March 2023 48° North Digital

30 DISCOVERY OF SUNKEN SS PACIFIC

34 HOOD CANAL BRIDGE

38 NORTH COAST CRUISING TIPS

Explore T H E W A T E R

Sailing Club

Sailing Lessons

Located on beautiful Puget Sound, our Seattle sailing school provides students with the highest level of instruction on the best fleet available. Our Shilshole Bay Marina location couples a majestic setting with prime sailing real estate, offering a stunning view of the Olympic Mountain range and easy access to open water and wind just minutes from our docks.

Club Membership

For less than the cost of moorage at beautiful Shilshole Bay Marina, Seattle Sailing Club membership gives members access to the sailboats in our fleet Members also get great discounts on sailing lessons, sailing gear, and have the opportunity to participate in a variety of fun member programs throughout the Puget Sound.

Sailing Gear

Seattle Sailing Club carries an excellent selection of the highest quality sailing gear, an absolute necessity for any Puget Sound sailor We carry Gill, Dubarry, Grundens, and Mustang Survival gear and accessories, as well as, a variety of sailing books, charts, cruising guides, and navigation tools.

FUSION APOLLO SERIES

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Enjoy seamless, high-quality audio streaming from an app via AirPlay 2 over Wi-Fi from a compatible Apple device to the Apollo Series stereos. With Apple AirPlay 2, you will be able to stream the same audio to every compatible stereo unit connected to the same network, and enjoy volume control individually or globally.

For the complete line of innovative Fusion marine audio products please visit fisheriessupply.com/fusion-electronics

MS-SRX400

MS-RA670

MS-RA770

30 What Lies Beneath

Sunken ships, lost treasure, and the discovery of the SS Pacific

By Lisa Mighetto

34 Transiting the Hood Canal Bridge

This unique fjord might be more accessible than you think. By Wendell Crim

38 Cruising the North Coast Wilderness

Practical tips for exploring remote northern British Columbia. By Michael

Boyd

COLUMNS

20 Three Sheets Northwest

One man’s treasure in letting the clutter go. By Marty McOmber

22 Close to the Water: The Fourth Dimension

The shortest cruise on the Columbia can still feel a world away. By Bruce Bateau

24 Diesel Deep Dive: Modern Emissions Tech

Are we seeing these technologies on recreational boats yet? By Meredith Anderson 26 Casting Off: Sailors for Trail or Rent

Exploring boat options for winter weather. By David Casey RACING

42 Girts Rekeviks Foulweather Race

The beloved San Juans race returns, and so does Wild Rumpus.

44 Toliva Shoal 2023

Sporty conditions and a shortened course made a quick, fun day.

46 The Red Ruby Project

Buying and preparing a boat on another continent.

ON THE COVER: The Eagle 40 pilothouse trawler, Mischief , cruised by Michael Boyd and Karen Johnson rests blissfully stern-tied in a quiet cove of British Columbia’s North Coast.

Photo by Karen Johnson.

Background photo courtesy of Jeremy Smith.

Editor

SHAKE THE COBWEBS

Since I moved to Seattle 15 years ago, I’ve had a near-equal share of winters where I sailed very regularly, and those when I mostly stepped away from the water for a few months. As spring dawns around the Pacific Northwest in 2023, it’s another year in which I will be restarting the sailing engine I’ve let cool after a few months ashore.

This re-entry can be a little daunting. I always end the season with a very full racing schedule, packing almost a dozen days of intense racing into about six weeks in October and early November. No matter the results, it’s hard not to finish the season feeling pretty attuned to all the inputs that we take in and quickly process on the water. And that’s what I feel every spring — there’s no way I can be in-tune with the boat after months away.

Any seasonal sailor can identify with some aspect of this sentiment, whether the nerves are about re-experiencing the stresses of docking your boat, distrusting a finicky diesel or outboard, venturing out in waters or conditions you aren’t completely comfortable with, or getting back into the fray on the race course. I’ve found a few tricks that help me ready my head for the bombardment of sailing stimuli. Maybe they’ll help you avoid a springtime swoon and clear the cobwebs as quickly as possible.

Lean into “stoke content season.” There is something about early spring for sailing and late fall for skiing… almost unintentionally, I find my way to treasure troves of content that inspires me and depicts the joy of these activities. Written, video, even audio media is at our fingertips every hour of the day, and if you filter it for sailing, there’s so, so much out there. For me, “stoke” content need not be limited to the flashy 90-second commercials for a regatta or sailing in general. I enjoy going deep down some rabbit-holes of seemingly dry presentations or articles about aerodynamics, boat design, tactics, or starting procedures. More and more, you can find videos with decent audio from on board some professional boats — just listening and observing helps bring me closer to the mindset of these excellent sailors. It’s no replacement for actually sailing, but there’s a lot of value to be explored and absorbed. And it certainly does get me stoked for the season.

Talk to your boat buds. If I don’t sail as much through the winter, I don’t see my sailing pals as much. Bummer! That’s one of the things I really love about the Seattle Boat Show each year — I reconnect with so many people and it genuinely gets my sailing pistons firing. Whether talking with cruisers about their previous voyages or next big plans, or chatting with racing pals about fleet development or racing technique, I’m always amazed by what is on the minds of other sailors, and how divergent it can be from what I’ve got on the boat-brain. Simply entering into the conversation will not only be rewarding and fun, it will almost certainly have the effect of busting off a little of that early spring rust.

Get out there in low-pressure environments. So much of the springtime experience is just about giving yourself the chance to reintegrate the complex mental data-processing we do on boats. Try as you might, it does actually take time. The mechanics of sailing are a lot like riding a bike — you’ll quickly fall back into the rhythm of hoisting the main or reaching for a sheet during a tack. But capturing the fine-details, and being able to keep part of your brain thinking about the telltales while another thinks about sail shape, all while peripherally keeping track of breeze and traffic… that deserves some practice. The key is to give yourself the chance to get up to speed without the detrimental influence of panic. Go slow, pay attention, talk through maneuvers, and be easy on yourself. You’ll be cobweb-free in no time.

I’ll see you on the water,

Joe Cline, Managing Editor, 48° North

Volume XLII, Number 8, March 2023

(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 Kachele Yelaca kachele@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 2023! $39/Year For The Magazine $75/Year For Premium (perks!) www.48north.com/subscribe for details.

Prices vary for international or first class.

Proud members:

News from the Northwest Maritime Center >>

As most readers know, 48° North has been published by the Northwest Maritime Center (NWMC) since 2018. We are continually amazed by the inspiring and important work of our colleagues and organization, and are excited to dedicate this page to sharing a bit about it with you. This page affirms that 48° North is part of something bigger, and that we think the missionminded efforts of our organization matter to our readers, and are good for this community and publication.

KEEPING THE FLEET AFLOAT: WINTER MAINTENANCE SEASON AT NWMC

The smell of sawdust, paint, and epoxy is in the air. Northwest Maritime Center's skilled crew is in the midst of fleet maintenance season, and that means a busy, bustling Boatshop. This maintenance season, which spans from October to April, 42 of NWMC's fleet of boats will be rotating through the shop for upkeep and repairs. They range widely in size and style — from 8-foot prams to a Cal 25 sailboat. Some boats only need a little touch-up paint, while others will receive 500 hours of work.

Sam Trocano, NWMC's Fleet Maintenance Coordinator, leads these maintenance efforts. A graduate of the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, Sam has been working with wood for almost his whole life. Growing up, he managed his family’s tree and timber farm. As an adult, he worked in construction and fine homebuilding, even pursuing a BFA in Woodworking and Furniture Design, before changing course to boatbuilding and becoming a shipwright. His focus, currently, is on three very different vessels — Townshend, one of NWMC's two longboats; a Cal 20 keelboat; and Martha J, NWMC's motor launch.

“Townshend got a lot of love last year, so this season is fairly straightforward,” says Trocano. An integral part of NWMC's educational programs for school children, Townshend is a 26-foot open rowing vessel used to teach team building and leadership skills. This year’s to-do list consists of oiling the hull, oars, and spars; fresh paint on the sole boards and thwarts; and another coat of bottom paint. Students from Bravo Team — a youth program run in partnership with Port Townsend School District’s OCEAN program — assisted with Townshend’s haulout in early January. Since then, they have been hands-on in the Boatshop learning basic maintenance skills as they help check items off her to-do list.

Also receiving maintenance is NWMC's Cal 20, which is used to teach US Sailing Basic Keelboat classes for adults. The vessel is enjoying some standard yearly TLC — including a rig inspection and sail repairs — in addition to a custom paint job featuring the Northwest Maritime Center colors and logo. Sam also plans to refair the keel while she’s on the hard to enhance her performance.

EVENTS CALENDAR » www.nwmaritime.org/events

ANCHORAGES & ANCHORING

March 14-15

Online Class

RULES OF THE ROAD AND AIDS TO NAVIGATION

March 21-23

Online Class

While those are both sizable projects, the biggest maintenance undertaking this seasons is Martha J. The 24-foot motor launch is NWMC's MVP for duties such as a mark boat for races or a safety boat for capsize drills. “She had extensive rot in the transom, frames, deck beams, and planking. The engine and all systems were removed. I cleaned and surveyed the boat before coming up with this year’s work plan,” Trocano explains. That plan includes replacing the transom, aft deck, and sole boards, in addition to stripping, inspecting, and resealing the hull. Fresh bilge paint has already been applied and new seating will go in soon. The systems maintenance is ongoing and re-installation will begin shortly. Gabriel Hefley and Drew Morris, two of NWMC's interns through the Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative, have been a tremendous help, putting in many hours of hard work to bring Martha J back to her former glory!

Maintaining a fleet of boats is no small feat, but at the Northwest Maritime Center, it’s a labor of love. These boats are essential to the organization's educational classes and youth programs, and the team of Boatshop staff, volunteers, students, and interns work tirelessly to ensure that every vessel is ready to set sail. If you’re interested in gaining experience in wooden boat maintenance and restoration while helping to maintain NWMC's fleet, consider becoming a Boatshop volunteer by visiting the volunteer page at www.nwmaritime.org or emailing volunteer@ nwmaritime.org. For anyone feeling inspired to do their own boatbuilding, NWMC also offers Boatshop classes year-round!

DEMYSTIFYING MARINE VARNISH

March 25

NWMC Boatshop

MARINE THRIFT SWAP MEET

April 1

Marine Thrift

315B Haines Pl.,Port Townsend

Sam Trocano

THE PARTIES ARE BACK!

"Race

in Anacortes

our expectations in every way."

Spencer Kunath, Navigator TP52 Glory

Photos by Jan Anderson

All the Power You Need

LETTERS

An Issue on the Boat in January’s Cover Shot

Dear Joe,

There’s a problem with the boat on the cover of the January issue that may or may not have already been pointed out. The starboard side stay is not seated in the spreader. With that size and style of rig, maybe it’s not guaranteed to do damage, but I hope the rig didn’t come down!

I thought you might like to know and was curious if anyone else had noticed.

Douglas Lee Beneteau First 36.7, Helios V Victoria, BC

Social Media Response to Lake Union Swift Article

Hans-Joachim Krenz: This looks like a perfect boat for an El Toro sailor to graduate to.

Casey Wilkinson: A great little boat. I’m glad I had a chance to help build them.

Shannon Sue Morris: Is it self-righting?!

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

info@betamarinepnw.com

www.betamarinepnw.com

Deer Harbor Boatworks Deer Harbor, WA 888-792-2382

customersupport@betamarinenw.com

www.betamarinenw.com

More Thoughts on Chase Starts

Dear Joe,

I realize and understand that there are a number of folks that prefer the excitement that a reverse start sometimes results in, but I would caution against equating excitement with a positive experience. Granted, most of the time, nothing bad happens as a result of a reverse start. However, I have seen multiple actual collisions and many more near collisions with much screaming and cursing when the entire fleet turns itself inside out at a mark. Boats are coming in at speed to a group of boats parked at the mark in a hole, and there is chaos and crunching. Yeah, I get that whenever the mark is in a hole that there is some level of chaos, but it is an order of magnitude less than when the entire fleet is parked there and here come the TP52s screaming at everyone to get out of the way. And that is when expensive collisions occur that are no fun for anyone.

Al Johnson Quest 30 Charlotte

With apologies and gratitude, 48° North would like to thank Maciek Sarnowicz for the use of his photos in Bob Vizenor and Doug Lombard’s article, “West Coast Hoppin’” that ran in the February issue. Maciek is an alum of the Coho Ho Ho rally in 2021, and is now cruising his Outbound 46 in Mexico.

Engineered to be Serviced Easily!

Model Shown Beta 38

Photo Credit for “West Coast Hoppin’” from February 2023

presents Royal Victoria Yacht Club

SWIF TSURE 2023

I NTER NATI O NAL YACHT R ACE

MAY 28 – 30, 2023

swiftsure.org #Swiftsure

• Four Long Courses for Monohulls and Multihulls

• Inshore Courses for Flying Sails and Cruising

REGISTRATION DEADLINE

• Swiftsure Long Course Races & Inshore Classic Races: TuesdayMay23rd at www.swiftsure.org/registration

Official Sailmaker of the Swiftsure International Yacht Race

Photo by Adam Serediuk

BREWPUB & GUESTHOUSES

low tides » News & Events

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR 48° NORTH CRUISING RALLY

JULY 23-28, 2023, ANACORTES → ISLANDS → ANACORTES

The 48° North Cruising Rally is back for another great year, running from July 23-28, 2023. Registration recently opened, so sign up and join the fun while there's still space available!

Our cruising rally, run in partnership with Ullman Sails, is all about summer fun in the exquisite cruising paradise of the Salish Sea. Relish the joys of PNW cruising in the company of some other wonderful people — out of it, you get happy memories, interpersonal connections, and often new cruising skills and confidence. Each year that we’ve done our rally, we hear not only that participants had a terrific time and made new friends, but that many participants’ comfort and self-assurance while cruising were off the charts after the rally.

This is a BYOB (bring your own boat) event, or you could look into chartering in the area. We move locations most days (with one or two layovers), so you get to experience some different parts of our cruising grounds. We encourage anchoring out, and often explore options for rafting up on the rally. And as rally organizers, we’re around to answer questions, suggest some fun activity options, and potentially provide assistance in a pinch. But it should be noted that the rally is not an expressly educational event.

Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to have the partnership, support, and expertise of the Ullman Sails team as a part of the crew. Owner of the West Coast Ullman Sails lofts and Vashon Island native, Chuck Skewes, will again co-lead this year’s rally.

TWO-DAY BOATING EDUCATION COURSE OFFERED AT OAK HARBOR YACHT CLUB, MARCH 18 & 25

For novice boaters wanting to learn more and needing to get their state boater education card, a two-day course is being held at Oak Harbor Yacht Club. Washington state law requires recreational boaters to complete a boating safety course and carry a Washington State Boater Education Card. Registration is open for a two-day skills and certification course on Saturdays March 18 and March 25, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cost to register is $50, and an additional $30 for a partner sharing the course materials. Course instructor Jerry Liggett says that this is more than just a “pass-the-test, get-your-card” course. He says it’s the most comprehensive introductory course available, giving novice boaters the skills needed to enjoy the water and boat with confidence.

» deceptionpasssailandpowersquadron.com

In order to visit the kind of perfect PNW gunkholes we love, we will limit the rally to 15 boats for 2023. It sounds like border crossings have gotten a little easier this summer, so we hope to do some of our cruising in the Gulf Islands, but we will wait until the rally is a little closer to put out any information about our hopeful itinerary. There’s no bad option!

48° North Cruising Rally

When: Sunday July 23 – Friday July 28, 2023

Where: Anacortes → Islands → Anacortes

Cost: $299

Space Limit: 15 Boats

» www.48north.com/cruising-rally

U.S. COAST GUARD APPROVED FIRST AID AT SEA WORKSHOP IN PORT TOWNSEND ON MARCH

21, 2023

Washington Sea Grant, Washington State University Jefferson County, and the Port of Port Townsend are cosponsoring a Coast Guard-Approved First Aid at Sea workshop. Learn to effectively treat hypothermia, near drowning, and other incidents while on the water. The full range of topics covered includes: CPR, patient assessment, hypothermia and cold water response, near drowning, shock and trauma, burns and fractures, choking and patient immobilization, first aid kits.

When: Tuesday, March 21, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where: Point Hudson Pavilion Building, 355 Hudson Street, Port Townsend, WA.

Fee: $100 ($50 for commercial fishermen)

Online pre-registration is required.

» bit.ly/wsg-first-aid-3-21-23

WA MARITIME HERITAGE AREA RECEIVES FUNDING FROM M.J. MURDOCK TRUST

The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust has granted $350,000 to advance the creation of the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area along the state’s shoreline. The funding is going to the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, the coordinating entity for the heritage area.

Created by Congress in 2019, the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area aims to build partnerships to better tell the stories of Washington’s maritime heritage and support communities in maintaining and sharing their maritime resources. The heritage area, one of 62 in the nation and the only one focused on maritime heritage, spans Grays Harbor to the Canadian border. It includes 21 Tribes, 13 counties, 32 cities, and 33 port districts over 3,000 miles of shoreline.

» preservewa.org/programs/maritimenational-heritage-area/

low tides » Racing News

CHARLEY RATHKOPF TO RETURN AS RACE WEEK PRO

Race Week in Anacortes is a healthy blend of the new and the traditional, with its familiar format in a new venue. Fans of the event can plan for a couple of extra doses of the traditional Race Week experience in 2023, which runs from June 26-30. First, the well-loved post-race parties will return for the first time since the event moved to Anacortes in 2021. And second, longtenured Race Week PRO, Charley Rathkopf, is set to re-take the helm of the race committee for this summer’s regatta. Here's a snippet of Race Week's press release about Charley's return:

“It’s critical for the growth of Race Week to get our Race Committee (RC) dialed in, and Charley and his team have delivered exceptional race management at Race Week for over 20 years,” shared Event Producer Schelleen Rathkopf.

Charley’s team will include Race Officer Paul Evenden from Vancouver, BC, veteran scorekeeper Christine Bounds-Poulin, and timekeeper Deb Prince. Mark set drivers will include Tim Dorwin, Dave Faulknar, and Arden Rathkopf; all experienced RC drivers.

“I am excited to get back on the water at Race Week with my team,” says Charley Rathkopf. “We’ve loved this event for so many years, and are looking forward to putting the band together and doing what we do best at the best adult summer camp that’s out there!”

» www.raceweekpnw.com

"LIVE ON THE EDGE" MULTIHULL CLINIC AND REGATTA IN EUGENE, OR

The days are getting longer, the sun is getting a bit warmer, preparations for the new season at Eugene Yacht Club are on their way, and the dates for the 2023 "Live on the Edge" Multihull Regatta and Race Clinic are set.

Race Clinic - June 8 & 9: This year's Race Clinic will be coached by Ken Marshack, an accomplished multihull sailor in various classes with a very impressive sailing record! You may remember Ken from prior Live on the Edge events, sailing his foiling A-Cat. He will focus on boat trim, tactics, and speed.

Live on the Edge Multihull Regatta - June 10 & 11: EYC will maintain the same format as prior years. All we need is sun, wind, and as many of you as possible on the water, enjoying the racing. Seven races are scheduled, and the regatta is open to all multihull classes. Registrants can camp at the EYC grounds free of charge, or at Richardson Park (adjacent to EYC grounds).

Registration details are available at EYC's Multihull page:

» www.eugeneyachtclub.org/multihulls

J/24 WORLDS COMING TO PUGET SOUND IN 2024

The J/24 Class World Championship regatta, one of the most prestigious events in international sailboat racing, will be held on Puget Sound in 2024 and hosted by Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle (CYC). The J/24 class recently notified CYC that its bid to hold the regatta had been accepted, and that the yacht club’s detailed plans “set a new high-bar” for the event.

“We are honored to be selected as the host for this event, which will draw some of the world’s best sailors to what we in Seattle already know is one of the world’s finest sailing venues,” said CYC Vice Commodore Wanda Creitz.

The regatta will be held Sept. 28 – Oct. 4, 2024, including five days of racing on a course north of Shilshole Bay. Regatta organizers are lining up charters from Fleet 26, the world’s largest J/24 group with about 30 active boats.

Seattle is home to a number of Olympic medalists and champions in various classes, including Keith Whittemore, who won the J/24 Worlds in Miami in 2019. The 2022 Worlds in Corpus Christi, Texas, featured teams from Argentina, Chile, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Trinidad, and the United States. The J/24 Worlds is the latest high profile regatta hosted recently by CYC, including the J/24 Nationals and North Americans, The Farr 30 Worlds, and the Tasar US Nationals.

For any sailors looking to get into the local fleet, CYC hosts weeknight racing on Tuesdays out of Leschi Marina on Lake Washington from April to September.

» www.j24class.org | www.cycseattle.org

VANCOUVER'S SALISH SEA DISTANCE RACE SET FOR SEPTEMBER 8-10

For the past two years, Royal Vancouver Yacht Club (RVYC) has run a three-day distance regatta, starting and finishing in Vancouver. It consists of three legs, each raced during daylight hours, with overnight stays at RVYC outstations. Local sailors have been having a blast with this event, and RVYC would like to invite racers outside of Vancouver to join the fun.

Friday's leg is 26 miles is from English Bay to Tugboat Island. Saturday brings the fleet near Pender Harbour on the Sunshine Coast (overnight at RVYC Garden Bay), a distance of 34 miles. The final leg is a 35-mile return to Vancouver (RVYC Jericho).

Racing will be in two fleets — Division 1: ORC Club GPH less than 600, Division 2: ORC Club 600 to 640, or possibly PHRF.

RVYC will make every effort to provide guest moorage to boats arriving from outside of Vancouver during the week prior to the race (like those continuing north from Bellingham's PITCH). The maximum fleet size is 40 boats (moorage limitations). All boats are required to be fully self sufficient, no support boats are permitted. BBQs and cooking facilities will be provided at each outstation, but camping is not allowed.

» www.royalvan.com/salishsea

low tides » In the Biz

SEATTLE'S SIGNATURE YACHTS WINS SECOND CONSECUTIVE 'TOP SAIL RETAILER' AWARD

For the second year in a row, Beneteau America has awarded Signature Yachts with a Top U.S. Beneteau Sail Retailer Award. Tori Parrott, Signature Yachts' President, said on behalf of the Signature team, "We want to thank those we have had the pleasure of doing business with. You have put your trust and confidence in us, and we sincerely appreciate you."

» www.signature-yachts.com/

ZIM SAILING ANNOUNCED AS EXCLUSIVE NORTH AMERICAN DISTRIBUTOR OF FIGHTER OPTIMIST

Zim Sailing and Fighter Optimist recently announced a multiyear partnership making Zim Sailing the exclusive importer and distributor of the Fighter Optimist Dinghy in North America. Zim Sailing, a subsidiary of Starting Line Sailing, Inc. and the largest small sailboat manufacturer and distributor in North America, will add the Fighter Opti to its wide ranging product line.

Fighter Optimist — a newer Opti builder born from a strong Optimist boat building heritage — paired with the “Zim Pro” upgraded spar and rigging package, completes the “Zim Pro Optimist” offerings which now include a full line-up of Club, Race, and Pro Optimist options affording Zim customers the benefit of choosing the boat that is right for their sailing needs.

» www.zimsailing.com

Your West Coast Dealer for La Mare Houseboats! Modern on water t iny homes, of f ices, guest houses, vaca t ion homes, “she” sheds or “man” caves! Ideal for water f ront proper ty as these are vessels and do not require any permitting!

Ranging from 26' - 50', able to live "off the grid" for up to 3 days and easily moored in a marina. Equipped with twin OB engines and steering station, or as a barge. Several models to choose from, custom interior layouts, custom finishes, and more.

low tides » Products News

» ZHIK BREATHABLE PFD

Intended for a wide range of water sports, Zhik’s new Breathable PFD was designed to be so light you barely feel like you’re wearing it. The life jacket’s versatility comes from a combination of ergonomic shape to provide maximum upper body movement and ultra breathable construction through large front and rear channels that allow air to flow directly to the wearer’s body. Hydration pack compatible, it is fitted with a rear stowage pocket, hose locators and central drinking hose attachment. The vest has a higher cut front and is molded to suit being in a seated position for extended periods, making it particularly comfortable for sailors and kayakers. The simple pullover design is profiled to provide uninhibited arm movement and it’s lined with a spacer mesh to increase comfort and reduce chafe. A snug yet comfortable fit is achieved with a four-point elasticated compression system, which is easily adjusted or tightened with one hand. Available in unisex sizes S – XL.

Price: $179.99 » www.zhik.com

» BLUE PERFORMANCE LEE CLOTH

Whether you’re sailing in the confines of the Salish Sea, down the coast, or across oceans, having a secure bunk with a lee cloth is an essential element of onboard comfort. The problem with lee cloths is that they are rarely a one-size-fits-all addition to a boat. The Blue Performance Lee Cloth turns a salon bunk into a sea berth that allows you to get a good night’s sleep without rolling off. Made from ripstop nylon material and webbing, including two mesh pockets, it measures 67-inches long by 21-inches wide with 14-9/16-inch long hold down straps. Under-bunk installation is easy with four lengths of webbing that can be cut to size and then screwed into place. The top end of the lee cloth is then attached to available bulkheads with D-rings. When a crew member isn’t in the bunk, it can be used to stow larger items in place, regardless of weather.

Price: $70.00 » www.blueperformance.com

» GARMIN GPSMAP 1243XSV

Multifunction displays (MFDs) continue to innovate at a rapid pace and Garmin’s new GPSMAP 1243xsv is no exception. This new high-resolution touchscreen display offers improved sunlight readability and wide-angle visibility over their previous-generation MFDs. One of the most unique features of this unit, though, is its preloaded Garmin Navionics+™ coastal charts, inland mapping feature Auto Guidance+™ technology, and support for optional Garmin Navionics Vision+™ premium map content. Fast and responsive with nearly twice the processing power of previous-generation GPSMAP® devices, this system uses 10 Hz GNSS (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) for accurate positioning and smooth speed as well as COG data. Built-in Garmin SailAssist features include laylines, race features, set and drift, wind data (requires compatible wind transducer, sold separately) and more. And the “slimline” display borders, edge-to-edge glass and reduced unit footprint, make for easy retrofit in a wider range of dash and helm configurations.

Price: $2,999.99 » www.garmin.com

NORTH

low tides » Good Reads

» THE BOY WHO FELL TO SHORE: The Extraordinary Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Thomas Thor Tangvald

By Charles J. Doane

Born at sea aboard his father’s handbuilt sailboat and raised barefoot on her wood decks, Thomas Thor Tangvald’s oceanic childhood was full of beauty and wonder — but was also scarred by horrific tragedies that left him an orphan. Cast ashore into regular contact with human society for the first time at age 15, this intellectually gifted and uniquely educated young man at first reveled in his new environment but ultimately was led by his trauma into spirals of addiction and broken relationships. Thomas hasn’t been seen since he sailed away from French Guiana in 2014, and some believe he must still be alive. The Boy Who Fell Ashore is an insider’s account of the Tangvald legend — all at once inspiring, terrifying, beautiful, and infuriating as author Charles Doane deftly explores the great cost of living freely at the whim of wind and water.

Latah Books » Price: $17.99

» THE COMPLETE OCEAN SKIPPER: Deep Water Voyaging, Navigation and Yacht Management

By Tom Cunliffe

Considered an essential reference for anyone interested in offshore sailing, yachting legend Tom Cunliffe’s The Complete Ocean Skipper covers everything a sailor needs to know when preparing for ocean or coastal voyages. The second edition of this definitive handbook is fully updated with new and revised content on multihulls, autopilots, radar, anchoring, and software. In it, Cunliffe covers yacht preparation including types of suitable boats, rig choices, engine power, safety equipment, communication systems, crew needs, ocean weather systems, forecasting, deck routines, watchkeeping, self-steering, emergencies, heavy weather techniques, and much more. With clear, helpful color photographs and diagrams throughout, this is a must-have book for sailors planning for or dreaming about sailing further afield.

Bloomsbury Nautical USA » Price: $35.00

CROSSWORD AND TRIVIA

DID YOU KNOW?

by Bryan Henry

The deep sea snailfish, partly transparent, lives seven miles deep in the Pacific’s Mariana Trench.

British rower Rosalind Savage was the first woman to row singlehandedly across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

Steve Sparkes, a former British Royal Marine, in 2018, became the first blind person to row across the Pacific Ocean.

There are more than 25,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean, more than all the other oceans combined.

On some of the more remote islands of the Pacific, the only mammals found are bats.

The Pacific’s width at the equator is nearly half the earth’s circumference.

The Pacific is home to the largest number of coral reefs.

ACROSS

1 Ship’s steering wheel

3 Slow moving sea creatures

7 By the side of a ship or pier

1 Ship's steering wheel

DOWN

1 Vessel’s up and down motion

2 Takes a glance

3 Adjust sails to suit the conditions

3 Slow moving sea creatures

4 Underwater features

7 By the side of a ship or pier

9 Christmas drink

10 Naval rank

12 Fish dish

5 Ropes

6 The stress on a ship when a wave is the same length as the ship and the ship is in a trough between two waves

15 Sailing term referring to the bottom edge of a sail not being secured properly

18 Record of a voyage

19 The more or less flat surface across the stern of a vessel

21 Finished

22 Temperature control, abbr.

23 Hold a course too long when tacking

26 Toward the back of a ship

29 Compete for 30 ___ Speedwagon band

31 Seen from the crow's-nest

» See solution on page 50

4 Underwater features

5 Ropes

The Atlantic Ocean is widening by about an inch each year, while the Pacific is shrinking at the same rate.

6 The stress on a ship when a wave is the same length as the ship and the ship is in a trough between two waves

The Pacific Ocean is the largest, deepest and oldest body of water. It is also the most seismically active and most biologically diverse body of water.

8 Snorkler's equipment

11 New, prefix

13 Raise

Scientists have recorded at least 50 distinct beluga whale calls.

One beluga whale copied human voices.

14 Horizontal pole extending from the bottom of the mast

15 Depth measurements

The white-tailed sea eagle can dive at speeds of 100 mph .

16 Man ___ mission, 2 words

17 Period

18 In the direction the wind is blowing towards

20 One of the poles

Australian TV personality Steve Irwin was filming a program called “Ocean’s Deadliest” when he was pierced in the chest and killed by a stingray in 2006.

22 Deck card

24 Night before a big event

25 Help

Only one sea creature in about 10 million escapes violent death by another sea creature.

27 Charge for a service

28 Cargo weight measurement

Averaging 130 inches of rain each year, Hilo, Hawaii, is the rainiest city in the United States.

We all know the old saw about the best two days in a boater’s life. But I’d like to nominate a third: the day you finally get rid of all that excess gear.

My wife, Deborah, and I are the very opposite of hoarders. Over the years, we have ruthlessly purged our home of clutter and unnecessary items. We love the lightness of having exactly what we need and love, but not much more.

The boat, though, is a different beast. Old, used, and obsolete boat gear is difficult to get rid of. Like a virus, the leftovers of boat upgrades, preventative maintenance, and — worst of all — projects you planned to start but never did, have the ability to pass right through my otherwise bulletproof anti-clutter defenses.

The justifications come easy enough. You can’t have enough spares! Hey, those tired mooring lines might come in handy. I’ll use this UV-damaged fender for a man overboard drill. Someone might want to use this 15-year-old solar charge controller. This handheld GPS unit cost a fortune back in the day. And on and on.

It creeps up slowly, over years, one piece, coil or half-empty can after

ONE MAN’S TREASURE IN LETTING THE CLUTTER GO

by Marty McOmber

another. You manage first by organizing them in piles. Then in crates. Then you start stacking the crates up higher and higher. Then you make more space with shelves. And finally, you find that at some point you’ve crossed a line that you never thought you would — you rent a storage unit.

After four boats and a long process of refits, I had amassed a good deal of unnecessary gear. I told myself I didn’t have a problem, because I kept a neat and organized boat. I kept most of the extra boat gear shoreside and even culled through the mess from time to time. I had a plan for almost all of it — this part would be useful for that one project (that has sat on the nice-to-do-list for years). Or I bet I could get a pretty penny for this at the swap meet (which I probably won’t end up going to).

I hit the old rock bottom when I realized I had a roll of sail repair tape that my dad had bought for his boat … in 1978.

Holding that in my hand, standing before the open metal door of the selfstorage unit near our marina, I started doing the math. A hundred dollars a month for the space seemed reasonable at the time. But $100 a month means

$1,200 a year. And since I had the place for five years, I had spent $6,000 to store boat stuff that I mostly hadn’t needed or used. That was insane.

I had fallen into the trap of false economies. I could have bought most of the stuff in my locker brand new for the amount of money I had spent hanging on to it. I needed to fix this situation. But the question was how to do it.

SORTING THE MESS

I started by going through everything in that storage unit and sorting it with a dispassionate eye into several categories.

First were items that actually could be

In an effort to downsize their boat gear, the author’s storage unit is nearly empty.

used as critical spare parts. The engine alternator from my first boat didn’t make the cut. But the working alternator I had replaced with an upgraded version from my current boat did.

Next were items that I would definitely use on a boat project in the next year. For example, I had spools of tinned copper green wire that would be perfect for replacing the bonding on our boat. Another was the rudder angle indicator equipment that came with the autopilot I had installed a few years back. I was just waiting to put that piece of optional equipment in until after I had finished a rudder and steering gear upgrade that was underway.

The third category was items that I could reasonably expect to sell or that might still have real value. For example, I had been given for next to nothing an entire 1984 vintage Edson steering pedestal, complete with Danfoss compass, throttle, idlers and associated equipment. It was all unused, mostly still in the original packaging.

The fourth category was items that someone might really be able to use, but that would be unlikely to have any resale value. This pile grew quickly. It included the old mooring lines, the mildewspotted orange life vests, old blocks and running rigging, the handheld VHF radio and pre-map-enabled GPS unit, shackles, hose clamps and hose cutoffs that didn’t make the spares category.

Into this pile I also put items that were made specifically for my make and model of boat but which had been replaced by different equipment. These I would offer to other owners of Passport 40s in case they needed to replace those specific items on their own boats and didn’t want to go through the hassle of getting something new or custom made. This included such things as the old emergency tiller, an old staysail, and a radial drive for the rudder post.

The fifth and final category was the junk pile. Old cans of varnish, sealants well past their pull dates, half-filled cans of paint, old flares, and a lot more. A number of these items required special disposal facilities.

Each of these categories went through at least one more steely-eyed sorting, with a significant number of items

moving one category down.

FINDING A NEW HOME

I spent about a month advertising a handful of items for sale on the usual classified ad websites. Even though I had priced various items as a good deal, I found that in most cases I had to drop the price further to sell them. But in some cases, I was gratified with the result — even if the money didn’t really amount to much. For example, the pedestal, steering gear, and compass went to a nonprofit program in Brazil that helps train young people in boat building and seamanship. If all goes well, those pieces will sit proudly in the cockpit of the school’s boat.

There is an active owners group for our type of boat, and almost all of the gear found new homes with appreciative skippers. I’m hoping it earns me a few good karma points, because the only recompense I sought was the cost of shipping.

I took a load of useful but unsold items to one of the used parts chandleries nearby. Rather than the hassle of selling them on consignment, I turned over the lot to the owner in exchange for $100. It was a way to support a business I appreciated and, hopefully, will mean those items eventually find a new home.

When all was said and done, I had just a few crates left stacked in my garage. Slowly, I’ve been reducing those as I dip into them for real winter projects.

It felt like I had achieved a boating milestone the day I walked into the selfstorage office and signed the paperwork giving up my unit. The bored clerk must have wondered why I was beaming as I signed my name on the release form.

The weight of all those things had finally lifted and it felt like the metaphorical waterline of my boat ownership had lifted a few gratifying inches. I finally had what I needed and loved for the boat, but not much more. And that feels great.

Marty McOmber is a Pacific Northwest sailor, writer, and strategic communications professional. He is currently working on refitting and improving his 1984 Passport 40, Rounder, for continued cruising adventures near and far.

Boat bits (above), a used solar panel, and a binnacle compass (below) were all part of the purge.

CLOSE TO THE WATER 22

THE FOURTH DIMENSION

by Bruce Bateau

for a steady, calm ride, so she could get a feel for the motion of the wind and avoid the continuous crew shifting often needed to balance a small boat. RJ took the tiller, easily remembering skills learned years ago. When we had to jibe, Mia hooted and grinned. I was tickled to be barefoot and totally relaxed, heading downwind with nary a boat in sight to block the view.

We were heading to Government Island State Recreation Area, a sandy, cottonwood-studded 1,760-acre complex of islands between Oregon and Washington. Separated from either shore by less than 2,000 feet, the islands seem located in some weird fourth dimension of Portland. While they’re adjacent to a popular bike path, and visible from the Interstate 405 bridge and Portland International Airport, they are unsigned and accessible only by boat, making the area something of a mystery spot, unvisited by most Portlanders.

It was well past my usual bedtime when I was invited aboard the Paddlefish , along with my friends Mia and RJ.

The Bee Gees were pumping through speakers; tinsel and disco balls cast the deck in a dazzling light. Encouraged by a welcoming, tipsy hostess at the gangplank, RJ donned blue tinted sunglasses, Mia hoisted a beer, and we all laughed as we danced across the barge.

Just a few hours earlier, I’d been enjoying a lazy late September Saturday morning. After frying up some pancakes, I was contemplating my preparations for putting Luna, my wooden cruising-catboat, away for the winter. Yet I couldn’t seem to focus on the tasks involved. Maybe it was the unseasonably warm weather, or the thought of scraping bottom paint; but all I could imagine doing this weekend was squeezing in one more overnighter.

With the forecast in the 80s, and five to ten knot westnorthwest wind, I quickly arranged to pick up my friends and go, chores be damned. With the boat hitched to my car, we tossed tents and a few sleeping bags, a box of croissants, and our backpacks into Luna’s little cabin. Eight miles later we rolled into the parking lot of the James Gleason Boat Ramp on the Columbia River. Quickly sorting out the rigging, hanging the outboard, and raising the mast, we launched Luna and pushed off from the dock.

As predicted, the wind was blowing slightly upriver, and we were stoked. RJ had sailed in his teens, but this would be Mia’s first time on a sailboat. I was glad that Luna’s broad beam makes

The current was mild, and as we passed the halfway point toward the docks at Sandy Beach, I was contemplating how grand it would be to share a quiet sunset there with my friends. However, when I looked toward our destination, something seemed awry. I’d forgotten my binoculars, but the docks appeared to be gone — or completely full. The mood aboard Luna was still jubilant; although the sun was dropping lower in the sky, the wind held, and our voyage seemed just long enough to feel like we were truly getting away, yet short enough to maintain our enthusiasm.

When we neared the docks, I was shocked to find that my squinted first impression was correct: every inch of space was occupied by a flotilla of huge motor cruisers. We’d set out to visit

Joining the party aboard the E&E Paddlefish.

The author aboard his catboat Luna at Government Island.

our own private destination and ended up at something akin to the Boats Afloat Show. Somewhat daunted, we prospected around the edges for a gap. Surely a space for a little 19-foot boat could be found? Now under power, with the centerboard up, we slipped between the shallows along the shore and the shadow of tall boats with flybridges. Luckily, one awkward spot remained, removed from the scene, right at the base of the gangway. We moored carefully, unwilling to get too close to all that gleaming fiberglass.

Although I was disappointed to find such a crowd at a typically tranquil location, my friends hardly noticed, happily scrambling ashore in search of a camping spot. With no other tents in sight, the island still held magic for them, and soon I felt the same way. I jumped into the river, marveling that it was possible to swim so close to home, so late in the season. Then I lounged in the cockpit, drying off in the lingering warmth of the day.

As the sun set, we relaxed around a bluff-top picnic table. The crowd of illuminated boats on the docks below was now just another source of interesting color on the water. To the north, the suburbs of Vancouver, Washington glowed; the lights of an occasional airplane streaked overhead, and to the west, a peachy sunset was reflected in the water. It sure felt like summer, even if the sun had dropped below the horizon at 7:30 p.m. After a leisurely dinner of grilled sausages, music drifted across the water. Assuming we’d be anonymous in the dark, we decided to head down to the docks to see what all the hubbub was about.

The action was coming from a large blue barge, which we were

shortly to learn was the Columbia River Yacht Club’s 85-foot party boat, the E&E Paddlefish. Tonight, the club was hosting a 70s party, and the Paddlefish was packed with members decked out in funky clothes, wigs, and big smiles. Hailed as welcome guests, we were ushered aboard, encouraged to don peacesign necklaces and tinted glasses, then urged to eat, drink, and dance. And as the assorted revelers shimmied on the deck, singing along to “Stayin’ Alive,” that’s exactly what we did.

The next morning, when I peeked out of my companionway, the Cascades were silhouetted by the deep purples and rich oranges of a rising sun. A ground fog curled mysteriously across the water, enveloped pilings and boats. Back up at our picnic table, my friends were steeping tea, and the world seemed full of possibilities.

After packing up our gear, we sailed slowly down river, and a contented silence came over the boat. After a long while, RJ spoke up. “It seems that we’ve been away for a long time.” Everyone nodded in quiet agreement.

Tomorrow we would all return to work, but today’s journey home was still before us. My friends had gotten their first taste of sailing on the Columbia, I’d been able to savor a last overnight of the season; and best of all, we’d all broken through to the fourth dimension — which this time had turned out to be a particularly groovy spot.

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.

MODERN ENGINE EMISSIONS TECHNOLOGY

ARE WE SEEING IT ON RECREATIONAL BOATS YET?

by Meredith Anderson

When Rudolf Diesel invented and patented the design for the first pressure-ignited heat engine (commonly known as the diesel engine today), I doubt he would have expected to see the changes to performance, efficiency, and power of the same type of oil burner he came up with over 100 years ago.

Though diesel harnesses the chemical and thermal energy to move the world, it does have its drawbacks and consequences. The diesel engine has always been a fairly efficient engine — maybe not in terms of “MPGs” like we are all so used to hearing for on-highway vehicles — but more because of the fact that diesel is extremely energy dense and a cleaner burning fuel than gasoline or even some alternative lighter fuels. Diesels have exceptional thermal efficiency and much higher compression efficiency rates. In simpler terms, a smaller 2- or 3-cylinder diesel engine can do much more than its 4-cylinder gasoline counterpart without nearly the same wear and tear or effort. They can also last two or three times as long, meaning their emissions impacts

are an important consideration as we try to take care of our environment.

For almost 80 years, internal combustion engines were run without any thought about emissions, efficiency, or care about the environment. That was, until the United States started drowning

For a majority of us, our boats were built between the 1970s and the 1990s, and when we look in our engine compartment, we do not see any sort of “emissions” equipment or electronically controlled engine components. In the early 2000s, the EPA came out with regulations assigned to certain classes of engines based on size (Hp/KW) and what they were used for. Onhighway and commercial/ agricultural engines are held to a higher standard as they are used for long periods of time and are typically run more frequently. These standards are divided into four “tiers” and each engine made today must meet the standards of the tier they fit in. Engines built “pre-tier” still exist, of course, but must be destroyed by engine repair shops once they are at the end of their life.

in the smog and soot created by these engines. In the mid 1970s, the U.S. really began to focus on cutting tailpipe emissions from vehicles, but not a lot was done for industrial or “off-highway” engines that we see in our boats. So where does the recreational diesel sit in the emissions equation?

In the 1990s, we began to see electronically controlled diesels, in which an engine control module (computer) controls fuel pulse width, pressure, and timing much more efficiently than a mechanical injection pump or mechanical unit injector. This era also brought innovations to the design of basic mechanical engine components such as piston crown shapes and design, precombustion chambers, direct injection

Yanmar Tier 4 Common rail injection system for off-highway engines. Also shows modern piston crown design for better airflow and more efficient combustion event.

technology, injector spray pattern and opening pressures, and variable valve timing for the most efficient operation at all times based on an engine’s specific application.

A large change within the last 10 years has been directly controlling

diesel exhaust emissions. Diesel exhaust consists of nitrous oxide (NOx) gasses, unburned hydrocarbons/fuel (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and particulate matter/soot (PM) — which all contribute to health and environmental concerns. Exhaust aftertreatment systems are designed to capture diesel particulate and chemically convert nitrous oxides into water, CO2, and nitrogen, all of which are much safer for the environment and for us.

Many of you may have heard of Diesel Exhaust Fluid, Diesel Particulate Filters, or Selective Catalytic Reduction as these are now installed on every pickup truck, semi, and large industrial engine. If you forget to add “DEF Fluid” or try to “delete” your emissions system, your truck engine might “derate,” forcing you to pull over and fix the problem (a “derate” means that the program inside the engine computer limits either the power or vehicle speed due to less-thanideal operating conditions). While this is good for enforcing compliance, it doesn’t work in the marine field where such restrictions could pose a safety concern in the middle of the ocean.

On recreational vessels, I am beginning to see many of the mechanical upgrades to piston and cylinder head design, electronic engine controls and monitoring, and electronic fuel systems

that have become commonplace on terrestrial vehicles. Due to space limitations and cost, I have not seen much in terms of exhaust aftertreatment on the recreational front, short of mixing seawater with the hot exhaust stream to capture soot — this has not been fine-tuned yet, but I’m sure it will come. Most new recreational engines can only be held to a Tier 2-3 standard due to space restrictions and cost to implement, while larger engines are held to a Tier 4 standard (the highest tier with the greatest amount of emissions reduction parameters, including exhaust aftertreatment).

The recreational diesel world will always be 10-15 years behind the onhighway/commercial world in terms of technology advancements and implementation. However as technology improves rapidly, I see more and more small diesels following in the tracks of their large, commercial diesel counterparts; and the way of the dirty old diesel will be long gone from our waterways.

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 their own vessels.

The author teaches one of the captains onboard the vessel how this Caterpillar engine works.

Caterpillar Electronic Controlled Engine, with many elements of modern technology to reduce emissions.

SAILORS FOR TRAIL OR RENT BOAT OPTIONS FOR WINTER WEATHER

by David Casey

The boat manufacturing industry, like the car and aviation industries, has its share of variety, allowing the buyer to select just about anything that he or she could imagine, and promising that a boater can and should “fall in love” with their boat.

When we bought Ariel two years ago, we felt that the 1973 Columbia 28 was right for us. Although I must cautiously confess that I wouldn’t describe my feelings for her using the word “love.” She was perfect for our needs as new sailors, but now my wife Laura and I find that she is not the best cold weather boat for fair weather sailors like ourselves.

After purchasing the old sloop, we foolishly expected to sail her year-round, blissfully ignorant of how harsh our adjustment to Pacific Northwest winters and springs would be. It only took one or two outings to understand why so few boats leave the harbor in these months and why some of our dock mates winterized their boats with deck and hatch covers. Also, it gave us a healthy respect and admiration for the sailors who are hardy enough to venture out in inclement weather.

Spending any time at all on Ariel required heavy coats and heaters fueled by whatever source worked: electricity, propane, or kerosene. The ‘Little Buddy’ propane heater that we bought really earned its name that first winter. Our sailing friends were in two camps: the aforementioned group who chose to close up their vessels for the winter, and the “stout of mind and body” group who managed to find enjoyment in spite of the chill and who encouraged us to buy better foul weather gear.

We haven’t quite gotten used to the idea that in the PNW, if

you’re waiting for dry weather to attend an event or complete a task, you might as well scratch it off your list. Bundling up against the cold still didn’t seem like the solution — even with the coming of slightly warmer weather in the spring, our sailing days were limited by rain. Foul weather gear might keep our skin dry and our bodies warmer, but it doesn’t do much for our dampened spirits.

We’ve considered purchasing a dodger for Ariel, but frugality tells us that we shouldn’t spend more on accessories for the boat than its original price. I’ve toyed with the idea of building a DIY dodger, but my initial research shows that the cost of quality materials is still excessive, and a jury-rigged contraption of my design is sure to fail under heavy winds and seas. I could prototype the structure, but I’m right back to cost, labor, and time.

It’s difficult to admit that maybe Ariel is not the Goldilocks boat for me and Laura after all. And no, it’s not one-foot-itis. Her size, for a sailboat, really is perfect for us. But what if we are committed to not sailing from December through March?

We have a large enough driveway to store her for those months, so we could trail her to our house. The immediate, although not insurmountable challenge is to find a trailer for her and deal with mast removal. Again, we’re running against value and expense.

We could sell her and maybe buy a small powerboat with an enclosed cabin for the winter months and utilize the Cal 20 sailboats that our club offers for use in the summer. The powerboat could be stored at our home and then trailered to a marina, saving on monthly moorage fees. But we’d be giving up

on sailing our own boat if we chose the Cal 20s. In a perfect world, could we find a boat that satisfies all of our conditions? Warmth, comfort, sails, and affordability? We are now on the lookout, whether it be an internet search, a trip to a reciprocal yacht club’s marina, flipping open an issue of 48° North, or a visit to an annual expo or festival, like for example, The Wooden Boat Festival.

When we attended the annual festival for the first time last fall, we were a bit skeptical. No matter how romantic wooden boats may be, we heard that maintaining one can be allconsuming. But after a day in the sun in the idyllic setting of Port Townsend, the festival shifted our thinking a bit, with highlights of how-to workshops for me and beautiful small boats for Laura. The arrays of vessels in the marina and in the boat shop ranged from cute and artistic to beautiful and magnificent. But what we honed in on might just be the next boat for us.

After having seen one of designer Sam Devlin’s small boats in the Salish 100, we became aware of the practicality of a small vessel with a pilothouse. The real key for us is to be able to steer the boat from inside a warm, covered cabin during winter, enjoy an aft deck with seating for four in pleasant weather and, if possible, sail a little.

When a friend suggested that I check out Devlin’s website, I was amazed by the abundance of designs, for which many have either plans or pre-cut kits available. I envied nearly every design, some for practicality, others to either challenge or sharpen my building skills, and others because they seemed to possess those features that Laura and I want in a boat. Like a kid in a candy store (or a carpenter in a tool shop) I perused the website for dreamboats and reality boats alike.

For example, Devlin’s Camarone 34 or 40 look like ideal motor-sailers, but their size intimidates new sailors like Laura and me. (That and the price tag or the years that it would take me to build either one!) Looking through Devlin’s incredible work, I wondered if a thorough exploration of his array of designs might be impossible, as it seems that he adds new ones constantly.

As we strolled the Point Hudson Marina during the festival, eyeing everything from kayaks to cat boats to cruisers, we came upon Sam Devlin himself, sitting in one of his latest creations, a tug-like powerboat that looked rock solid and roomy. It was difficult not prostrating ourselves right there on the pier in front of the famous designer. But his down-to-Earth nature and rejection of our accolades put us at ease instantly.

When we briefly described our requirements for our perfect boat, he directed us to one of his models, moored just across from his perch on the foredeck of his TugZilla 26. We turned around, stared, looked at each other, and said in unison, “That looks like the boat that we saw in the Salish 100!” But unlike getting only a dockside view at that previous event, we were able to board Whistler, a Surf Scoter 22, given the permission of its owners, Randy and Karen Cox.

Randy was generous in his knowledge and hospitality, offering the history of, and design process for, Whistler. Laura and I were entranced with the spaciousness of the V-berth, the comfort of the pilothouse, and the layout of the cockpit.

Our only disappointment was the lack of sail power, with the

For boating enthusiasts and dreamers, the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend is an annual revelation.

small aft mizzen sail used only for stability, not power. As Randy had worked with Devlin, he was able to recommend another design, a small motor-sailer, the Lit’l Coot, which I promptly viewed upon returning home.

I became so intrigued with Devlin’s designs that I made an appointment to visit him at his current construction facility north of Olympia. We met him there on a cold and wet January day, amidst evergreens, man-made ponds, and storage barns, through which he graciously toured Laura and I, with his German Shepard, Oso, occasionally at his side. In the warmth of his workshop, which currently houses one of his models from 1996 with a beautiful new paint job, Devlin gave us a little history of his company and philosophy of his design process.

He started his successful career path with a simple sketch of a small boat for a friend while working in the fishing industry in Alaska. Even though he doubted that he could make a living designing and building boats, he finds himself 40 years later, still sketching boat hulls, pilothouses, and rigging, although now he relies primarily on computer-aided design (CAD) programs to bring his ideas to life.

CAD allows Devlin to make minor changes to a drawing with a click of the mouse. Prior to using a computer, an alteration to the sketch would have required him to completely erase a portion of the drawing and redraw the edited section. Designing on a computer also allows him the ability to send the images directly to a CNC machine, which laser cuts the parts with amazing accuracy, enabling Devlin to offer pre-cut kits to

do-it-yourselfers like me.

But Devlin himself essentially builds only one wooden-hulled boat at a time, although on rare occasions he has “assemblylined” maybe five or six small dinghies. This unique approach to manufacturing allows him to continually adjust and improve his designs. He believes that mass-producing using molds for fiberglass hulls freezes innovation. And Devlin is constantly evolving, generating new methods and designs.

When Laura and I asked Devlin about his Surf Scoter and Li’l Coot models, he quickly informed us that he had improved both, increasing the sizes of each by a couple of feet, adding an enclosed head, and adjusting the hull shape for increased speed beyond the formula-calculated maximum.

The final specs for the boats are not yet published, but in researching the original model we found that the version one of the Lit’l Coot is just under 18 feet in length with a 7-foot beam and a 2-and-a-half-foot draft. Her twin masts make her a yawl, utilizing a tabernacle hinged mainmast, which makes stepping the main an unthreatening prospect. So the boat is trailable, sailable, and powerable! She can use the same Yamaha 9.9 as Ariel, an engine which, after having its carb cleaned and fuel filter/water separator serviced, performs comfortably and fuelefficiently.

While the Devlin boat seems to fit the bill for us, at least for now, we will continue our search, exploring other options that may yet appear to us. Our search has presented us with the Crealock 40 pilothouse as an option, although its size and price tag may remove it from serious consideration. And the Cooper 353 Pilothouse, Nauticat, Morgan, Cheoy Lee, and custom are all possibilities for future “perfect” boats.

When I was a kid, aviation, not sailing, was a big part of my family’s life. My dad loved planes the way we’re coming to love boats. It never ceased to amaze me that after he spotted an aircraft making its way across the afternoon sky he could identify the type of plane without binoculars. Maybe my dad was able to name every plane in the sky because there were simply fewer makes and models back then, as was also the case for cars and boats. Mass production has given the public so many more options to choose from. But, as Devlin laments, many of those models don’t have what he calls “the whimsy factor.”

What makes any vessel desirable, whether it be one for the air, land, or sea, Devlin believes, and I whole-heartedly agree, is the whimsy factor. For some, that may be luxury, for others, convenience and practicality; still others might find it in uniqueness or originality.

Until Laura and I discover what the whimsy factor looks like to us, we’ll just bundle up for the winter months, and get comfy and cozy with Ariel until the spring thaw brings us sunshine, warm days, and mild breezes. From smitten to frostbitten, in dreams and real experiences on the water, it’s all part of our journey into the wondrous world of boats and the Salish Sea.

David Casey is a retired math teacher and semi-professional woodworker and bass player. He plans on using his retirement to build a small sailboat and a kayak, and to explore the waters of southern Puget Sound.

Designed by Sam Devlin, the Surf Scoter 22 seemed like an ideal little PNW cruiser.

Where the magic happens; Sam Devlin’s office near Olympia.

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A NORTHWEST SAILOR NAVIGATES THE PAST

by Lisa Mighetto

WHAT LIES BENEATH: SUNKEN SHIPS, LOST TREASURE, AND THE DISCOVERY OF THE SS PACIFIC

My first boat was a wherry — a sturdy, open-hulled vessel that could be rowed or paddled. My husband Frank and I took that boat everywhere around the Salish Sea, often to places I wouldn’t dream of venturing in an 18-foot craft today. We chose Nisqually Reach in the South Sound for our maiden voyage. It was a sunny April day with smooth seas and stunning views of Anderson Island and Mt. Rainier. We poked around the salt marshes of the Nisqually Delta, eventually heading toward open water, where we bobbed up and down with the pigeon guillemots, rhinoceros auklets, and western grebes — birds not easily visible from shore.

For me, this was an introduction to a new world, one that I could experience right at water level, from a perspective not allowed by larger sail and power boats. Yet for all the natural beauty of Nisqually, what I remember most was encountering the rusted and barnacled

railing of an old tugboat that likely sank many years earlier. Frank and I repeatedly circled the partially submerged boat, peering down into the broken hull.

“Standing over the remains of the shipwreck is like looking at a skeleton in an opened tomb,” wrote Jennifer Kozik in the introduction to her book Shipwrecks of the Pacific Northwest (2020), “The bones of the ship are saying they have more [stories] left to tell.”

We were floating, not standing, but the encounter with the wreck awakened our curiosity. What happened to this boat? Who was at the helm? Was anyone injured, or worse? After our Nisqually trip, we learned that several vessels had wrecked near the shore in this area. The decaying remnants in fact have attracted many visitors who are as interested in the human drama as they are in the natural environment.

Intrigued, I began to seek out shipwrecks. One of the most accessible was the Peter

Iredale, a four-masted barque that ran ashore on the Oregon coast in 1906. Still visible today at Fort Stevens State Park, the rusted bow and broken mast of the beached vessel rise out of the sand, reminding tourists of the perils of the Graveyard of the Pacific. Throughout the centuries, thousands of ships have wrecked on this stretch of coastline, which extends from Tillamook Bay in Oregon northward to Cape Scott on the tip of Vancouver Island.

One of the worst disasters in terms of casualties was the SS Pacific, which went down southwest of Cape Flattery in 1875, killing more than 275 people. The recent discovery of the wreck at the bottom of the ocean has sparked international interest. While much of the attention so far has focused on the salvage operation, it is clear that the Pacific has many stories to tell about the Civil War, gold rush fever, maritime transportation, and social hierarchies. And that’s just scratching the surface.

SETTING THE SCENE

In November of 1875, the SS Pacific was well past its prime. Built in 1850 in New York, this 225-foot sidewheel steamship saw decades of hard service, first running between the Isthmus of Panama and San Francisco during the California Gold Rush. During the late 1850s, the wooden ship began carrying passengers from San Francisco to the Columbia River. The Pacific was heading downriver from Portland in 1861 when it struck Coffin Rock in the fog, sinking immediately. This was not the end of the story, as the ship was raised, pumped out, repaired, and returned to service, which included voyages to Southern California. A decade later, the Pacific was retired and left on the mudflats of San Francisco Bay.

But the discovery of gold on the Stikine River in the Cassiar District of Northern B.C. pressed a number of old vessels back into service to transport miners and speculators to and from Canada. The Pacific was again resurrected and purchased by the Goodall, Nelson and Perkins Steamship Company. The US Steamboat Inspection Service pronounced the ship seaworthy, though the latest round of repairs was cosmetic. So rotten was the timber under the new coat of paint that the men working on the refit claimed that the “waterlogged wood could be scooped out with a shovel”

(Gare Maritime, June 28, 2007).

More than 275 passengers had boarded this deteriorating ship when it left Victoria bound for San Francisco on November 4,1875. Some got on at ports in Puget Sound, and many were last-minute additions who remained anonymous. The ship’s manifest listed “41 Chinese” who were unnamed. The cargo included 280 tons of coal, 2,000 sacks of oats, 11 casks of furs, 31 barrels of cranberries, two cases of opium, six horses, and two buggies. Also on board was an estimated 4,000 ounces of gold. Observers at Port Townsend claimed that “the vessel leaked so badly that there [was a large quantity] of water in her lower hold, and the grain was not put down there for fear of damaging it” (New York Times, Nov. 25, 1875). As the Pacific departed, several reported that a great crowd of people completely covered the deck, and the vessel was listing as it headed out to sea. The five lifeboats were not adequate for all the souls on board.

Captain J. D. Howell was in command. A seaman educated at Annapolis before the Civil War, Howell was the young brother-in-law of Jefferson Davis, the former president of the Confederacy. Before landing in the Pacific Northwest, Howell had been arrested, imprisoned, and released several times for his association with Jefferson Davis and

for his service on a rebel gunboat in the Confederate States Navy. Just 34 years old in 1875, Howell made several fateful decisions on the SS Pacific. First, he reportedly delayed the ship’s departure while he nursed a headache, fueling later speculation that he was suffering from a hangover. Timing was everything. Had the Pacific left sooner, events might have unfolded differently.

The SS Pacific.

Monument to J.D. Howell, captain of the SS Pacific when it was lost at sea. Lakeview Cemetery, Seattle.

Second, Howell ordered his crew to fill at least some of the lifeboats with water to counterbalance the listing of the ship — a seemingly practical measure that would have dire consequences.

DISASTER AT SEA

The night of November 4 was cold and dark, and the Pacific made slow progress steaming into the wind on its journey down the coast of Washington. At 10:00 p.m., many of the Pacific’s passengers had retired to bed when a sudden jolt shook the ship. They had collided with the Orpheus, a 200-foot full-rigged sailing vessel moving northward, bound for Nanaimo, B.C. The crew of the Orpheus assumed that the Pacific was not badly damaged and continued on, focusing on their own repairs, which they attempted while underway. The sailing ship eventually veered off course and wrecked on the rocks of Cape Beale on the west side of Vancouver Island, with all those on board escaping to the shore. The passengers aboard the Pacific were not so lucky.

Soon after the Orpheus continued on its way, the Pacific began to break apart. Within minutes, the wooden hull was breached and water rushed in, sending the people on board into a panic. Henry F. Jelley, a 22-year-old passenger, and Neil O. Henly (or Henley), the ship’s 21-yearold quartermaster, were the only two survivors. Both provided accounts of the horrific scene on deck, which included a small boy being crushed to death in the

chaos and lifeboats (already filled with water) swamping “amid the shrieks of women and the despairing cries of the men” (New York Times, Nov. 25, 1875).

The ship sank quickly, leaving pieces of debris, and according to Henly, a “mass of human beings” screaming and struggling to stay afloat. “In a little while it was all over,” he recalled. “The cries had ceased” (quoted in James A. Gibbs, Shipwrecks of the Pacific Coast, 1957). Jelley was able to climb onto the wreckage of the pilothouse and was rescued a few days later by a ship that delivered him to Port Townsend, where the world learned of the disaster for the first time. The revenue cutter Oliver Wolcott was dispatched to search for survivors. Meanwhile, Quartermaster Henly had clung to a piece of the hurricane deck along with seven or eight fellow castaways, including the captain, second mate, and a woman passenger. A few hours later heavy seas washed over the makeshift raft, sweeping away the captain and several others. The remaining passengers died of exposure and slid into the water, leaving only Henly, who was rescued by the Oliver Wolcott. He had spent nearly 80 hours adrift at sea.

An important figure in the Pacific story, Henly seemed to land on his feet despite the ordeal he endured. “Quit the sea?” he later asked. “No, I kept right on.” Described as a man of “bright blue eyes” and rosy cheeks, Henly continued to work as a seaman, eventually becoming superintendent of boats at the McNeil

Island Penitentiary (quote from 1942 in Seattle Daily Times, Jan. 8, 1953).

The news about the Pacific was devastating to the region. “The catastrophe is so far-reaching that scarcely a household in Victoria has not lost one or more of its members,” wrote the Daily Colonist. “In some cases entire families have been swept away” (quoted in Shipwrecks of the Pacific Coast). The aftermath of the Pacific disaster seems eerily similar to that of the Titanic, which sank 37 years later. “Wrecks — especially big ones like the Pacific — challenged the optimism of settler society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,” explained Coll Thrush, a history professor at the University of British Columbia. At the same time, “they deepened settler claims to the region through the trauma and loss of maritime disaster” (communication with the author).

Today, a weathered monument stands in Seattle’s Lakeview Cemetery commemorating Howell, who “perished at sea” on November 4, 1875. Meanwhile, other drowned passengers, including the anonymous Chinese, remain unnamed and largely forgotten.

FINDING THE SHIPWRECK

James A. Gibbs, a noted historian of shipwrecks, predicted in the 1950s that the story of the Pacific would inspire adventurers to “search for her hidden grave.” Yet he doubted such efforts would yield “more than a small pile of teredo-eaten planks” (Shipwrecks of the

The SS Pacific. Image courtesy of Library of Congress.

Pacific Coast). Last year’s discovery of the sunken vessel by Jeff Hummel and Matt McCauley of Rockfish, Inc. may well prove this assumption wrong. “The state of preservation of this wreck is on par with any of the greatest shipwreck finds in the world,” Hummel commented recently. The team of excavators, which includes marine archaeologists and the non-profit Northwest Shipwreck Alliance, expects to retrieve “an absolute treasure trove of artifacts” (Daily Mail, Dec. 7, 2022).

Hummel and McCauley achieved notoriety in the 1980s when they raised a World War II plane from the bottom of Lake Washington. The pair searched for the Pacific for years, conducting 12 expeditions between 2017 and 2022. Using underwater equipment, including remotely operating vehicles, their team located the wreck south of Cape Flattery, around 23 miles offshore. Local fishermen provided a clue as to the Pacific’s position on the seafloor, netting pieces of coal later identified as having come from a mine that had supplied the vessel. Sonar images showed circular depressions near the wreck. Believed to be the steamer’s paddle wheels, these objects had separated from the ship and now lay partially buried in the seabed. The recovery of artifacts will take many years, and the descendants of shipwreck victims will have a window of time to lay claim to some of the items.

A lot of media attention has been focused on the gold that might resurface. Yet Hummel cites his interest in history and drive to bring the past “back to life” as the primary motivation of this operation. “The main thing that we want to do,” he explained, “is protect and preserve the site for future generations.” McCauley agreed, noting that while thrilled to have found the wreck, the team’s mood is somber and reflective. “We take this very seriously,” he commented. “This is not [a] woo-hoo party time kind of a thing.” There is much to be learned from the recovered artifacts and the team hopes to open a museum dedicated to the story of the Pacific. In the end, though, the wreck “is the final resting place of a great tragedy,” one that needs to be handled and interpreted accordingly (Courthouse News Service, Dec. 5).

LORE AND LEGACY

There is a mystique that surrounds most major shipwrecks. Accounts of the sinking of the Pacific — historical and modern — often describe the vessel as “jinxed,” “ill-starred” and “doomed.” James A. Gibbs began his history of the vessel as follows: “Death clad in all its hideousness rode the decks of the steamer Pacific….” (Shipwrecks of the Pacific Coast). The story is told as high drama rather than a tale of misplaced faith in technology or inadequate safety standards in early maritime travel. Historian Coll Thrush, author of the forthcoming book Wrecked, has researched our fascination with maritime disasters. “I think it has a lot to do with the ‘romance’ of the ages of sail and steam,” he recently explained, “and of a time when as a society we had a more intimate and immediate relationship to the sea.”

Pieces of wreckage, whether excavated or washed up on shore, are revered and presented like relics. Years ago, when Frank and I chartered a sailboat in the British Virgin Islands, we spotted a marker buoy hanging in a bar on Anegada Island. “That’s from the Andrea Gail,” the bartender announced, proud of this remnant from the real-life fishing vessel featured in the movie “The Perfect Storm.” No matter that the artifact was found before the boat sank and the crew drowned. Its mere association with the 1991 tragedy, however indirect, gave the item status and an eerie power.

Our interest in such objects goes deeper than morbid curiosity. Like horror stories and movies, tales of shipwrecks and their relics allow us to view the formidable, unpredictable force of the ocean from a distance. We experience the fear and unease vicariously, from the safety of armchairs, museum displays, and (hopefully) stable boats floating above the wreck, just as I did years ago at Nisqually Reach.

Shipwreck artifacts offer a tangible connection to the people of the past, increasing our understanding of the history that has been hidden beneath the surface. As mariners, we have much to look forward to in the next few years as the “treasure trove” from the Pacific comes to light.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For more information on the Northwest Shipwreck Alliance and the SS Pacific, see: http://northwestshipwreckalliance.org/

The Vancouver Maritime Museum holds a wooden stanchion or frame that washed up on shore after the Pacific disaster. The words “all lost” are scribbled across, along with the initials S.P. Moody. See: https://vmmcollections.com/Detail/ objects/12921

Lisa Mighetto is a historian and sailor living in Seattle. She is grateful to the Coast Guard Museum Northwest for providing images and information for this article.

While cruising in the British Virgin Islands, the author and her husband Frank spotted this fishing marker buoy from the Andrea Gail, the boat featured in the movie “The Perfect Storm.” It includes the line “In memory of Billy Tyne,” the captain.

TRANSITING THE HOOD CANAL BRIDGE

CRUISING THIS SELDOM VISITED FJORD MIGHT BE MORE ACCESSIBLE THAN YOU THINK

by Wendell Crim

In over 20 years of sailing out of the Port of Brownsville, Washington, we had not ventured into Hood Canal. Though we live near Hood Canal’s Seabeck Bay and frequently walk sections of the shoreline, our cruising plans for these waters never progressed beyond, “maybe someday.”

In the spring of 2018, we finally put Hood Canal on our summer sailing list to anchor in Seabeck Bay for a week. Basing the boat from there, we planned day trips because our elderly dog, Bailey, was homebound and needed a lot of extra care. It was a good compromise, as it allowed us to do some Canal exploring and be home enough to meet Bailey’s needs.

The Hood Canal Bridge stands sentry at the mouth of these unsung cruising grounds, and any passage into Hood Canal requires transiting past the bridge. I wasn’t comfortable with what the navigation charts indicated was a clearance of 50 feet under the eastern truss at all tide levels. Our Beneteau 31 Encore’s sloop rig has the air draft (mast height above designed waterline) listed at 47 feet. Added to that height is an anchor light, anemometer and VHF antenna. Such tight clearance led me to call the Hood Canal Bridge one week ahead of our trip to Seabeck to arrange for openings both north- and southbound.

Anyone who has driven highway 104 may be familiar with the huge traffic backups caused by a single bridge opening, and we had seen them firsthand

on numerous occasions. As soon as our openings were booked, I began thinking about the impact our transit would have on so many other travelers. Though for our 2018 journey into Hood Canal we kept our scheduled draw span openings, seeing the traffic jam from the water motivated me to look more deeply into the possibility of passing under the eastern truss of Hood Canal Bridge, which would not require stopping traffic, for any trips in the future.

There are two places to go under this bridge. On the west end, the clearance is 35 feet and too low for most sailboat transits. The eastern truss, on the Kitsap side, is unlike any other bridge we go under in the Pacific Northwest. Looking

closely at the bridge structure, I realized pilings at one end float with the tide. Pilings on the other end are fixed to shore. Nautical charts treat it as a fixed clearance bridge. In 2009, the bridge’s eastern fixed and floating spans were replaced. Clearance under the truss was lowered by 5 feet. Notations on up-todate nautical charts show the eastern truss has a fixed clearance of 50 feet at all tide levels. This clearance reduction limits the number of vessels that may safely pass under the truss, and requires draw span opening for many sailboats in the 30- to 35-foot range.

When I spoke with Doug Adamson, a communications consultant for the Washington State Department of

Photo courtesy of Doug Adamson.

Horizontal and vertical clearances for the Hood Canal Bridge are noted on all paper and e-charts.

Transportation (WSDOT), he pointed out that marine traffic has priority over road traffic, but only if a vessel can’t fit under the truss. Adamson noted that WSDOT is also keen on minimizing the number of bridge openings, as are land drivers. Rightfully so, they request that all skippers be certain their rig is too tall to go under the truss before calling for a draw span opening.

With a better understanding of how Hood Canal Bridge clearance changes with tide level, the number of draw span openings can be reduced along with traffic delays for both sailors and

drivers. Since one end of the truss floats, that means there is extra clearance near shore at low tides. Good old high school trigonometry comes into play; the tangent function in case you’re curious. Based on chart notation alone, skippers may ask for an opening of the draw span when their vessel has an air draft nearing 50 feet. But a draw span opening could be avoided if the skipper passes Hood Canal Bridge at low tide.

VERTICAL CLEARANCE AND TIDE LEVEL

At a zero tide, Hood Canal water level drops 9.4 feet below the “mean high

water” (or MHW, which is the average of all the daily high tide levels observed over an extended period of time). When the tide is at zero, the floating end of the truss retains its clearance of 50 feet; meanwhile, at the eastern shore side with fixed pilings, the vertical clearance has become 59 feet. Sailors must be cautious — there may not be enough water draft for maneuvering a sailboat hard against the shore.

Fifty feet from shore, there is more water depth and the bridge deck has dropped only 2 feet, giving a vertical clearance of 57 feet. At mid span, 115 feet from shore, the bridge deck drops 5 feet giving a vertical clearance of 54 feet at zero tide.

Water depth under the truss at “mean lower low water” (or MLLW, which is the average height of the lowest daily tide recorded at a tide station) is about 20 feet, based on e-charts and 7 fathoms on printed charts. WSDOT says the passage is periodically dredged to 30 feet ensuring adequate depth for Navy support vessels that fit under the truss.

Before 2009 when vertical clearance was 55 feet, the skipper of a Pearson 34 would have been comfortable sailing under the truss at any tide level with an air draft of 47 feet, 3 feet of equipment on top of the mast, and a water draft of 6 feet. In 2023, with the updated vertical clearance of 50 feet as reflected in the latest editions of the relevant charts, the skipper would assume an opening of the draw span is necessary. By approaching the bridge at a zero tide and sailing under the truss 50 feet off the eastern shore, the vertical clearance is 57 feet and opening the draw span is not needed.

For comparison, the Port Townsend Canal Bridge has a vertical clearance of 58 feet at MHW and a horizontal clearance of 236 feet.

ARRANGING A DRAW SPAN OPENING

Should a skipper need to arrange a draw span opening, the bridge operators would like a few days’ notice. Then, they want you to call about an hour before arrival. At this point, the bridge operators will work you into other marine traffic approaching the draw span. Keep in mind, you may be asked to wait for an hour or more so additional marine traffic

The elevated portion of the Hood Canal Bridge on the Kitsap County side during high tide. Photo courtesy of Doug Adamson.

DEFINITIONS AND DATA

Mean High Water (MHW) is used to determine clearance under a fixed bridge. For Hood Canal Bridge it is 9.4 feet based on WSDOT truss drawings.

Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) is the reference point for depth soundings. It is 0.0 feet for Hood Canal Bridge based on NOAA datum and WSDOT truss drawings.

DATA ON PRINTED AND E-CHARTS:

Horizontal Clearance: The width of the passage — 230 feet.

Vertical Clearance: The height of the truss above the water. Charts show this is 50 feet at all tide levels.

RELEVANT VESSEL DATA:

Air Draft: Height to the top of the mast from the designed water line. This dimension is not published for all sailboats. It may be necessary to measure mast height from the deck and the deck height above the water. Adding together both of the measurements will give you the air draft.

Even if Air Draft is listed for your vessel, it is a good idea to confirm with a measurement.

Total Air Draft adds any items fixed on top of the mast like lights, antennas and anemometers.

NOTE: Between May 22 and September 30 each year, the bridge does not open for recreational vessels between 3 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.

An opening can be arranged by calling 360-779-3233. When in the bridge vicinity, operations personnel can be contacted on channel 13.

can use the same opening.

At the start of the opening process, you will be asked to do three things: Come as close to the draw span as your comfort level allows. Pass through the span when it is open enough for your vessel to proceed — no need to wait for a complete opening. Lastly, call the bridge operators on channel 13 when you are clear to allow the closing process to start.

It takes only 30 seconds to pass through the draw span, but road traffic is halted for about 30 minutes. If a submarine is sharing your opening of the span, you will be kept at a secure distance determined by armed escort vessels.

A WORTHWHILE DESTINATION

Though Hood Canal can seem inaccessible to some cruisers because of the bridge, it’s worth the effort to make it here. Close to Port Townsend and Port Ludlow, and relatively near Seattle, this fjord is set hard against the Olympic Mountains. Cruisers who venture south of the bridge usually find they have a vast expanse of water all to themselves, with some stunning surroundings. A review of cruising guides indicates skippers can explore options ranging from primitive DNR tidelands and quiet bays, to state parks and marina resorts.

Back in 2018, after passing southbound through the draw span of the Hood Canal Bridge, our 16 nautical mile journey from there to Seabeck was pleasant and mostly uneventful. Along the way, we

encountered Naval Base Kitsap Bangor Submarine Port on the eastern shore. Signage, fencing and patrol boats make it very clear all vessels are to give the facility a wide berth. There was an exercise taking place near mid-channel, so we contacted a nearby security vessel on channel 13 to determine how best to stay out of their way.

Arriving at our homebase in Seabeck, we settled in, relaxed, and had plenty of opportunity to return to the house to care for Bailey. In the following days, we ventured out from Seabeck, exploring north into Dabob Bay, west to Pleasant Harbor, and south to Stavis Bay and Guillemot Cove. We explored just enough of Hood Canal to know that we want to come back. On our next trip, we plan to sail farther south to the Great Bend for stops at Union and Alderbrook Resort.

Truly, Hood Canal should be on every PNW cruisers’ destinations list. And for many boats (including Encore), timing Hood Canal Bridge transit with lower tides and positioning yourself carefully to maximize clearance and water depth, means that the passage can be easy for boats and car traffic alike.

After flying airplanes for 15 years, Wendell Crim switched to the vertical wings of sailing. Twenty some years and four vessels later, the learning continues on races and cruises, and retirement now provides more time to take in the wonders of sailing.

When waiting for a bridge opening, come as close as comfort allows to go through quickly.

Cruise the San Juan Islands!

Evergreen-studded islands, abundant wildlife and peaceful anchorages. Experienced or new to boating, we can help you discover the joys of cruising the beautiful San Juan Islands! Beginner to advanced liveaboard courses. Sailboat and powerboat bareboat charters. Guided otillas too!

CRUISING THE NORTH COAST WILDERNESS

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR EXPLORING

NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA

by Michael Boyd, photos by Karen Johnson

The North Coast of British Columbia is the area between the northern end of Vancouver Island, Cape Caution on the mainland side, and the Alaska border. It’s a land of wild beauty, from the fjords reaching deep into the mainland Coast Range to thousands of islands along the Pacific shore with their white sand beaches. There are no cruise ship stops, so the only tourists are fishermen at fly-in resorts and cruisers on their own boats. We love it.

Getting there requires time and commitment. Cape Caution is about 300 miles from Seattle. The section of the coast around Cape Caution is exposed to the Pacific Ocean and weather, which might require waiting for a good window to get around. But once past, the waters are largely protected and the possibilities for cruisers almost endless.

We love cruising there on our Eagle 40 pilothouse trawler, Mischief, but found neither our experience throughout the South Coast nor the guidebooks fully prepared us for this new area. So, here are some thoughts about the boat, navigation, anchoring, and living aboard that we have discovered from cruising the North Coast.

THE BOAT

Good news, even though most of the boats we encountered on the North Coast tend to be large, so long as you choose suitable sea and wind conditions for your craft and your experience, almost any boat can cruise this wilderness paradise. It’s how you manage the boat that makes the difference when cruising a remote area like the North Coast.

Be failure-proof as much as you can. This means preparing redundant systems and workaround procedures for as much of

the unexpected as possible. On one trip, most of our problems were related to the house batteries and luckily we had more than one way to charge them.

Take critical spare parts with you. We’ve used some of our spares on every trip, and were glad we had them. There is no real marine supply store for a stretch of almost 300 miles between Port Hardy on the northern tip of Vancouver Island and Prince Rupert, which is only about 20 miles south of the Alaska border.

Plan for engine maintenance, such as oil changes, during the trip. Yes, this means sailboats too. With a lack of wind in the summer months, you probably won’t be sailing as much as you’d hope, so the engine hours tend to pile up. There is boatyard-type service available in Shearwater, but that’s the only place until you get to Prince Rupert. And they tend to be very busy, so expect to wait. We inquired about getting help for our battery problems and were told the marine electrician wouldn’t actually arrive for another 10 days and there was already a two week waiting list. In other words, building skills in advance and bringing tools that allow you to do a bit of your own basic engine work is a very good idea as you travel farther north.

NAVIGATION

Even the direct route taken by ferries, cruise ships, and tugs will have its navigational challenges. But for almost every cruiser, most of your North Coast exploration will be off that route and into the intricate fjords of the mainland side or the myriad islands and passages of the ocean side — and that raises the degree of navigational difficulty.

Your main navigational challenges, other than not hitting

Mischief at Ocean Falls Marina, up Cousins Inlet from Bella Bella. Other than power, water, and crabbing, there are no services for visiting cruisers.

NORTH COAST CRUISING — CENTRAL PRINCIPLES

Redundancy, redundancy, redundancy:

From systems to navigation, if you depend on it, back-up parts and workaround plans are necessary in this remote area.

Provision for self-sufficiency: Options are very limited to resupply. Pack and plan accordingly.

Tidal impacts are hugely important: With 18-foot tidal swings, cruisers must stay constantly aware of the ways big tides influence currents, anchoring, and narrow or shallow passages.

Previous anchoring experience may not prepare you: Desirable anchorages are often very deep with limited swing room. Having gear that allows you to anchor in deep water, and/or employ stern-tie or stern-anchor techniques are necessary.

It’s paradise, but it ain’t tropical: Weather is variable and forecasts are for the ocean areas. It is wise to anticipate cooler temperatures and more precipitation than you’d expect during a summer cruise on the Salish Sea.

something hard, will be related to finding a place to drop the hook that satisfies all your needs for that particular day, and getting there at the right time. Additionally, larger tidal swings and narrow passages create significant current effects and other tidal considerations that will be new for the average Salish Sea cruiser.

It’s possible to navigate the North Coast without a chartplotter, but I don’t recommend it. In addition to the many rocks and reefs, there are a great many islands that all tend to look the same from the water, making line of sight navigation difficult even if you have great visibility. We even have a backup in the form of a charting app on a phone; in tricky places we have both going at the same time. Redundancy comes into play in this realm as well.

While electronic charts are wonderful, there can be issues. Sometimes the little boat marking your position on the chart may not actually be in the correct place. It can be disconcerting to see the little boat on land when navigating a narrow stretch. We always use radar in narrow passages to confirm our actual location. And most importantly, in this age of electronics, we take our eyes off the screen and look around us.

Big tides can create various challenges. There are very few published current stations along the North Coast. Mostly you will need to infer the currents from the tide charts.

Many inlets can only be accessed at slack water and some can only be accessed at high slack. This is a good time to read your tide tables twice. And if you are using Canadian Government tables remember the times shown are Standard, not Daylight Savings.

Narrow passages can be tricky. Go through at low water so you can see all the reefs. Or go through at high water when the clear passage is wider and deeper. Pick your poison, but in any case go through slowly and carefully near slack water with a lookout on the bow.

Wide tidal swings make for strong currents, sometimes in places you wouldn’t expect. Passages between islands often have current and sometimes the direction is hard to predict. Plan for it, especially if you are in your kayak or dinghy.

Published information may be incomplete and/or hard to access. Wi-Fi and cell coverage are very sparse throughout this area, but we did have VHF reception almost everywhere.

Our cruising bible for this region, Exploring the North Coast of British Columbia by Don and Reanne Douglass, is vast and extremely useful. But as large as it is,

All of this rugged beauty, and whales too!

it still doesn’t cover every possible anchorage. We’ve explored whole inlets not included in the Douglass’s excellent book. Be prepared to use your charts and, equally important, your common sense. It’s important to remember that help may be far away and a long time coming.

Even information on the charts may leave some details to the imagination. Detailed charts of some areas were only first issued in 2017, so make sure you have the latest ones. Before that, some areas just said “Unexplored” and some still do. Be aware that your electronic charts may not be up to date, which is something best remedied at your homeport before casting off.

Listen to the weather forecasts on VHF but keep in mind they are mostly for ocean areas to the west of you. Your local weather may vary considerably from the forecast, so treat it as a rough guide and use common sense. This is particularly true for the mainland inlets where localized winds tend to blow either up or down inlet.

ANCHORING

We love nothing more than anchoring Mischief in a remote bay with no other boats. This is pretty easy to do on the North Coast. On one trip, we spent half of our nights anchored completely alone. On our first trip to the North Coast, though, we found anchoring to be a bit different from what we were used to and had to adapt.

Be prepared to anchor deeper than you are probably used to — 40-50 feet on the chart is common. Tidal swings of up to 18 feet mean that a depth of 45 feet on the chart can be more than 60 feet in reality at high tide. We have anchored in depths of 100 feet on multiple occasions. As such, the quality and quantity of your anchoring gear is paramount.

Swing room can be quite limited or non-existent. Be prepared to anchor on short scope or with a stern tie or stern anchor. We often set the anchor at 4:1 or 5:1, then shorten scope if necessary. Luckily, our experience is that those tight places also tended to be calm… mostly.

We think of our laser rangefinder as a secret weapon. It makes short work of positioning the boat away from hazards and other boats and keeps re-anchoring to a minimum.

Anchors and anchoring gear choice is a personal preference, but make sure you’ve equipped your North Coast cruising boat with a trustworthy set-up that makes you comfortable when you are off exploring in your dinghy with no one on board and no other boats around in a bay with poor radio reception.

LIVING ABOARD

We thoroughly enjoy traveling from place to place and, when we get to a new place, exploring all it has to offer. After all that activity, we look forward to just being comfortable, which on a boat cruising the North Coast has a few unexpected twists.

We try to take everything we can conceive of needing. Fresh food only lasts for so long. The only place you can provision from a real grocery store is the First Nations community of Bella Bella. The last time we were there, they got their once-weekly stock delivery on Monday mornings. Because dock space there is limited, most people dock at nearby Shearwater Marina and take a water taxi to Bella Bella. As you can imagine, Shearwater

gets very crowded on Sunday and Monday nights as, it seems, every cruising boat on the North Coast wants to provision. In 2022, the Heiltsuk Nation purchased Shearwater Resort and Marina, which is part of its traditional territory. Some details of Shearwater's offerings for cruisers might change but, in the past, their marina store was provisioned on Mondays as well. Bella Bella also has a small pharmacy (located in the hospital), which is open weekdays from 1-5 p.m.

Be prepared for cool, not hot weather. In each year we were there, we had only one day over 70 degrees in mid-summer. And we don’t plan on swimming either, the water temperature is mostly below 60 degrees.

So you want a hot bath? There are a number of rustic, wilderness hot springs on the North Coast. We’ve been to only one so far — Eucott Hot Springs which is up Dean Channel northeast of Bella Bella — and it was a delightful treat with a perfect anchorage nearby. We highly recommend making this and other hot springs a part of your North Coast experience.

There aren’t many established hiking trails, so if you like to hike you will probably want to take advantage of any you can find. But be bear aware. We saw plenty of fresh tracks on our hikes as well as active bears from the boat — both black and grizzly. But even though we've looked, we've not yet seen a spirit bear.

If you like to spend your time meeting other boaters, head for the few marinas along the coast. Only a handful of the anchorages are popular enough to have even 10 boats on a busy day. Many will have only one, yours.

Cruising the North Coast can be a wonderful experience with very little commercial traffic, no cruise ship terminals, and fewer cruising boats. The other boaters will tend to be like you — knowledgeable, self-sufficient, and committed to the wilderness cruising experience. We love it and will return, and we hope to see you there.

Michael and Karen have been cruising the Salish Sea and beyond for more than 20 years, the last 11 aboard Mischief, a 40-foot Eagle pilothouse trawler with all the comforts of home. They are Waggoner Field Correspondents.

The author and photographer enjoying a soak at Eucott Hot Springs.

COME TOGETHER

GIRTS REKEVICS MEMORIAL FOULWEATHER RACE

by Stephanie Campbell

Just like the man it honors, the Girts Rekevics Memorial Foulweather Race brought together clubs, sailboats, and friends for a weekend of good fun. On Friday night February 17, racers made up for lost time and gathered until the AYC bartenders were lovingly good and tired of us. Guests were regaled with stories of the accordion-playing, rubberchicken loving Latvian hijinx-er who founded the local rigging shop and ruled the seas for years on his little Catalina 27 Handyman . “Follow me and come in second!” Besides the Girts stories, the theme of the night was friends making and sharing plans for the season, with invitations to join neighboring yacht club events. North End sailors unite!

Saturday morning, there was slightly more breeze than expected at the start. On my Santa Cruz 27, Wild Rumpus, I even went for the small jib for the pre-start and cued up the not-brand-spanking-new kite. I mean, it was supposed to be a cranking southeasterly on the way to Friday Harbor, and a cranking southwesterly on the way back. Perfection! In reality, a little northwesterly snuck into the forecast between the two.

The Foulweather Race start is among my favorites because it’s almost always windy and nearly always a port pole kite hoist with maximum excitement. This year lived up to the hype. We started conservatively on starboard with the jib up, all cued for a port hoist. We probably should have stuck with a starboard hoist. We had to flop back twice for boats catching up from behind and, as it

turned out, going right was right. Better luck next time, future me…

There was decent breeze to the corner of Guemes Channel, and some smooth looking water ahead of us. Positive me was thinking, “It’s just positive current,” and that was partially true. The question was which side to eventually favor, and at what point it was not only positive current smoothing down the surface water, but also dwindling pressure. There was some benefit to boats arriving late to the scene, because sometimes you can avoid a parking lot when you can see it. Eventually, most of us found a hole to park in Rosario Strait. For the record, F25C Makika and Riptide 30 Baby Blue seemed to avoid the whole situation. They were launched!

Boats that favored the north fared well. We all tried to get there, and eventually it filled in enough for all of the boats to get moving again. Could it be that the northwesterly filled in early? It was certainly a joyful moment when you got your nose into the new breeze and started moving. We milked it for as long as we could. Up with the kite! Swap back to the drifter. Jibe. Repeat!

Things were not looking good, but it was only 11 a.m. so on we went. A few hours later, we made it to the venerable Thatcher Pass. It is sort of the nemesis of this race, with typically less breeze and more current, and somehow it’s usually in the wrong direction. Many tacks, lots of shallow water, and some boats pushing it more than others are willing.

The highlight was a reenactment of prior drink holder thievery. On board the J/105 Kinetic, Shawn Huston cleverly pulled off a water bottle heist, snatching my Girts bottle from my drink holder while short tacking the beach next to us!

Eventual winners of PHRF 2, the Fennell family on their Moore 24, Paramour

Eventually we all broke free of Thatcher Pass. Boats split in opposite directions, with enough breeze to carry us in the proper direction toward Upright Head. In the Islands, you never know if it’s going to pay to hug the corner for the shortest path or if the wind shadow will catch you in its clutches. Either way, it’s beautiful and eventually we all got there. The fleet stayed close on the reach up Upright Channel between Lopez and Shaw Islands, and as we neared the last corner of the race we had to swap out to headsails and pray for enough wind to fight the tide in San Juan Channel. Luckily, we discovered a decent breeze and a fair amount of anti-water. So close and yet so far, with the cut off time approaching. Don’t tack…

Congratulations go out to Nigel Oswald and Gavin Brackett on Makika. They were the only boat to scratch the 5-hour mark on corrected time, and took first overall. In second overall and first in PHRF1 Sportboat was the super cool new boat on the local scene, the Riptide 30 Baby Blue with Evan Walker in the driver seat. Leading the little wiley boat fleet of PHRF2 and 3rd overall

The weekend afforded a range of conditions, and a boatload of fun.

were first time Foulweather racers Rowan and Vikki Fennell on their Moore 24 Paramour. First in PHRF1 Displacement was long-time Foulweather racer Jim Bottles and crew on the J/30 Celebration. First in PHRF3 was Brian Pernick’s San Juan 24 Obi Juan. Ryan Sagan’s Sonrisa was awarded with last boat on course honors. And Oak Harbor sailor Aaron Hale sailed his San Juan 28 Argosia and received the venerable “we think you’re special” award. Many sailors were nominated, but Aaron was selected because Oak Harbor has really gone out of their way to be a part of the north end community — yay! There were lots of kids present at the party, and every club in the North Sound was represented.

Thank you to the team of volunteers at San Juan Island Yacht Club for hosting us after a two year break! Let’s come together in 2023, we are already off to a great start.

Photos by Stephanie Campbell, Lizzy Grim, Karen Rose, and Vikki Fennell

The happy Wild Rumpus Crew. Every North Sound club was represented at this year's Foulweather Race.

TOLIVA SHOAL 2023

SPORTY CONDITIONS AND A SHORTENED COURSE

The Toliva Shoal race once again proved to be a fantastic event.

The third stop of the Southern Sound Series, this race traditionally begins and ends in Olympia. It brings sailors 38 miles out through Nisqually Reach before the turn for home at Toliva Shoal, with the return trip staying north of Anderson Island. This is one of my favorite races of the year.

Planning for this race usually shares attention between researching predictions for wind and current, and placing cars at various drop off points so you and your crew can get home quickly. This year, wind predictions looked a little bleak early in the week, so finding a good midway point to leave a car looked essential in case the race was shortened.

As they always do, the South Sound Sailing Society and Olympia Yacht Club provided excellent accommodations leading up to, during, and after the race. The Wednesday before, the club hosted a Zoom meeting with Bruce Hedrick — the local weather guru who does Bruce’s Briefs, which are an amazing tool. I learned a ton from this meeting, including the fact that the Pacific Northwest is used to teach meteorologists how to be humble, as it is very difficult to predict our weather correctly. While long range forecasts called for lighter air, those closer to the race showed that decent pressure would be present for at least half of the race. The forecast for dwindling breeze combined with a massive ebb tide during the second half of the race led the

by

race committee to shorten the course at Johnson Point.

For Goes to 11, my Antrim 27, we brought out a full crew of six for some relief throughout the race, and also some extra hiking power, and we definitely needed it. The race started downwind with a great spinnaker run to Boston Harbor, then a fairly tight and puffy reach along Dana Passage.

Approaching Johnson Point on the outbound leg, the wind was clocking around and we were struggling to hold onto our kite, so we doused a little early. The early douse paid off as we rounded the point and started our upwind leg towards Nisqually. Conditions proved to be rather sporty and gusty. We watched as one boat broached so hard at the mark they did a 360. We thought they must have fouled someone, but it was just an epic round-up.

We had a great time holding off Tigger, a Flying Tiger 10, before the Nisqually mark, and rounded just ahead. From there, it was a tight reach with boat speed around 10 knots to the south end of Anderson Island where we were able to

Jeremy Bush

Photo by Sean Trew.

All smiles when Goes to 11 has the kite up and is rippin'!

launch our kite again. We quickly started planing down towards Toliva Shoal. Our top speed for the day was 15.2 knots over ground, with one big wipeout just before the rounding mark.

There was plenty of fun action to watch as the breeze built. We looked on as several boats got completely overpowered when jibing on the downwind run, with one kite blown to smithereens on the east side of the course. After our broach just before the mark, we decided it was a good time to douse, and had a great mark rounding for the uphill slog back towards Olympia.

The race committee made an excellent decision to shorten the course at Johnson Point on the way back. The massive ebb was going to prove difficult regardless of wind conditions, and signs of the breeze dying were showing themselves.

Good times were had by all around the fleet. Class honors went to: F-32 trimaran Pax the Space Spider; Riptide 35 Terramoto, Jeanneau Sunfast 3600 Rush, Jeanneau SO 519 Equus, Olson 30 Sidewinder, Beneteau 35s5 Bodacious, Cal 40 White Squall, Ericson 38 Balder 2,

and Catalina 320 Yonder Star Goes to 11 finished second behind Sidewinder in Class PHRF-5. Great job everyone!

After the race, we again made it back to the club for soup and a few well-earned beverages. A huge thanks again goes out

to the South Sound Sailing Society and Olympia Yacht Club for hosting the preand post-race parties, and of course a fantastic, well-run race.

Photos by Sean Trew and Jeremy Bush.

The Goes to 11 crew powered up and loving a great day of South Sound sailing.

Photo by Sean Trew.

RED RUBY REPORT

BUYING AND PREPARING A BOAT ON ANOTHER CONTINENT

by Christina Wolfe

Rewind to January 2022, and Jonathan, Justin, and I are the proud owners of Red Ruby, a SunFast 3300 (SF3300) sitting in Hamble (about 75 minutes from London) on the Solent. It turns out it is easy to buy a boat abroad, but now the real work begins!

We identified two key things to address in order to be ready to race Red Ruby in May: 1) Sort out the paperwork. 2) Get the boat ready.

Oh, we learned a few lessons on the paperwork side of things. Registration? This turned out to be straightforward once we determined that US Coast Guard documentation was the best option (this also meant that the vessel would be American-

flagged, which felt right, since we are all Americans). Pacific Marine Title in Seattle made it easy, for a small fee. The biggest challenge was getting a notarized signature from the previous owner, because notaries are not a thing in the U.K. Insurance, on the other hand, was not so easy. The insurance market has experienced a number of losses in recent years, and there are limited options for race boats nowadays, and even fewer options for a race boat in Europe with American owners. In the end, we found coverage from Edward William SL in Spain. To be honest, the premium is much higher compared to what we pay in the U.S., but it is required, and we got it done. The bright side of this search is it turns out Edward William was also the

Photo by John Greene.

only insurer we could find to cover a boat racing to Hawaii, so we were able to spread the word to help several 2022 Pacific Cup boats obtain coverage for that race.

We also learned how to properly register Red Ruby’s VHF, AIS, and EPIRB in the U.K. — quite important not only for meeting race requirements, but also for safety.

The highlight of the next five months was getting Red Ruby prepared for the 2022 season. In hindsight, we made a few really good decisions at the outset that made this process much easier. The first thing we did right was to choose a used, but not very used, boat — which had been very well cared for. We considered getting a new boat, and are so glad we didn’t go that route. Sure, there was a small savings in buying used, but the real benefit is that most of the bugs had been worked out.

Red Ruby was launched in 2020 and setup during the pandemic by an up-and-coming young sailor, James Harayda,

in partnership with well-known ocean racer, Dee Caffari. James had already marked this and added a lashing for that. He provided us with refined polars, a sail-crossover chart, and a rudder toe-in matrix (yes, that is adjustable with the push of a button) as well as detailed notes on optimizing the boat under the IRC rating system, which was novel to all of us. The sail inventory had already gone through some improvements from testing during training and races. It would have taken us years to prepare the boat to this level as intermittent visitors to the boat and region. James also agreed, as part of the purchase agreement, to move the boat to our new dry storage location and go sailing with us for two days when we arrived in May. This relationship has continued to develop, and now we are helping support James in his current racing efforts — recently he was the youngest skipper of an IMOCA 60 in the 2022 Route de Rhum.

Another thing we did right was to work with a very knowledgeable and extremely helpful broker. Nigel De Q Colley, from SeaVentures (also a SF3300 owner) bent over backwards to help us find local dry storage, coordinate on upgrades, and share insight on legal ways to avoid value-added tax (VAT) at 20%.

Lastly, we talked to a few local sailmakers and felt very good working closely with Quantum Sails’ Rory Maclean. Rory had built the original sails, and we saw eye-to-eye on where we should go from there. He would also accompany us for a sail upon our arrival in May. In the end, we upgraded just a few of the instruments and added three new sails before hitting the start line.

And then, it was May! On Tuesday, May 10, 2022, Alyosha, Jonathan, Justin, and I had just arrived in the London Heathrow airport. Our first order of business? Figure out who was going to drive a manual transmission on the left side of the road! A quick scorecard for how many times each person had previously driven on the left side of the road resulted in a 0, 0, 0, 2. Justin won that round.

We met Red Ruby for the first time on the hard at Hamble’s Universal Marina. Sitting on a factory supplied cradle, she looked interesting to say the least. It was the first time any of us had seen an SF3300 in the flesh, and the boat is all business, sporting a very full not-quite-scow bow, twin rudders, concave hull sections in front of and behind the keel (ponder that one for a moment), no bulb on the keel, running backstays, and windows in the cabintop that face forward. Unlike many SF3300s, Red Ruby does not have water ballast. This would prove an interesting detail, since not having water ballast results in a slower IRC rating than most other SF3300s.

Our planned practice day with previous owner James dawned windy with sidewise rain — pretty much what we expected for sailing in the Solent. The breeze was a solid 20-30 knots, so naturally, we immediately threw up the A4 spinnaker and went hooning across the not-very-wide Solent, seeing 18 knots of boat speed in short order. First impressions? The boat is not slow, it is easy to drive, and very fun to sail. We couldn’t wait to get Red Ruby on the race course!

Next time, we’ll share our experience racing Red Ruby in the UK Doublehanded Offshore Series.

Driving on the left side of the road, the Red Ruby crew share a car on the way to the boat that is now theirs.

Seeing her in person, the Red Ruby crew was struck by elements of the boat's design, like concave sections ahead and behind the keel.

BOATS FOR SALE

$35,000

CLASSIFIEDS

BOATS FOR SALE

“Ohana” Hull #42, Sail #69219: As the third owner, I have had her since 1993. Included items are a 1993 double axle Quality Trailer set up for ramp launch and a Yamaha 4HP, 4 stroke OB. She comes with Garmin Instruments and a full set of racing sails as well as other well used back ups. call or text for more details. » Contact Bill Schafer • (541) 760-5467

• billsohana@gmail.com

$29,000

• $14,000

BOATS FOR SALE

32' steel sail boat unfinished condition for a person with ambitions. New motor, new mast and other accessories

» Contact Marcus Moellendorf • 253-686-0341 • marcus014@centurytel.net

• $25,000

$24,000

C&C

Excellent sailing boat, multiple sails including great set of racing sails, trailer. LOA – 32’6", Beam – 10’6", Draft – 6’4", Weight – 9800 lbs.

» Contact John Simms • (406) 465-2366

• truenorthsailing@gmail.com

$32,000

• $29,000

Selkie is a well-cared for cruiser in excellent condition, great for light winds, but can handle rough weather with grace. Perfect single-hander, but comfortable with 6 for daysailing, 4 for overnights. Engine/related systems serviced regularly by TriCounty Diesel. Sails are 6 years old. Below she is lovely & comfortable, new upholstery, new fridge/freezer, new forced air heating. Luxuriant wood throughout. » Contact Peter Frazier

• (360) 201-0390 • peter.frazier@gmail.com

• $32,000

1979 36 ft C&C centerboard. New standing & running rigging, lifelines, stansions, electronics recently. 750 hours Yanmar 30 hp diesel. » Contact Anselm Parlatore

• (360) 739-9865 • anselmparlatore@comcast.net

» Contact Gail Parlatore (360) 410-0813

• gailpar@comcast.net • $24,000

$35,000

McKie W. Roth Jr design. LOA 44,LOD 32’8, Beam 10’3” Full keel, Honduras mahogany planks on White Oak frame, Teak decking, Handsome interior. Sitka Spruce masts recently rebuilt. New standing rigging by Brion Toss. New Carol Hasse main sail. New Volvo Penta diesel 40 HP. Located in Everett, WA. Recent survey available. Needs some work, ideal for a wooden boat carpenter or student.

» Contact Mary Wood • (360) 628-6949

• marydwood@gmail.com

• $35,000

1978

Comfortable cruiser and NW veteran. Dual helms. Yanmar3GM 30 engine with Autoprop 2- 30 gal aluminum fuel tanks. Pressure hot and cold H20, propane oven, heater. engine heat, Newer 130% Genoa & Harken furling system. Main sail in good condition. Bruce anchor manual windlass. Bottom sider cockpit cushions. Radar & GPS. Moorage available.

» Contact Douglas W. Davidson • (425) 864-1955

• ddavidson@pumptechnw.com • $35,000

$22,500

‘91

Quality racer/cruiser. Well maintained, upgraded. Bottom foils faired/painted 2018. Diesel htr, hot water, refer/freezer. Furuno Navnet chart plotter GPS, AIS. Digital charts Vancouver Is. to Oregon. Radar, autopilot. Dodger + Bimini covers. Perkins M30 eng. Flexifold 3 blade prop. Full set sails w/ cruising genaker. Lying Brownsville.

» Contact John Burton • (360) 731-2461

• Jcburtonclan@gmail.com • $22,500

$85,000

BOB

Built to the highest standard and maintained as such this Perry Designed and Canadian Built boat is outfitted for long distance cruising in mind. Currently cruising back to Astoria from a solo winter cruise down to San Diego. New: Stainless NFM opening portlights, B&G Radar/Chartplotter, Isotherm 12V refrigerator/freezer, wind/spd/depth/autopilot/ hydrovane, D400 wind, H2O maker, sails, rigging.

» Contact JC • happycampersailing@protonmail.com

• (971) 344-7785

• $85,000

1985 CLASSIC GAFF RIGGED SCHOONER WILHELM H. STARCK

OLSON 25 FOR SALE

NORTH SEA 34 PILOTHOUSE

SCHOCK 35 SAILBOAT

ERICSON 32-3 1985

33 SAILBOAT FOR SALE

PERRY RELIANCE 37

C&C 36 FOR SALE

32' STEEL SAILBOAT FOR SALE

BOATS FOR SALE

$100,000

TRADITIONAL YAWL 1958/2002

Built in Holland and rebuilt in Ballard near Bay’s Auto between 1990-2002, Endeavor is ready to welcome her 5th owners. A sea-kindly strong vessel virtually ready to go cruising this summer and lying in England. More photos may be viewed on ClarkeandCarter.co.uk under Sailing Boats-46 foot. » Contact Candy Masters • svendeavor1958@gmail.com or SVEndeavor1958@gmail.com •$100,000

PARTNERSHIP

PARTNERSHIP IN 34-42 FOOT TRAWLER

Wanted: Experienced mariner Partners for 34-42 ft trawler such as GB36, CHB, Island Gypsy36, etc. Can buy into existing partnership or purchase vessel in price range of $70k-$120k with new partners using LLC.

» Contact (206) 853-8811 • SkiPilot09@msn.com

• $120,000

MOORAGE

LIBERTY BAY MARINA

40’ - 48’ - 60’ open slips. Great location in Poulsbo, WA Restrooms, Showers.

For More Information

360-779-7762 or 360-509-0178

BUSINESS FOR SALE

READY TO LIVE THE DREAM?

Love to sail? Make a great living in the San Juan islands running a fantastic charter business! After 34 years it is time to sell our dream job. We have already done the hard work for you. Dedicated client base, beautiful website, five star reviews. Outstanding modern 55’ sloop with moorage. Great income if you are ready to take the helm of the best job in the world!

islandsailor600@gmail.com

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

RAPTOR DECK - PATTERN/INSTALLERS

Join our fast-paced, fun, team. Candidates should be fit and prepared to work outside alone, and in teams. This job requires good knees, good mobility, and the ability to lift 50 pounds. Patterning tasks include using pens, tape and clear film to duplicate boat decks to a high degree of accuracy. Installation involves light cleaning, prep, and installing sticky-back foam panels with precision. As we work on-site at marinas around the sound, a drivers license is required. When weather is not cooperative, expect to participate in general duties at our shop in Ballard. We believe in our staff, and are motivated to reward those who rock. *

RAPTOR DECK - CAD/DRAFTERS

Join our fast-paced, fun, team. Candidates should be fully fluent in 2D computer drafting. Experience in Rhinoceros software is a plus. General duties include digitizing physical templates and creating perfectly scaled line art in CAD as related to boat decks. Students are welcome, as are folks with a nice balance of basic engineering knowledge, and graphic layout. Competence in Adobe Illustrator, or similar, is welcomed. Expect some general duties around the Ballard shop in addition to the time behind the computer. We believe in our staff, and are motivated to reward those who rock. *

* Pay is competitive, and health insurance is provided for full time employees, starting after a 3 month trial.

MARINE EQUIPMENT

$495

New, never deployed. Canopy size 42” x 48” for 30,000 to 55,000 displacement. Made by Hathaway, Reiser & Raymond Sailmakers/Riggers. If you are heading offshore, this should be in your arsenal. Also used for emergency steering. » Contact Doug • (360) 707-1957 • dougk567@frontier.com • $495

www.raptordeck.com Facebook:

SEASONAL HIRING IS NOW OPEN AT THE NORTHWEST MARITIME

CENTER!

We are hiring for various educator roles to work with youth aged 5 all the way up to adults! Spring and Summer seasons, get out on the water while providing a fun, inclusive, and safe atmosphere for learning. Positions are based out of Port Townsend and Seattle, WA. If you're passionate about what we do and eager to learn more, we'd like to meet you!

» Full descriptions on our website at nwmaritime.org/about/job-opportunities/

MARINE EQUIPMENT

For even more photos and listings check out 48north.com/classifieds

42" GALERIDER STORM DROGUE SURVIVAL SYSTEM

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

VESSEL MOVING

No ocean too big, no trip too small, no ship too large, no mast too tall, sail or power, we move them all!!!

When you are ready, give us a call.

Professional service since 1967.

CappyTom@aol.com • (206) 390- 1596

Full service rig shop serving Puget Sound

Cliff Hennen

(360) 207-5016 • (206) 718-5582

www.evergreenrigging.com

Basic through Advanced Sailing Lessons

Week-long Cruise & Learn lessons

Spinnaker, Intro and Advance Racing Classes

Gill foulweather gear & Dubarry footwear

206-782-5100

www.seattlesailing.com

info@seattlesailing.com

7001 Seaview Ave NW Suite 130 (Shilshole Bay Marina in Port of Seattle Building)

Tethys

Offshore Sailing for Women

Nancy Erley, Instructor 206.789.5118

nancy@tethysoffshore.com

www.tethysoffshore.com

American Sailing Association courses Basic Keelboat 101 through Advanced Coastal 206 Based in Beautiful Anacortes, WA

sailtime.com/location/anacortes/sailing-school info@seattleyachts.com

360-299-0777

Basic through Advanced Sailing Lessons

Week-long Cruise & Learn lessons

Spinnaker, Intro and Advance Racing Classes

Gill foulweather gear & Dubarry footwear 206-782-5100

Fractional Membership makes boating affordable & easy! Your boat is ready when you are!

https://sailtime.com/location/anacortes info@seattleyachts.com

360-299-0777

CROSSWORD SOLUTION

SLOOP TAVERN YACHT CLUB 2442 NW Market St. #94, Seattle, WA 98107

“Established in Ballard since 1976”

$90 Annual Dues - Reciprocal Moorages

High quality sailing at the lowest cost

For more info, visit www.styc.org

RACE TO

Want to become a certified sailing instructor on a brand new boat in one of the most fun sailing towns in the Northwest?

Want to become a certified sailing instructor on a brand new boat in one of the most fun sailing towns in the Northwest?

Want to become a certified sailing instructor on a brand new boat in one of the most fun sailing towns in the Northwest?

Sign up for an ASA Instructor Clinic with us:

Sign up for an ASA Instructor Clinic with us: ASA 201 April 12th-14th

Sign up for an ASA Instructor Clinic with us: ASA 201 April 12th - 14th

ASA 201 April 12th-14th

ASA 203 April 14th-15th

ASA 203 April 14th-15th

ASA 203 April 14th - 15th

ASA 204/218 April 16th

ASA 204/218 April 16th

ASA 205 April 17th

ASA 205 April 17th

ASA 204/218 April 16th

ASA 205 April 17th

sailtime.com/location/anacortes/sailing-school powertimeboating.com/anacortes

sailtime.com/location/anacortes/sailing-school powertimeboating.com/anacortes

Sign up online or call us directly to schedule: 360-299-0777

Sign up online or call us directly to schedule: 360-299-0777

powerboating.com/anacortes

Sign up online or call us directly to schedule 360-299-0777

41’ C&C 41 ’88 ...... $49,500 “SHAMROCK” High-performance sailing and spacious accommodations. Triple-spreader rig. Ready to win regattas or take the family to Catalina.

39’ FREEDOM ’85 $45,000 “ENTROPHY” Free-standing cat ketch rig and carbon fiber spars work well for minimal crew. Sturdy lightweight hull for great performance.

34’ ERICSON 34 MK II ’87 ..................... $39,900

“BOOM BOOM” Highly soughtafter design with 3-cabin interior and very practical cockpit and deck layout. Excellent sailing characteristics.

42’ CATALINA 42 MK II ‘99 $129,000 “ENCORE II” Luxurious cruising accommodations and high performance sailing. Electric winches. Retractable bowsprit.

38’ CUSTOM BLOCK ISLAND BOAT ’60 $29,500 “SCRIMSHAW” Double-ender with good handling qualities. Great for short-handed sailing. Impeccably maintained.

46’ DUNCAN MARINE GARDEN 46 ’73 $79,900 “INFINITY” Classic cruising ketch. A veteran of long-distance cruises. Extensively updated. Rare opportunity!

70’ SANTA CRUZ 70 ’85 $598,000 Turnkey Subchapter T vessel ready for charter business. Obtain a swift sailing passengersfor-hire boat!

YACHTS FROM SWIFTSUREYACHTS.COM

The Gorbon 53 pilothouse is an ideal Paci c Northwest cruising platform. Her unique cockpit design is protected by a robust bimini and features twin helms with excellent visibility. Sailing is a breeze with the self-tacking jib and the LeisureFurl mainsail with all lines running aft to the cockpit leading to six Harken self-tailing electric winches. Wrap-around seating aft of the helm stations is perfect for ten or more guests to relax at anchor or while enjoying all the fun of the adventure. When the weather turns, the crew can retire to the deck level main salon. From there, an elevated captain’s chair provides comfort while controlling the engine via joystick and electronic throttle. Pilothouse windows, complete with windshield wipers, allow for terri c views. Just three steps down from the salon, the galley has an open, airy feel with space to prepare meals. Indeed, entertaining on the Gorbon 53 is a pleasure all around and timelines are easily met thanks to the 220hp Yanmar engine. Cruising to Alaska and beyond will be a dream on this yacht.

$289,000

– MOLLY HOWE, SWIFTSURE YACHTS