Cupcake my Catalina 28 MkII sailboat

Fortress Anchor Attachment

2012-01-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

The Fortress hangs from it's mudguard in a small attachment made for a range of anchors on the bow. I added chafe protection made of rubber on the end of the shaft and also white webbing chafe protection that has velcro to secure it. The end of the shaft and the chain is attached at with velcro ties so it doesn't move around at all. You can see some line led through the bow roller in this picture below but that is for a spare anchor, not the Fortress.

Cupcake Enclosure (snowy day again). Jason Iverson Dodger

2012-01-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

Door to enclosure is not zipped up in this pic so it's loose.

Cupcakes 365 Days Out Birthday - Fortress holds in 20 knot gusts

2012-01-16T13:07:00.000-08:00

Cupcake has now been out over 365 days, which took just under 5 years to accomplish. This does not count fuel dock trips. These are days where she went somewhere outside the marina.

Fortress has not drug yet:
For her 365 day out I took her back to Lopez and anchored in the same spot where the Rocna had drug in gusting winds. Setting the Fortress takes more time than the Rocna. I slid back over 2 boat lengths while the Fortress drug through the mud before it set. I had out 7 to 1 and left it at that for the first night. I did slowly bring the engine up to 3000rpm to make sure it was set well. I used to only go to 2000RPM out of fear of ripping the anchor out... but now I believe going very slowly to 3000rpm is a safe a good test and it power sets the anchor. The greatest depth at high tide was 20 and I added 5 for the boat (to bow roller) for a total of 25 feet. I had out 120 of chain (90lbs) and about 55' of rode. I The second night we had little white caps flying by so I put down her two kettle balls. She danced all over the place making a 360 degree circle but she did not drag. So far with the Fortress she has not UN Set herself as she dances around. The Fortress folk say not to count on it, all anchors can UnSet themselves as the current switches but so far so good. I feel much safer on my new Fortress. I like that it is one size up. It's still easy to lift onto it's little clamp that I hang off the bow. I'll take a pic and post it here soon. I take the anchor chain and wrap it in webbing that has velcro on it (chafe protection) and then use different velcro straps to attach it to the bow pulpit. So it hangs off a little hook by it's mudguard and the bottom of the anchor is wrapped and then tied to the bottom of the bow pulpit. I will post more pics here of that too.

Blind Bay last Sat.

2012-01-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

Anchored in the very protected Blind Bay and rowed the dingy to the little grocery/gneral store next to the ferry landing. It is very charming. This place used to be run by nuns.
I've heard this is the only store on the Island. In the winter the only ferry that stops at Shaw is the International one.

Through Cattle Pass heading to Deception Pass- solo

2012-01-06T09:15:00.001-08:00

Rougher than expected in Cattle Pass. Big waves the whole way on my nose. Current larger than predicted. I expected.6 but had 2 knots at 9 am. Slack was at 9:30. Opposing wind of just 11 it's really kicked it up in there.now that I'm out it's pretty mellow out here in the Strait.

Friday Harbor to Deception Pass Solo

2012-01-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

Taking Cupcake solo to Deception Pass. Plan to exit Cattle Pass around 9am sail the Strait of Juan De Fuca and be through Deception Pass by 1pm when it turns slack. Meeting up with my new BF at Deception Pass. He is delivering a boat from Everett to Friday Harbor.

Cupcake has almost been out 1 full year of sailing days. Tomorrow will be trip 362 and my 112th solo day.

Thanks to all the wonderful people who have helped me along the way.

L

Gale Winds in San Juan Channel

2012-01-02T17:15:00.000-08:00

You know how the forecasted Gales never show up? Well today the weatherman was right. We clocked 33 knots downwind (apparent).

This is by far the most wind Cupcake has ever sailed in. Glad we were going downwind.

PZZ133-030500-
 NORTHERN INLAND WATERS INCLUDING THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS-
 300 PM PST MON JAN 2 2012
 
 ...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING...
 ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM
 PST TUESDAY...
 ...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM TUESDAY TO 4 PM PST
 WEDNESDAY...
..S WIND 25 TO 35 KT...EASING TO 15 TO 25 KT AFTER 
 MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 3 TO 6 FT. A CHANCE OF RAIN.

We had left the anchorage at high tide around 11am in fairly calm weather. We took time to anchor up again outside Fisherman's Bay collect rocks and walk on the beach. Around noon the winds started picking up so we returned to the boat and started home. It's only a couple of miles from Lopez to Friday Harbor. Outside the Lee of Lopez the white caps were short and choppy thanks to wind vs current which was now ebbing.

With Dean onboard and Cupcake's Iverson Full Enclosure it was a cake-walk. We were sailing about 4 to 5 knots downwind with 2 knots of current against us. We were using just a tiny bit of the jib and no mainsail (of course). We preset the genoa's furling line so only a bit could come out and it could not roll out uncontrolled. We started wtih just a couple of feet out and then let out a bit more.

I got to practice steering in a following sea. It's such a difference having experienced crew onboard. Way less stressful even though I am taking on much bigger challenges.

We sat in the back fully enclosed cockpit and despite the weather it was still comfy enough for cheese and crackers.

The New Fortress for my Catalina 28

2012-01-02T16:58:00.000-08:00

Clip from Fortress Web Site

"Boat size recommendations are for boats of average windage and proportions in 30 knots of wind, average bottom conditions, and moderate protection from open seas. Remember that the loads in 42 knots of wind are twice as much as in 30 knots"

Cupcake now has the Fortress 16 which is sized one up from Fortress's recommendation. It weighs just 10 pounds (12 lbs less then her Rocna) yet is made for a boat 33' to 38' long.

The Fortress is digging in like crazy and the three nights I have anchored on her I have not dragged. I'm using 120 feet of 1/4' HT chain. and a bit of line giving me 5 to 1 at the deepest tide (averaging 12').

The chart shows how holding power drops dramatically in soft mud. The have a soft mud setting on their anchors to improve that.

So far so Good!

The Fortress Anchor/ Lopez Island's Fisherman Bay . New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T17:58:00.000-08:00

Tried out the new Fortress today. Anchored in 10 feet with a ten foot tide and 5 for the boat for a total of 25'. Put out 120' of chain and 5' of line since the winds should be light.
Roughly 5/1 at high tide.

The Fortress took a bit longer to set than the Rocna.
With 120' out we did a mini set
Then slowly raised the throttle to 2000rpm and let it dig in for a couple of minutes
Then briefly ran up to 3000 rpm for a power set.

This is a new technique for me. I used to stop at 2000rpm out of fear of yanking the little
anchors out. By raising rpm slowly the anchor hopefully digs in deeper without yanking it loose.

Light winds so we didn't drop the kettle balls.

Excited to try the fortress in same exact place the Rocna dragged.

New Hobbies: Foraging for mushrooms and Pickling Seaweed

2011-12-28T12:32:00.000-08:00

Dean brought these mushrooms he collected on Oregon's coast.

We made the spore print above of a mushroom from Soucia Island (not edible).

Next we are going to experiment with pickled seaweed.

Back to Friday Harbor from Soucia in San Juans

2011-12-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

Trip to Friday Harbor from Soucia was uneventful - happily. Seas were pretty calm. The promised gale never materialized. Her Xmas adventure was a blast, in part enhanced by breaking a mooring ball loop before chafing the amsteel mooring line. Of course, had we not gotten the boat's anchor set before hitting the land it would not have been such a fun adventure. Glad Dean saw the warning signs ( wind veering) and was up on deck ready for anything. He hates mooring balls and now I'm not quite as trustful of them.

Cupcake my Catalina 28 / Soucia to Jones or Friday Harbor

2011-12-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

No problems with her anchor last night, all scope was out (260 feet with 120 of them chain) and 2 kettle balls down. The winds kept her in place all night. If the anchor had dragged we would have either tried going closer to the long Islands at Soucia or anchored between them with a bow and stern anchor out. We had her spare anchor ready to deploy. This morning the gale warnings were still in effect but the whole week looks bad so we took the weather window in the am and checked out Presidents Channel. We have positive current till 1pm but it will be wind vs current so if it's bad well turn around and anchor again.

Presidents Channel
T wind 22knots at the mast too but it's pretty calm at sea level. We are heading to the lee side of Orcas where the fetch will be small and well have shelter from any SE winds. If the weather gets worse well stop at Jones.

Cupcake goes to Echo Bay and readies for another storm

2011-12-26T13:53:00.000-08:00

Winds are forecast for small craft and later a gale so we left Shallow Bay and came to the back of Echo Bay on Soucia, tucked behind two small Islands. Dean said there would be little fetch even if winds come from SE back here. We are on the Rocna with all 260' of scope out(120' chain) with a new oversized fortress anchor (that Dean gave Cupcake for Xmas) ready to deploy should we need it. Dean does not like using two anchors at once. We have the 2 kettle balls down. Dean has cruised all over Alaska for 5 years on his Pearson 42 so I am deferring to his judgment. Nice to be confident to do more on Cupcake now that I'm not alone and trust my crew to keep Cupcake safe as her adventures increase.

Just finished cooking the four Xmas crabs Dean caught yesterday in the Cupcake size trap. Yum.

Cupcake's Christmas Adventure in Shallow Bay (or how to break a mooring ball)

2011-12-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

On mooring ball before the ring snapped

Took Cupcake to Soucia Island's Shallow Bay (protected from SouthEast winds that were forecast) and grabbed a mooring ball with my 1/2 inch amsteel line. I had covered the amsteel with chafe protection. We made sure the mooring ball wouldn't drag just like you would test an anchor. Christmas day the winds picked up and swung to the west- the highest we caught on the instruments was 43 knots or about 50 miles an hour. The dingy flipped over and it was too rough in the anchorage to try and turn it right side up. My friend Dean (who Santa brought me for Xmas) sat outside to keep an eye on things once the wind shift happened. He turned on Cupcakes motor (in neutral) to make sure she was happy. Once she was warmed up and he was confident she would start if all hell broke loose he turned her off. Then all hell broke loose. I heard a pop. Dean said we were loose. I grabbed my life jacket and ran to the bow. We were heading backwards to shore fast. Dean Motored into the waves ( Cupcakes engine could get through them) and I dropped her anchor. We put out all our scope and she held--.hurrah for the Rocna (finally). It set and dug in deep. We put out all 260' and put down 2 kettle balls. We got out another anchor and tied it to the bow and zip tied it to the bow roller ready to deploy if the Rocna broke free. We got out the life raft since the dingy was upside down. All was well. Dean said most ordinary cruisers would have ended up on the beach or rocks. Once things settled down I checked her amsteel line. The chafe guard was torn through but the amsteel was fine. The weld on the mooring ball ring had given out. Now one of the mooring balks in Shallow bay is missing it's ring. With Dean onboard I wasn't even scared. We worked perfectly together.

Shaw Island, Park's Bay and Blind Bay.

2011-12-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

Took Cupcake to Shaw Island Park Bay and then Blind Bay. Both are beautiful anchorages protected from the winter Southerlies. I did a mini set in Park's Bay and then a second set to really get the anchor in deep -- running in reverse at low throttle (1000rpm) a couple of minutes. Once I imagined she was buried in as deep as possible I tested it at 2500rpm and called it good. No wind so it wasn't much of a test... she didn't move all night. I had out 7:1 scope but she didn't use any of it. The next night in Blind Bay was similar. I decided rather than mess with a new anchor I'll play with all the variables possible with my Rocna first: Anchor sail up, running longer at low throttle in reverse, putting down two 10lb kettle balls, opening flaps on winter enclosure to let the wind blow through. When she dragged at Fisherman's Bay in gust of 15-20 I did not have her anchor sail up. I am going to anchor over there again in gusty winds and put down kettle balls and put up her anchor sail. I've pretty much settled on a Fortress if none of these help.

I do have a lot of windage up because of her winter enclosure and she is a light, fat little boat who travels all over the place even with her anchor sail up. In one article I read it said that the width of the boat matters more than her length.

The Ipad app for Navionics is great for watching her track line. It was a distance ruler on it as well. I can run it overnight with no problem before the Ipad battery dies.

Also I tried a friend's Honda 2000 generator--that was a blast. I could stay at anchor forever with one of those. I put it up on the bow so the exhaust was not pointing at my enclosure's open side.

Fisherman's Bay, Lopez Island

2011-12-02T12:05:00.000-08:00

Anchored one night successfully in Fisherman's and dragged in the morning while sipping coffee. The anchor cut through the mud like a knife. She slowly dragged... ploughing through the mud, zigzagging backwards to shore with each tack. I think as she tacks through the wind at anchor she releases her hold, then resets again. Her track line followed her tacks perfectly. I'm going to try a fellow boater's CQR and see if the swivel design keeps the anchor down better. As the boat tacks the CQR shaft is suppose to follow but the anchor head stays down (at least in theory).

Lopez Island is utterly beautiful. The marina has a 10 person hot tub that overlooks the water and clean showers (if they were heated it would be even better). A short ride from the Island Marine Center is a spit with a deserted public beach (at least in winter), an estuary and bike trails through the woods. Town is a short ride away as well. There is a great organic store there called Blossoms and a huge new grocery store with it's own large organic section.

First Winter Trip in the San Juans on Cupcake, My Catalina 28 MK II

2011-11-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Left Friday Harbor this morning and came to West Sound Marina on Orcas Island. It is so beautiful here. I can't believe it took me slightly over an hour to come from Friday Harbor here... just a quick jaunt now that I live in the Islands. A friend called this region"the Southern Border of God's Country" after he spent about five years in Alaska cruising. It would be very hard to leave here despite the fact that I can't seem to find many places to shower that spotless.

Most of the showers I have come across in the Islands range from dirty (here at the picturesque West Sound Marina) to something that is reminiscent of the gas chambers (Friday Harbor). Tomorrow I am going to Deer Harbor where I remember the showers were great. I wish the guide books were a bit more blunt in their descriptions... Maybe I should write "Boater's Guide to Showers of the San Juan and Gulf Islands ". Despite my disappointment on the facilities front here the actual marina is as charming and picturesque as possible.

Friday Harbor

2011-10-08T17:04:00.000-07:00

7AM

Everett has no wind but Oak Harbor has 20-30 knots.

2011-10-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

11am today

11am tomorrow

Looks like I'll be chilling out in Everett a couple of days. Oak Harbor, where I am headed, is getting blasted by wind the next couple of days. The wind starts in the Strait and blows right over the Island. Everett isn't the worst place to wait out weather. There is an Anthony's restaurant at the top of the dock and Meyers coffee/ sandwich shop where I am getting decent reception. It's hard to stay here because there is no wind in Everett where I am sitting.

Seattle to Everett - Day 1 of Cupcake's New Adventure. Winter in the San Juan Islands

2011-10-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

Day 1 of my new adventure. Gave up my slip at Shilshole and started my journey to the San Juan Islands for the winter. Taking the back route via Oak Harbor and Deception Pass to avoid the Strait of Juan de Fuca. I am hoping this side will be more protected and there are certainly more opt out over here.

Alternator/ Batteries/ Charger/ Regulator

2011-09-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Getting new boat batteries today. Mine are 5 years old, a good run for batteries being constantly charged and used. While I am researching what is going on with my electrical issues I decided to replace the aging batteries. The Lifeline batteries are sealed which is safer for a person living on their boat. Also, you don't have to put water into them.

Notes to self regarding seeing 13.5/13.25 at binnacle rather than 14 volts I used to see.

LIFELINE regarding the ALTERNATOR: My alternator is almost certainly a single stage alternator. It should hold the volts steady. The only time the volts would read lower is if the batteries are low and lots of amps are going into them. Lots of amps means low volts, low amps coming in mean high volts. It's a balance he said. He said my link 10 has a button that tells the FLOW of amps in & out of the battery. He said to put the new batteries in and watch that button that shows amps IN/OUT. If it is putting lots of amps in, it's okay if the volts are low. The important thing is that it climb back up (which mine does not do, it drops lower). As I motor along the volts should go up... not down as they are doing.

CHARLES: While motoring along I should place a big charge on the alternator (turn everything on). He said that should kick it up. He said if it doesn't then he thinks it's starting to fail. He said that they have 3 pulses and if one is starting to fail it can send a lower charge. They don't fail all at once. They get a new average - a lower average...13.5 rather than 14 for example, then 13.25 for example. What could cause a new alternator to fail? The only thing I can think of is that when the seat and seal failed salt water splashed in there creating rust??? It could also be a loose connection of a wire that is rusting.

The person at Charles said put the new batteries in and then go motor around and watch the link 10 Amps in/out button.

LIFELINE regarding the CHARLES 120volt AC charger : Lifelilne said if you can find the setting on the Charles charge for AGM batteries to change it, if not, just leave it alone. He said the types of batteries are very similar. Mine were WET CELL, Dyno M24M's.

CHARLESS regarding the 120volt charger: Charles said the dial is right at the back of the unit (5000 SP) behind meter on front. He said you need x-ray vision to see it.

Edmunds Marina, WA - Last stop before Seattle.

2011-09-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

Edmunds is a great marina and the marina office will even shuttle you into town, although it's not too far to walk. Stayed here for 3 days cleaning waxing the boat and polishing the stainless. Nice to walk over to Anthony's for appetizers in the afternoons.

Kilsut Harbor & Port Townsend fog clears - Onward to Port Ludlow via PT canal/bridge

2011-08-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

Leaving Fort Flagler Mooring Ball - One last adventure

2011-08-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

No zoom lense here. I'm right next to Green Bouy #1 in Port Townsend Bay outside Kilsut Harbor.

I had to be sure not to drift very far from it or I would have to find it with the aid of radar and chartplotter again.

Cupcake next to #1 Green Bouy waiting for fog to clear

Lots of dense morning fog but I wanted to get out of the entrance of Kilsut Bay before the flood started ripping like it had yesterday. Today was Spring Tides so the current was running. I leave at low tide slack (13-15' depth in channel was fine for Cupcake) and use radar and chartplotter to help me get out. Once out I stay right next to Green Buoy #1 till the fog lifts in the Port Townsend Bay. I made little circles around the buoy for over an hour.

By 11:30 am PT bay was pretty clear but there was still fog to the Northeast towards Marrowstone Pt. When it didn't clear by 1pm I decided to go south through the bridge/canal near the end of the flood or high tide slack (wanted more depth in case it was silted in).

Clear in Bay but fog to North

Fort Flagler State Park

2011-08-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

Fort Flagler is a 784-acre marine park opposite Port Townsend in Kilsut Bay. Fort Flagler is well before Mystery Bay at the top of the large U-shaped entrance. Because it was a Saturday I was afraid Mystery Bay would be full of boats so I tried to grab a mooring ball at Fort Flagler. It's quite close to the beach so I thought that was a great location.

Because it's a tricky entrance I had already set up for port side tie before entering the first Nav Aid Bouy #1 Green. Also laid out mooring line just in case the dock was full - 80ft of heavy amsteel line draped over lifelines back to me. Easy way to pick up a ball solo. Works like a dream. Grab it from the back and then walk it forward and coil it up. So far so good. Came in on flood (middle) so I would have some extra depth but early enough that I could also reach the bridge/canal South of Port Townsend as an opt out by end of flood. That was the plan anyway. I didn't realize how much the current rips at the top of the U on Spring Tides.

As I get in in see there is plenty of depth but current was really running. The linear dock I had set up for was gone. I found out later it being repaired.

I got a line through the mooring ball (off my stern) 2 times (80' line from bow cleat back to me) and current ripped the line out of my hands two times. Rather than leave now I am determined. Opt out plan fades away as I get stubborn. I had to be going forward at over 2 knots to hold the boat still, put it in neutral for a second, lean over, grab the ball and try to get it on winch just so it's not ripped out of my hands again. 3rd try- .I got it with the boat hook and the line and then lost the boat hook after the current ripped it away. Now the boat hook is gone. The line is on the bow cleat and I get it to the winch in the cockpit but it's caught on the lifeline. I don't have the strength to fight the current to pull it off the lifeline. So I'm sideways with tons of pressure on the stanchion. I add another line with a rolling hitch to winch in the line caught on the stanchion to ease the tension. That helps and eases all tension on lifeline rigging - however, it doesn't solve it. Can't get the line free even though it's pulled off the lifelines horizontally. I can't raise it up at all.

Decide to sit there sideways and wait for slack rather than get in dingy and try to row to mooring ball now 30 or 40ft away. I'm safe now if looking a bit silly in my horizontal position.Two crabbers come up and help me tie a new line to the mooring ball so I can release first. They also retrieve my boat hook. The temporary dock line was too short so I tied two together with bowlines, planning to switch back to the original amsteel line when the fishermen return after putting out their traps. They came back and left once I was in good shape with some wonderful Portland Creamery cheese and many thanks.

I should have tried Mystery Bay or left rather than getting stubborn. I also should get more comfortable with anchoring because mooring balls can be a challenge in wind or current. One of the fishermen said he had to have rotator cuff surgery doing the same circus act I was performing on his big boat just 2 mooring balls away. That made me feel a bit better. Here's a video of the current the next morning.

Cupcake leaving Hunter Bay to Cross Strait of Juan De Fuca

2011-08-26T07:54:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit Chris Cowman

Strait of Juan De Fuca - Solo. Toot toot toot

2011-08-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

Came across the Strait of Juan De Fuca solo. Another big notch on my belt IMHO. Other firsts this summer included: Dodd Narrows, Gabriola Pass and Porlier Pass. Next year it will be the Strait of Georgia to Pender Harbour, onwards to False Creek and then back to the Gulf Islands. Each notch on my belt gives me that much more confidence. Thanks to so many wonderful people who helped me plan.

The Strait:
Left Hunter Bay at 6:45 no fog, seas calm. Had planned current to get a push the whole way. Equally importantly I made certain I would not hit Admiralty Inlet on an ebb because I had been warned that can kick up huge waters. The tips people gave me were a great help, see previous entry.
26 miles over the land
18nm through the water (current pushed me 8nm).
It was my 335th day on Cupcake and my 95th day solo since 2007.

Left Hunter Bay at 6:45 am to catch ebb out of Rosario Strait

With lots of help from current I arrived at Smith Island by 8:30am

Getting 3.4 from current at Smith Island even though the flood is

just about to start to push me into Puget Sound.

Boat speed 4.7 Current 3.4 Speed Over Ground 8.1

Point Wilson

Port Townsend

Tips on Crossing the Strait of Juan De Fuca from North to South

2011-08-22T16:57:00.000-07:00

I want to cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca this year. My thoughts are to go through Cattle Pass at the end of the ebb, right before slack and then catch the flood to Port Townsend. Won't go if there are strong winds, fog or substantial wind versus current. I think I won't have to worry about what Pt Wilson is up to that day if I just go to PT (right?). Also, I will plan to go in the AM because bigger winds normally build in the afternoon. I have a couple of weeks so I will start looking at my current books to pick the best days... and then watch the weather. I know to listen to channel 5 for Vessel Traffic.

Tips appreciated:

Here are what some other boater's have suggested:

snip

I have done it single-handed many times without incident except for
fog. Got radar and a plotter GPS for that but also am very careful. I
have always left very early in the am, catching ebb outbound and the flood
on the other side. Figure slack water times and try to be mid straits at
Ebb to Flood slack. The major item is to go early as the wind builds in
the afternoon. Mind you, I have no compunction about motoring across
rather than to wait for the wind. You can get kicked around out there.

another thing to be mindful of are the rips at either side of the
bay that PT is on. I try and not cut corners.

snip

My biggest problem in that area has been an ebbing tide at Pt. Wilson with a westerly wind. Nasty. About Ch 5...not only can you hear vessel traffic, but they will help route/advise you similar to air traffic controllers if you contact them. You can call them and tel em what your intentions are and they will let you know what traffic to be aware of. Good luck. I assume you also know to use Ch 13 to talk to other vessels like ferries/shipping.

snip:

Crossing these open waters is no big deal in settled weather and I think the US and CDN VHF weather broadcasts will raise your awareness of any impending breeze.

snip:
sounds like you have things figured out. But you do have to worry about what Pt Wilson is doing even if you are going to Pt Townsend. Admiralty Inlet comes before Port Townsend and you can get some pretty good currents going through there. If possible, you should time yourself to ride the flood through Admiralty Inlet.

snip:
Stay away from Partridge Point, it's often choppy there.

Other pieces of advice:
Watch for commercial traffic, get out of shipping lanes asap, when you get to PT watch out for ferry.

Reid Harbour, Stuart Island, US

2011-08-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

Rowed to shore and followed the sign to the old School House just like people did over 100 years ago. There are still few residents on the Island. They have built a new school house and turned the old one into a museum. Walking back down the hilly road to the boat a resident roared past me on an old motorized dirt bike. It was hard to see because his headlight blinded me but he had headphones in his ears, one hand held the bike and in the other he carried 3 or 4 large headless fish in a small net. When the fishing is poor, residents still get groceries from other Islands.

Sydney Spit, CA. Cupcake my Catalina 28's last day in Canada

2011-08-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

Sydney Spit.

Came in at Neap Tides, with positive 7' that I could add to the 8' of charted depth. This meant I should have had 9 or more feet under my keel but at times the depth read 6 -7' so the charts are off as the area has silted in. Where it said 8' there was probably only 5'. Without the postive tide I would have been aground. So in the future I will only go on a high tide and leave the same way. Once you are in there is plenty of depth.

The next morning I left Sydney Spit and it's utterly fabulous beach and headed for the US. I called Customs from the middle of Haro Strait trying out my ONE Year Pass ( like Nexus but only for 1 year). Check in by phone was easy so I and went straight to Stuart Island, skipping customs at Roche Harbor and scored another mooring ball. Turnover of mooring balls happens for the most part from 8-11am as boaters leave for their next destination.

Alternator and Voltage at Binnacle

2011-08-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

Mechanic: The temp gauge is electrically operated so if the voltage changes the operation of the gauge will change very slightly even though the actual engine temp has not changed. The battery was 14 at the dock because the charger is set there. The engine alternator should keep the voltage at 14 after leaving the dock. If you had been anchored and the batteries were down then it would take some time for the alternator to get them back up to 14. If you still have the original alternator and regulator you should see 14 volts while underway as in the past. You have a problem if you are actually only attaining 13.5 underway. The batteries won’t get fully charged unless they reach something over 14 volts.

mechanic:

1. Without an infrared temp tester it’s hard to say what the engine temp actually is. We don’t know if the gauge or sending unit has changed or if the engine temp. 170 to 180 is fine and what we normally see but If the temp is increasing that would indicate something is going on.

2. If the voltage has changed then the temp gauge will read differently. My guess is the voltage not being up at 14 where it should be while under way is the reason for the temp issue.

1” on the belt is fine so that should not have anything to do with the voltage reading.

Engineer:

The two observations (low voltage and high temperature readings) may or may not be related.

Is there anything unusual with the tachometer or oil pressure gauge?

I suggest you open up the binnacle and check for loose or corroded wires.

Use your Fluke volt meter to check the voltage at the wires for the volt meter (hook to “+” and “GND”) under shore power, without any power and with the engine running at about 1,500 RPM.

Look at the “ADMIRAL PANEL” section on the center left of the attached. I think this is what you have.

Most likely there is a problem with the “#14 BLK” (Black) wire that starts at “GROUND TO BLOCK” in the view above and goes to all of the gauges.

It may be the “#14 RED” wire that starts at the PREHEAT SOLENOID in the view above then goes to the keyswitch and then to all of the gauges.

Boating friend:
I think one or more loose wires is a likely cause. It is possible that when all the engine work was done, one or more connectors was not properly secured and vibration has now loosened it even more.

Another question: When you change the engine speed and the temperature changes from 160 to 170, does the voltage stay the same? If it does, that tend to disprove mechanic's theory.

Multimeter measurements (these are the wires that should be checked for bad connections):

Mechanic:

If the alternator was not working at all you would see below 13 volts. Maybe you have a bad connection somewhere. If you don’t know charging systems you’ll probably have to find someone that does. I can’t really begin explain unless you already know what field current is.

As long as you are above 13 underway then you are ok but not perfect. Just plug in at a dock every couple days overnight to get them fully charged.

Boating Friend:
Check the voltage between the batter ground terminal (-) and the ground terminal on the alternator. If the voltage is not zero, you have a bad ground connection. If the alternator does not have a separate ground terminal, it get's it's through the bracket that connects it to the engine.

If you have a regulator that is not integrated into the alternator:

Check the voltage between that regulator power and the battery ground connection. If that voltage does not match the battery voltage, you have a bad regulator power connection.

Check the voltage between that regulator ground and the battery ground connection. If that voltage is not zero, you have a bad regulator ground connection.

And some posts from the web on someone else's problem:

Removing and taking in is the best way, but if you want to do a quick check, put a multimeter on the battery when the boat is NOT running, this reading should be around 12.55 to 12.70 volts. Now start the boat and take another reading, this should read 13.8 to 14.6 volts.

All great information guys. Keep in mind too that if the battery is fully charged (12.68 v) the alternator will be not be putting out as much voltage. If you are reading 13.5 volts or less, turn on some lights and crank up that stereo then see what the old multimeter says. Should read 14.3 (+/- for the inaccuracy of the multimeter).

09-24-2004, 07:16 PM

If you want to know how far off the gauge is and why, neasure the resistance from the ground on the gauge to the battery negative post, not battery neg cable. Clean the terminals after you measure it, then re-measure. If you see the voltage go up immediately after cleaning the terminals, you then know that they need to be cleaned more often. If it doesn't change and you see more than 1-1.5 ohms from the gauge neg to the battery neg post, check any connections between the two positions.

Brian- removing two wires and three bolts so the alternator can be taken in for testing hardly sounds like a big chore.

09-24-2004, 10:21 AM

Don't always trust the gauge. I had a 87 Prostar 190 that read 10 volts when not running; however the multimeter showed 12.65.

The BEST way to test an alternator is to take it to an alternator rebuild shop and have them do it.

If your voltage stays at 13 or more, though, I wouldn't be worrying too much about it.

As far as lifespan goes, it's virtually impossible to say on a boat.. Moisture, not hours, is your biggest enemy. I've seen alternators on one-year old boats all corroded and starting to fail; on the other hand, I know of I/O's with over 15 years on the original alternator...

If the regulator has a voltage sense wire, check the voltage between that wire and the battery ground connection. If that voltage does not match the battery voltage, you have a bad voltage sense connection.

Check the resistance of the wire between the alternator field terminal and the regulator. That resistance should be very close to zero.

Cowichan Bay

2011-08-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

Still motoring slowly, going short distances while watching the new lower voltage readings and higher engine temperature. They are holding steady. The two trends aren't alarming by themselves... just something new to keep an eye on. At lower speed (2000 rpm), the engine stays around 160 degrees which was what I was used to seeing.

Cowichan Bay (about 6 NM south of Ladysmith), is a little community known for it's murals. I like it for the cute little marina with small tug boats coming and going, the enormous Coast Gaurd vessel on the end of the dock, the small ferry running back and forth and the log booms in the bay. In addition, I like it because the bathrooms are close, each with it's own shower stall/good pressure, a public telephone right here, a grocery store at the top of the dock and great BBX reception. Easy to hang out here for a night. The marina has put in mooring balls in the bay for overflow. I had to wait about 20 minutes while boats got moved around. Glad I had a reservation.

Ladysmith Maritime Society Docks

2011-08-07T20:09:00.000-07:00

Ladysmith Harbour is one of the nesting locations for the Western Purple Martins. The Maritime Society, with the help of volunteers, has increased the breeding birds in this area from five in 1985 to over 500 now. The birds and their lovely song make this marina a magical place. The Maritime Society Docks have the largest colony of Purple Martins on Vancouver Island. The dock volunteers do not monitor the VHF so call 250-245-1146 for reservations. While town is still an uphill climb, as are bathrooms and laundry, this marina is the closest to town of all the options.

Preedy Harbour, Outside Telegraph Harbour

2011-08-07T20:01:00.001-07:00

alternator / voltage, higher engine temp. 2 problems or 1?

2011-08-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

CHANGE 1: Is the fact that the engine is running hotter than it used to a problem?

It normally runs about 160 and now is running 170. The manual says 170 is okay but it's hotter than before.

CHANGE 2: Is the fact that the volts at the binnacle are reading lower under engine power a problem, after being plugged into AC the DC voltmeter gauge on binnacle reads about 14 but while motoring the gage drops to abot 13.25 to 13.50.

How tight should belt be? The belt, in the longest reach has about 1"of play with a bit of effort on the push. On the shorter spans there is very little play.

I suspected the belt, however an electrician who happened to be on the dock with his own boat and the dock manager both thought the belt was okay. Tightening it too much can damage the alternator, they both said.

The impeller was just changed a month ago with the seat and seal replacement

The heat exchanger has no rubber parts in it, I looked with a flashlight so most likely nothing happened to the brand new impeller or telltale parts would probably be in heat exchanger.

The water tank/antifreeze tank is full and antifreeze comes out the air release valve when I open it so there are no bubbles trapped.

The oil in engine is full, just changed the oil two weeks ago.

Thermostat on boat is only 2 years old, just like engine.

WHAT ACTION SHOULD I TAKE?

1. TIGHTEN BELT A LITTLE?
2. JUST KEEP WATCHING AND SEE IF TREND CONTINUES?
3. SOMETHING ELSE?

Friend's Comments:
170 is no big deal if it does not go higher (like to 200).
I think the belt is OK.
It could be the gauge or the engine may be hotter than normal.
Does the water flow out of the exhaust seem normal?
How is the antifreeze level in the tank?
See pages 13 & 14 of the attached (owner's manual).
Get a metal meat thermometer like you would use for grilling steaks and put it next to the thermostat housing (the lower part shown on page 14). It will likely read colder than the antifreeze inside but will be something you can check to get a base line then determine if starts getting hotter yet.
Possibilities:
Not enough seawater flow. A blockage somewhere or a bad impeller.
Not enough antifreeze or antifreeze flow.
"Scaled up" heat exchanger.
Bad thermostat.
---------------------------------------------------
Poster on Catalina Site added the below comment but I need to find out how this relates to my symptoms:
"Lastly, the
low sulfur diesel needs to have additives to replace the lubricity properties of
the sulfur. I have read that some diesel suppliers are inconsistent in adding
the correct amount of lubricant, and I use an additive for lubricity as well an
additive for bio growth. BioGuard Plus 6 is a new additive that does both (per
my most recent Boat US magazine)."

Another friend sent this:

I'm sure the belt is not a problem. It would have to be very loose to cause either a cooling or voltage problem. It sounds tight enough, anyway.

The slight temperature rise is probably not a worry unless it changes even more.

One test you could do is to lower the RPM on the engine and see if that lowers the temperature. If it stays at 170, I would suspect the thermostat. Replacing a thermostat is generally a very easy job and thermostats are inexpensive. You might consider replacing it to see if that makes a difference. If it doesn't you have new information and a spare thermostat - a good thing to have on board.

If the temperature lowers with lower RPM, I would suspect inadequate cooling. You've identified most of the failure points. Another possibility is a partially clogged raw water intake. You could try using a long handled brush to scrub around the raw water intake. You could take the raw water hose off the water pump. Keep the free end above the waterline, open the seacock, and use the blower side of a shop vacuum to blow into the hose. That might expel any debris that is lodged in there.

The only other thing I can think of is a failing temperature sensor or a failing connection on it. It might be worth examining the connections for corrosion or a loose screw.

Has the voltage always ranged 13.25 to 13.50 while motoring? If so, it's possible that your shore power charge is more powerful than your alternator. To do any further analysis, I'd also want to know what kind of alternator and charging regulator you have.

Answer: This is a new symptom. It used to be right below 14... 13.75 or more.

Silva Bay, a Gabriola Island Killer and other firsts

2011-08-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

Never been through Gabriola Pass, it can be a navigational challenge. Never been to Silva Bay which sits on the East Side of the Island facing the Strait of Georgia. Never landed somewhere only to find out a murder of a woman and a stabbing (of her son) just happened. Police warned he might be looking for a BOAT to escape in - they stopped the ferries. Never went into Strait of Georgia. Never came back into Gulf Islands via Porlier Pass. It was great to go out in the Strait. Next year I will cross it.

Associated Press -SNIP: Nervous residents of Gabriola Island were told to stay inside and keep their doors locked Thursday morning as RCMP scoured their community. “My husband works on the ferry and he phoned me this morning and said ‘make sure you don’t go outside because the police are all over the Island and asking residents to keep their doors locked,” said Gabriola resident Janice Smith. “I guess the guy’s still out there and I live right by all the walking trails so it is a bit scary.”

Gabriola Island has about 4,000 residents and is known for its wildlife, sea kayaking and diving. Many residents commute to Nanaimo for work via a 20-minute ferry ride. With files from Associated Press

Swinomish Passage Notice to Mariners

2011-07-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

Received this notice from BoatUS towing service. This year I avoided the navigational challenge by going through Deception Pass.

Greetings,
This message is being forwarded to alert all boaters regarding shoaling in the Swinomish Channel. This information was provided in a Local Notice to Mariners but, since recreational boats are grounding on the shoals, we are putting this information out again for general distribution and posting in area marinas. The Local Notice to Mariners follows:
WASHINGTON - STRAIT OF JUAN DE FUCA TO STRAIT OF GEORGIA - SWINOMISH CHANNEL - Reported shoaling
Numerous soundings of shoaling in theSwinomish Channel have been reported. The primary locations for the shoaling have been from the Swinomish Channel South Entrance, north to the vicinity of La Conner, WA.
Some depths have been reported as two (2) feet less than the charted depths. Mariners are advised to use caution when transiting this waterway due to the reported shoaling.
*****
We also remind boaters to monitor the tides closely (the controlling depth for the channel is less than 5.5 - 6 ft). Some of the shoaling is near the center of this narrow waterway.
Kindly note that the US Coast Guard Navigation Center has an excellent site where you can sign up to have the Local Notice to Mariners e-mailed to you when it comes out every week. That site is: http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=lnmDistrict&region=13.
We thank marina organizations for notifying their members, and marina managers for posting this alert and advising boaters heading this way to take extra caution transiting the Swinomish Channel.
Very respectfully,
Lyn McClelland
Coast Guard Auxiliary
Sector Puget Sound
Marina Outreach Program Manager
206-794-3032

PS... If you find yourself needing towing assistance and would like to find the closest VESSEL ASSIST towing provider in your area please visit: www.BoatUS.com/MSL
PLEASE NOTE: This email was sent to cmyk.br@mac.com. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL, if you prefer not to receive any emails from BoatUS, click here to be removed or email Membership@BoatUS.com with any questions or comments.
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©2011, Boat Owners Association of The United States. All Rights Reserved.

Montague Harbor, Galliano Inn and Active Pass

2011-07-27T23:48:00.000-07:00

Stayed on a mooring ball in the park for two nights. Took the free Galliano Inn and Spa's Bus into town.

The bus will pick you up or drop you off anywhere on its route (if they have room). The bus's main stops are at the forest park and the marina.

The Inn and spa has extensive gardens, restaurants and a wood fired pizza outdoor patio. Nearby is the town's ice cream store, coffee shop and bookstore.

The Hummingbird Pub also has a free shuttle. Their bus only runs in the evening.

Walking the beach near Galliano Inn

Clams

One hour off slack the water is churning in Active Pass on even a calm day.

The waves are just current, not a boater's wake!

Dodd Narrows Southbound

2011-07-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

Inlet Wrangler, the exact Tugboat I met at the gasdocks (see previous post), was waiting to enter Dodd Narrows heading Southbound with an enormous log boom behind him. I noticed him sitting there, just like he told me they do, waiting for slack. I passed him and watched him reassuringly get smaller in the distance. A bit later I heard him announce on channel 16 that he was entering the pass. I went through 1 hour before slack (according the current books) and he went through about 20 minutes ahead. I also saw another Tug go through that did not announce it's transit. For the most part it seemed the larger boats did use channel 16 to announce there passage. They would say something to the effect of "securite, securite, 55' power boat Northbound. through Dodd Narrows". Smaller vessels tended to say nothing.

On the South Side of Dodd Narrows I raised my sails and did a little happy dance.

Nanaimo

2011-07-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

Lots of people out enjoying the day.

I am pretty certain this was just for practice as nothing was said over the VHF.

Dodd Narrows, BC - Tug Boats, Power Boats and Sailboats. Tugboat Captain's Advice.

2011-07-22T10:15:00.001-07:00

Spoke to a Tugboat Captain at the gas dock in Nanaimo this morning. I asked him how to stay clear of them in the Dodd Narrows. He said they can only go through at slack so if I went through one hour before or after slack with a come current pushing me I would avoid them. He said slack can be off the books by 30 minutes depending on weather.

The captain told me "the passage is stressful for them too. Especially the power boaters who roar past because their wakes break up their log booms". He wants to tell the power boaters "to slow down and enjoy the beauty. They're on vacation so what's the rush?"

Then there are the sailors who occasionally try to sail through. They can really louse things up. For example the speeding current (not near slack) can make their spinnakers collapse and they shoot through on raging current blind and tangled.

Misery loves company so I was happy to hear they stress out too.

Like I said, my passage yesterday was problem free. It was a non-event!.

Street Musicians

2011-07-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Transited Dodd Narrows - Ta ta ta Da!

2011-07-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

It's so fun to go somewhere for the first time. Stressful but stunningly beautiful. Dodd Narrows is appropriately named. On high tide slack there was room for two boats to pass each other but at low tide slack there might not have been. Dodd Narrows can have currents of 9 knots so it's important to plan it right.

Dodd Narrows, gateway to Nanaimo and the Strait of Georgia.

Cupcake is the boat icon with vectors leading off,

the triangles are commercial boats (for the most part).

The purple is radar overlayed on the chart. The purple spots in front of Cupcake are other boats in line to go through Dodd Narrows. Cupcake was the last boat in line even though I was there 45 minutes before slack.

I rode through with about 2 knots of current pushing me. Some people said to wait right until slack and other said to go before - with a bit of push. I went through at 8:35am with a push right before high tide slack (at 9:20). Nobletech estimated at 8:30 I would have 2 knots of flood and that was right on target. On a bigger current day people might not have pushed it that early.. I was glad I followed the pied piper up ahead because log booms were just waiting for the ebb to transit.

The advantage of high tide slack (over low tide slack) is that you have more water under your keel and the passage is wider. Also, I had a push the whole way North from Telegraph Harbor.

We are close to neap tides (happens twice a month) so the tidal exchange is small in comparison to spring tide days (also twice a month). On some days of the month the current can be almost double of todays maximum which results in a much shorted slack window. Today the maximum was 5 knots at 6am. It was a great day to go through.

I was really happy I went on the end of the flood. I saw some tug boats on the other side setting up to head South with their log booms on the beginning of the ebb. If I had waited till complete slack I might have met them in the NARROW channel. What a nightmare that would have been...

Tucked into my slip in Nanaimo.

Thoughts on Stern Ties - Conover Cove

2011-07-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

Watched boaters stern tie in Conover Cove over the last couple of days. I've only done it once when I had an experienced crew member with me.

People say they like it because their boat doesn't swing 180 degrees with the changing current and more importantly their anchor doesn't swing and have to reset. Cupcake has dragged when she swung around with the current change in the past, so in theory I could see the appeal. It's also useful in small anchorages with lots of boats because you can fit so many more boats in.

That said, when the wind picked up in Conover Cove more than a few of the boaters dragged and had to try again (in much windier conditions). The ones that stayed put had much more rode out, dropping their anchors almost at the mouth of the cove. It looked like a real team effort although two boaters managed it solo, leaving their boats while they went to shore in the dingy. More hassle and risk than I am up for without crew...

Here's one technique that looked reasonable to me:

Set the anchor first with the engine.
Once that is finished, have someone (crew) get in the dingy and take the line to shore while the other person stays at the helm and keeps the boat in one place (not swinging into its neighbors).
The person who goes to shore finds a park ring, a rock or a dead tree (boaters can kill live trees with burns over time because the same trees get used over and over).
Bring the line back to the boat so you can pull it back in the morning (here's where you can give trees rope burn) without having to go to shore again.
Some people use a separate line to wrap around the rock or park ring which they can cinch down if desired.

This boater has one line around the rock with two braided loops, a large and small. He can cinch this line down for a firm grip if needed. His boat line feeds through one of the loops. In the pic, the line is not cinched because he had found the perfect rock. If he had to make a quick escape he would have left the braided line for the next boater. He said he always tries to leave the site a bit better than he found it, a rule he learned in the Boy Scouts. He said this technique saves his stern anchor line from chafing.

Note: In heavy winds some of them say they drop the stern line so they can point into the wind.

One boater said rather than drop the stern line, he leads it to the bow, taking half the pull off the anchor and allowing his boat of point into the wind.

Conover Cove to Telegraph Harbor

2011-07-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

Met up with a friend from Seattle and buddy boated for a day, he took this pic of Cupcake.

Later going wing on wing, straight downwind.

Conover Cove, Wallas Island

2011-07-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

Wallas Island, Conover Cove is the smaller, more southerly anchorage.

Some boats were stern tied, Cupcake scored a spot on the dock where there was room for 6-10 boats. The entrance to Conover is very shallow, you have to have some tide under you.

Retreat Cove, Galliano Island

2011-07-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

Retreat Cove on Galiano Island, North of Montague Harbor. Room for 2 or 3 boats on Government Dock and perhaps 1 boat on hook. The inland side of the dock is very shallow. Some families were here from Montague crabbing, apparently it's a great spot.

Fresh Water Pump Cycling - #31750 Jabsco. Pump fails to turn off after all fixtures are closed

2011-07-15T09:54:00.000-07:00

I posted this to The Yahoo Catalina 28 owner's site in case my experience was of help to another boater whose pump continues to cycle:
Snip from my own post:

Troubleshooting guide from Jabsco below:

First, my personal story:

My Jabsco fresh water pump started cycling but nothing appeared wrong and no
water was coming into the bilge.

A friend said I should clean or replace the check valve as one possible culprit.
He said that the normal wear or debris on the check valve can cause the pump to
come on periodically and that it will get worse over time. The part number was
18911-7030 for model #31750 a Jabsco.

I tried a couple of the easier fixes below and they did not solve the problem.

My friend took my pump apart and cleaned all the slime off the check valve and
everywhere else in case it was debris and not normal wear. Oddly, the pump
continued to cycle for a day or two and then stopped. I have no idea why our fix
took a couple of days to work. Just long enough for me to order a new check
valve which I now have as backup.

I was also told that it could have been the sensor. Again, in my case a good
cleaning of the check valve and all other parts did the trick.

From Jabsco Troubleshooting manual RE: Pump fails to turn off after all fixtures are closed:

Problem - Empty water supply tank Solution -refill
Problem - air trapped in pump Solution -open faucet closest to pump
Problem - debris in pump Solution -open upper housing and inspect
Problem - defective check valve assembly Solution -replace check valve
assembly
Problem - no battery in circuit Solution -install battery
Problem - punctured diaphragm (pump leaks) Solution -replace lower housing
assembly
Problem - discharge line leaks Solution -inspect plumbing for leaks

Portland Island, Two Boats Stern Tied in Royal Cove

2011-07-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

Swans at Canoe Cove

2011-07-11T17:21:00.000-07:00

Drinking fresh water from hose

Wallas Heater Repair

2011-07-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

Clear Marine in Canoe Cove brought in Lance Vicory from TroTac in Victoria to look at my heater installation because the Wallas 30D repeatedly failed. The latest problem was that it sounded like an airplane taking off and then it would not even start. It had just been repaired and cleaned in Seattle and I had only used it a couple of times. Clear Marine in BC felt there were two problems: To fix these issues they lowered the new thru-hull so that the rise of the co-axil cable (intake/exhaust) loop (inside the boat) could be a full 12"inches up before it heads down to the heater. That way if water got in, it won't make it to the heater. Secondly, the blower fan had been replaced in Seattle because of water intrusion just a few months earlier but they did not replace the combustion fan. The combustion fan was warped causing it to be very loud and it also had lots of signs of salt water intrusion. Lance let me listen my heater after putting in a new combustion fan and it was much better. In the end, I ended up buying a new Wallas because they use a new type of computer fan that is even quieter then the older model.

Perfect Cupcake Day: Cowichan Bay to Canoe Cove

2011-07-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

Left Cowichan Bay and sailed with both sails up in 10-14 knot apparent wind and sunshine. Wind in my hair. Rail a couple of inches from the water. It was just what people imagine this is all about. It's what I imagine it's all about. I yelled to the universe, Thank You! But if it was all there was, maybe it would get boring. What's really happening out there is constant and full awareness of sights, sounds and things (like crab pots, logs and other boats). And of course all the repairs. No wonder boaters take it all in stride. It never ends.

Cowichan Bay

2011-07-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

Lots of cute stores here: a gourmet cheese shop, a lovely fish market/restaurant, a homemade ice cream /candy store and a small well thought out chandlery. You can walk the entire strip in 15 minutes. There is a bus that runs to the larger town of Duncan.

Seat and Seal Assembly Replacement on Sherwood G908 Universal XPB 25

2011-07-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

Just another day boating. My sherwood pump died in a big way allowing salt water to gush out of two weep holes onto the engine and pan below. A friend in Cowichan Bay, BC said he thought he could do a seat and seal assembly change for me. He has a jabsco pump on his sailboat and had done it on that. He wasn't sure if my pump was similar. We certainly did not follow any rules other than his own: "Don't touch anything that's working". We did not take the whole pump apart as we were told. He did not "push" the whole thing apart which would have disrupted parts that were working fine. The weep holes allowed him to do it the way he wanted.

Remove impeller and then water pump. Easy, I could do it. On my boat I do not have to remove the hoses to get the impellor off. I move the impeller case left to right while pulling out. You can't see it in this pic but the hoses are still attached.

There was a gasket left on the engine side, we did not touch it. You can see him pulling off the

old silicone on the pump side. We cleaned all the old off at his shop and then used fresh "form a gasket" at the very end before putting the pump back on.

Gasket stayed stuck on engine side, we left it alone

pump we removed

use channel lock plyers to remove retaining ring and then remove other parts shown, he kept them in order

He got the "seat and seal" out by pushing screw driver into weep holes. He said it didn't matter if we wrecked the old seat and seal parts. This way we didn't have to take whole pump apart.

Homemade tool to help push out the seat and seal assembly out without touching the parts of pump that were working

All parts we removed. He used plyers and screwdriver to get rubber spacer out. This spacer was not in the exploded diagram! The spacer is the last item on the cloth with the tools pointing at it.

Dirty pump with the parts we wanted out

Pump with the working parts left alone. Notice the black line in magic marker. That's a line to help us put it back in correctly. The other part of the line is on the engine.

Clean inside and outside of pump, (he also used something like ether to wipe it out), blow all dust out with air compressor. It has to be very clean or it will leak again.

Clean enough

make a homemade tool to push seat and seal on. We used the old seat and seal part to rummage around and find something that would work so we didn't have to touch the new seal. The PVC in his spare parts bin was a perfect fit.

cut edge of PVC straight so pressure is even

homemade tool to push on new seal

get a vice and put pump in it.

use rubber hammer to tap seat/seal into place

dont touch seal (ceramic) NO FINGERPRINTS or your new seal may only last a few hours

don't touch other side of seal either. use fabric or the plastic it comes in

this rubber thing came apart and we had to get it back in. He used water as lubricant. Once he got it in the seal would no longer compress. It took a few tries. It should not have come apart. I was wishing I had bought 2 seat and seal replacements at this point. A couple of days later my friend said he should have put the next spacer on at the same time... that would have held it all together.

Once he got it to compress he pushed whole thing down with socket that happened to fit

pump not leaking!!!! This photo taken while it was running

Canoe Cove - Wallas Heater Repair Center

2011-07-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

All the islands and rocks make approaching Canoe Cove intense but it also incredibly beautiful. You also have to watch all the ferries coming and going from Swartz Bay which is probably a 10 minute walk away.

This is a nice place to come if your boat needs work or you need a chandlery. All the repair shops are right on the water. There is a coffee shop and pub nearby but this is not a restocking stop. They have a full yard, enormous travel lift, there is a Wallas Heater service shop, RayMarine service center and many others. They do repairs on just about any system: engine, mechanical, fiberglass.

I had my zincs changed here, the man who did it does about 300 dives a year.

This would be a great place to kayak. Soooo lovely. I'm at E-95, port tie, bow in. Being at the end of the dock I don't see the huge complex behind me and rather look out over all the little Islands and rocks.

Fabulous. I love it here. Every system on Cupcake could be repaired here while I kayaked. All the water you want to wash your boat as well.

Fulford, Salt Spring Island

2011-07-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

Anchoring at Fulford, Salt Spring Island - Suzuki 4 Stroke, 2.5 horsepower outboard

2011-07-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

Not dragging but enough excitement for one day.

At leisure on the dock I could look at my track and see that I wasn't dragging after all. I was pulled in a straight horizontal line by the Ferry's engines but was moving no further from the anchor mark I put down. Because I had anchored so close to land (to stay away from the ferry) I didn't have time to sort it out. Next time, hopefully in a week, I'll come back and try again a bit closer to the ferry and further from land. That's one great thing about solo sailing. There is no one to say we should try anchoring again. I could just call it a day and go to the Government dock for the night. It's nice to never push myself past an edge I feel comfortable with.

025 nm from waypoint when the ferry started spitting the sea out of it's engines

025 nm from waypoint when I freaked out and left. If I had anchored out further I would have had more time to figure out if I was dragging with the force of the ferry wash.

The track goes to the left before heading to the dock. This is because the ferry was leaving and I was staying out of it's way. It's also where I may anchor the next time. It's well out of the ferry's path.

Note to self: A female solo skipper was anchored over there. She had bought a Suzuki 4 stroke motor, 2.5 horsepower for her dingy and said it was light enough to lift. She didn't look that strong so I have hoped I have found a motor for my dingy! That would make anchoring out easier.

Anchoring Practice At Fulford, Salt Spring Island

2011-07-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

Dropped the anchor at the RED X at low tide. When the ferry wash kicked in and sent Cupcake flying I thought I was dragging so I pulled up the anchor tackle and went to the government dock. My spotting angles to trees weren't changing their angle to the boat but the track on the computer was getting too long based on how much rode I put out. I think my main mistake was dropping the anchor with so little room to spare. I was trying to tuck well out of the way of the ferry but the wash is sooo strong! Especially when he geared up to leave. When I was concerned I was dragging I couldn't just sit there to wait and see. Next time I'll drop the anchor a bit further out.

Otter Bay to Fulford, Salt Spring Island

2011-07-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

Brought both sails up today as I crossed Swartz Bay, a first for this trip. Mostly I just sail on the Genoa. Winds were light so I raised the main. One of our first gorgeous summer days.

New Favorite Weather Resources for Sailing Cupcake my Catalina 28 in Canadian Gulf Islands and San Juan Islands

2011-06-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

PREDICT WIND - Paid resouce

There is a small fee to use this resource but it gives a 5 day outlook with WIND ARROWS. I paid $19 for a 3 month, seasonal usage permit. You can try it for free with a one day outlook and some other restrictions.
http://forecast.predictwind.com/

FREE Weather Resources:
Written Text Forecasts in Canada:
http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/forecast/textforecast_e.html?Bulletin=fqcn13.cwvr

Current Conditions and Forecasts ( click on tabs) from weather bouys in Canada
http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/marine/weatherConditions_e.html?mapID=02&siteID=14305&stationID=

NANOOS - see earlier posts on this great service
http://www.nanoos.org/nvs/nvs.php?section=NVS-Assets

NOAA for the US, when in the Southern Canadian Gulf Islands I glance at NOAA's Northern Inland Waters forecasts since that is so close... I also like to see their reports for Haro Strait.
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew/get.php?wfo=sew&pil=CWF&sid=SEW

US Bouy weather
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/maps/NW_Straits_Sound.shtml

And here is the weather regions the US links above refers to:

Ferry Weather for San Juans and Puget Sound

http://i90.atmos.washington.edu/ferry/Ferryjs/mainframe1.htm

Godhavemercyonme!

2011-06-28T14:49:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I feel like this boat is trying to kill me. It's one thing after another.

I smell propane: Testing Propane Tank on SV Cupcake Catalina 28 -- Leak Found!

2011-06-27T16:55:00.001-07:00

UPDATE

Dunking the tank in water made the small leak obvious. I was starting to doubt myself. On the dock or at the propane seller I couldn't even smell the leak but on the boat it was more obvious.

As for the IPAD movies below that show the leak clearly, DO NOT follow the advice of the kind neighboring boaters who held the tank down for me while I filmed the bubbles. They were talking about using a cresent wrench to fix the hole/leak....

No professional or marine yard on the island would touch the tank because of the liability. The closest person I could find with insurance and expertise was on Vancouver Island was called Reliable Heating and Cooling located in Duncan. In the end I decided to buy a new tank rather than messing with the valve which had already been replaced once.

I could not smell the propane leak once the tank was off the boat. So small leaks might not be obvious at first by smell...

See below for info on how to do leak-down tests (they do not test for the spot she was leaking from).

A leak-down test should be preformed each time you fill your tank according to the propane dealers in Seattle.

Original Post

The propane company where I fill my tanks gave me these instructions:

The best/most important safety feature on the system is the pressure gauge located on the regulator assembly at the tank.
It is there solely to leak check the system.
It is just a leak-down gauge.

Every time you swap tanks, or more often you should do a leak-down test.

1. Turn the tank handle/valve itself off.
2. Turn the system on just like you are ready to cook, including the electric solenoid/sniffer/gas control.
3. Slowly, manually open the valve on top of your tank.
This should cause the pressure gauge to rise & register the pressure inside the tank.
4. Wait about 30 seconds & manually turn the valve on top of your tank off.
This isolates the rest of the system from the tank allowing any leak to cause the gauge to drop.
5. Record the pressure reading on the gauge.
The actual pressure reading is irrelevant, it varies according to the tank's temperature.
6. Wait 5 minutes & look at gauge again. (USCG says 3 minute test is sufficient.)
7. Any pressure drop in 5 minutes will indicate a leak.
The tiniest leak will show up in 5 minutes.
8. If you do register a leak, shut off the solenoid/sniffer/gas control & check again.
If the leak goes away you know it is after the solenoid valve.
Obviously, no matter where the leak is, you want to fix it.

Initially, in a brand new system the hose may expand a little, so you might initially let the system stabilize before you do the timed test.

No system will hold with no pressure drop for hours.
No drop in 5 minutes & you consider the system to have no leaks.

This would not check of leaks in the tank itself, such as a hole in the tank, leaking where the valve threads into the tank or a leak out the pressure relief valve located on the back of the valve.
Those would need to be tested with soapy water.
Make sure to thoroughly rinse away any soap when done.
Do not use any solution that contains ammonia.

In addition to the above instructions from the propane company they also suggested that if I smell propane I could take the tank and submerse it in water and look for bubbles. They said to make sure I dry out the valve's fitting before reinstalling the regulator assembly.
You do not want to get water inside your regulator assembly.

The smell of propane could be this:

Normally, you would probably get a slight propane smell in the locker.
Some parts contain rubber & are slightly porous, so you can get some smell in the locker.

Ganges, Canada. Cupcake clocks windspeed 29 knots at dock

2011-06-22T23:36:00.000-07:00

Planned to leave today to go to anchor at Fulford but the weather forecasts scared me off. For once the weathermen underestimated things so I am glad I stayed put. Cupcake was leaning over in the gusts, a bit too close to the dock for my comfort. It took four of us to push her away from the dock so I could slide two more fenders down and get a couple more inches of clearance.

The Navy, happily just downwind of me, was having their own problems. One of their stern lines broke off and the wind was blowing them OFF the dock. Men from the other two ships came running out to hold the boat while they got a new stern line on. You can see the broken one in the above pic.

The pic was taken just a few hours before the wind picked up and I was thinking the weathermen were wrong. Glad I played it safe.

Weather Predictions with Visuals, color coded from Nanoos (NVS)

2011-06-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Nanoos Wind Speed Visualiation for Gulf Islands in Canada

Boater Information System from University of WA is no longer supplying weather data and wind arrows. Here is their very helpful suggestion and directions:

Directions taken from BIS site at
http://bis_portal.apl.washington.edu/bis_portal_app.php

For Nanoos go here
http://www.nanoos.org/nvs/nvs.php?section=NVS-Assets

Go to NVS (Nanoos Visualization System)
Click on "View All Assests" Button
On next screen click on "overlays"
Scroll down to "Forecasts"
Click on "Windspeed" under the "N. American Mesoscale (NAM)" asset

Make sure you click on the current time/date period as it defaults a single time about 24 hours prior. It gives predictions a day or two out.

Here is a note I got from Nanoos. Despite Troy's humble observation about the lack of wind arrows, I find the color coding very useful. I can find wind direction from Noah or Environment Canada's weather bouys and forecasts. While Noah and the Canadian Weather office give forecasts for rather large bodies of water (ie South of Nanaimo or Northern Inland Waters), the color coding that Nanoos offers helps break it down to smaller regions. Also, I like having another independent analysis of the weather to refer to because the weathermen don't always agree.

Hi Bonnie,

All of the layers in NVS are located in the "Overlays" column, which is opened by clicking the "Overlays" button. The "Overlays" column has two sections, "Observations" at the top, and "Forecasts" below. I know this might be obvious, but I wanted to make sure you could get to the right section. There are currently no layers that cover Puget Sound and have wind arrows. The only layers that cover Puget Sound are under the "N. Amer. Mesoscale (NAM)" asset, and displays wind speed as color, but doesn't provide direction. I know that doesn't help you right now, but the good news is that we are working towards providing wind arrows for Puget Sound, however, it is going to take time for us to make that happen. We value our boater community and are looking for ways to make NVS provide the information and layers they need in a more direct way. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Regards,
Troy

The Enchanted Forest and the Jeanneau Rendezvous

2011-06-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

The above photo was taken from http://www.pacificyachting.com/blog/py-blog/events/item/23-11th-annual-pacific-northwest-can/am-jeanneau-rendezvous

Back at Poets Cove there was a Jeanneau Yacht rendezous. The owners from Marine Service Center in Seattle invited me to join their group for a walk in the Enchanted Forest, a short trip from the marina. We saw quite few logs like this one, compliments of the Pileated Woodpecker. It's apparently almost the size of an Eagle. Over ten of the Jeanneaus were heading to Alaska. I would have loved to tag along on that trip too!

This is the Salmonberry, named probably for the color. They are among the first berries to ripen and are edible. The berries and the young shoots were widely eaten by coastal peoples of BC.

Poet's Cove on Pender Island to Ganges

2011-06-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Ganges, Salt Spring Island, my beloved little town.
On arrival to the Kanaka public docks (where I scored a coveted spot), I rushed off the boat and got fruit and veggies at my favorite market. I've found my people. They are Canadian and live in Ganges.
Poet's Cove, Pender Harbor
Customs is located in Poet's Cove, Pender Island, which is also home to a beautiful resort and spa. I spent one vegetable free night there (because of Customs) to enjoy the spa. For $15 boaters can shower and use the steam room. They also have perfectly acceptable free facilities. This $15 shower and steam room make you feel like you are in the hands of some people that are serous about pampering. To enter the steam room you walk outside the spa into a private garden. The steam room itself is entirely cut out of rocks and there is small skylight at the top of the hill where steam curls upward in the dim light. The towels in the shower are as soft as snow. Inside the spa itself there is a little sitting room with a large fire place. Wrapped in a big robe and soft towels I read, drank tea, and later sipped on lemon water next to a fire. Clients awaiting treatments came and went. The way the treatment specialists greeted and chatted their clients was in itself relaxing and inviting. Honestly, I felt renewed.

Sherwood water pump leaking

2011-06-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

Here is another resource I found on the Catalina 28 Yahoo site for refits .

This boat was a Catalina 30

"Catalina 30 owner with an M3 20 engine used the Oberdorfer to replace the Sherwood with success"

http://www.catalina30.com/TechLib/Engines/engines.htm

Yesterday I motored 2 hours and nothing, not a drip. It's just like Cupcake to be so mischievous. I think I will order the new Oberdorfer just in case. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

Canada - To Customs at Poet's Cove

2011-06-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

Turn Pt on Stuart Island

Cupcake enters Canada with wind and 1.3 knots of current pushing her along

Sherwood water pump leaking. Replacement part -- Multiple Updates. Make sure to read dates.

2011-06-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

Update july 8, 2011:

Did a seal/seat replacement on Sherwood (see later entry on my blog on how we did it).

Continuing to research the orberdorfer option if it fails again. One mechanic was worried about alignment issues with the conversion. He said if the new hole is off by even 1/100 of an inch it would fail in 2 or so years because of slight shaft wiggle. Here's the answer to that concern:

snipped from Catalina 28 owners yahoo website:

Re: [Catalina 28] Sherwood/Orberdorfer conversion question

If I recall correctly, the new hole is not tapped. It just allows the bolt to go through the casting to the threaded hole on the mating part. So if you put the bolts through the original holes first, they should orient the hole you drill yourself. If you can thread the bolt into the mating piece without things binding, the hole location is close enough. If it binds, you can redrill the hole slightly larger to eliminate the interference.

MS #539

end of snip

UPDATE

See this article on all the modifications for the M35B which are all the same modification I would need

for the M25XPB

http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=Replacing_a_Sherwood_Water_Pump_with_an_Oberdorfer

NO SOLUTION --- Update June 20th

I got this from the Westerbeke dealer in Seattle:

"Fine for the 25XP but you don't have that engine. The 25XPB you have would
require exactly all the work shown to fit it on the M35B.
The Oberdorfer casting for the M35B, however, needs considerably more surgery
than on the M35A. Nile used a Sawzall to cut the bronze casting away, and then
ground the edges for smoothness. Not a job for the Dremel, that's for sure."

None of those Oberdorfer’s fit your engine without major surgery Bonnie. Replacing the seals on the Sherwood is a task and not easy so most people just by a complete new pump when they have a leak and that’s what we recommend.

Universal Warranty Dealer

(OLD POST--see above for newer info) JUNE 18, 2011

Thanks to a fellow boater on Catalina Yahoo List I have a great solution which some people are finding solves the problem permanently:

http://catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=2361

Water Pump Replacement or Retrofit, 1/2"

Product #: Z2880

Catalina Direct

ORIGINAL POST BELOW

My new Universal 25 xpb engine, 150 hours was splattering and is now leaking brown fluid from a weep hole on
the water pump. I am getting about 1T per 2 engine hours.

I see posts on the internet where people are replacing the Sherwoods that often leak with
and Oberdorfer.

Is Oberdorfer a direct bolt and unbolt replacement for the Sherwood G908?

Westerbeke felt it was the seal and seat assembly that was going bad and
leaking, about a $25 item. It keeps the water in the impeller cavity. Item #
12859.

They did not think is was the lip seal on the motor end which keeps the oil out
of the pump. They said that item is number 18806 just incase anyone is ever wondering.

If anyone knows please post here. I am on my way to Gulf Islands in Canada. I
could order something in Ganges, Salt Spring Island

SEE SOLUTION ABOVE FROM CATALINA DIRECT

Roche Harbor Marina

2011-06-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

Church bells, gardens, grand old hotel, little shops and markets...

Friday Harbor to Roche Harbor -Spieden Channel with Spring Tides.

2011-06-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

The plan for today was Jones Island, Roche Harbor or Deer Harbor on Orcas Island. I decided to fight a bit ebbing current ( which was heading S) as I headed North up San Juan Channel on the East Side of Sand Juan Island. I hoped to pick up the tail end of the ebbing current (which would be heading W round the top of the Island) just as I turned into Spieden Channel. I expected Spieden to be running faster than the norm because of the Spring Tides. Current can rip in there so I wanted to catch the very end, but still have current pushing me. I planned to hit Spieden Channel at noon based on my current books. As I came to the N. end of San Juan Island I was crabbing almost 90% to avoid getting pushed into the rocks -- which I was giving wide berth.

The Coast Guard had pulled a power boater over and I was praying they wouldn't stop me because I had planned the currents so carefully. Staying far from the rocks was easy with all the electronics working and I was right on schedule. I could see the boat's heading vs. her course over the ground and also the vector arrow for the current. What would have seemed unbelievable w/o electronics was clear and easy with the help of a chart plotter (that wasn't broken down at the moment). As I turned into Spieden I had 4 knots pushing me west--and this at the end of the ebb. Great ride, no problems. Tomorrow I'll leave on the currents again and head to Canada. A woman selling jewelry at Roche Harbor told me a power boater came in earlier saying he had 8 knots of current in the Channel, tried to make and approach several times and then took an alternate route.

Grocery Shopping Friday Harbor

2011-06-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

In the Basket is a folding bike!

Transmission Fluid Sample

2011-06-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

Engine Tranny Oil pulled 6/6/2011
149 hours on engine
Last Tranny oil change done at 50 hours. No samples pulled at that date.

Cupcake's 149 engine hour levels compared to ZF Marines wear limit numbers

Silicon and Aluminum are elevated which may indicate dirt entry. The transmission does take in air as it works. My exhaust elbow kept loosening and this exhaust dust (it was tightened several times) could account for the dirt. The small transmissions do not have a filter. The sample looks good

Wear Metals:
Cu (Copper) - 109 vs Wear limit 250 (Clutch plates, thrust washers, shaft seals, cooler housings)
Fe ( Iron) - 66 vs Wear limit 300 (Shafts, gears, bearings, housing tubes)
Cr (Chrome) - 1 vs Wear limit 15 (Pumps, coolers, bearings)
AL (Aluminun) - 5 vs Wear limit 30 (Housings)
PB ( Lead) - 8 vs Wear limit 1500 (Internal clutch disks, thrust washers)
Sn (tin) - 6 vs Wear limit 50 (Internal clutch disks, thrust washers, brazed joints of tubes, cooler)
Sl ( Silicon) 20 vs Wear limit 50 (Cooler housings, transmission housings)
B (Boron) - 79 (Comes for oil detergent additive)
Mo Molybdenum - 4 vs Wear limit 50 (Bearing bushes of idlers)
Ni ( Nickel) 0 vs Wear limit 30 (Coolers, tubes)
Mg (Magnesium) -1 vs Wear limit 1500 (Housings, coolers)
Zn (Zinc) 24 vs Wear limit 1500 (Bearing cages, tubes housings)

Another Headline Day - 12 Whales

2011-06-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

Kayaking in Haro Strait today with Discovery Kayak whose shop is in Friday Harbor. We got it all. We fought a big spring flood current as we were heading South. This big flood may have brought the whales in close to shore to feed on the salmon as the current pushed them against the shore. The whales were all quite close together and jumping. Our group clustered in a kelp bed and waited while they passed. Why no photos of whales? Because I was holding onto kelp in 50 degree water (it tasted very healthy and fresh) to stop the current from carrying us backwards. After the whales passed we fought wind and current until we got past Lime Kiln Lighthouse on the West side of San Juan Island then had a leisurely lunch in Dead Man's Bay. We caught a free ride back on the end of the flood to our starting point, glad we didn't have to work heading back. Just as we came back in for the afternoon the winds picked up as forecasted. It reached 35 knots where only an hour earlier it was calm. A strong onshore flow is expect each evening so if I take off will plan to be tucked in safe and sound by early afternoon. Between the small craft advisories and the big spring tide currents I'm happy to stay in Friday Harbor a few days and enjoy the town.

Notes from Cupcake's Great Big Fabulous Day

2011-06-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

Cupcake is in the boat in front, going though Deception Pass

Rescued Dingy

Sitting at the East end of Deception Pass last night I spent hours route planning. I was hoping join my new friends (we met the day before) and go through Deception Pass at 7am and head through the Strait of Juan De Fuca, up Haro Strait, past whales and lighthouses, to Roche Harbor. That was a much more adventuresome route than I had originally thought of doing but with a buddy boater of John's caliber I felt safe. It didn't take me long to gain respect for him. He knew many of the back eddies, tricks and trades of these waters after a lifetime of learning. If I was going solo I would have gone through the pass at 1:30 and headed to Hunter Bay. He said he was going to listen to the weather in the morning and then make his final decision about his day. He was heading to Canada and I would jump off at Roche Harbor on the tip of San Juan Island.

I got up at 5am to listen to the weather and get ready. Sadly, there was a small craft advisory in the East Entrance of the Strait of Juan De Fuca. I never go out in Small Craft advisories (never is a long time). Noah weather reported that Smith Island bouy was blowing 10 knots from the south, not too much yet. Current was heading south (which we hoped to take a ride on). So 10 knot wind and current were in opposition. Wind vs. current can set up some horrible waves where Rosario Strait meets The Strait of Juan de Fuca.

When John came out he told me they were still going. He explained his reasoning and also all the opt outs we had, if I still wanted to go. He reminded me that I was sitting in a gorgeous place and that there was no reason to leave. On the other hand if I didn't want to sit there I had lots of opt outs: If it was rough on the other side of the pass I could come right back in Deception Pass immediately before the current built up; I could take shelter in the nearby bay; I could cross Rosario Strait, fight the current that would be on my beam to get to Hunter Bay; If I joined him all the way into the Strait, he explained that we would be at Cattle Pass right about at slack (before flood) and I could turn off there. He was obviously my kind of sailor. He had done all his homework and didn't need to look at his notes to tell me when slack was at Cattle Pass (which he expected to sail right past). I looked at my own guides again to confirm the Cattle Pass timing as an opt out option. In the end I put aside my own reasoning for his because I had so much confidence in him. Normally, I would not trust someone else's reasoning. On the other hand, being more experienced he has been in much rougher waters and knows he can handle it, I'm not sure I could. Well, a woman (or man) has a right change her mind... I felt safer buddy boating on his plan than going solo on mine. If you are with someone good it adds a lot of safety.

We got out through Deception Pass and the waters were like glass until we hit the Strait. Then there was a nice 10 knot wind, nothing had built up yet. John took his boat much further into the Strait. I did not follow because I couldn't understand he went so far out.

I went between the two rocks/bouys at Lawson Reef and he went a mile or more south of it. It was quite rough as I crossed the reef but I could see it was a short distance before I would be through. Later John told me he has seen the area I went through turn 40' boats on end. He had gone south to stay in deeper water. I had figured that 50' of depth was plenty. I know next time to stay much further from Lawson reef. He had tried to contact me on the VHF on channel 69 to warn me and get me to come out further with him but I had forgotten to program 69 into the channels that I was scanning. Lucky for me that it wasn't that rough.

Gorgeous day. Fabulous adventure. No sign of small craft advisory weather in the Strait by 9:30am. Having a larger boat John was a ways ahead of me. I could see something white in the water but not what it was. John rolled in his sails. While he made a circle or two I caught up and could see he was rescuing a very expensive dingy. He called the Coast Gaurd and changed his plans from going to Canada to heading into Friday Harbor. The Coast Guard was concerned that perhaps a fisherman had fallen in.... Anyway, the owners were fine and safely at anchor. Kind of John to help out the owner of the wandering dingy even though he had to change his plans to do so. I followed him into Cattle pass, keeping with the plan of buddy boating even though the Strait was still an easy sail at that time.

We went through Cattle Pass just after slack. Came in handy that he knew just when it would go slack as part of his pre-trip planning. The dingy from the Charter company had an 800 number on it's side and the owners agreed to meet John in Friday Harbor. The sailors had chartered a huge Catamaran and the heater exhaust had burned through the dingy line during their night at anchor.

What a great day and adventure Cupcake had. It was so nice to buddy boat through the Strait. Safe and sound in Friday Harbor with a fun dingy rescue story to boot.

Port of Langley

2011-06-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

In addition to the lovely town of Langley nearby, the marina now has internet and takes reservations. Getting in the tiny marina can be tricky but the harbormasters are great and always ready to help.

When electronics are working, they are a beautiful thing. Backups are even better.

2011-06-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

Left Kingston this morning heading towards a fog bank at the Southern tip of Whidbey Island. With fog ahead I got out my backups (paper charts were already out). I fired up my new IPAD. I have navionics charts for US and Canada loaded on the IPAD which give a great big view of gps, distance to various points, lat/long, nav. aids and current/tide info. Pretty fab for a $55 application.

Pic of IPAD navionics charts and GPS strapped onto binnacle as backup test.

This version doesn't require internet.

In addition, with Verizon hotspot I was able to toggle between Navionics GPS (that doesn't rely on Internet) and AIS on my internet browser so I could see any commercial boats over 60.' Well, a better way to put it is that I could see the boats that remembered to turn AIS on and vessels that weren't having a malfunction. Navy ships and subs don't use AIS and I've had big freighters zoom by without it. I also hooked on the spare VHF to my belt. I wish I could get back up radar and auto pilot. Then I would feel even better!

Pic of AIS on IPAD via internet. Nice backup to my boat's AIS and Radar.

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/

It all made me feel much more secure while coming closer to the fog bank. By the time I arrived the fog had cleared but redundancy does give a person a nice feeling of safety. I guess I'm one of those sailors that reeeeeaaaaaal sailors laugh at. But heck, I'm out here doing it solo on a little sailboat. All those electronics are like having great crew onboard. I love my electronics! Paper charts are too clumsy for me with no nav table, two sails, things to watch out for like submarines.... I would probably crash trying to navigate the old navy way. Of course, paper charts are the ultimate back up though and I wouldn't sail without having them nearby. Just hope I never have to resort to them alone. I do know how to use them though. I got a 100% on my advanced coastal Navigation Class at the power squadron in Seattle. That was a very hard and long test, but it would have been impossible to pass if I had to take it while sailing.

2011 Bonnie's Big Adventure Begins

2011-06-09T13:13:00.000-07:00

Arrived at Kingston early in the day. All is well. Gorgeous day, feels like summer again.
Boats are anchored outside the marina, they say there is some eel grass but the holding is pretty good.

Seatalk Failure - Best Guess

2011-06-08T22:25:00.000-07:00

Seatalk failures can be very hard to find if they are intermittent. Of course Cupcake would not have a failure while the electrician was here. Because my GPS had been unusually slow to pick up satellites we felt it was suspect. I placed aluminum foil over the old sensor and it completely blocked the signal. We put a new radar sensor on and tried putting aluminum foil over it. While it cut the signal in half, I did not loose my connection. We felt this showed the new GPS was getting a much stronger signal. The lack of signal wouldn't take down Seatalk but a failing part would. The electrician's best guess was that something was failing in the old GPS because:
1. It was intermittently very slow to pick up signals
2. When I got a Seatalk failure it would self correct about 1/2 the time after 4 or 5 minutes
3. They had tried pulling wires and looking for corrosion and found nothing loose and no corrosion.
4. They thought one of the devices was having a problem, starting to fail.
5. Because the new GPS was able to get a signal through the aluminum and the old one was not they felt that confirmed a potential problem was corrected.
So that was their best guess.

We'll wait and see if I get a failure in the next few weeks.

Seatalk Failure Diagnostic Step 2 -A test

2011-06-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

We could not get Seatalk to fail while the electrician was here. We tried giggling all the connections and looked for corrosion. The electrician said if I ever have a failure again I should go into the menu options and look up Seatalk. That way I could see if anything was getting Seatalk or if it was all down. Just a diagnostic tool that might be helpful.

Set Up

Diagnostics - hit arrow to right

External Interfaces

Seatalk

Seatalk devices

See what is showing and what it missing.

It will probably all be missing

My "unknowns" could be VHF wireless or TriData.

AIS Icon, Pilot Icon OFF

2011-06-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

When the icon shows AIS is off it means the alarms are off

When the Pilot Icon is off, it means the chartplotter is not running the autopilot (a good thing IMHO). I like to run the autopilot by the buttons on that device

Intermittent Seatalk Failure C80

2011-06-08T14:48:00.000-07:00

The yellow wire the knife is pointing at is my Seatalk Cable in the S-1 Brains. The electrician thought that if we disconnected it I might be able to use autopilot if Seatalk went down again. Seatalk can get power from multiple sources (like the chartplotter) so he wasn't sure this would work. If I try this I need to be careful not to touch the wire to any metal.

Step 1 we tested all connections visually and by wiggling them. We looked at the S-1 Brains, the back to the ST-60 instruments and autopilot panels and we checked under the chartplotter (seen below). Everything looked good, wiggling did not produce a failure. Of course my system would not fail while he was on Cupcake.

Video of Seatalk Failure For Reid!

2011-06-06T17:05:00.000-07:00

C & L will look over Cupcake's C 80 system. Seatalk failure...

2011-06-06T14:28:00.000-07:00

Today I can't get the system to fail at all. Still, I don't want to loose everything away from the dock.

C&L electronics was recommended to me so I will wait a few days to leave till they check her out.

Still need to get her tranny checked (blessed) by ZF Marine anyway.

Eddie Legard.Began his career in 1990 as a service technician at Emerald City Marine Electronics in Seattle. Being 'trained' by the guru, Frank Ziemba, and attending technical college in electronics manufacturing and service, Eddie has enjoyed all aspects of the marine electronics business including sales, repairs, installations, accounting and...keeping the coffee pot full! Eddie is NMEA and Raymarine Certified.

C80 Seatalk Failure

2011-06-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

I replaced the display of my C80 two year ago and it worked great for two summers. The first display unit melted down right before I left for the summer and Raymarine said it had to be shipped back, investigated, a quote made and then the repair process could start. Rather than wait and wait I bought a new one. So this one is 2 years old. The boat is a 2007.

On some test sails recently the GPS was taking longer to find satellite than normal. (symptom???)
Then I got about 5-6 seatalk failure messages that did NOT self-correct, alarms went off.
Then I got 5-6 seatalk failure messages that DID self correct after about 3 or 4 minutes.

Could this be a weak GPS signal causing the seatalk failures and then if it's found satellites after 3- 4 minutes or so self correcting? Would no GPS signal cause Seatalk to fail?

Does it sound more like GPS or more like wiring? Loose wire? Corrosiion. It was all checked two years ago when the new unit was installed.

With everything linked they all go down together. It's hard to figure out the problem.

Is there any logical way to systematically rule things out?

Auto Pilot
C80 display
current
Wind Instruments,
Chart Plotter
Radar....

AIS reciever

It's all down with no seatalk

Put a call into a repair center and hoping they can fit me in soon.

Suggestions Welcome

cleaning (speedometer) paddle wheel, speed sensor on Catalina 28

2011-06-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Over the winter Cupcake's speedometer stopped working again so I was hoping there was gunk on it (preferable to an electrical problem). Sure enough, more than plenty of scum to clean off.

Before starting the project I used the search button on my blog to read my earlier post on how to clean it. It was very helpful since it's been awhile. I got out all the tools I needed (listed in earlier post -- searched speed sensor) and in addition I got out some bleach and a toothbrush to help scrub it. Once the main seaweed etc have been cleaned, there are always little tiny hairs that interfere with it spinning freely that can only be seen with a strong flashlight. I tried to get every last one to slow down future build up and then dunked it in bleach.

Wow, this blog is turning out to be helpful to me to refer back to.

Replacing Anchor Light with LED

2011-06-02T08:58:00.000-07:00

Got tools set up. The McLube was for other jobs as I went up mast.

Original and Replacement LED

Attaching the bosun chair and also a second safety line.

Bag to haul equipment up and down from top of mast

2007 Catalinas (or at least mine) came with a Hella 2492 series all around white anchor lamp.
I wanted to replace this 1 amp an hour devouring bulb with Dr. LED's 2nm replacement. The Dr. LED PN # is 8000067. I read on the internet that people were having a problem fitting the larger and taller LED into the lamp because of the tiny bit of plastic that hangs down from the center top... a leftover little knob from the manufacturing mold. So I planned to use a dremmel to grind that down so the LED would fit easily.

Tools:
Dremmel
Bosun's chair with pockets for tools attached to main halyard
Climbing Harness (as back up) attached to spare halyard
synthetic grease for o-ring and pos/neg contact areas of LED
a thin 50' line to send things up and down mast. This line was attached with a clip I could release if it got tangled in anything.
A new o-ring for the light fixture (I bought the whole fixture so I could examine it before going up).

The plan was to winch me to the top of the mast where I would remove the lamp fixture and bulb and send them down in a little bag attached to the 50'line. My friend on the boat would use the dremmel to sand down the little plastic knob left over from the manufacturing mold. This would leave the LED plenty of room in the lamp. He would put synthetic grease on the electrical contact points and also on the o-ring. It all went exceptionally smoothly, worked perfectly, nothing got tangled. There were no signs of corrosion on the wiring.

Spectrum Gelcoat Patch Paste or Gelcoat for Dummies

2011-05-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

Dings and tiny holes in the cockpit and salon consistently appear from nowhere on Cupcake. I decided to try fixing them myself.

Tools:
Dremmel to rough up and dig out cracks and dings
Denatured Alcohol
Tack Cloth
Latex Rubber Gloves (lots if you are messy)
Different sizes of wooden spatulas and coffee stirrers
Paper towels
Trash bag next to me for putting the used toxic stuff in immediately
Wax cup to mix the two part paste (I ended up cutting a large plastic cup down)
Protective eyewear
Different grades of wet/dry sandpaper
Cream colored spectrum gelcoat and a tube of black coloring agent to try and match the grey areas. I heard they also make custom color matches and next time I'll try to find a company with a larger supply of colors because the grey I could make with the coloring agent was still too cool. If the color bothers me later I can always improve the repair at a later date. So great to be able to do these myself now.

Here are the instructions from their site:
http://www.spectrumcolor.com/technicalinfo.htm

Spectrum Color Gel Coat Patch Paste Repair

SPECTRUM GEL COAT Patch paste is an easy to use repair system. Patch Paste allows even the inexperienced to make professional looking cosmetic repairs to damaged gel coat in the form of dock dings, scratches, trailer, gouges, nicks, screw holes, canvas button holes, blisters, and many other episodes.

Spectrum gel coat Patch paste is a factory color matched gel coat that is converted into a paste form that spreads like Vaseline, sets in approximately 30-40 minutes, and will stay in place on vertical and overhead surfaces.

HOW TO USE PATCH PASTE :

· Clean area thoroughly to remove oils and waxes. This should be done before sanding, using acetone diluted with 10% water. Use paper towels, changing often, to prevent contamination. CAUTION : acetone is highly flammable, use carefully. Dispose of paper towels properly.

· Rough and/or sand area to be repaired using course sandpaper, sharp instrument or small grinding tool such as a drill. The object is to get enough “tooth” to repair area to assure a good bond. Use a tag rag to remove dust, take care not to damage surrounding areas. Masking tape around the repair area will minimize this possibility.

· Place a small portion of patch paste in waxed paper cup and add M.E.K.P catalyst at approximately 12-15 drops per ounce of patch paste (2% by volume). Take care to mix thoroughly to assure an even surface and to minimize air entrapment.

· Using a Plastic putty knife or spreader, apply catalyzed mixture to gouge or scratch. Leave area slightly raised

· Let the repair cure thoroughly, normally 2-4 hours, or preferably overnight.

· Start sanding cured repair with 200x wet paper. Sand lightly, working your way down to a finer grit 400x to 600x wet paper. As you sand with finer and finer paper you will notice the shine starting to brighten.

· Buff and polish repair to achieve original shine

HINTS FOR BETTER REPAIRS

· Work at room temperature (75 degrees F)

· Heat repair area with a lamp or hair dryer. CAUTION : Be careful using electrical appliances around flammable materials. Elevating the temperature of a repair area will accelerate cure time.

NOTE : Patch paste matches the original O.E.M factory color. Slight color difference may be noticed due to gel coat degradation from ultraviolet rays and environmental exposure. Follow directions carefully.

Big Adventure 2011

2011-04-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

Thinking of giving up my slip, thus painting myself in a corner, and casting off. Found a reasonable place to store my car. It's a perfect time to sail off, while I'm carrying my home on my back. I'll probably mosey up to Canada, explore the Gulf Islands some more and then spend the winter in the San Juans. Yikes! How fun will that be! Now that I am a CPT (check out my blog BeeNourished) I can get a job doing that if the spirit moves me (once I settle down) in the fall.

Pirates kill four American sailors

2011-02-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about the four sailors killed by pirates in the Indian Ocean. Although I did not know Phyllis or Bob (who were from Seattle) well, their deaths saddened me deeply. I appreciated Joe Grande's sentiment in the AP "They were doing what they wanted to do, but that's small comfort in the face of this," he said.

In trying to understand why they were sailing in those waters I found this quote from Blue Water Rally's blog helpful: "Although yachtsmen have been discouraged from sailing through this area for some time, it is a hard decision when the only other choices are to sail around the stormy, dangerous seas off South Africa, leave the yacht in the Far East, put it on an expensive cargo ship, or to sail back across the Pacific which presents more weather challenges and difficulties. When one has set one's heart on a circumnavigation, these choices are very difficult to make".

It made me think of the people I hold dear and how grateful I am to be alive.

Cupcake gets ready for 2011

2011-02-18T17:36:00.000-08:00

It's been a long winter and I'm looking forward to summer. Hope to sublease my slip and head to Canada again.

Ganges, Salt Spring Is, Canada to Seattle, USA - Solo

2010-09-21T12:58:00.001-07:00

Back from my longest solo journey and I skipped right past Seattle and went around Bainbridge Island. Spent a few nights at Blake Island. Just wasn't ready to come back to the city. I had to be back by the 21st (today) for jury duty. I'm writing this from the juror's waiting room.

It's a bit hard being back in the city: having to drive everywhere, traffic, noise, commotion. I might be ready to put the big city behind me and move to the San Juans for a season or two.

Jury Duty, where I am posting from, is not what I expected. I brought my juror survival kit: knitting, kindle, iphone (filled with new podcasts), lunch, tea, snacks... and removed the knife from my key chain so it wouldn't be taken at security. I expected a sort of cross between purgatory and hell.

I was so wrong. The waiting room of the municipal court house where I have spent most of the morning has drop dead stunning views and floor to ceiling windows; a large balcony with designy tables; coffee (not so great); hot water; computers and wifi (lots of jurors brought their laptops). I wonder if I can become a professional juror... Maybe it's because my expectations were so low. We have 1.5 hours off for lunch much of which I spent on the balcony. There was an organic fair at City Hall, also a stunning building across the street.

Sweeney's Meat Market in Brownsville

2010-09-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

Brownsville Marina, Olympic Peninsula.

Just a block from the marina is Sweeney's meat market. Its been there for 27 years.

I can vouch for their Elk sausage. I heard their peppered beef jerky is also wildly popular but Cupcake's freezer is already full...

I can work through this stuff! Exhaust Elbow problems Continued

2010-09-08T11:39:00.001-07:00

Fiber Under Engine

Repair to loose threads and soot from carbon monoxide leak done two days ago...

The Good News is that I realize I can work through some of this with the help of my camera, cell phone and internet.

There are about 10 or 12 new insulation flakes under engine after the exhaust elbow was tightened up. See Pic below.

Why are they there since the repair has been completed?

Is it soot from a carbon monoxide leak pinhole at the bottom of the elbow... a second problem?

Is it soot from the loose threads that traveled under the insulation and has worked it's way out from the repair done two days ago? Is vibration just shaking more stuff off from the last issue?

Is it paint from the heat exchanger wearing off as the aluminum wrapper around the exhaust elbow rubs on it?

After sending numerous photos to the repair company in La Conner that tightened the threads we have decided it doesn't look too dangerous so I will go on my way. Here was their suggestion:

I think the thing to do is have a mechanic at your home port remove the exhaust elbow, like we did, and bring it to a good exhaust outfit, like National Marine Exhaust, and have them inspect it for pin holes at the bottom of the loop and make a new blanket (lagging) for the pipe.

Heading forward... Not calling vessel assist. We all think it's safe to continue.

More on Swinomish Channel Currents

2010-09-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Met a boater at Langley who told me his method of getting through the silted in channel and heading to La Conner. He goes in when the sine wave is either half way up or half way down because then he has a few feet of tide and the current is weak. This boater's simple method gives him plenty of depth and little current for his power boat. This concept works well with what I read and saw in the channel. The largest currents were at the top and bottom of the sine wave. I wouldn't want to dock with 2 or 3 knots of current pushing me around even if I had plenty of water. Since he is a power boater he doesn't have to worry about depth or current quite as much as I but I like his method very much, especially for the South End if I was going to or from La Conner since it only takes about 40 to 60 minutes at about 3 - 4 knots.

Expecting the current to be the least in the middle of the tide sine wave doesn't make since but that is what he has seen over and over again in the channel and also what I saw. Ports and passages current book on La Conner uses a different method but it is complimentary. Oak Harbor marina uses a different method but it also works out about the same. I am going to ask them to send me their technique and will post it here.

Perhaps from now on I will head N through La Conner from Goat Is around the middle of the sine wave and heading South I'll take Deception Pass, since heading S. in the channel is trickier because the south bound current runs 2 to 3.5 hours on either side of a low tide.

Currents in Swinnomish Channel - Spring Tides 9/6/2010

2010-09-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

Photo taken by J. Slider on WindDancer on 9/06/2010- I was too busy trying not to go aground myself to take pics.

After spending hours and hours and hours trying to figure out the currents and tide in Swinnomish Channel I finally transitted the dreaded Southern entrance (I heard of 2 sailboats that were grounded smack in the middle of the channel while I was staying in La Conner). On my way through I Passed a 44 J boat on it's side (off to the side of the channel). This boat was not in the center of the channel though so perhaps he had a different problem than the silted in channel.

Going S. is tough because (according to my interpretation of the information available) the current flows South 2 to 3.5 hours before and after every LOW TIDE (and it's a negative tide today). It roars N 2 to 3. 5 hours before and after every HIGH TIDE (again my interpretation of the information). The really shallow part is at the silted in S. entrance W of Goat Is where the currents are particularly strong. So... I was trying to get S. before the current switched N but with enough tide under me not to go aground.

There were two choices: I could leave as the tide was getting lower (2 or 3 hours before the low which was about negative 1 foot) and the current would move S faster and faster pushing me in the right direction and I could get out faster. Option 2 was to leave as the tide was rising off the low (-1 foot), hoping to get out of the channel before the current switched N. After consulting with Terry, Captain of WindDancer, we decided to leave on a rising tide and buddy boat. We risked fighting an opposing current but it it seemed the safer bet. That way, if we got stuck the tide would be rising.

Made it with 2.7 under my keel in the middle of the channel. At least 1.7 of that was tide. Nerve racking.

I think there is about 6 feet of water at the Southern Entrance at mean low water.

Happy Ending.

Cupcake's latest meltdown - I got very lucky

2010-09-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

Coming down the narrow, shallow, busy Swinomish Channel on my way to La Conner Cupcake's engine gauges stopped working. Cupcake lost her temperature gauge, fuel gauge, engine volt meter and almost certainly her ability to start again if I had to turn her off. I was really happy I had paper charts, a spare GPS, a spare VHF and my cell phone up on deck in case anything happened in the navigational challenge of the channel. I wasn't sure how far this meltdown was going to spread. I released the safety catch for the anchor and hoped for the best.

After arriving safely at La Conner Marina I was very lucky that La Conner Maritime Service were on the docks and could swing by immediately, on Friday before Labor Day Weekend. They found that the 20 amp engine circuit breaker was tripping immediately each time we turned on the boat. After a bit of detective work they found a wire touching the heat exchanger had burned through it's protective coating and was shorting out the engine. In addition they noticed some black dust under the engine. I had also been keeping an eye on the dust but because the engine was just replaced I had been assuming the black dust was a hose chafing. I kept adding wire ties and insulation to the hoses where they touched anything trying to find the problem. The repair man said it did not look like chafing from hoses to him but rather soot from the exhaust elbow.

The great folks at Maritime Service said I had a carbon monoxide leak and that the whole elbow was loose. They sent down a mechanic after consulting at the shop and deciding it sounded serious (again, Friday before Labor Day weekend). They removed the exhaust elbow and lots of soot fell out. The threads were very loose under a clamp that holds the elbow to the engine. They tightened the heck out of the threads. Either the threads had worked their way loose from vibration in only 100 engine hours or they were never tightened up enough in the first place. I'll keep an eye on that in the future. What an education owning Cupcake is.

Thank goodness La Conner Maritime Service could fit me in and that they used their eyes and brains.

I consider myself a lucky girl.

Weather/Barometer question Answered

2010-08-31T16:52:00.000-07:00

I wrote my weather teacher Bill from the Seattle Power Squadron to ask why my barometer gave no indication of the approaching storm. Usually, it's as good as the weathermen for my area.

Next weather class in Seattle at the Power Squadron Starts Nov. 10th.

Here are Bill's answers from several emails:

"The big picture surface maps do not show much pressure variation, but the UW MM5 12km and 4km shows lots of wind up your way for this morning. The low is way up in AK. What pressure slope there was went from south to north to drive the winds but would have shown little barometer shift as it slides eastward. Here is the Pacific map for this morning":

"What I sent was a fragment of the NOAA Ocean Prediction Center map for today. It and the other references are available at www.usps.org/seattle/wx.htm under forecast items (2) and (3)."

As for my barometer failing but all the reporting companies getting it right Bill says:

"my usual rule for weather (and navigation) is to never accept one

input, like the barometer. "

And one final comment from The Seattle Power Squadron Weather Teacher:

"You were far south of the low, on an outside circle of the isobars which were sliding to the east, a tangential path, so you don’t see much change. This was an unusually wet storm for august due to the moisture source and windy because the pressure slope from south-north for an extended time pushed winds up the Puget Sound and St of Georgia.

Weather ain’t simple which of course is what makes it so interesting"

Tucked into Rosario Resort/Marina - Storm Watch

2010-08-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

The heated outdoor pool at Rosario Resort, East Sound, Orcas Island, is a great place to watch things blow by: tents, sun umbrellas, branches, birds. Glad I played it conservatively and went to a marina rather than a mooring ball. It's nice to watch the weather from this lovely resort. Glad to have 30 amps on the boat so I can run the space heaters, nice to be able to take the shuttle to town. What a storm for August. This would be nothing in November but it's a surprise right now. My barometer did not predict it at all. Normally it plummets before a storm. Glad BIS, Noah and Environment Canada got it right.

My barometer:

Yesterday

4pm -1012.9

5pm - 1012.7

7:23pm - 1013.3

9:41 - 1014

Today

8am - 1014

11:45 - 1013

12:24 1012.3

Maybe it's the difference between a warm and cold front?

Ganges-Roche Harbor, San Juan Is -then on to -Resorio Resort, Orcas IS

2010-08-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

Bit by bit I am making my way home. Looks like a lot of wind might blow through the neighborhood tomorrow so I might stay put an extra day (see above wind pic. courtesy of Univerity of WA - BIS). Checked in to Customs at Roche Harbor yesterday and left this morning at 6am to get a push in Spieden Channel. Beautiful morning -I love being out on the water alone (as long as nothing goes wrong). Picked up a mooring ball at Blind Bay for a coffee break and then since my slip was available I headed over to Rosario Resort. It is so charming. Tiny marina, perhaps 30 slips plus some mooring balls. The water pressure is worth the price of admission. Never seen anything like it. Glad the boat was secure before I turned it on. Catching the bus to town at 1:40. It picks up right at the marina.