavor consisted of where to build it and, over the years, its answer would prove to be four-fold. The first stop in Surf Scoter’s journey was at fellow Angry Beaver Matt Pistay’s South Sound residence, where Gavin commenced construction by gluing together the CNC puzzle joints of the main hull’s panels. After the joints cured, Gavin sheathed the inside surfaces of the panels, blanketing each in fiberglass cloth and epoxy. Once the main hull pieces were taken care of, he moved on to the other parts of his wooden enigma. This is when Gavin decided to move his project a little closer to home, which brings us to stop number two in Surf Scoter’s expedition.

Strapping the panels of his future boat onto the roof of his brother’s pickup truck, Gavin prepared to, quite literally, set up shop on his family’s Orcas Island property. Upon arrival, he established a full-on workshop with just the right dimensions necessary to house the outrigger’s main hull, much like a shoe would fit in a shoebox, with a cupola on the second story to live in. One of my first “dates” with Gavin consisted of the two of us, plus several of our industrious friends, raising the first wall of the workshop—a monumental step in Surf Scoter’s construction, as well as in our relationship.

Once the shop was built, Gavin got to work with a rather sensible order of operations.

Unlike the traditional proas of ancient sailors, however, this one would technically be an outrigger, since it can travel with its ama to leeward; whereas true proas must keep their ama to windward, tacking by shunting, or changing ends. Eventually christened as Surf Scoter, Gavin’s outrigger, also unlike most other proas, would be constructed with African mahogany plywood sections, CNC-cut courtesy of Evan Walker at Betts Boats in Anacortes. It would then be configured together like the pieces of a massive puzzle and sealed with six-ounce fiberglass cloth and epoxy. And, much like the average Washington State Ferry tabletop puzzle, Surf Scoter also lacked an instruction

Assemble the ama first, becoming practiced in the process, and then proceed onto the main hull which, according to Gavin, demanded a much greater level of precision. In the construction of both hulls, Gavin fastened the stringers to their respective side panels, bent the two bows into place, and then inserted the bulkheads. This was all secured together with screws that were removed later, filling the holes with epoxy. To connect it all together, Gavin built a jig for the construction of the two beams. After milling roughly 30 sheets of five-millimeter fir laminates, he bent them into place using clamps placed along the jig, contorting them into shape, before commencing the extensive fairing and sheathing processes.

All the while, Gavin was intensely focused on the alignment of the vessel, and rightfully so. On the micro scale, Gavin had to laser-align the main bulkheads, ensuring they were perfectly square within the broader structure of the boat. Then, on the macro level, he had to laser-align both hulls together, guaranteeing the vessel would float properly once splashed. It was for this orientation component that Surf Scoter made

A happy Gavin, mid-build.

With bolt-on attachments at the main hull, the ama and its beams can be retracted for easy trailering.

its third stop: to our friend, mentor, and Farrier F-25C skipper, Nige Oswald’s shop on San Juan Island. No stranger to the construction of multihulls, Nige graciously offered his space for this crucial step in the building process. Having enough room to maneuver the 10-foot-wide Surf Scoter amidst alignment lasers was truly and literally pivotal in the completion of the construction process, and our gratitude to Nige knows no bounds.

When the alignment process was complete, Gavin glued the ama to its beams, and then bolted the outrigger assembly to the main hull using four stainless bolts, secured with G10 backing plates. This configuration essentially means the outrigger can be quickly retracted against the main hull, making the boat a perfect candidate for trailering. Case in point, we then loaded the boat to its trailer before returning Surf Scoter to her Orcas Island home, her fourth and final stop, for painting, finishing touches, and then, finally, launching Gavin’s labor of love.

Over the course of Surf Scoter’s three-year construction, Gavin spent nearly 1,000 hours gluing, sanding, laminating, sanding, painting, sanding, varnishing, and sanding some more, tirelessly living his life according to epoxy curing and paint drying schedules. Even still, Gavin readily admits that his construction timeline could have been massively condensed had he simply focused on the task at hand. Instead, he spent months at a time racing various sailing vessels across the Atlantic and the Pacific to podium finishes, as well as delivering race mono- and multihulls through the Straits of Gibraltar and Malacca, amongst other awe-inspiring endeavors. As a result,

After bending and laminating the beams out of layers of 5mm fir, Gavin works on the beam attachments.

he acknowledges that his next boat-building project will be completed at a much faster pace, especially now that he’s got Surf Scoter under his belt.

That said, Surf Scoter is still very much a work-in-progress, as all boats perpetually are. She’s currently fueled by a 25-horsepower Yamaha outboard with a tiller extension made from a windsurfing mast, an homage to Gavin’s sheer—and oftentimes hilarious—creativity, but Gavin’s future plans consist of upgrading his system to whip-staff steerage and a 30-horsepower motor, as well as a dodger to make wintertime adventures a little less damp. Moreover, he plans on fleshing out the outrigger’s water ballast system for exceptionally heavy winds and sea states. Using a gear pump so the ama can be emptied and filled from the comfort of the main hull, the outrigger will hold upwards of 27 gallons of seawater, which is approximately 200 extra pounds of ballast for added stability. But, in the meantime, Gavin has no concerns about the steadiness of his vessel, even in tumultuous conditions, as demonstrated by his “comfortable crossing” of Rosario Strait in a 20-knot wind through a beam-on sea state.

Luckily for the sake of my blood pressure, most of his sea trial experiences have been conducted in much calmer conditions. In the first 36 hours of having Surf Scoter in the water, Gavin effectively cruised over 200 miles around the San Juan Islands while using fewer than a dozen gallons of gas, camping on Stuart Island one evening and Sucia the next, with a trip up the slough to La Conner in between. All the while, Surf Scoter accelerates in a way that is hard to put into words. There’s no

Once the inner structure was built, the ama's deck was next.

displacement, angular mode to her acceleration, as you would experience with most power boats. Instead, she slices through the water, like a pair of warm knives through butter and, as with most multihulls, 20 knots feels truly effortless. Thus, the beauty of Surf Scoter is her speed and efficiency in all conditions, providing a reasonable alternative to navigating the Salish Sea in a way that essentially renders I-5 irrelevant.

Our plans for the boat, of course, extend beyond our local waters. Surf Scoter is capable of reaching Desolation Sound from Bellingham in a matter of 8 hours, flying across the water at 16 knots, and consuming fewer than 10 gallons of gas in the process. All the while, she draws less than a foot; her miniscule draft means being able to navigate and anchor in the shallowest of waters, taking us to places that our J/36 with its 7-foot draft

Though there's boat buidling precedent in his family, building his own boat had been a lifelong dream for

could only dream of. Moreover, her lightweight, compactable design (weighing in at fewer than 700 pounds, including her outboard) means being able to trailer her when we want to and, when she’s in the water, her outrigger creates a level of stability that inspires confidence in any conditions.

For a man whose boating experience began when he was still in the womb, it truly means the world to Gavin to be cruising his home waters on a boat he made himself, especially one that exemplifies speed and efficiency. While Surf Scoter’s construction was Gavin’s singlehanded effort, every project inevitably takes a village. In this case, the guidance of Russell Brown, Paul Bieker, and Angry Beaver teammate Simon Miles were instrumental to Gavin’s success. Moreover, the support provided by Nige Oswald, Julia and Bruce Brackett, and Gavin’s

Enjoy boating at its finest with access to the world-famous scenic regions of the Olympic Peninsula, Puget Sound, and Vancouver Island.

The Boat Haven provides moorage, electricity, haul-out facilities, and on-site US Customs services. We also invite you to slip on in and visit the newly remodeled fuel dock which supplies gas, diesel, and lubricants.

Throughout the build, Gavin leaned on savvy and generous friends and family, first assembling the hull pieces at the home of an R2AK teammate.

Gavin.

brother Angus, as well as by a number of other friends, was also pivotal to the realization of Gavin’s dream.

Speaking for both Gavin and myself, we cannot thank this community enough for your unending encouragement, assistance, and love. You all helped to make a dream a reality and, in this case, a dream sparked in circumstances as unique as they are pure PNW. Team Angry Beaver sailed home from Ketchikan five years ago, $10,000 in hand, but perhaps the real prize was the lasting inspiration for its team members to

All that sanding, and there was a lot of sanding, was worth it!

continue crafting and sailing faster, more innovative, and more efficient vessels under the tutelage of Pacific Northwest boat building legends like Russell, Paul, Bruce, and Julia.

Ryan Samantha Carson started life moving around as a military brat. In her early adulthood, she found her way to the Pacific Northwest and discovered sailing, and the rest is history. She’s the owner of a yacht management company, and this month begins a new job as 48° North’s advertising salesperson.

truly his own.

Russel Brown's original outrigger, the inspiration behind it all.

A proud builder and captain of a ship

by Joe Cline

GRIT AND SKILL AND HEART, ALL THE WAY AROUND

DAVID LINGER’S (NEARLY) NONSTOP SOLO CIRCUMNAVIGATION, PART TWO

Last month, we introduced the 48° North community to Seattle sailor David Linger. Dave’s recent completion of a singlehanded circumnavigation as a part of the Global Solo Challenge (GSC)—which he completed in 175 days nonstop save for a 9-day pause to repair a broken boom just past Cape Horn—puts him on a very short list of sailors from this region who have successfully circled the globe alone, especially as a part of a race. This month, we’ll hear more about his journey.

“EVEN AN OLD, SLOW CLASS 40 RIPS”

When we left off, Dave had just stepped aboard his new-to-him Class 40, Koloa Maoli—named after the Hawaiian species of duck and in honor of the name his mother, who was raised in Hilo, had given their family’s first sailboat—for the trip across the Atlantic to the start of the Global Solo Challenge in A Coruña, Spain. Through that journey and the much bigger one to follow, I was curious to know Dave’s opinions about how Koloa Maoli, one of the first generation Class 40s built in 2006, sails.

Dave thought the boat was a good size for this purpose and began with this:

“I had always admired the Class 40, and I’d followed the class since its inception 20 years ago.” More than 200 Class 40s have been built and, as the class has grown and gotten more expensive and professional, Dave says, “There’s a submarket for pointy boats, as we call them, for adventure racing.”

When it comes to sailing, Dave said, “The A2 is intimidatingly large, but fractional spinnakers are a sweet spot because you don’t have to worry about getting it down if the wind picks up to 25.” He did have a couple of furling sails, but most of his spinnakers had sock systems for singlehanded management.

“With a fractional A3 and a reef in the main, you’re good up to almost 30.”

Dave continued enthusiastically, “Doing 12, 14, 16 knots was super easy, all day long. My keel hits a harmonic at 14.5, not 14.2, not 14.8, so I have an audible reference point. You can be sitting down below going that fast. If the boat is balanced and the swells are not coming from an odd direction, it’s super chill. Even an old, slow Class 40 rips.”

Dave was typically able to sail upwind at about 8 knots, and if he beared away from the breeze maybe 20 degrees, he could easily jump to 12-14, with smooth acceleration. Though he saw speeds of

Koloa Maoli blasting along, completing a 285-mile day.

Photo courtesy of Marco Nannini and the Global Solo Challenge.

up to 23 knots, he told me, “It starts to get hard to sleep if you’re doing 14-18, I would get a little nervous and it would be hard to relax.”

When breeze trended in the other direction, Dave quickly learned to adjust water ballast before changing to a bigger sail. Letting some of the 750 liters of water out of the ballast tank could make a seemingly underpowered boat find its groove again, with much less effort from the solo sailor aboard.

A CHALLENGE INDEED, AND A LOT OF TIME ALONE

Imagine the first day of a round-theworld journey. I basically can’t. Then, imagine all that build up to that one huge moment, and… then delaying a day. The weather was positively nasty for Dave’s start of the Global Solo Challenge. So everyone stayed on the dock. Dave recalls, “It was blowing 45-50 knots. And we were like, ‘Nope.’” Even waiting, the fleet still wound up beating into 35 knots the day they left. It was rough. In that mess, Dave recalled, “I was functional, but I was as seasick as I’ve ever been. You drink some water because it makes it more comfortable to throw up again.” The good news for Dave was after that gnarly start, no more sea sickness for the rest of the trip. “Once I was done with that, I was done with that.”

The route for the Global Solo Challenge brings sailors south through the Atlantic and then east-about via the three great capes. The scale of the voyage is self-evident and Dave tried not to think about that too much, and he soon found the routines that would keep him happy, healthy, and able to continue. He

Passing Cape Horn is a bucket list accomplishment for so many sailors. How many have gone 'round under sail with a jury-rigged broken boom?

originally thought the trip might take him about 150 days, but his speed kept him closer to 165, plus his unplanned stop in Argentina.

Even though this was ten times as long as his previous longest solo trip, Dave says he did ok with the alone time. “I’m a bit of an introvert, and I may have some ADHD tendencies which turned out to be quite helpful for something like this.” In perfect concert with this self-assessment, our conversation stopped as Dave watched and narrated from the porch of his Eastlake floating home, “A crow is chasing an osprey trying to get it to drop its fish. No shortage of distractions around here.” It was the first of several pauses in our conversation so that Dave could take in the natural wonders around him. It was, frankly, delightful. Not long after, the interview was again sidetracked so Dave could introduce me to the two ducks—“Sid and Nancy” he says—who stop by regularly for a snack of peanuts he keeps in a big bag near the door. Not only was this a fun window into one aspect of a fascinating person, but I genuinely think this relationship with nature and ability to find entertainment in many forms helped keep Dave sane while being alone for so long.

Of course, Dave was also in very frequent contact with the outside world. As mentioned in the first part of this story, his communications system was extensive—centered around the combination of Garmin InReach, Iridium Go, and Starlink. He described InReach as the primary, and folks would text him via InReach and prompt him to turn on Starlink, because, “They want to send me a picture of the cat, or a picture of Duck Dodge” since they were still out sailing

Dave’s Ranger 33 while he was away. He said, “If the power system is feeling happy and robust, you can run Starlink and then you can WhatsApp all day on that. I would talk to my sister every couple of days, and talk to my girlfriend Lillian most days.”

Other than the sheer volume of time, aspects of the race made the alone time harder. In part one, Dave described his emotional response to sailing past the spot where a racer in the Cap-Martinique race had perished after being washed off his boat in a storm just a few days before. But there were tough times like that throughout this race, ones that brought at least introspection if not outright sadness and increased caution. Sailing past the locations where fellow competitors had to be rescued from their boats loomed large—Canadian skipper William MacBrien was rescued from his flooded boat, and American skipper Ronnie Simpson dismasted in rapidly deteriorating conditions 650 miles off the coast of Argentina. Dave noted that it was very important for him to be able to call his sister in those moments and say, “This is really stupid and I don’t know how to feel about it, but I don’t want to talk to Lillian about it because I don’t want it to worry her.” To which his sister would retort, “Really, so you call me instead?!”

A BROKEN BOOM

If there’s one wild story from Dave’s circumnavigation to focus on, it has to be breaking his boom just a few days from reaching Cape Horn. In general, Dave loved sailing in the Southern Ocean, but it was certainly intense. The response to the damage is more of a story than the incident, but here’s how it happened.

Dave feeding the Lake Union ducks, Sid and Nancy, during our interview.

Dave was broad reaching in 25-30, on track to reach Cape Horn in about four days. He was already monitoring a big weather system building behind him, and hoped to get around the Horn before he was wind-bound on the west side for who knows how long. He says, “Boat speeds were good, just trying to keep things in the low teens.”

In recalling the boom break, Dave harkened back to some video he took earlier in the race, in which a nasty breaking wave knocked Koloa Maoli down while he was on deck, fracturing his ribs as he fell onto the stainless steel tiller end. He was matter-of-fact in his comparative description, “The wave that broke the boom was about the same size as that one, but it had two crests instead of one. I was outside, holding onto the vertical posts that hold up the hard top. The wave breaks over the boat and knocks it over, and there’s all this water in the main—which was double-reefed, so there were big pockets to hold water. The second crest washed over and filled the main up, and the boom broke sideways, it was too much of a side load.”

Dave’s immediate reaction was one we could all relate to, “Oh f*ck, it’s broken.” At a glance, he suspected it might not be repairable, but that was a secondary priority. “I needed to get around the corner first.” In quick seamanlike fashion, he pulled the main down and ran sheets through the second and third reef points, then aft to snatch blocks to trim it. Then he put the main back up, and cleaned up what he could so he could jibe. “I had four or five jibes to get around Cape Horn. It was a big, sloppy mess—the sail would start across and you give the battens a little lift up in the air and the whole mash

would go crashing across to the lifelines on the other side.”

With the big system on the horizon, he was in a race against time. His jury rig worked in the present winds and sea state, but there was no way to know what might happen if conditions worsened. He continues, “I couldn’t slow down any more than I had already, otherwise I was going to get closed out by a 50-knot gale on the west side of Patagonia, which is a bad place to be. My level of stress was a 7 out of 10. The night before I went around Cape Horn was the darkest night of the trip. There was no moon, there were clouds, there was no light—it was mineshaft dark, and all I wanted to do was be down below. It was almost spooky. And you’re heading toward rocks.”

When it started to get light in the morning, Dave peered out of the hatch and could see the most magnificent rocks, and the infamous Cape Horn behind them. Dave sailed as close as he felt comfortable, took a couple of pictures, and pulled off a jibe. He recalls, “The lighthouse keeper is talking to you on the radio, and they’re calling you by name because they’ve been watching you approach, and they’ve talked to all your competitors.”

No sooner did Dave have his mystical Cape Horn experience than the reality on the far side came slamming in. “Goddamn, I had to pull off another jibe. And I was talking to Macro, the race organizer, about where and when I’m going to suspend my race so I can motor up the Beagle Channel to make repairs in Ushuaia, Argentina. Jason Christenson from Racing the Wind was helping me from Seattle with timing and weather to get to and around Cape Horn and into port." On top of that, Dave

now had to motor into all that weather he avoided getting around the corner, and there were times when his little 27 horsepower engine just couldn’t keep up and Koloa was pushed backward at a knot-and-a-half under bare poles at full throttle.

Then, the question was, if and how this repair could be made? Dave says, “We got some really good support, ideas, and help from the Northwest community. Simon Miles from 206 Composites would have flown down but was otherwise booked, but we still talked with both Simon and Paul Bieker.” The consensus was, if they could get the right materials with the right expertise to the boat’s location, the boom was fixable. But that might have been the most extraordinary challenge of all.

Dave’s girlfriend, Lillian Miller Kuehl—a maritime professional and a major part of Dave’s shore team—jumped into action and was crucially instrumental in connecting the dots of this very complicated project. Through the global Women Who Sail Facebook group, Lillian identified a carbon specialist based in Buenos Aires, Eze Siroto, who along with his experienced friend, Mamu Caputo, could make the repair. Lillian handdelivered the carbon fiber to Buenos Aires. Eze could get the right epoxy, but since there weren’t commercial freight flights to Ushuaia—only passenger planes, on which you can’t bring epoxy— they would have to drive. So Lillian, Eze, and Manu, with all the essential repair materials in tow, would have their own grand adventure driving 3,000 kilometers south through Argentina to Dave and Koloa Maoli.

They were all there for about nine days,

A double breaking wave broke Dave's boom four days from Cape Horn with a storm approaching.

Argentinian carbon specialists, Eze and Mamu make a successful repair in Ushuaia

Circumnavigator

and after so much rigamarole getting there, the repair went very smoothly thanks to the expert work by Eze and Manu, with Lillian helping out with sail repairs. Dave appreciated the opportunity to catch up on sleep and rest his body, but best of all was the chance to spend unexpected time with Lillian in the middle of his voyage. It was already true that Dave likely couldn’t have completed this massive endeavor without Lillian, but now that fact was blatantly obvious to anyone paying attention. Her work, vision, support, skills, and personal commitment enabled Dave to continue.

The days passed quickly, and soon it was time to go again and finish what he’d started. Dave says “I should have stayed an extra two days, because then I would have missed the storm just north of the Falklands that tried to kill me. That was the worst part of the trip. It blew 50-plus for almost 36 hours. It ripped one of my hydro-generators off the back of the boat, sheared one of the locating pins for my tillers so my two tillers were pointing at each other, and it trashed one of my autopilot drives.”

CLOSING THE LOOP

After the drama of the boom repair and the rough conditions out of Ushuaia, the rest of the trip was as routine as a solo ocean passage might be. Dave was in his element, in a well-worn groove of experience after several months of sailing just like this.

If you want to read more about the end of Dave’s race, head back to the beginning of the first part of Dave’s story. After that final northeast transit of the Atlantic, Dave sailed back into A Coruña 175 days after he’d sailed away, and became a solo circumnavigator. He finished sixth in the Global Solo Challenge, an accomplishment I’m not sure he’s as proud of as his hard-won burgee as a part of the International Association of Cape Horners. Lillian met him at the finish and, as promised, Dave finished the race and didn’t make a fool of himself coming into the dock.

It’s hard to know where Dave will go from here. But with his personal fleet of boats and remarkable experience, I’d say he can sail pretty much anywhere. When we sat down, he was focused mainly on that evening’s Duck Dodge, and the SEVENTY48 race in which he’d be rowing Lillian’s boat hardly a month after his return from Spain (which he successfully finished). Soon, he and Lillian will be heading to Spain to bring the good ship Koloa Maoli back to Maine.

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by Matthew Gardner-Brown

MY RACE TO THE STRAITS, WITH LESSONS FROM AN INADVERTENT SWIM

This year’s Race to the Straits (RTTS) had to have had the best wind in a long time, though it was a headwind race both ways. Sailing a J/88, I had been hoping for at least a downwind leg, as Sea Stories always enjoys the opportunity to go for a good run. Sunday’s breeze resulted in a memorable experience and one I’m happy to walk away from unscathed—I found myself in the water, leaving my daughter alone onboard during the doublehanded race in rough weather.

Saturday had been a great day. We had wind most of the time with a couple of wind holes, the worst of which was at the finish where the early boats were fighting against the current and dealing with zero wind to cross the line. My daughter saw this early and kept us as honest as possible, and with a puff from heaven we managed to finish with a respectable 35th out of 106 boats entered. We were feeling good going into the return trip the following day.

Sunday was a day to remember. We started in 6 knots, with a forecast predicting an increase in the wind strength to 18 knots somewhere near Double Bluff. The incessant tacking down the east side of Marrowstone Island seemed never ending (out to 40 feet, then back in to 10 feet), avoiding rocks and shallows. On the long tack from the south end of Marrowstone Island to Useless Bay and the compulsory mark at the Double Bluff buoy, the wind increased as predicted.

After the Double Bluff mark, we had a long port tack to Point No Point, during which we reefed the mainsail and the boat became comfortable in the building breeze.

OVERBOARD EXPERIENCE, POINTS OF LEARNING

My story really starts after we had passed the Kingston Ferry terminal and had tacked over to start our run to Jefferson Head.

At this point in the race, the waves had become very short coupled and square. I needed to pee, so thinking safety, I handed over the tiller to my daughter. I scrunched up aft of her on the high side so that I could relieve myself into the opentransom cockpit.

There was no standing in the back of the boat on a day like that. While making all the different zipper pulls (up for the foulies, down for the inside pants) and then the subsequent clearing of clothing for the intended business, we hit a square wave and received a gust of higher wind. I was knocked off balance and was shot out through the lower life lines. I had quite literally become a man overboard.

POINT: Make safety a higher priority when peeing in rough weather. Consider a short tether so when two hands are being used you cannot fall out of the cockpit. Better yet, kneel in the cockpit on the low side, or go below.

Photo by Sean Trew.

Think about this. My thirty-something-year-old daughter, who weighs not much over 130 lbs, had just watched her 74-year-old father—who weighs 214 lbs on a good day—go head first into Puget Sound.

I came to the surface and within a few seconds my PFD had inflated.

POINT: When was the last time you checked your PFD?

My daughter immediately saw my PFD inflate and she started to try and get the boat under control. She was dealing with rough seas and high winds. The mainsheet had gotten a knot in it, and she was unable to turn the boat in that much wind without releasing the sheet.

I looked on as my daughter, who for some reason was unable to turn the boat, was quickly at least a half city block away. At this point, I was having a direct communication with my god. I don’t think the cold of Puget Sound had registered with me yet. Staying afloat was my major concern and my PFD was doing the work.

After a minute or two, I noticed that the Santa Cruz 27 Norn was heading towards me. They had seen my lifejacket and had dropped their headsail. After a couple of tries, they managed to get a line to me and help pull me to the transom of their boat. I would estimate that at this point I had been in the water for eight to ten minutes. I was cold.

How to get into their boat? Thank goodness Norn had an open transom. They lowered their outboard to make more

room and so I could try to put my foot on the cavitation plate. Even so, I had lost a lot of my strength and I’m not sure on a good day I could have pressed myself up. It took both Norn sailors, Chris and River, pulling to drag me into their boat. I was now safe.

POINT: Without crotch straps on the PFD, this would not have been doable.

POINT: How would you bring a person onto your boat from the water? It’s easier with a full crew—daunting when it is just one or two.

POINT: Do you have an easily deployable ladder?

Seeing me safely on board another boat, my daughter managed to roll up the jib and scandalize the main, and now she was bearing down on Norn. She shouted and asked if I was OK, and then asked, “How do I start the engine?” We have not had been sailing together for at least 15 years, and the division of labor on the boat was almost set in stone. I got on the boat and started the engine to let it warm up and she got our belongings put away.

POINT: When was the last time you made sure that all members of your crew know how to start and stop your boat’s engine?

POINT: Is the engine starting key in a safe place?

We headed into Kingston Marina and another boat, Tigger, crewed by Cody Pinion and his wife Letitia, had joined our little group. By the time we had docked, I was consumed by uncontrollable shakes. My daughter and Letitia helped get me out of my wet clothes. Then my daughter asked, “Where are your dry clothes?”

I replied, “It’s only a two day race, I didn’t bring any.”

POINT: Do you have a set of dry clothes and a sleeping bag for emergencies?

Cody came to the rescue with a complete set of dry clothes and a warm drink. I was safe and going to be ok, and felt very fortunate and grateful to my fellow sailors. My other daughter eventually drove me home to get me out of the cold.

I hope other sailors might take a few things away from my dip into the Sound. If you spend time on the water shorthanded, racing or cruising, perhaps this offers a reality check, especially for crews where well-practiced divisions of responsibility might mean expertise in one area and unfamiliarity in another. Doublehanded sailing requires a different mindset, and it's important to practice crew overboard skills and recovery shorthanded as well as with a full crew. And each boat is so specific; I was lucky my rescue boat had an open transom.

Matthew Gardner-Brown has owned and raced boats with his family throughout Puget Sound for many years.

by Joe Cline

R2AK PHASE ONE DONE

Traditionalists think of Race to Alaska (R2AK)—the engineless, unsupported, joyfully irreverent, smash-hit adventure race from Port Townsend to Ketchikan put on by my colleagues at Northwest Maritime— in two stages, the “Proving Ground” crossing of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria, and the second “To the Bitter End” leg from Victoria to Ketchikan.

Sure, those are the stages; but I prefer to think about the race in phases that better represent how and why these captivatingly loveable nutcases participate. To me, Phase One encompasses the time from the first start to the first or second finish. Phase One is the race for a few participants and some fans, but it is also the event barely graduating out of diapers for the majority of racers and a strong contingent of loyal tracker-refreshing followers. Phase One gets a lot of the glory, and the winners deserve it, but so much of the story of each R2AK can’t be written when the first team rings that bell; and this 2024 edition is no exception.

Two SC 27s approach Seymour Narrows, one with teenage skipper Francesca Dougherty and the other with her older brother, Enzo, aboard.

Team Malolo is worthy of this moment in the sun, nonetheless. This is skipper Duncan Gladman’s third attempt (his fifth attempt in total) on one of the fastest, sexiest boats to ever do R2AK, the Chris Cochrane Custom 10.6 meter trimaran, Dragon. In two of his previous four attempts, he had to pull out of the race. In 2019, he finished and took home the steak

knives sailing as Team Pear Shaped Racing, but left some time on the course after dealing with substantial damage from a log strike. This is a redemption story, pure and simple; and Team Malolo finally is redeemed. Their boat may be near as quick as anything that’s ever done R2AK, but this was not a fast year. Team Malolo’s time of 5 days, 3 hours, and 37 minutes means that five of the seven boats to take home the $10K over the years have arrived in Ketchikan in less time, and it’s almost a day slower than their 2019 steak knives passage. Nobody knows this better than Duncan and his crew of Paul Gibson, Becky Kelly, and Matthew Macatee, who spent dozens of hours on their tandem bike pedal drive to keep moving toward Ketchikan in the light air. Cheers and congrats and ‘phew!’ to Team Malolo, winners of R2AK 2024.

Team Barely Heumann's 12-foot pedal pod sadly bowed out on day four.

Photo by Taylor Bayly.

Photo by Taylor Bayly.

Hours before this magazine went to press, the much soughtafter R2AK steak knives were earned by Team Brio’s Corsair 28CR skippered by Douglas Walker, who sailed into Ketchikan just under 15 hours behind Malolo. Their arrival effectively closes Phase One.

To the victors go the spoils, but spoils were never really why most folks signed up to race to Ketchikan. For the vast majority of R2AKers on the course, now spread out by some 500 miles, Phase One is when they feel out their adventure rhythm and find their sea legs.

In a race that has an attrition rate near 50%, a few do call it quits early. This year, two of the most delightfully bizarre human-powered boats are the first out. Team Barely Heumann’s 12-foot pedal pod and Team Boogie Barge’s one-of-a-kind human-powered catamaran were the first to find the exit. Team Barely Heumann did the math after just under four days and decided he couldn’t complete the course before getting swept, plus he really liked the margaritas in Nanaimo and returned for a second helping. After worrying they might break apart during the heavy seas of the Proving Ground, Team Boogie Barge got patched up and was going great guns through much of Phase One. What we didn’t know was that they learned so much about what the boat needs that they figured they’d better do those things and come back for another try in 2026, bowing out in Telegraph Cove.

Generally, the predominantly light conditions have helped the “race to complete, not race to compete” set avoid trouble and gear failure and advance up the course, even if it hasn’t spelled massive mileage for most.

At the time of this writing, 28 of the 32 boats that set out from Victoria are still racing, and they’re entering Phase Two. My characterization of this second phase of R2AK has two elements:

• The majority of boats who will finish R2AK arrive in Ketchikan.

• Most teams who will bail pull the plug.

It’s something of a great sort and, though there are still a few surprises, there’s a margin of predictability. The group of great mariners on solid boats who were always likely to finish but not to take home one of the two prizes (Team Natural Disaster’s Olson 30, Team Norepinephrine’s Yamaha 30, and a few of the teams sailing Santa Cruz 27s, for example) will trickle around the breakwater and come in to the Dock of Done between days 6 and 11. And conversely, teams for whom the writing has

been on the wall for a while (not naming names) give-in and retire—those whose boats or skills were questionable, whose timing didn’t allow them to beat the Grim Sweeper or keep their marriages or jobs intact back home, or whose bodies were taxed too greatly.

The real surprises lie in Phase Three, which is everything that happens after about day 12 out of Victoria. The appropriate response to all results in this third phase is an ebullient “NO WAY!” to anyone who actually finishes, and a heartfelt “NOOOOOOOO!” to anyone who has to drop out. And ultimately, everyone on the course in Phase Three will wind up with one of those two outcomes. It’s the phase of high emotion—for racers who have given an incredible amount of time, effort, and commitment, and for fans who have followed and supported them every step of the way. There’s no way to know who is in which Phase Three camp, but I can already tell you that I’m rooting for them. Hard.

By the time you’re reading this, most of these stories will be resolved. Team Malolo’s cash will be in the bank, Team Brio’s steak knives will be safely packed for transit back to Colorado, and lots more teams will have suffered on, rung the bell, and morphed the region’s biggest Type-II-Fun daydream into a reality. Others will have turned back with a suitcase full of epic saltwater tales and new motivation to return for more abuse in 2026. We will welcome them back with open arms, relishing their unfinished business and cheering them on, just like this year’s winners.

See who’s still out there and lots more at: www.r2ak.com

Team Stranger Danger's Schock 40 in a magical moment in Queen Charlotte Strait. Photo by Garret Weintrob.

Team Outta Space's Alien 21. Photo by Taylor Amble.

THE RED RUBY PROJECT

CAP-MARTINIQUE RACE

This was going to be the granddaddy of all races for us on Red Ruby. After two years of overnight races in Europe, including Fastnet and the Middle Sea Race, Cap-Martinique would be the next level—4,000 miles from La Trinité, France to Martinique in the Eastern Caribbean, leaving the island of Madeira to starboard. Besides races that are non-stop around the world, at over 4,000 miles, the Cap-Martinique is one of the longest ocean races in the world.

The appealing part of this race wasn’t necessarily the distance, or the challenge, it was the fact that there would be 60 shorthanded crews competing (40 doublehanded and 20 singlehanded). All of the boats were between 30 and 36 feet (Red Ruby is a 33-foot SunFast 3300) and all are a similar speed. Think about it this way: If this fleet registered for Round the County, they would all race in the same division! We were one of only three non-French teams and we knew it was going to be competitive, an adventure,

and long.

We started planning for Cap-Martinique a-year-and-half before the start, but we only arrived to La Trinité a week before. We’d done everything in advance that we could think of. What could go wrong? How could we prevent it from happening or mitigate it if it did? We brought two laptops, two satellite phones, two Jet Boil stoves, and five spinnakers. It turns out that only one week of pre-race time with Red Ruby required some very long days to get ready, but we passed our safety inspection and medical kit inspection with flying colors. As a bonus, we were able to have savory crepes (a Brittany specialty) every day for lunch.

Race day arrived and a crowd of hundreds lined the pier. Each boat was released from the dock after a hug from the race organizer, in very precise 5 minute intervals, while bagpipes played and an announcer introduced each team. We had a really nice start, led the fleet for the first few minutes and exited the

by Chris and Justin Wolfe

Bay of Quiberon in the top 10. Sailing onto a nice jib reach that alternated to a Code Zero reach and back to the jib, we went 350 miles across the notorious Bay of Biscay to Cape Finisterre. When we reached Cape Finisterre a day and a half later, we were leading the fleet of 60 boats. Could we win this thing?

The forecast south of Cape Finisterre was for 50 knot gusts from behind. It was early, and we really didn’t want to break anything, so we opted to head farther west to avoid the strongest winds. That meant passing west of a large Traffic Separation Scheme that we were required to avoid and created a significant split from the majority of the fleet. Then things went sideways for lots of folks. The previous winner of the race broke his mast while leading. A singlehander went overboard, while tethered, and was able to get back onboard. The wise boats took down their spinnakers and poled out their jibs. We were not among the wise.

Instead, we went super fast in 30

knots with our A4 kite up, right up until we didn’t. Then we laid on our side for 5 minutes, washed the jib overboard, still attached by the tack and halyard (can you say bucket?), and wrapped the kite around everything including the topping lift for the pole. It took us well over an hour to get the kite down, with the jib dragging in the water the entire time. By the time we’d gotten everything sorted we’d both been up and working hard for 3 hours, it was about midnight, and we were wiped out. All we could muster was dead downwind with the main until daybreak. It was hard. Then it got harder.

The race organizers sent everyone an email letting us know that one of the solo competitors had fallen overboard near Cape Finisterre. His body was recovered by Spanish rescue authorities. We were crushed. Philippe Benoiton had been the one competitor that reached out to us months before, offering a place to stay in La Trinité. He also helped us move our boat and translated for us during the race dinner. He had told us in an email that he wasn’t a racer, he was just here for the adventure. His loss cast a somber tone for our race, and he was in our thoughts every day.

The winds got progressively lighter over the next few days, all the way down to zero. We started to feel a bit better and we were reconvening with the fleet, still well in contention. Our only mishap was blowing a trusty A2 spinnaker completely in half in 20 knots, from a rough leftover swell from the 40-50 knots to the north of us. No biggie, we thought, as we had another A2. Or was it?

Reaching Madeira was special. The winds were pleasant, it was much

Sending it with the kite up was great until 30 knots of breeze caused a serious knockdown and lengthy clean-up for the duo from Orcas Island.

warmer (April in the Bay Biscay can be very similar to sailing in the Pacific Northwest in April) and we could see three of our competitors as the fleet converged for the rounding. We also got to see land after 7 days, and then it was time for the long crossing of the Atlantic to Martinique. We still had 2,800 miles to go!

As we left Madeira, we were within 16 miles of the lead boat (a slower solo boat that was absolutely crushing it!) and we were ready to settle into a long downwind leg with our big asymmetrical spinnaker flown from a spinnaker pole. This was our secret weapon. We were slightly lighter than our competition and flying a kite roughly 10% bigger. Zoom, zoom!

Well, sometimes the best planning and best intentions don’t turn out quite like you expect. For a variety of reasons, some that still remain unclear, we alternated between being slightly slower and the same speed as the leaders. We tried everything we could think of, and we ended up really missing that A2 we blew

in half, but we never cracked the code on our boat speed.

One other surprise was the Sargasso Sea. I thought the Sargasso Sea was just to the west of the Caribbean. In fact, we started seeing a lot of sargasso weed before Madeira on the other side of the Atlantic, and it collected perfectly on the keel and both rudders, like tumbleweed collects other tumbleweed. Fortunately, we had installed a keel camera over the winter, and we had a special carbon weed stick for the rudders and a homemade rope-a-dope complete with a Kong dog toy and pieces of sponge to floss the keel. Malcolm Gladwell says if you do something 10,000 times you become an expert. I can confirm that is true when it comes to keel flossing. Wow. How on earth did the solo folks do it?

Twenty-two days after leaving France, we arrived in Martinique to a marvelous welcoming committee. We were the 10th boat across the line and the 7th doublhanded boat. The crazy thing about this closely contested, long race, is that we ended up 10th on corrected time, 6

minutes out of 9th, and just 67 minutes out of 6th. The race took us 520 hours, which equates to a 0.2% difference between 6th and 10th, and so the race lived up to the expectation of being extremely close.

Yes, we were a bit disappointed with the result, but that is the beauty of competition. We can turn that disappointment into a learning opportunity and apply what we’ve learned to the next big adventure. Red Ruby joined 40 of the race boats on a Sevenstar ship back to France in early June, just in time for the summer race season in the English Channel for Jonathan and Alyosha.

In the end, Cap Martinique was a grand adventure for us, indeed, and our longest race to date. Red Ruby brought us safely across 4,000 tough ocean miles, and is still providing rewarding and challenging puzzles along with plenty of sailing enjoyment. This race is one we’ll always remember, and holding dear the memory of Philippe’s spirit and generosity will be a big part of that.

Chris and Justin had the boat as ready as possible for a 4,000 mile ocean race.

The Red Ruby crew started seeing sargasso weed much earlier than anticipated, and got very good at clearing it from their keel and rudders.

The first portion of the welcome party in Martinique.

What an intrepid doublehanded pair!

WILD WEATHER IN ONE DESIGN PARADISE

J/FEST SEATTLE

RETURNS

No shade to those who love handicap racing. More boats sailing is always better—in all forms, sizes, and rating rules. Still, the simplicity, elegance, and fun of one design racing can’t be understated. And some of those classes of the J/Boats variety gathered at the first J/Fest in several years, an event under new management with Anacortes Race Week producer Schelleen Rathkopf stepping in.

June’s J/Fest drew great fleets of J/70s and J/105s, as well as a few J/24s who are readying themselves for their World Championship in Seattle this fall, and a couple other boats racing PHRF.

With classes and sailors like these, it’s no surprise that the racing was close and competitive. What was a bit surprising was what the weather gods dished up on Saturday. Photographer Jan Anderson was out on the water and said, “Most seasoned PNW sailors are accustomed to occasional weather hiccups, but really? Who in the heck dealt the cards we faced today? Bright, dark, breezy, not, lumpy, smooth, darned low temps for June, reefed mains, not, rain, hail, cloudy, clear... literally the only ‘usual’ conditions missing were waterspouts, subsurface volcanos, tidal waves, lightning, and snow.”

The J/70 fleet activity keeps blasting off in the PNW. Though it wasn’t the fleet’s biggest turnout to date, there were highlights aplenty across the nine boats in attendance. Fleet coach, Ron Rosenberg, shared his highlights from a great weekend of sailing:

J/105 Moose Unknown rounds a leeward mark just ahead of Puff Moose was atop the podium at the end of the weekend.

“Observing the very clear rapid progression of our PNW J/70 fleet; watching 13-year-old Teo from Port Madison YC drive his team’s J/70 and even rocking it on the wing in solid breeze; Mallory and Andrew sharing the joy of racing with their young children onboard; Herb and his team showing that you don’t need tons of time in a J/70 to win. There was a lot of quality time to sail downwind wing-on-wing—an opportunity for testing and learning the many downwind modes of the J/70.” By the end of the weekend, Herb Cole’s Woodpile eked out a tie-break victory over Michael Breivik’s Fram-96 in second, with Togla Cezik’s Poyraz in third.

In the other large one design fleet, the J/105s, John Aitchison’s Moose Unknown continued their winning ways, taking bullets in four of the six races. This team has won their class in Center Sound Series, PSSR, Tri Island Series, Swiftsure, and now J/Fest. Whoa, who can catch them? Rounding out that podium were Jeffrey Pace’s Liftoff and Mike Cain’s Panic.

In the other two fleets, top honors went to Paul Bogataj’s J/24 Atom Ant and Ed Pinkham’s J/109 Jeopardy.

This new era of J/Fest is off to a great start, and I predict we’ll see participation rise in the coming years. Kudos to the hardy sailors who endured most every weather condition, and special congratulations to the top finishers in each fleet.

Full results at: yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=16398

Photos by Jan Anderson

Herb Cole's J/70 crew ready to set the kite on their way to a class win.

SWIFTSURE 2024

ALWAYS A CHALLENGE, DEFINITELY CHALLENGING THIS YEAR

by Peter Salusbury

The 2024 version of the Swiftsure International Yacht Race will go down as a demanding race with challenges coming in different forms, depending on what leg of the race you were on. The three traditional long distance courses typically consist of four distinct legs—start to Race Passage, Race Passage to the turning mark, turning mark back to Race Passage, and Race Passage to the finish line at Ogden Point.

Each leg often requires its own unique strategies and the race is never over until you reach the finish. You can sail the first three legs perfectly but lose it all in the last leg from Race Passage. And the opposite is also true—it’s a race you never give up on, as the course can deliver great opportunities for those who push hard and make smart tactical decisions on that final leg to the finish. While the challenges in this year’s Swiftsure impacted everyone, they were particularly hard on the smaller boats with shorter waterline length.

At the start, the seven boats on the Swiftsure Classic fleet got away cleanly, but the very large 64-boat Cape Flattery fleet was over eager on their first start, requiring a general recall. On our second attempt, the fleet was better behaved and we got away without mishap. Reefed mains and J4 jibs were fashionable in 25 knots, with higher gusts and a lumpy ebb-fueled sea state. The first casualties in the large and highly competitive Cape Flattery ORC fleet were experienced in these breezy conditions, with three of the TP52s having to retire with a variety of technical problems and breakages (Glory shortly after the start,

and Smoke and The Shadow pre-start).

On my Riptide 35, Longboard, we opted for a double reefed main and J4 jib, got a good pin-end start, and were very happy with our upwind speed despite the nasty sea state as we sailed into the max ebb current stream. We were holding on to the longer 40 to 45 footers fairly well with a few exceptions. Like many fellow race boats, we opted to go outside of Race Rocks.

The leg 2 challenge was when to cross to the American shore, and we gambled that the forecast west-southwest wind shift would occur early, thus deciding to lead our division across. As it turned out, that was a bad call, as there was a nice “rightie” shift that prevailed for a while, which the smart boats took advantage of.

As we closed with the American shore, we did claw back much of that loss on the west-southwest “leftie.” From there to Neah Bay, it was largely a long port tack board along the American shore and a boat speed race climbing over the tall swells coming from the northwest, with winds trending down. By the time we got to Clallam Bay, the reefs were out and everyone had switched to their J1 jibs as the breeze lightened into the 10 to 15 knot range.

The big boys on the Cape Flattery course—TP52 Mist and Reichel Pugh 55 Zvi—loved the upwind beat, sailed a great leg, and rounded 7.5 hours after the start, with Zvi leading Mist by 11 minutes. But the first boat in the ORC fleet on corrected time was John Murkowski’s J/122e Joy Ride who sailed a masterful leg to Neah Bay and rounded a full 51 minutes ahead of us. We now had our work cut out for us on leg 3 and 4 to reel them back

Photo by Richard Marshall.

in. Honorable mentions go out to J/111 65 Red Roses, Farr 39CR Tachyon, and Club Swan 42 Free Bowl of Soup who all sailed well and rounded in good shape at the Neah Bay turning mark.

On the Swiftsure Classic long course, Dan Sinclair’s Andrews 77 Mach 2 rounded the bank first, 10.5 hours after the start, which surprised no one. More surprising was Ged McLean’s Wylie 43 Hana Mari, who rounded only 11 minutes after that and was the half course corrected time leader by a substantial margin. Kudos to Ged and team!

In the Juan de Fuca race, the scratch boat was Mark Insley’s Jespersen 42 Zulu, who rounded the Clallam Bay mark first

but on corrected time was 2 seconds behind Clint Abbott’s Jeanneau SO37 Noflyk and being pushed hard by Chris Ladd’s Grand Surprise 31 Fortissimo, Don Leighton’s J/35 Tahlequah, and John Bailey’s lovely Burns 49 schooner Sir Isaac

The long downwind sail to the finish was pleasant, with 10 to 15 knot winds that held up for Zvi and Mist all the way, both finished well before midnight. Zvi took line honors but Mist won the division and ORC overall by almost 4 minutes over Zvi Congratulations go out to Steve Johnson and his team for a well prepared boat that stood up to the demanding conditions on leg 1 and sailed a great race overall.

Gear busting conditions at the start. Photo by Wendi Donaldson Laird.

For the rest of us, it was more of an effort to keep our boats moving east in the dwindling pressure. On Longboard, we returned by working our way to the Canadian shore early, where the models suggested the west-northwest wind would hold up longer. As usual, you had to keep a close eye on AIS when crossing the shipping lanes and, in two cases, we had to jibe away to the north to avoid outbound commercial traffic. Through the night, you also had to keep a vigilant lookout for the slower Juan de Fuca Race boats with no AIS transponders. No one gets any rest on leg 3 to Race Rocks!

We were able to catch up and pass Joy Ride, Free Bowl of Soup, Tachyon and 65 Red Roses by Race Rocks, but it was going to take a strong leg 4 performance from Race Rocks to the finish to save our time on them all. As we approached Race Rocks, the wind began to glass off completely and the current took most of us outside of Race Rocks—let the challenges of the final stretch begin!

From Race Rocks to the finish line, we never had more than 3 knots true wind speed, and it paid big-time to sail well offshore. This outside route enabled us to pass the Santa Cruz 52 Escargot and close the gap to Riptide 50 Strum and Santa Cruz 52 Rosebud. Luckily, we had enough boat speed—a delicate 1 knot or so—to extend on the boats behind and slide sideways in the marginally positive current to the finish line.

After we finished, the tide gate at Race Rocks and Ogden Point closed, the wind evaporated completely, and everyone behind us started to go backwards. The bulk of the Cape Flattery fleet didn’t begin to finish until about 3 to 4 hours later.

Final results: On the Swiftsure Classic course, only two boats finished with Mach 2 taking line honors but the beautiful Peterson 42 Will O The Wisp skippered by Jeff Eckhard correcting out to take the prized Swiftsure Trophy.

In the Juan de Fuca Monohull Race, Zulu held on to take line honors with Fortissimo taking second overall and in Division 1. Sir Isaac won Division 2 and looked real fast in the light air on leg 4. Noflyk won Division 3, giving the hosting club, Royal Victoria Yacht Club, three division wins on the long courses.

The Juan de Fuca Multihull race was won by Nigel Oswald’s Farrier F-25C Makika over the only other multihull to finish, Gabe Mills’ Corsair F-27 Mahana

In the Cape Flattery ORC fleet, Mist took Division 1, Nicholas Leede’s Tachyon took Division 2, Longboard won Division 3, and as the only finisher in their division, Jay Hoffman’s Express 37 Kodiak Express won Division 4.

The Cape Flattery PHRF fleet only had two boats finish the complete course with Clifton’s Beneteau First 40.7 North Star winning Division 1 by finishing just before the time limit ran out Sunday evening—a nice reward for their perseverance! John Aitchison’s J/105 Moose Unknown won Division 2; and Division 3 was decided taking the shortened course times at Clallam Bay with Jonah Zimmerman’s Evelyn 32-2 Ratfish taking the win.

And a huge shout out of respect to the perseverance and commitment of J/105 Moonglow and Catalina 36 Bardo who fought valiantly to the end, but ran out of time to end up DNF.

On the Inshore courses, Stu Dahlgren’s Moore 24 C moore won the Racing Division by 9 seconds over Steve Crowe’s Moore 24 Amoore—close finish after almost 3 hours of racing. In the

Cruising Division, the venerable Cal 40 White Squall skippered by Roger Deitz beat out Jason Bowman’s Elan 34 Dobra Dani In summary, the one word to describe this year’s Swiftsure was ‘challenging’ as measured by the conditions at the start, the challenging tide gates, and dying breeze resulting in almost half the fleet either retiring or not starting in the first place. But as we all know, we can’t control the weather or sailing conditions, we just have to make the most out of whatever gets served up. Our hosts at Royal Vic did a great job organizing the event, so a huge thank you to first time Race Chair, Kirk Palmer, and his team that make this event so much fun to attend.

Full Results at https://www.swiftsure.org/results/ Editor’s Note: Ever humble, it’s worth noting that this was author Peter Salusbury’s 50th Swiftsure! Well done, Peter!

Zvi's speed had them in port with line honors before last call. Photo by Dan Takahashi.

The Longboard crew. Photo by Tom Hawker.

$38,900

1981 39' HUGHES COLUMBIA 11.8

Proven cruiser with many trips to Alaska, Canada, and Mexico. Ready for many adventures. Excellent live-aboard with solid wood interior & lots of storage. Well maintained. Sleeps 6. 2 heads, 1 shower. Roller furling. Perkins 4.108 Diesel. Garmin depth sounder/chart plotter, Furuno radar, VHF radio, propane oven/stove, fridge, freezer. Port Orchard, WA. More: gloria@u.washington.edu

» Contact Gloria Griffith • (360) 860-1552 • gloria@u.washington.edu • $38,900

1985 OCEAN ALEXANDER 56

This is a 3 cabin motor yacht with 2 heads/showers. The galley/dining area includes the lower helm station, full size refrigerator/freezer, propane 3 burner stove/ oven, microwave, stainless steel sink, dining table with seating for 5. Twin DD 6-71TI’s, Naiad Stabilizers, electronic controls, autopilot, bow thruster, Ray Marine MFD. 986 gal fuel, 315 gal water, 73 gal holding. 61' LOA » Contact (425) 787-9616 • 8dhansen8@gmail.com • $299,000 $299,000

$129,900

1997 CATALINA 42 MK. II

2-Cabin pullman layout. Perfect Northwest cruiser with full cockpit enclosure and propane furnace. Recent updates include full canvas, Doyle StackPack, new Rocna anchor/chain/rode, replaced windlass, new 3-burner Force 10 stove, new prop shaft and seal. Raymarine auto pilot, chart plotter, radar. 1091 Hours on well-maintained Yanmar diesel. 10 Ft Mercury inflatable and 9.8 HP outboard. » Contact (206) 316-7165

• c_loader@msn.com • $129,900

$6,000

26' COLUMBIA MACH II SAILBOAT A CLASSIC!

It is time to sell our beloved family boat. Many upgrades over the years. Electronics- depth sounder, wind indicator. Force 10 kerosene heater. VHF radio. Sunbrella upholstery. Alcohol stove. Head with sink & holding tank. Upgraded rigging. Roller furler. Dinghy. Bruce Anchor. Spinnaker. Dodger with awning. Stern rail w/ built in ladder. 9.9 Mercury outboard.

» Contact Robin McCain • burtonmccain@msn.com

• $6,000

$24,000

25' JIM BROWN SEARUNNER TRIMARAN 2017

Ready for the next voyage. Fully restored in 2017 Searunner 25 Cutter. Has been freshwater kept its entire life. Epoxy over plywood. For tons of photos and details about this boat visit searunner25.com. This boat is designed to fold for transport on a seasonal basis – folding/unfolding takes a few hours. Email me to set up a video tour. » Contact Dan • nibiru@searunner25.com • $24,000

$2,500

X4'

Classic lapstrake design. Fiberglass hull with full teak trim. Unsinkable with build in flotation tanks. Mahogany rudder/dagger board/rowing plug. 2-Piece fiberglass mast with aluminum boom. All stored indoors. Yacht tender/ byc boathouse kept. 84# 2-Person portable. Sailed 6 times. All as new condition. No scrapes-scratches-damage. Waxed & oiled yearly. » Contact Mike Harrington • (360) 551-1561 • tpower62@gmail.com • $2,500

$24,000

Traditional construction, plank on frame, Red CedarMahogany, galvanized fasteners solidly built. Built at NWSWBB and launched in Port Townsend. Reefing bowsprit, Yanmar 2GMF diesel, VHF Radio, Propane 2 burner cook stove, wood stove for heating (SARDINE). In sail ready condition to enjoy sailing traditionally in NW and Canadian waters! » Contact Andy • (360) 202-8031 • niyahsea@hotmail.com • $24,000

1983 BABA 30

Designed by Robert Perry and built by TaShing. Cabin and topside painted with Awlgrip in 2015, new mast and standing rigging 2017. Repowered in 2001 with a Yanmar 3GM30 diesel. Dawn Treader has been well loved and well maintained, located on a private dock in Hansville, Washington. » Contact Bruce Cosacchi • (206) 819-7079 • pbc200606@yahoo.com • $45,500

$72,900

Professionally built of mahogany planking over oak frames, Debonair has been lovingly maintained. Extensive upgrades include new electrical and 75hp Yanmar. Consistently turning heads, Debonair is a seaworthy passage-maker, recently completing a 16,000nm tour of the South and North Pacific. From rig to sails, systems to safety, Debonair is voyage-ready. Details: porttownsendboatco.com or www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1973-custom-edsonschock-43'-ketch-8441971/ » Contact Vance Rucker • ketchdebonair@gmail.com • $72,900

$65,000

Excellent boat for a couple to cruise. We have cruised her over 10,000 miles, and her previous owner sailed her to the South Pacific (Australia) and back. She has been well maintained over all that time. Easy to sail, comfortable, and safe boat to cruise. World class designed and built to the highest standards. » Contact George P Leonnig • 1(503) 707-6062 • moctobi@gmail.com • $65,000

$115,000

PASSPORT 40 1983

World Capable Cruiser. Ready to take you cruising. Beautiful yacht. Cutter rigged with oversized rigging and extra cockpit winches. Lots of newer equipment; 40 hp Yanmar engine, autopilot, radar, stove/oven, watermaker. Cruise equipped; large sail inventory, windvane, heater, fridge/freezer. 2018, engine and power train refurbished at $20K cost. Orcas Island, WA. » Contact Tom Owens • (360) 632-8896 • svlandsend@yahoo.com • $115,000

EARN $ WITH YOUR BOAT

Experienced sailing couple sold our bluewater vessel & and are now landlocked. Owning a boat is impractical from our location and we can’t afford charter company prices, but we miss the Salish Sea & would love to rent a small sailboat for about 10 days in mid-September. Terms negotiable; will provide resume & current USCG license. » Contact Art Shaw • (458) 246-9190

arthurearlshaw@gmail.com • $2,500

CUSTOM 43’ EDSON SCHOCK KETCH (1973)

CABO RICO 38 - REDUCED PRICE

1994 26’ LYLE HESS GAFF RIG CUTTER

VESSEL MOVING

70’ SANTA CRUZ 70 ’85 ....................

$325,000

“CHARDONNAY III” Turnkey Subchapter T vessel ready for charter business. Great opportunity to obtain a swift sailing passengers-for-hire boat.

54’ ROBERTS 54 ’79

$225,000

....................

“SPIRIT” Rugged bluewater vessel designed with comfort and safety in mind. Nicely upgraded.Coast Guard Certified for up to 42 passengers.

40’ J BOATS J/120 ’99

$108,000

“SUR” Popular racer/cruiser that has mostly cruised and is a Mexico vet. Set up for cruising but would be suitable for club racing.

50’ GREEN MARINE DUBOIS 50 ’93 $59,500 “PERRYAYE”Custom one-design racing sloop with gorgeous lines. A real joy to sail. Motivated seller. Priced right!

42’ FORMOSA 42 ’82 $57,500 “ZEPHYRUS” Long range cruiser with beautiful teak below and lots of storage. Two staterooms and convertible salon. 36’ CATALINA 36 ’91 $49,500 “CONTAGIOUS”Thirty years of sailing in SoCal waters with the same owner! She’s priced to sell so don’t miss out.

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48 $299,000

Arctic Raven is a performance cruising sloop designed by Robert H. Perry. This SAGA 48 (hull #2) was launched in 2004 by SAGA Marine in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada and was awarded Cruising World’s “Best Full-sized Cruiser” that year. She continues to impress. Power winches for sail management, dual helms, and space to move in the cockpit make sailing a dream. The headroom and light below are unique, making it a pleasure when below. The raised interior navigation position means you stay warm and dry on rainy Northwest cruising days. The forward cabin sports a king-sized berth, lots of storage and its own head. The galley is efficient with both a refrigerator and freezer and four-burner Force-10 range. Arctic Raven’s owner has lavished improvements on her over the past three years, including new standing rigging, B&G radar and chartplotter, new Perry-designed carbon rudder, rebuilt Westerbeke engine and other extensive systems upgrades.

MARINE SERVICENTER