New Storm Jib from Carol Hasse/Port Townsend Sails

I'm like a kid on Christmas Day with the receipt of our new storm jib from Carol Hasse and Port Townsend Sails.

It is a work of art and my experience with her loft has been top notch.

From the beginning of my contact with her business I have been treated as a valued customer and kept well informed of where things stand. I wish I could say this about all the sailing businesses I have used. When I sent them an email, I got a full response within a day. When I called, they spent time talking to me like they had nothing better to do. When Carol came to Friday Harbor to do a boat inspection, she was not only the diva of boat knowledge I expected, but warm and friendly, even to a relative novice like me. No attitude.

I say all this because when I am paying good money, and their sails are not cheap, you expect this kind of service, in addition to a superior product. Carol delivers both.

Look at some of these pictures and note the craftsmanship. I have a new mainsail by North, and a genoa by a now defunct Portland sailmaker. Neither begins to compare in quality.

We decided to go with Carol for our storm jib because when you need that sail, you really need that sail to not fail. Being a smaller sail, the cost differential was also not as great when compared with the corporate lofts. If we had more piles of cash, we would have had her make our new mainsail too, but her work is about double the cost of the big lofts who get their stuff made in Asia and shipped back.

The tack, clew and head are just beautiful. The hanks are sewn on with elegant line work. Note the hollow leech to minimize flapping. See also the triple rows of stitching between panels. The eyes at the corners are held on somehow with a woven roving that goes around an eye with a groove and feels bomb proof, and not a pressed in eye as on our main. I don't even know enough to point out all the details, but know outstanding quality when I see it. Like being able to appreciate the elegance of Porsche, without a clue how to make one.

Can't wait to fly this sail. It will be flown off our solent stay whenever we finally get that installed. Am waiting for parts from Brion Toss to complete the installation myself.

I can't speak highly enough of my customer experience and the quality of the work I received from Carol and her crew at Port Townsend Sails. We are fortunate to have her perpetuating these amazing skills.

To Stuart Island with friends

We ventured off after dinner on a Thursday night headed for our favorite stomping grounds in Reid Harbor, Stuart Island. From experience we know it is a two hour motor from our slip in Friday Harbor to anchor in Reid Harbor, and wishing to arrive before it was too dark, we left at 7:30. There was no wind to speak of and so we motored up San Juan Channel, but for a change of pace, we went up Spieden Channel to the west of Spieden rather than through the Cactus Islands east.

As always, this trip, even motoring, is magnificent. Spieden is a real jewel and the waters around it teem with life. We arrived at Reid during an amazing sunset and decided to use the state park dock for the first time since we were meeting colleagues from the San Juan Preservation Trust there the next day to do a hike with members of our organization.

It is strange to be on a dock, and a little unsettling, compared to the freedom and safety of being at anchor.

The next day we had the morning free and so I went for a run around the state park trails while the boys climbed trees and tossed rocks. There is nothing more satisfying to me as a parent than seeing my boys run wild and free around a natural area, creating games and being adventurous. This gave Amy some nice time to herself.

Folks arrived a little later on and we went for our hike up to a spectacular spot on Stuart that is not accessible to the public. The land is privately owned and we had special permission due to our work with landowners in the area for conservation easements and other preserves we own outright. The day was glorious and the views out of this world.

After a long, rugged and invigorating hike, we were back to Reid Harbor and saying goodbye to everyone who had to head home. We were staying another night. Our friends Kathleen and Chad and their son Evan were coming back to join us and before too long they had dropped folks off at Roche Harbor and come back with goodies. They have a very cute power boat named "Scout" that takes them wherever they want to go in style. It is just big enough for the three of them but can still be put on a trailer easily.

We had a fantastic night with great food and roasting smores. The boys were boys and had the run of the place pretty much. Elliott is quite good at rowing now and so is trusted to go just about anywhere. In the morning the boys went off to the other side of the isthmus, completely out of sight and sound. This made Kathleen and Chad a little nervous about Evan, but Elliott is a good big brother to any little kid and though he is only 8, he is quite responsible. They came back happy and healthy.

We wrestled with whether to hike out to the lighthouse as we love to do, or to take the day to sail down the west side of San Juan and up through Cattle Pass. We decided to sail, as there seemed to be good wind, but when we got out to Henry Island what little wind there was blew right onto our nose. We still enjoyed a great trip along Henry and down San Juan past Lime Kiln and False Bay. Right on time, as we turned into Cattle Pass to head home, the wind came up and we got to broad reach all the way home at good speed. There was a steady 10 with occasional gusts to 15, and that was enough to keep us above 5 knots SOG.

Home safe and sound after another incredible trip aboard Aeolus.

BC Ferries are so far better than WSF!!!

One picture says it all. BC Ferries are so, so much nicer than our lame Washington State Ferries that it is a laughable comparison. Theirs are new and well maintained, and ours are literally antiques and rusty buckets. We have great staff on our boats, but the boats themselves are pathetic. Look at this ferry that even without the Olympics would be glorious. Oh well, we Americans get to give more money to Colombia for "Drug interdiction".

Memorial Day trip to Salt Spring Island and environs

We're just back from a much needed voyage to Salt Spring Island for a get away. Between boat projects and some health issues, we had been stuck at the dock for too much recently and we are not happy campers without some real adventure in our regular diet. So off with the lines and despite lingering excuses not to go, we set forth upon the seas and cast our lot with the wind. We had never sailed into Ganges Harbor and knew from visits by land that it would be fun and beautiful. Sure enough.

We left at the start of the flood but once again were disappointed by the lack of help going north. There are so many eddies and funny currents that you really need a good current chart or deep perosnal experience to play them expertly. We did alright, and motored into a headwind all the way to Bedwell Harbor, South Pender Island to clear Canadian customs. This tanker is typical of the traffic you cross in Boundary Pass going over the border. No sooner had we tied up at Bedwell than Owen starts to pee as I took a picture. It wasn't planned that way! As always, clearing customs was quick, polite and simple. God I love Canada. The resort there at Poet's Cove imported some mega million tons of white sand for the beach and they let low life sailing scum like us enjoy it without a suit and tie. It was nice to stretch the legs. It is about 2.5 hours from FH to Bedwell on Aeolus.

From there we shot off to Ganges for the night and dropped anchor at about 7pm. There is tons of room to anchor and despite many mooring balls near to town, there is still room to swing among them. Despite the hour, we jumped into the dinghy and rowed to shore for a little terrestrial exploration.

I have to add that the weather has been extraordinary for days and days, and this night was also sublime. As close to a warm summer night as we ever get around here. There is a Rotary sponsored dinghy dock downtown at Ganges and above it is a park and the main market. Perfect. We met some acquaintances from Friday Harbor there who have two girls the same ages as our boys and that was the evening. The kids ran and frolicked while the parents did the "Damn I like BC and it is so much nicer and better than Washington and I've got half a mind to find work here..." talk. It always happens. All the quality of life and more that we have in the States, plus universal health care and no national tendency toward militaristic fascism. Oh well.

The next day we went over for brunch and happened upon the Salt Spring Inn. On the way I got this picture of Elliott in front of the mermaid at the Rotary dinghy dock. He called her the "freaky lady". I can't recommend this restaurant highly enough. We had great meals, really friendly service, cheap prices and a nice atmosphere. The food was very high quality, not cheap. Fresh. Meals were like $6 Canadian, and would have easily been $10 in Friday Harbor and been half as good with bad service. Yet another reason to like BC is that even their tourist towns are nicer than ours. Amy, tea lover, was pleased that her tea came with a clever little tea pot. The British in British Columbia makes her very happy to have tea in BC. Yet another reason to like it here. I tell you, the list goes on.

Anyway, we had a great morning and then left Ganges for a tremendous sail toward our next stop at Portland Island. While Amy and Owen slept, I raised sail and had a rare opportunity for a long sail with many tacks. The wind, as always, was on the nose, but at least there was wind. We had probably 10-15 knots, and with full sail that moved us along at about 5 knots close hauled. I was so very happy to sail those three or so miles tacking back and forth on this exquisitely beautiful day. We were not alone. At one point I counted 22 other sailboats within sight of our position with sails up.

The highlight of the sail was needing to navigate around some closely spaced islands under sail and against a strong current. On one tack I was able to skim past a rocky headland with maybe a few boat lengths to spare, while heeled over and loving every second. Beautiful day, beautiful sandstone islands. Truly incredible experiences. On the approach to Portland Island Elliott jumped into the dinghy we were towing behind and enjoyed a nice roller coaster ride.

Portland Island was all she always is. We anchored in Royal Cove and immediately jumped into the dinghy to go to nearby Arbutus Point to our favorite beach. This soft sandy beach is our favorite beach anywhere in the Salish Sea. It is just so friendly and beautiful and interesting and quiet. You can swim and play in the soft sand, and the uplands have great trails and forest.

Today was a very low tide, and we caught the end of the ebb south after a morning walk to Princess Cover on Portland. We left Royal Cove at 11:30 and arrived at Friday Harbor at 3pm having motored the whole time. Once again, the wind was on the nose and we did not have time to sail those tacks home. The currents near the south side of Spieden were once again incredible. We knew from experience that despite the strengthening flood, there would be an eddy here that we could ride and sure enough, we did 8 knots for quite a while. Nowhere else in the San Juans has quite the tumultuous current that the Cactus Islands behind Spieden possess. Just crazy water that never seems to stop.

A perfect trip and we needed and enjoyed every second of it. The boys were great and had a blast and Amy and I nourished our spirits.

New hatch finished!

I'm happy to report that my new Lewmar Ocean 70 hatch is finally installed and done. Replacing the sliding bow hatch that came on the Gulf 32 was a necessary project due to its age and design. I liked many aspects of the sliding hatch, but it was not a great design for offshore use as the drains were easily overwhelmed.

Anyway, the new hatch is on and looks great. It is anchored securely and I used butyl rubber as the sealant. It passed a high intensity hose test at all the seams and edges. My epoxy job around the existing coaming did the trick and provided the necessary width to accomodate the slightly larger hatch. I need to touch up a little paint and clean up some old caulk and dirt from the old hatch, but otherwise she's complete.

Another thing off the list...

New bow hatch coming along

I've finished all the epoxy work for my new bow hatch and am now finalizing the priming and painting. This job won't be too pretty up close, but from normal distances she'll be just fine. I used an epoxy prime coat as a fairing agent and topped with Brightside. Next, I can mount the darn thing and call this project done.

I used epoxy to build up the sides, with rope to provide strength and fill. I only needed about 1/8 inch on all sides to fit the hatch, but this will give some more strength and rigidity to the area.

Gulf 32 "Jester" passes through

Yet another Gulf 32 passed through Friday Harbor this weekend. I was on Aeolus working on my bow hatch when two guys walk by and comment on my boat. They said they had a friend with a Gulf and sure enough, they had just pulled in to Port together. "Jester" is a somewhat unnamed Gulf that has apparently gone through several name variations without one sticking. The current owner, Jake, has not quite settled on a name yet, but his friends call her "Jester" because that is the name on one of the cushions.

In any case, she is a beautiful Gulf 32 and Jake does a remarkable job of keeping her shiny. She is the first Gulf I have ever seen that has a polished stemhead fitting. The fitting is brass, and corrodes instantly in rain, and yet he keeps his shiny by constant attention. Amazing. He also has his ancient gelcoat looking like new, and does the hard work to keep it that way. She is an older Gulf too, like "Merry Me" that passed through last week. It's pretty amazing how many changes they made in their layout and details between his 82 and my 88. Too many to list.

Jake is off to explore Jones and Stuart Islands, world class destinations, and have a grand time cruising around for a bit. I'm happy for him, and glad to have seen his Gulf. I learned a lot that will be of use to me on Aeolus.

One thing I'll mention is that he installed a flat screen TV in a way that lets him see it from the main salon and Vberth. It is a Sharp Aquos, and he got it because it has an external transformer, which he cut off and runs directly off his 12V system. Awesome. And, he has a CD/DVD car stereo for music and movies. How great is that?
Jake was a great guy and I appreciated his willingness to share his boat ideas. Yet another Gulf 32 here in the NW.