A few days ago I could not reach Vessel Traffic to alert them of my position in the Strait of Juan De Fuca, while about to cross a shipping lane in dense fog. Because of that and my general unease in fog, I turned back to an anchorage for the second time that day. I probably would have been fine going ahead since I have radar and AIS but I just did not feel comfortable. I could only see 200 feet. Not only are there freighters out there but tow boats with 200 meter tows, power boats and even submarines. Perhaps in a few years that sort of crossing will be in my comfort range.
I called Vessel Traffic today and found out they monitor channel 5 A in the Strait. This is why I could not reach them on 14 A which only picks up south of Bush Point. 5a is also the channel they use for the San Juan Islands. 14 A is for Puget Sound.
They confirmed that they do want sailboats to call them in dense fog so they can make deep drafts (freighters) aware a sailboat is crossing a shipping lane in low visibility.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Crossing the Strait of Juan De Fuca and Fog
We left Friday Harbor in the fog at around 7am. Because I have a chart plotter, radar and AIS we decided to poke our noses out a bit further to see if the weather was clearer a bit out of Friday Harbor's Bay. We hoped the fog would burn off shortly. The fog did not lift but we continued towards Cattle Pass to hit it at slack. Arriving at Cattle Pass we were still in deep fog but with all the electronics I felt good enough to continue into the Strait. I could track the other vessels that were moving on radar. There was no AIS signal indicating commercial traffic aiming at us from any direction. Being at Cattle Pass at slack meant we had very little current so Cupcake was not getting pushed around. We hoped this was radiation fog (our best guess) and the wind in the Strait would clear it if the sun didn't. My first trip through the infamous Cattle Pass was in dense fog!
As we entered The Strait it was still like pea soup. We blew our horn every 2 minutes. Our visibility was about 200 feet, which we could tell on radar when little speed boats or sail boats made their eerie appearance after watching them approach on radar.
I decided to turn back because I did not feel safe in the Strait with commercial traffic. We had to motor into MacKaye Harbor on the South Tip of Lopez Island. Many a sailor has done the same waiting for the conditions in the Strait to improve. My crew would have continued on their own boat but as skipper it was my call. They were happy with my decision, even if it would not have been their own. They have more experience in fog than I have. I felt a bit bad to put off our timing since they came just to help me cross the Strait.
MacKaye Harbor where we dropped an anchor cleared of fog about an hour later and we tried to cross the Strait again. Sadly, it was much worse in Strait than the anchorage we had left: Frontal fog? Inversion fog? Advection fog? So many types of fog.... whatever it was, it was dense. I tried to call Vessel Traffic to alert them of our position as we approached the first shipping lane but they did not respond. Because vessel traffic did not respond, once again, as skipper, I made the call to turn back to MacKaye Harbor. I was trusting my instrumentation completely because our eyes were just about useless.
Around 3pm the fog cleared and we left yet again. We were all glad to have waited. Once we reached Port Townsend we met several boaters that had made the trip in the dense fog with no radar.
I guess it's just like driving a car. I don't want to drive fast in dense fog in a car and I personally don't want to be in the Strait in those conditions either. One way is not right or wrong. If any sail boat was going to travel safely in dense fog it would probably be Cupcake, since she has a chart plotter, radar and AIS. I was taught in sailing classes to alert Vessel Traffic if I was in dense fog near a shipping lane. I was taught that they want to know where all boats are in low visibility in the shipping lanes. So this will be a subject for me to learn about a bit more. Wondering why we could not contact them.
As it was, by turning back several times, our trip was much less stressful. My crew respected my decisions even though they might have made different ones themselves.
As we entered The Strait it was still like pea soup. We blew our horn every 2 minutes. Our visibility was about 200 feet, which we could tell on radar when little speed boats or sail boats made their eerie appearance after watching them approach on radar.
I decided to turn back because I did not feel safe in the Strait with commercial traffic. We had to motor into MacKaye Harbor on the South Tip of Lopez Island. Many a sailor has done the same waiting for the conditions in the Strait to improve. My crew would have continued on their own boat but as skipper it was my call. They were happy with my decision, even if it would not have been their own. They have more experience in fog than I have. I felt a bit bad to put off our timing since they came just to help me cross the Strait.
MacKaye Harbor where we dropped an anchor cleared of fog about an hour later and we tried to cross the Strait again. Sadly, it was much worse in Strait than the anchorage we had left: Frontal fog? Inversion fog? Advection fog? So many types of fog.... whatever it was, it was dense. I tried to call Vessel Traffic to alert them of our position as we approached the first shipping lane but they did not respond. Because vessel traffic did not respond, once again, as skipper, I made the call to turn back to MacKaye Harbor. I was trusting my instrumentation completely because our eyes were just about useless.
Around 3pm the fog cleared and we left yet again. We were all glad to have waited. Once we reached Port Townsend we met several boaters that had made the trip in the dense fog with no radar.
I guess it's just like driving a car. I don't want to drive fast in dense fog in a car and I personally don't want to be in the Strait in those conditions either. One way is not right or wrong. If any sail boat was going to travel safely in dense fog it would probably be Cupcake, since she has a chart plotter, radar and AIS. I was taught in sailing classes to alert Vessel Traffic if I was in dense fog near a shipping lane. I was taught that they want to know where all boats are in low visibility in the shipping lanes. So this will be a subject for me to learn about a bit more. Wondering why we could not contact them.
As it was, by turning back several times, our trip was much less stressful. My crew respected my decisions even though they might have made different ones themselves.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Heading Home via the Strait of Juan De Fuca
In Friday Harbor for a few days where I found out it's easy to get winter moorage. Could be a fun place to call home for one winter season.
Planned the trip home. I want to motor as little as possible so I am going to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca rather than taking the safer route on the East side of Whidbey Island. Usually I go the easier route. For bigger boats it's not such a big deal to cross the strait. It's a bit intimating for me to do alone so two friends are coming up to make the 22 mile passage across the strait with me. You want to get in and out of the Strait of Juan De Fuca as fast as possible so we decided to go on Sunday when the forecast is for a westerly wind. This westerly will hopefully save us from having to tack very often. Leaving Friday Harbor at 6am we should have no more than 2 knots of ebb in Cattle Pass (where standing square waves can reach 10' when wind opposes current). With a westerly wind and a 2 knot ebbing current Cattle Pass should not be too exciting. It will be my first time through. I've done Deception Pass several times and never had a problem so this shouldn't be too scary. It will be good to get another pass under my belt.
After transiting Cattle Pass we'll head for Admiralty Inlet via the west side of Smith Island. By the time we reach Admiralty Inlet about 6 hours later (an optimistic plan since we want to sail) the flood into Puget Sound will start and we'll get a push. If we make it there by 2pm we'll keep going to Edmunds. If we don't get there until later we'll stop in Port Townsend for the night. We hope to reach the middle of the Strait of Juan de Fuca right around slack so we are pushed down from the San Juan Islands on an ebb and into Puget Sound on a flood.
Fog will be only one issue that will force us into plan B where we will transit Deception Pass and then have to motor in the lighter winds East of Whidbey Island.
It's a big day for me tomorrow so I am busy cooking meals and getting ready for my crew. Glad to have such nice friends to rely on when doing a crossing like the Strait.
Looks like it will be a piece of cake from the current and weather reports.
Planned the trip home. I want to motor as little as possible so I am going to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca rather than taking the safer route on the East side of Whidbey Island. Usually I go the easier route. For bigger boats it's not such a big deal to cross the strait. It's a bit intimating for me to do alone so two friends are coming up to make the 22 mile passage across the strait with me. You want to get in and out of the Strait of Juan De Fuca as fast as possible so we decided to go on Sunday when the forecast is for a westerly wind. This westerly will hopefully save us from having to tack very often. Leaving Friday Harbor at 6am we should have no more than 2 knots of ebb in Cattle Pass (where standing square waves can reach 10' when wind opposes current). With a westerly wind and a 2 knot ebbing current Cattle Pass should not be too exciting. It will be my first time through. I've done Deception Pass several times and never had a problem so this shouldn't be too scary. It will be good to get another pass under my belt.
After transiting Cattle Pass we'll head for Admiralty Inlet via the west side of Smith Island. By the time we reach Admiralty Inlet about 6 hours later (an optimistic plan since we want to sail) the flood into Puget Sound will start and we'll get a push. If we make it there by 2pm we'll keep going to Edmunds. If we don't get there until later we'll stop in Port Townsend for the night. We hope to reach the middle of the Strait of Juan de Fuca right around slack so we are pushed down from the San Juan Islands on an ebb and into Puget Sound on a flood.
Fog will be only one issue that will force us into plan B where we will transit Deception Pass and then have to motor in the lighter winds East of Whidbey Island.
It's a big day for me tomorrow so I am busy cooking meals and getting ready for my crew. Glad to have such nice friends to rely on when doing a crossing like the Strait.
Looks like it will be a piece of cake from the current and weather reports.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Summering In Maple Bay while waiting for repairs
Day 13 in Maple Bay, waiting for repairs on Cupcake, My Catalina 28 (2007).
While waiting for my ZF10M Hurth Transmission and the Drive Plate (Westerbeke part 044624) to be repaired I am seeing a bit of the surrounding area near Maple Bay.
I feel good about the companies involved so far and feel they are doing the moral thing (see previous posts).
Maple Bay, while lovely, has no grocery store and the closest bus is over a mile away. The closest town is Duncan. Duncan is a pretty authentic looking town and has some cute parts I hope to be able to walk around and explore. So far other boaters are giving me rides to town for groceries. It's been amazing to have so many other boaters help me out. A few days ago I was taken to Lake Cowichan on the South Shore for a swim. There my fellow boater and I were picked up by his friends for a raft up. The boat we were picked up in can go well over 100 miles an hour. After the raft up we went to a house boat on Lake Cowichan, where we had a potluck with other boaters, all of whom knew each other since childhood. We had venison (a bit too fresh for this city girl) paired with their own garden fresh veggies and herbs. This was an amazing group of life long friends. Being a bit shy I was surprised how comfortable I felt with them. Well after dark we returned to Maple Bay.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
ZF10M Hurth Transmission and Westerbeke Part 044624
Day 10 at Maple Bay... broken down. Patience is not my middle name but I completely understand the need to figure out what is going on.
The pic above is of the "drive plate"?. The female part of the Westerbeke engine that the tranny fits into. The Cullen's mechanic that ZF Hurth sent down to the boat found the teeth worn on the female side of the engine. They are working on figuring out why my third tranny is having problems.
So far they have found nothing wrong other than the "drive plate?" and the transmissions.
The alignment has been checked (by two different companies) that Westerbeke and ZF Hurth sent down to the boat.
The RPM's have been checked by a company Westerbeke called in.
The cutlass bearing has been checked (a third company that I used to replace her zinc).
I confirmed the PSS dripless shaft was compressed the correct amount by phone with their Seattle office.
I have had all the proper engine maintenance work done on her 675 hour Westerbeke Universal 25.
Hope any other ideas of things to check will be investigated. I believe that is the plan that Hurth and Westerbeke are following. The worst thing would be to have this happen again... perhaps in a dangerous place on the water. Glad everyone is working together to sort this out and make sure I am safe. The companies involved all have excellent reputations. Cupcake's official warranty was up 2/2007 but I believe all the companies involved are going stand behind their products. I am the only owner of the boat and I bought her new in February 2007.
I feel good about the involvement of all the companies to date.
Catalina Yachts is also working to help me.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Good Things Take Time
Westerbeke, ZF Hurth Transmissions and Catalina Yachts are working together to figure out why I keep going through transmissions and having failures on my 2007 Catalina 28. This is my third transmission with problems in about 650 hours of engine time. ZF Hurth and Westerbeke are standing behind their product. They are covering this work although the boat is technically out of warranty since 2/2009.
Hurth Transmissions is sending someone from Nanaimo to remove the tranny, then they will ship it to Seattle where ZF Hurth will take a look. ZF Hurth told me they will either fix it and ship it back or send a new one. They understand I have been broken down for seven days already and are going to help me as quickly as possible. I am so glad they are doing the moral thing and taking the high road.
Westerbeke, the company that puts these Hurth transmissions in, said they are going to figure out why this keeps happening ( this is my third transmission). This seems a slow but wise approach to me. The worst thing would be to have this happen again in 6 months.
Bonnie Rieser
Cupcake My Catalina 28
Hurth Transmissions is sending someone from Nanaimo to remove the tranny, then they will ship it to Seattle where ZF Hurth will take a look. ZF Hurth told me they will either fix it and ship it back or send a new one. They understand I have been broken down for seven days already and are going to help me as quickly as possible. I am so glad they are doing the moral thing and taking the high road.
Westerbeke, the company that puts these Hurth transmissions in, said they are going to figure out why this keeps happening ( this is my third transmission). This seems a slow but wise approach to me. The worst thing would be to have this happen again in 6 months.
Bonnie Rieser
Cupcake My Catalina 28
Becoming an Island Girl
Yesterday the chief officer for a BC Ferry gave me a ride on his little power boat to Vesuvius on Salt Spring Island where he commutes to work. His boat is moored near the Yacht repair facility where I am broken down.
He took me to the ferry station in Vesuvius and then went to work for the day taking the ferry from Vesuvius to Crofton. The bus from Vesuvius to Ganges wasn't coming for a couple of hours so I called the number for a cab posted in the phone booth at the ferry station. "Randy" the one and only cab driver said he was busy for an hour and if I didn't want to wait I should hitchhike. It was the kind of thing where it made sense in the moment. So I ran up to a woman getting in her car and asked her for a ride. She said "I didn't look too scruffy so okay, hop in". I told her "I hoped I didn't look scruffy at all". She said the hippies on the Island hitchhike all the time. She said she would also hitchhike on Ganges if she needed a ride. Everyone agrees the Island is completely safe. People tell me I am becoming an Island girl.
The owner of a specialty food shop where I often stop for sushi offered to drive me back to Vesuvius to meet the ferry Captain at 9:45pm -- so I accepted that kind offer as well. The ferry captain took me right back to my boat with about 20lbs of groceries.
I've been handed from stranger to stranger while broken down and so far it's working out great.
Friends from the Power Squadron in Seattle hooked me up the the Navy Yacht Club that was visiting Maple Bay so I had company that evening. I was invited to join a couple from the Navy Yacht Club on their boat up to Nanaimo. Although I didn't take them up on it I was stunned by the generosity.
He took me to the ferry station in Vesuvius and then went to work for the day taking the ferry from Vesuvius to Crofton. The bus from Vesuvius to Ganges wasn't coming for a couple of hours so I called the number for a cab posted in the phone booth at the ferry station. "Randy" the one and only cab driver said he was busy for an hour and if I didn't want to wait I should hitchhike. It was the kind of thing where it made sense in the moment. So I ran up to a woman getting in her car and asked her for a ride. She said "I didn't look too scruffy so okay, hop in". I told her "I hoped I didn't look scruffy at all". She said the hippies on the Island hitchhike all the time. She said she would also hitchhike on Ganges if she needed a ride. Everyone agrees the Island is completely safe. People tell me I am becoming an Island girl.
The owner of a specialty food shop where I often stop for sushi offered to drive me back to Vesuvius to meet the ferry Captain at 9:45pm -- so I accepted that kind offer as well. The ferry captain took me right back to my boat with about 20lbs of groceries.
I've been handed from stranger to stranger while broken down and so far it's working out great.
Friends from the Power Squadron in Seattle hooked me up the the Navy Yacht Club that was visiting Maple Bay so I had company that evening. I was invited to join a couple from the Navy Yacht Club on their boat up to Nanaimo. Although I didn't take them up on it I was stunned by the generosity.
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